Page 36 - Presbyterian Connection

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PRESBYTERIAN
FALL 2022
presbyterian.ca
Staying Connected with Pension and Benefits
By the Pension and Benefits Department
As the world continues to mod- ernize, organizations strive to be two steps ahead by implementing new ways to communicate and stay connected.
The Pension and Benefits de- partment of The Presbyterian Church in Canada has worked to implement ways to strengthen communication with active mem- bers, retirees, congregational treasurers and presbyteries over the past few years. During the pandemic, it became apparent that new strategies were needed to enhance our online presence and to reach the PCC member- ship electronically with timely news, information and updates.
We have recently made the decision to increase our online presence through social media, in the hope of reaching a larger demographic. While the Pension and Benefits web pages, located on The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s website, continue to be
monitored and updated with new information, we have also turned to integrating with the PCC’s Fa- cebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts to promote upcoming Employee Assistance Program (EAP) webinars, newsletters for members and retirees, and other new resources.
EAP Webinars
Each year, we promote a series of four webinars available to employ- ees of the church. These webinars are offered as part of our Employ- ee Assistance Program and touch on various topics from personal development to finances and es- tate planning. These webinars are promoted throughout the year by email and newsletter, and, starting in the fall, will also be promoted on social media, aiming to reach more active members.
Newsletters
The Window and Contact news- letters continue to be enjoyed by active members and retirees.
The Window newsletter, a
newsletter for active members of the Pension and Benefits plan, is emailed out twice a year, and pro- vides up-to-date information on the pension plan, changes to the benefits plan through Sun Life, as well as fun lifestyle articles.
The Contact newsletter, a newsletter for retired members of the pension and benefits plan, is printed, mailed and emailed out once a year. This newslet- ter features insights on any new details or changes to the pension plan, updates on health and den- tal changes through Sun Life and much more.
The newsletters are the pre- ferred choice for communicating any plan updates throughout the year and will continue to be pro- moted on the PCC website, as well as promoted on social media going forward.
New Resource for Treasurers
In the spring of 2022, the Pension and Benefits department devel- oped a new resource for treasur-
ers, The Treasurer’s Guide to Pen- sion and Benefits. This resource was designed to help consolidate various forms and information into one convenient booklet to help bring some ease to this very important role.
much more. This guide will be updated annually and sent out to all treasurers by email.
We would love to
hear from you!
The Pension and Benefits depart-
Connection
PENSION & BENEFITS
The Treasurer’s Guide to Pen- ment enjoys communicating with
sion and Benefits provides in- formation to treasurers, whether they are new to the role or have been in the position for many years. It includes resources, such as: Maximum Qualifying Income (MQI), Pension and Benefit Rates, Minimum Stipend and Allowance Schedule, remittance forms and
our active members, retirees, congregational treasurers and presbyteries. As we continue to implement new ways to com- municate, please feel free to contact Pension and Benefits at pension@presbyterian.ca with any questions, inquiries or feedback to help us continue to serve you!
Polly Jardine and Katherine Allen, members of the Ontario Presbyte- rian Chorus, taken at a celebration on June 4, 2022.
need of hearing God’s message through music. Our ministry of music has even meant a lot to our own choir members—hav- ing shared many fond memories of our journey together, we have formed a strong bond of friend- ship as a family of Christians.
A photo taken of the Ontario Presbyterian Chorus in 2014 at Jubilee Presbyterian Church in Stayner, Ont., celebrating 25 years (1989–2014).
Continued from page 35
When we toured the Maritimes in 1997, we were invited to sing in Wolfville, N.S., where the min- ister in New Minas was seeking to raise funds to build a church, and whatever offering was taken up was to be matched by the pres- bytery. We had the opportunity to sing at Kings Presbyterian Church in New Minas in 2015 when we returned to the Maritimes.
It was very humbling for those of us who were part of the OPC on these two occasions to help build new ministries and to see the lasting results of our efforts decades later.
We sponsored two presenta- tions by the Société De Chant L’Helvétienne Male Voice Choir from Gorgier, Switzerland, held in Jubilee Church in Stayner and at Armour Heights Presbyterian
Church in Toronto.
We took part in two benefit
concerts for Evangel Hall, includ- ing their 90th anniversary held at Convocation Hall.
For a couple of years, we par- ticipated in a mass choir for the Big Sing at Roy Thompson Hall, presented by the North York Sal- vation Army Band.
As we look back on our years of choral singing, it feels as if
we’d opened up a book of memo-
ries—each chapter taking us on
yet another journey in Canada, or
to Ireland, Scotland and Switzer-
land. We have had an amazing 50
years of journeying, creating last-
ing memories, embracing adven-
tures and praying together. It has
helped us grow in our own faith. special thank-you to Armour
MUSIC (CONT’D)
Every time we sang together, we planted seeds into the many souls who were perhaps in
Heights Presbyterian Church in To- ronto, Ont., for generously offering us their space for rehearsals.
We wish to express our grati- tude to the churches who had hosted us over the years. A very