Retirees
Retiree Chaplains Program
The Board of Benefits Services (BOBS), through the assistance program, maintains a network of retired pastors and ordained elders who are geographically spread throughout the United States and Canada. These retired pastors and ordained elders maintain faithful and pastoral contact with retired missionaries who served ten years or more, with retired ministers and their spouses, and with the surviving spouses of ministers.
The retiree chaplain’s role is not to replace a retiree’s own minister or circle of support but to ensure that the retiree has such a circle of support, including a local church, family connections, and a classis of membership. The retiree chaplain is the primary way for BOBS to identify those who are most in need of assistance. If a crisis arises, the retiree chaplain can facilitate the necessary care and offer suggestions and guidance about how best to provide assistance (financial or otherwise).
The Beekman Memorial Home
The Beekman Memorial Home, located in Bedminster, New Jersey, is a three-apartment, rent-free house for retired RCA ministers. If anyone is interested in staying at the Beekman Home, please contact Lourdes Burke (504-354-5329 or Lourdes.burke@hancockwhitney.com).
RCA Directory
A quick reference to all RCA personnel as well as regional synod and classis meetings. The General Synod Directory contains contact information for RCA congregations, ministers, missionaries, elected leaders and more.
Assistance Fund
RCA pastors, their spouses, and long-time missionaries give to the church in countless ways. Yet in retirement, some find themselves in extenuating financial circumstances.
The assistance program provides grants to eligible ministers and their surviving spouses and dependent children. Financial assistance is primarily awarded for needs related to housing and utilities, on-going medical insurance premiums, funeral grants to surviving spouses, retirement contributions for disabled ministers and other emergency needs deemed acceptable by the assistance grant approval team. Missionaries with ten or more years of service and former employees of the Southern Normal School are also eligible for grants from the assistance program. (The RCA operated this boarding school in Brewton, Alabama, for 86 years.)
Retirees, surviving spouses, missionaries (10+ years of service) or former Southern Normal School employees requesting assistance must complete an application, which is reviewed by a staff committee. Recipients must resubmit an application annually to continue receiving assistance.
Applications are available by contacting the retiree chaplain, the BOBS’ office at 866-221-5480, or emailing mrich@rca.org.
In 2014, General Secretary Ed Mulder and wife Luella gave a generous donation to endow the BOBS assistance fund. Every year, proceeds from that endowment contribute to the funding of the assistance fund.
Free counseling
The Employee Assistance Program provides free confidential counseling services to eligible RCA Ministers of Word and Sacrament, retirees, denominational staff, missionaries, and their households. In addition to counseling, many other services are available at no additional cost to the employee.
On the Fidelity NetBenefits website, you can manage your account, view your investment portfolio, set up a consultation with a retirement planner, and access a resource library.
Having trouble with NetBenefits? Call 1-800-343-0860
In Touch Newsletter Articles
The views and opinions expressed in the InTouch Newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Board of Benefits Services or the Reformed Church in America. Any content provided by authors are of their opinion and views alone.
Have a question?
We are here to help!
Contact Mornier
Board of Benefits Services
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1606
New York, NY 10115
retirement@rca.org
866-221-5480
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