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Assuring a brighter today for yesterday’s leaders

In July 2003, General Church leaders approved a pilot project titled Honoring Leaders of Yesterday (HLOY) for the purpose of assisting older pastors and missionaries and their spouses who have encountered financial difficulties in their retirement years. During the five-year pilot phase, funds are designated for individuals and/or couples who served the BIC church for a minimum of 25 years, with at least five years prior to 1975.

Eligibility for funding through HLOY is based on demonstrated financial need by the applicant and current personal and family resource circumstances. The funds received from HLOY can be used for such things as long-term care insurance, medical expenses, appropriate home care or assistance with admission to a retirement center, and general living expenses. The pilot phase was designed to serve three to five family units, and five participants are currently enrolled in the program.

Longer-term hopes for HLOY, as Rebekah Basinger, director of congregational relations, explains, include a permanent endowment fund and the ability to include even more retired servants of the church in the program. But donor interest in HLOY is yet to be determined. “One of the things we will be looking at when the pilot phase ends in 2008 is fundraising feasibility. The fund operates strictly on gifts received for this designation, and we are eager to see a steady flow of support for HLOY.”

She notes that contributions to the Honoring Leaders endowment fund can come as gifts of cash or through estate planning. “We are ready and eager to talk with individuals who might consider including the Honoring Leaders program in their wills or as the beneficiary of an annuity or trust fund.” Information about what can be accomplished through careful financial planning is available on the BIC Foundation website.

For information about how to apply for HLOY funds, contact Arlene Ray, benefits administrator, at (717) 697-2634, or aray@messiah.edu. For questions about making a gift in support of the program, contact Rebekah Basinger (basinger@messiah.edu) or Warren Hoffman (whoffman@messiah.edu) at the General Church Offices.

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