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Some of the news is good; some of the news is less than good.
First, the good news. Those participants in the retiree category will see their premiums reduced by either 13 or 29 percent, depending which of two new plans they choose. The Conference Board of Pension & Health Benefits made the decision to change providers for retirees only in 2009. United Healthcare Options PPO and Secure Horizions/Medicare Complete HMO will crease providing benefits to retirees on December 31, 2008. The new medical insurance plans offered in 2009 will be underwritten by Sterling Life Insurance Company, an "A" rated insurance carrier. National Employee Benefit Companies, Inc. (NEBCO), an AmWINS Group Benefits operating company, will provide administration for the new plans. A communications campaign is underway for retirees to help them understand the changes and make decisions for 2009.
Now, the less-than-good news: active clergy will see their contribution rates climb in 2009, with clergy paying 28 percent more per month than in 2008. Clergy will pay 20 percent of the overall premium; churches or other entities will pay the remaining 80 percent. The so-called "blended rate" for clergy serving local churches will be $839 per month in 2009. The single rate for clergy will be $96 and the family rate will be $236 per month. All 2009 health insurance premium rates are listed on the Conference website at www.flumc.org/hr. Click the link for "health, dental, pharmacy, FSA and life insurance benefits" - then choose 2009 benefit rates.
The reason for the significant increase in participant contributions for 2009 is related to the action taken by the Conference Board of Pension & Health Benefits (CBOPHB) last year. In order to keep the 2008 premium increase to about seven percent, the CBOPHB authorized the use of reserve funds to subsidize the rates. In 2009, that subsidy will not exist. Because the conference has had a very good year in terms of medical insurance claims, the CBOPHB felt that 2009 would be a good time to "catch up" for the rate subsidies of 2008.
Everyone who participates in Conference benefits is invited to view the live Open Enrollment webcast on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. sharp. Understanding your benefit plan is critical to your receiving the maximum benefits. To view the webcast, visit www.flumc.org on that day and click on the appropriate button. Please make sure you encourage lay employees at your church view the webcast who are also participating in the plan.
The 2009 benefit plan for active participants continues to provide a comprehensive, quality medical insurance plan for participants and their families. There will be no change in carriers for active participants (United Healthcare, CompBenefits, Discovery Benefits, Minnesota Life) and the plan of benefits will maintain the current co-pays for doctor's visits, deductibles and out of pocket maximums, which limit participants overall financial exposure. If you are currently enrolled in United Healthcare and make no changes for 2009 - you will not receive new ID cards.
Highlights:
- The Open Enrollment period begins on November 3rd and ends on November 14, 2008.
- Open Enrollment information will be sent to current participants home addresses the week of October 13th.
- Live Open Enrollment webcast Thursday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. sharp.
- Participants must re-enroll in the Health-care Spending Account and Dependent Childcare Account every year - these benefit elections do not roll-over from year to year.
- All Clergy and lay employees at local churches must print their confirmation statement upon completion of the open enrollment session and provide a copy to their financial administrator/payroll clerk to set up 2009 benefit payroll deductions.
- New benefit elections will be effective January 1, 2009.
Wendy L. McCoy
Director, Human Resources & Benefits
Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
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– Full Details will be e-mailed to East Central District Pastors and Lay Leaders soon.
Wayne Wiatt will continue to conduct Charge Conferences for the final 1/3 of the churches he has not been to during the last two years. [Click here] for his Charge Conference Schedule. If your Churches’ name does not appear on the Charge Conference Schedule at which the DS will preside, please submit your own choice of a Presiding Elder and Conference date to the District Office by September 15th.
Charge Conference Forms will be available on-line at www.flumc.org after August 25th. You may schedule your Charge Conference any time after that date. Please have all paperwork to the District Office one week prior to your Conference so that it may be reviewed. The final date to submit the contact information for your newly elected leadership for 2009 is Friday, November 14th, 2008.
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Dear Colleagues:
Your East Central District Leadership Team met on retreat in early November to assess where we are and “Vision Cast” for the future. During our time together, we focused on three areas of need in our District: Clergy, Congregations and Communities. Prior to the retreat, our Clergy Care Team under the leadership of Ann Hutchens and Tom Samuels began meeting to plan and implement strategies for clergy self-care and wholeness. Our Congregational Transformation Team, under the leadership of Kim Shockley and Linda Mobley has been implementing “Refocus Network” and “Natural Church Development”, two processes oriented toward objective evaluation, congregational health, and the renewal of vision to help pastors and congregations assess where they are and how to realize a preferred future. Our Church and Community Connection (CCC) under the leadership of John Powers and Marilyn Beecher have been working on ways to partner our larger churches with smaller congregations for vital ministry in strategic missional settings.
While understanding the Mission of the Church to be Making Disciples for the Transformation of the World (Matthew 28), our sharing and discussion for Vision focused on the areas that needed to be addressed in order to carry out our Mission. In the context of our shared ministries in the East Central District, the genesis of a new Vision began to emerge; one that addressed the health and wholeness of our pastors, churches, and neighborhoods. As I have gotten to know the East Central District over the past year, the words unity and wholeness continue to work their way toward the forefront. After a great deal of prayer, time and listening, I began to understand our needs in terms of “Wholeness and Holiness.” As I shared this perception with others, this is the Vision that has emerged - “Wholeness for our Clergy, our Congregations, and our Communities.” We are still in the midst of developing strategies and outcomes for this new vision, but these will be shared with you as soon as the entire Leadership Team has had time to process and adopt them.
I know that you will be in prayer for the District Leadership Team as they seek to guide all of our congregations, ministries, missions, and ministers in their growth toward wholeness.
I Love Being Your District Superintendent,
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
I came across an article the other day written by Dr. William Lindsay, PhD and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bethune-Cookman College. The title of the paper was “Exercising Leadership in Academic Life,” but it has a wonderful application in the Church as well. Here are the bullet points:
- Leaders display integrity.
- Leaders value collegiality.
- Leaders are marked by a strong commitment to mission.
- Leaders display transparency and accountability.
- Leaders are marked by intelligence and critical thinking
He went on to say that Leaders do not “keep up mess.” As I reflect on your leadership in our East Central District, I want you to know how grateful I am that you are tirelessly building the Kingdom and teaching others to do the same.
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