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Driving Force Behind Launch of CCP Set to Retire

Barbara Boigegrain, one of the driving forces behind the formation of the Central Conference Pensions (CCP) program, is retiring as General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Wespath Benefits and Investments at the end of 2021. Boigegrain also currently serves as President of the Overseas Pension Corporation (OPC) Board, a subsidiary of Wespath which has responsibility for oversight of CCP.

Barbara Boigegrain visiting the East Congo in 2014

Prior to the creation of the CCP program, many pastors serving in the central conferences were not able to save much, if anything, for retirement, and the countries in which they lived didn’t have robust social safety nets. General Conference 2004 authorized fundraising for what came to be CCP, and the late Bishop Ben Chamness led the campaign to achieve the $25 million fundraising goal.

Together, through Chamness and Boigegrain’s leadership, the fundraising goal was achieved in 2013.

Boigegrain said CCP is one of the things she is most proud of from her time at Wespath: “That has been such an important effort to provide hope and dignity to people who did not have any hope once they retired.”

Since 2007, over $13 million in pension support funds have been distributed across Africa, the Philippines and Eurasia. CCP covers more than 3,400 retirees and surviving spouses.

“In every place, we insisted the benefits go to surviving spouses,” Boigegrain was quoted as saying in a 2015 UM News story about CCP. “Because of the church’s values, surviving spouses are now receiving benefits.”

Thomas Kemper, the retired General Secretary of Global Ministries, credited Boigegrain and his predecessor Randy Nugent for taking a risk and launching CCP.

“At that time 20 years ago, it was a dream, it was a vision, it was something very risky because nobody had tried it,” said Kemper, who is now a CCP consultant. He added: “Some years ago we traveled together to East Congo on this very small plane—which is a risk in itself. We met with some of the pastors, retired pastors. Some of them had traveled for miles just to say, ‘Thank You’ to Barbara (and) to tell their story about how this is maintaining and sustaining their life in retirement. Barbara beamed upon hearing the stories.”

CCP has not just changed the lives of retired pastors and their spouses, it has also improved the fortunes of their offspring for generations to come. When speaking with UM News recently about her upcoming retirement, Boigegrain said that helping to establish this transformational program is one of the things she is most proud of in her 27 years as Wespath’s chief executive.

“That really was building something from nothing,” Boigegrain was quoted as saying in the UM News story about her retirement. “And now we have people who not only have food and access to medicine, but help for their grandchildren.”

We thank Barbara for her years of service caring for those who serve in the both the U.S. and across the world.