Message from Wespath’s General Secretary

Greetings,

We wish you heartfelt blessings of grace and peace as we begin the New Year. I hope 2024 brings you continued strength in your ministry, and I thank you for your ongoing trust in Wespath. On behalf of Wespath, there is no greater joy than serving you and the churches, organizations and ministries that you and other Wespath participants support. Each plays a vital role in the journey of The United Methodist Church (UMC).

For more than 115 years, Wespath has remained dedicated to our mission of caring for those who serve. We’ve weathered significant changes over this long period—changes across the world and within Methodism. While some changes have come with great excitement, others—like the disaffiliations witnessed over the past two years—have come with exhaustion and sorrow. Yet, every change also opens new pathways of hope and opportunity, and we believe the same will be true for the UMC.

Understandably, periods of change and the implied uncertainty may lead to concerns about your own personal financial security. Be assured that Wespath’s commitment to help provide a secure retirement for UMC clergy and lay employees remains stronger than ever:

• Your benefits are secure. Your benefits from and accounts with Wespath are secure, regardless of disaffiliations across the Connection. Wespath’s scale and capacity to support you remain strong.
  
  
• Caring for you. We continue to improve and evolve our products and services by creating new and enhanced ways to serve you. We continue to enhance our Benefits Access portal that will equip you to handle simple tasks yourself—any time at your convenience.
  
  
• Thoughtfully navigating change. Our team diligently monitors activity within the Church—carefully planning for various scenarios so we can adapt nimbly and effectively to new developments. We expect the UMC will evolve in the wake of disruption, and we’re prepared to support you through any changes.
  
  
• Investing for the future. We maintain one of the largest faith-based pension funds in the world, with nearly $26 billion in assets under management. As an investment manager with a long-term perspective, we navigate global market and economic dynamics but resist the temptation to react impulsively to market fluctuations. We are confident that our investment approach, which has proven itself over the long term, is prudent, sustainable and will continue to faithfully serve the retirement needs of participants like you for many years to come.

We look forward to continued opportunities to serve you and connect with you—whether at General Conference, your Annual Conference, a Wespath-hosted event, or other UMC events.

Thank you for the trust and confidence you’ve placed in Wespath.

Yours in service,

Andy Hendren
General Secretary