The 213th Annual Council - Diocese of Virginia

Proceedings
The diocesan health insurance program, contracted through Anthem BCBS, was renewed
for 2008 with a minor 2.54 percent increase, well below most assumptions of medical care
inflation, and while negotiations got ugly at times, it is a far cry from the initial 21 percent
increase I started with when we began negotiations. The dental insurance plan actually
enjoyed a decrease from 2007.
In my role as treasurer of Shrine Mont, I can share the good news of another excellent season,
additional projects underway and the opportunity to help sustain those and other projects.
Kevin Moomaw is doing an excellent job closing out his first year as executive director.
He and I just reviewed his 12/31/07 financial calendar close and under his leadership,
Shrine Mont will end in the black once again.
The needs at Shrine Mont however, are ever present, with planned projects for 2008 to
include renovation of St. Andrew’s and Goodwin cottages and your gifts, both from
individuals and churches, make this ministry thrive. Kevin and I are currently looking
for $4,000 to fix the school bus used by summer camps, so that is an immediate need.
There is the annual volunteer work weekend planned for March 14-16 and your skills
(Bishop Jones), or simply hard work (Bishop Lee), are welcomed.
I work closely with the Church Pension Group in a variety of ways, including sitting on the
boards of both the Church Insurance Company and the Church Agency Corporation, as
well as leading a CREDO Institute faculty team. On an annual basis, beneficiaries of the
Diocese of Virginia currently receive nearly $6.5 million in benefits, and the Church Pension
Group continues to be one of the best run pension plans in the country, with assets of over
$9 billion. Benefit increases for 2008 raised all existing pensions by an average of 2.3 percent,
and 2007 saw the introduction of a pension formula that increases all future pensions.
The Church Pension Group invited several dioceses, including Virginia, to be among
the first to utilize the new web-based training modules for the Prevention of Sexual
Misconduct with Children. It is not a pleasant topic, but the Episcopal Church is
a leader in prevention training. I will begin the roll-out of this program, named
“Safeguarding,” for the Diocese over the next few months. Its web-based programs
will allow for immediate access points for new hires, eliminating the need to wait for
in-person training or the time to travel to a distant location. The training is done on the
participant’s time, on-line, with the ability to revisit modules as often as the participant
may wish to strengthen understanding.
The diocese will host a Lay Planning for Tomorrow conference for lay employees and
spouses February 29 and March 1 of this year. With the Diocese subsidizing a portion,
the majority of the cost of the conference is covered by CPG as a benefit to the Church
and covers a range of topics from financial planning to life in retirement. Please make
provision for your professional lay staff to attend. The cost is minimal and the benefit
in terms of reward and retaining valued staff has huge payback to you. I have brought
several dozen registration packets and they are on both the diocesan program table and
in the diocesan office here at the Hyatt. You may also find copies on our web site or by
emailing me at mkerr@thediocese.net. It is an important aspect of the Church Pension
Group to be much more than simply a pension plan.
Now, those of you who are new may have heard this is where the intermission falls, but that
is an urban legend and we head onto the direct business of the Diocese of Virginia proper.
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The Diocese of Virginia t Journal of the the 213 th Annual Council