Rev. Bruce G. Epperly, PhD
Often my fellow retirees tell me some version of the following: “I’ve got so much to do now. I don’t know how I held a job before I retired.” They often share how busy they are, and how they don’t have time for taking a walk, exercising, recreational activities, or getting together with friends, not to mention volunteer projects. I’m usually tempted to ask, “Have you looked at your schedule? What activities are optional, a matter of choice, and what are absolutely necessary, given your commitments and values?”
By Bruce Epperly
These days, many retired pastors are exploring what it means to be a good ancestor. After a lifetime of service, we still feel an obligation to make a positive difference in the world. We still have the energy for mission and want to focus on ways to support the generations to come. We realize that we have responsibilities to our loved ones, and for some of us, this means making a moral and spiritual difference to our children and grandchildren. But, more than that, many of us are pondering how we can intentionally live and act to promote the wellbeing of other peoples’ children and children we will never meet. We want to be good ancestors whose impact lives on for generations to come.
By Richard Walters
The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ (PBUCC) recently participated in a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) as the United Church of Christ received the Founders’ Award as a founding member of ICCR.
By Rev. Krista Betz
The Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI) energizes and empowers younger UCC local church pastors to co-create vibrant congregations that change lives, engage their communities, and further God’s mission in the world. For twelve years the Pension Boards/United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance has been leading this initiative that has impacted 150 clergy and the congregations they serve. Our most recent learning experience took us to Detroit, Michigan to study Human Centered Design (HCD) with Rev. Phil Hart, Michigan Interim Conference Minister
By Bruce Epperly*
On New Year’s Day, for the past several years, I have read Dag Hammarskjold’s spiritual diary, Markings. Most of my generation remember Hammarskjold as the Secretary General of the United Nations (1953-1961), who died in a plane crash, while trying to mediate a military conflict in central Africa.
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Our hearts and minds are with the Ukrainian people and their families and loved ones, as they face unprovoked Russian aggression with resolve and courage. We express our fervent prayers for peace and resolution alongside yours and millions of others.
We thought you would appreciate a brief update on financial markets and your retirement savings, considering the significant volatility, and wanted to address any impact from Russian domiciled assets.
On February 24th, we woke up to the news that following months of military buildup along the borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his armed forces to invade Ukraine. Missile strikes targeted key Ukrainian cities, including the capital city of Kyiv, as well as military installations and airports. Ukrainian civilians have taken up President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to arms to defend the country’s independence. This latest development in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War threatens to become the largest European conflict since World War II.
Walter A. Reyes, the Pension Boards’ Chief Human Resources Officer, is serving on the advisory committee of the United Church of Christ’s Join the Movement toward Racial Justice—a campaign to partner with others who are working for the transformation of racism in our world. “The role I will play in Join the Movement,” says Reyes, “is to curate stories of life experiences of diverse people groups here at the Pension Boards and share those across the United Church of Christ as part of our cultural transformation journey.”