Mission Offering

Even though the greatest growth of the United Methodist Church is in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Philippines, pension funds are minimal or nonexistent for pastors in those areas. There are presently about 2,000 retired clergy or surviving spouses in the central conferences outside the United States. After a lifetime of service to the church, many of these faithful servants are living well below the poverty level. A relatively small amount of pension support could make a tremendous difference in these persons' lives.

The Central Conference Pension Initiative is a denominational campaign to raise $20 million to fully fund pensions for retired clergy and surviving spouses who have served in conferences outside the United States. This year's mission offering at Annual Conference will help to provide those much needed resources.