NBUSA Quarterly Fall 2024

An Update About the Path to Retire Well

Significant successes in helping Nazarene ministers prepare for retirement. - Page 3

NBUSA Quarterly

by Nazarene Benefits

employees

encouragement, spiritual enrichment, and wellness. Noncopyrighted information may be shared in newsletters and electronic communications.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Kevin P. Gilmore

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Roger Creeden

OPERATIONS MANAGER Emily Bartlett

OFFICE MANAGER Lavonne Rieck

TECHNOLOGY SUPERVISOR Ron Bell

COMPLIANCE AND BENEFITS MANAGER Keith Hindman

DESIGNER Emily Gregg

From the Director By Kevin P. Gilmore

An Update About the Path to Retire Well

Alittle more than a year ago, NBUSA announced a significant improvement in our approach to assisting active Nazarene ministers to retire well. The new Ministers Match program began January 1, 2024, as the former Annual Pension Supplement (APS) program ended in 2023.

Under the APS program, if a local church paid at least 50% of its annual NBUSA budget allocation, we contributed $200 to their pastor’s account—without any consideration if the local pastor and/or church had contributed to the pastor’s 403(b) account. That amount would increase if the church paid 100% of its NBUSA Fund budget and could increase further through a limited match if the church also paid 100% of its Education Fund budget allocation. In 2022 and 2023, the average amount we contributed to a local minister’s 403(b) account under the APS program was about $600.

With that in mind, I am pleased to provide this update about our results under the new program through the first six months of 2024.

Minister Participation1

The number of ministers who received an NBUSA match increased by 37%, from 1,213 in 2023 (for the entire year) to 1,658 for just the first six months of 2024.

We consider this to be a significant improvement and is confirmation to us our messaging about the importance of saving for retirement is being heard and understood across the U.S.

Average NBUSA Contribution2

Even more significant has been the increase in the level of NBUSA contributions due to the local effort response by pastors and their churches.

For the first six months of 2024, the average minister received $1,153 in contributions from NBUSA. This is nearly double the average a minister received in 2023 and 2022.

For the first six months of 2024, the average minister received $1,153 in contributions from NBUSA.

Average Total Contributions3

The chart below and to the right shows, for the first six months of 2024, the average local church minister realized total contributions of $4,056 into their 403(b) account. This was derived from $2,903 (72%) from the local church and/or pastor and $1,153 (28%) from NBUSA.

The collaboration of effort between the local minister, local church, and NBUSA is evident in these results, and we are only half-way through the first year of this new program.

Student Debt Payments

In June, we added an additional component to the new matching program by allowing ministers to use the amount of their student debt payments as “local effort” available for the NBUSA match. Since making this available in mid-June, 45 ministers have enrolled in the program as of this writing.

We look forward to many more pastors and churches participating in the new Ministers Match program to help the local Nazarene church pastor retire well, which we define as being able to retire at a normal age and with the resources necessary to support their lifestyle.

Kevin P. Gilmore serves as executive director of Nazarene Benefits USA for the Church of the Nazarene.

By Amy Artiga

Fall Is Clergy Housing Allowance Time! Sensible Stewardship

It’s fall! That means it’s time to check in on your housing allowance—both for 2024 and 2025.

Fall is an important time to review your current housing allowance because most of the year has passed, but there’s still enough time if you want to do something more. Your housing allowance is limited to the lesser of:

1. The fair market rental value of your furnished home.

2. The amount officially designated in advance by your church.

3. Your actual eligible expenses.

4. 100% of ministerial compensation.

By this time of year, you should be focusing on the second and third points above. How much do you have designated, and how much have you spent? If you’re right on track with your current spending to use up your entire designated amount, then just keep doing what you’re doing. If you have projects to do around your house or big purchases to make, you might want to push them off until 2025 and increase your designated allowance for next year.

What if your spending hasn’t kept up with your designated allowance? What if it looks like you’ll

have a lot of housing allowance left unspent at the end of the year? In that case, you have several options. The first is to complete any house projects or large purchases you’ve been considering before the end of the year. If there’s something that you’ve been planning on doing, that’s a great way to make the most of your housing allowance in 2024.

However, if you haven’t had anything in mind you were planning on doing, don’t just go out and spend money to avoid paying income taxes. Spending $100 that you don’t need to is costlier than paying the $20 or so that you’ll owe in taxes by not claiming it as a housing allowance (actual savings vary based on your individual tax situation). If you have excess housing allowance at the end of the year, it’s very easy to add it back into your taxable income when you file your return. Be aware this situation could result in an underpayment of income tax which might trigger the need to pay penalties and interest, so adjust your withholding and/or estimated tax payments for the remainder of the year.

Reconciling your spending with your current designated allowance isn’t the only thing you should be doing this time of year. It’s also important to start looking forward to next year. How much housing

allowance should you request for 2025? What costs have gone up? What projects or large purchases do you want to make?

The first step in determining how much housing allowance to request is to estimate your anticipated expenses. I usually recommend increasing your estimate by 10% when you make your request to allow for unexpected expenses that pop up. Requesting less than you spend means that you’ll unnecessarily pay taxes on some of your income.

Requesting less than you spend means that you’ll unnecessarily pay taxes on some of your income.

As you consider how much to designate as a housing allowance for 2025, it’s important to remember the four limitations mentioned above. Now is when the first and last points come into play. For the last point, your housing allowance cannot be more than your ministerial compensation. This particularly applies to bivocational pastors who get most of their income from a secular job. Your housing allowance cannot come from your secular income—it is limited to what your church pays you.

Your housing allowance is also limited by the fair market rental value of your home, which is the first point above. For this one, it’s important to note that it refers to your home in its current state—furnished, with lights and electricity. The IRS does not specify how to calculate the fair market rental value, so you can choose any logical, reasonable method. An easy way is to have a local real estate agent give you an estimate. Another option is to use an online estimate and increase it by the cost of renting furniture. All in all, as long as you’re being reasonable and logical, the IRS likely won’t argue with you.

As the seasons change and the end of the year draws near, take a moment to review your 2024 housing allowance and start planning for 2025.

Amy Artiga is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Certified Kingdom Advisor™, and author of the clergy personal finance blog PastorsWallet.com. Send questions for Amy to benefits@nazarene.org.

Note: This material is provided for informational purposes only. The author and NBUSA do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice.

Pressing On By Daron

Brown

Stewarding the Story

Local churches have many roles to fill such as pastors, treasurers, teachers, and custodians. Some churches have recreation ministers or plant managers. Each role serves an important function in the life of the church. Some churches have more roles than people and constantly struggle to fill those roles. Leaders do not want someone to propose one more role for the local church. Nevertheless, this role may be a means by which the Spirit breathes new life into the Body.

West African cultures, to this day, honor the role of Griot in public life. A Griot is part-historian, part-storyteller, and part-poet. The title (of French origin) means servant. While Griots serve ceremonial functions in their cultures, the Griot’s primary responsibility is to be keeper of the stories

The Manual of the Church of the Nazarene begins, not with doctrine or conduct, but with our Historical Statement. We did not arrive here from nowhere. We got here from the past. There is a real sense in

which the past is not dead. It is alive, feeding and nourishing us in these very days. Whether it is Church history in general, denominational history, or the history of a local church, our stories tell the truth about our journey with God. Like the people of Israel, our great sin could be the sin of forgetfulness, attempting to detach our present life from our past story. The prophets’ call to Israel, and to the church across the ages, is a call to remember. That is where Griots come in.

The Griot is the custodian of collective memory, but not merely for sentimentality’s sake. The Griot stewards our stories, realizing that the past is a present means of grace. She/he curates history as a spiritual discipline on behalf of the Body. What God has done gives signs of what God is doing and will do. As local churches struggle to find a way forward, what if leaning backward could be the Spirit’s way of propelling us forward?

As local churches struggle to find a way forward, what if leaning backward could be the Spirit’s way of propelling us forward?

My church began with a tent revival in 1946 and was then incorporated in 1950. Eight decades later, we are losing our senior saints who have connections with our beginnings. In the coming years, we will lose all direct ties to our beginnings. Losing the saints into everlasting life is good, natural, and even necessary. What is unnecessary is losing the story of the church along with them.

We may not need churches to bestow the title of Griot—doing the work may be formal or informal, but it requires a team of people across generations. It makes sense for the preservation of collective memory to be collective work. My local church has taken steps in this direction. I offer some possibilities to generate creative ways to keep your church’s story alive:

• Get oral history in writing. This is what the gospel writers did as the first generation of the early church died. Where would we be if Luke (the historian) did not write down the oral

stories of Jesus and the Spirit in the life of the early church?

• Record the saints. Get them on video, telling the stories of the church. Preserve their voices. Allow their own words to speak to future generations.

• Post a timeline. Use butcher-block paper along the walls. Mark noteworthy events on the timeline. Have people sign their names on the year they connected with the church.

• Perform the story. Find ways to creatively carry the story forward. Host story-telling nights, quiz shows about the church’s history, or dramas that re-enact what matters most. Church stories can be told and retold through preaching, but are there other artistic forms that can share the story as well? For centuries, stained glass windows have served this function.

• Use identity-enrichment items. Be intentional about what you post on walls. Instead of decor, let your aim be iconography or identity enrichment. Hang pictures, framed quotes, and other items that tell the story well.

Griots have one rule: As you steward the story, remember that God is always the hero of the story. May the pulse of the past invigorate our future for the glory of God.

Rev. Daron Brown lives and pastors in Waverly, Tennessee, with his wife, Katie, and children, Kendall, Parker, and Macy.

Dwelling with God

By Mary Rearick Paul

Born Again

Ihave been walking deeply in the valley of the shadow of death since the sudden loss of my husband, Bruce Chandler Paul. There are many ways in which I already knew the limitations of some “assurances” people bring to those in grief. And certainly, I have received those kinds of failed attempts at condolences. I also have a deeper sense of grace for each person who is struggling to find language that might bring some comfort. There is often an anxious response to the space grief holds that feels so vulnerable and empty for both the person bereft and the one stumbling to reach out. Sometimes you can see fear in the eyes of others that death could come so suddenly. We all carry a deep desire to do something helpful, to say something that assuages the pain, to somehow fix the hurt.

alone, the sharing of stories, and neighbors who have been so ready to jump in where needed.

There are certainly assurances of faith that have brought comfort in this first leg of the journey. Hearing Psalms read (Bruce loved the Psalms) is language I can breathe in and out. Communion liturgies carry the hope of the resurrection which washes over my broken spirit. Receiving communion has been an embodied expression of my prayer for God’s grace which does not demand I speak words often choked with tears. Reading Bruce’s sermons have been sweet moments in which he ministers to me anew (I am thankful he was a manuscript preacher).

Getting back to church has been hard for many tender reasons. One early attempt to visit a church

I am thankful for the help that has come from the community—phone calls I couldn’t answer but knew were filled with love and prayers. People who carried details for two services, meal deliveries, friends showing up to care for yardwork, gifts received to help pay expenses, those who attended the memorial gatherings assuring our family we weren’t

where I would be anonymous was an unpredictable failure. Unknowingly, the pastor’s whole sermon was based on the metaphor of heart failure, which was Bruce’s cause of death. I tried to breath through each illustration thinking surely, he will move on, but he just kept weaving the theme throughout in deeper ways. However, while it wrecked me at the time, I

also saw the dark humor of this occurrence and knew Bruce would laugh at the irony.

I think some of the challenge in finding ways to connect to someone in sorrow is that what reaches one grieving heart would not bring comfort to every grieving heart. So, I offer the following metaphor that is stirring in my spirit as a testimony but not with assurance or insistence that others walking in the valley of the shadow of death would find it comforting.

On one of the prayer apps I use, the guide read from John 3:1-10. What specifically caught my imagination was the invitation to be born again. I received these words from Jesus in a different way than I have before. This was not a call to conversion in the typical sense. What reached my soul was realizing that finding the kingdom of God, finding my life in God, finding a way into a future without my husband, was not my work. All the dreams I previously held are no longer compelling in the same way. What I breathed in as a grace was that I don’t have to create meaning or a reimagined life. Birth is the work of the mother. Right now, my only call is to rest in God’s grace in this moment and this day.

The invitation is to let the Holy Spirit winds blow across my being in all the moments— when I cannot function and when I can. Just like an embryo simply staying within its mother’s womb and receiving what it needs for daily sustenance until it is ready to be born, so, too, can I.

Dr. Mary Rearick Paul, D.Min, is a minister and Vice President of Student Life and Formation at Point Loma Nazarene University.

FREE Virtual Nazarene Benefits Fair

Hold the Date!

(November 21, 2024)

Nazarene Benefits is offering a FREE, virtual Benefits Fair this coming November 21. Learn how you can retire well and be sure you are receiving the Nazarene benefits you deserve. Hear from Fidelity about maximizing your Social Security and Medicare benefits. Also, a CPA professional will be answering your questions about ministers’ taxes.

Whether you are just getting started in local church ministry or have been a minister for many years, this training will help you understand your Nazarene benefits while building skills to increase your overall knowledge of personal finances. Church Treasurers are also encouraged to attend and Spanish translation will be available. If you are unable to attend, please register so that you will receive the post-event recording link. Stay tuned for further information coming soon!

Past to Present

By Stan Ingersol

Ordaining Anna Hanscome

The Woman’s Column, published in Boston, was “devoted to Women’s Interests, and especially to Woman Suffrage.” Tucked among reports about the Mississippi Valley Suffrage Conference, how to order woman’s suffrage tracts, and stories of women assuming traditionally male roles, the paper carried an unusual notice in April 1892.

“At a council of ordination held in the Mission Church Hall at Malden, Mass., on March 30, it was unanimously voted to ordain Mrs. Anna S. Hanscome as pastor of the Mission Church. The ordination services were held at the same place in the afternoon.”1

Women’s ordination was not unknown to Alice Stone Blackwell, the paper’s editor. The Congregational Church had ordained her aunt, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, in 1853.

But the Mission Church was a Wesleyan-holiness congregation, and Hanscome was ordained by the oldest Nazarene parent-body, the Central Evangelical Holiness Association.2

Anna Sarah Smith3 was the oldest child of Isaac and Mary Smith. Born in 1845, Anna was raised in a Christian home and decided early to follow Jesus. At 15, she joined a Congregational church but later became a Methodist.

She married George Hanscome, a blacksmith, in 1868. They moved to Malden around 1872. She kept the home. A dressmaker boarded with them.4 Anna undertook charitable work through church, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and helped wayward girls, some of whom she led to Christ.

George died of consumption in 1886. According to a contemporary, Anna’s widowed state enabled her to undertake the ministry that followed. She participated in a weekly woman’s prayer group similar to Phoebe Palmer’s Tuesday Meeting for the Promotion of Holiness. Hanscome became the group’s leader.

This group was the nucleus of a church organized in August 1890. Anna was called to be its pastor but was not ordained, so she was named assistant pastor and a non-resident minister was a supervising pastor for the next two years.

New England was a holiness movement stronghold. From Boston, Rev. Timothy Merritt had published The Guide to Christian Perfection, the Wesleyan-holiness movement’s vanguard publication since the 1830s. Malden’s Mission Church was among a dozen holiness congregations organized in New England between 1887 and 1891. The Central Evangelical Holiness Association (CEHA), organized in 1890, united churches in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

In 1892, Rev. C. Howard Davis appointed a council of ministers and laypeople to examine Hanscome’s theology, Christian experience, and call to ministry. Upon their recommendation, she was ordained during the CEHA’s annual meeting, with Rev. E. B. Pike preaching the ordination sermon, Rev. W. C. Ryder praying “the ordaining prayer,” and Rev. Fred Hillary giving the charge.

For Anna, the next years were filled with the regular round of pastoral work: 182 calls in 1892, seekers saved and sanctified, several fast days each

Anna Hanscome

Other women in the Nazarene lineage would be ordained... But Anna Hanscome was the first.

year, believers baptized at Wakefield Pond, Sunday school picnics, and a lot purchased at Walnut and Eighth Street. At the close of 1894, Anna reported “the Church in a better spiritual condition than the preceding [years].”

That was her last report. Anna developed sepsis and died at age 50. She was buried in Exeter, NH, beside her husband and near her parents.

Her obituary in Beulah Christian, presumably written by Fred Hillary, stated that “Sister Hanscome was a good preacher, and was clear in the doctrine and experience of Scriptural Holiness, and led many into the blessing... She was a faithful and exemplary pastor. She guided her flock away from fanatical errors... A live, earnest, intelligent, holy and united membership is a living monument to her memory.”5

Other women in the Nazarene lineage would be ordained: Mary Cagle and Elliott Sheeks in Tennessee

in 1899, Elsie Wallace in Spokane, WA, in 1902, and many others. But Anna Hanscome was the first.

A theology of ministry that empowered female preachers was part of the Nazarene DNA and helped bring together the denominations that united to form the Pentecostal Nazarenes in 1907 and 1908.

Dr. Stan Ingersol, Ph.D., is a church historian and former manager of the Nazarene Archives.

1 The Woman’s Column (April 9, 1892): 4.

2 Antoinette Brown is considered to be the first woman ordained to the ministry in the United States. The ordination sermon was preached by Rev. Luther Lee, a co-founder of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

3 Anna was also called Annie.

4 Massachusetts Census Records, 1880.

5 Beulah Christian (April 1895): 2.

Malden Church

To Your Health

By Stephen A. Wilson

GLP1 Medications for Weight Loss

Semaglutide (Wegovy) and dulaglutide (Trulicity) are in the news as medications that people can take to help lose weight. What are they, and how do they work?

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1) are drugs that were initially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). They work by mimicking the body’s GLP-1 hormone produced in the small intestines of the gut, which affects other hormones and three organs key to how the body digests and regulates sugar. GLP1s work to treat DM2 by: 1) signaling the pancreas to produce insulin when needed; 2) decreasing the liver’s production of glucagon, a hormone that raises glucose; and 3) decreasing the rate the stomach absorbs food. Together, these actions improve DM2 through better sugar levels after eating and better sugar levels in the morning.

GLP1s can also help people lose weight by

• Affecting the hypothalamus in the brain to increase satiety, which can help you feel full after eating less and not as hungry as soon after eating.

• Slowing how quickly the gut absorbs food, which increases satiety.

• Regulating appetite and lower glucose.

• Increasing insulin production when needed. Obesity is a major cause of DM2; hence, why one of the first recommendations doctors give after diagnosing a patient with DM2 is to lose 5-10% of your body weight. Early on, it became evident that GLP1 drugs helped DM2 by directly affecting sugar levels and indirectly triggering weight loss.

Common side effects include indigestion, nausea, and diarrhea. Eating smaller meals and more slowly can help decrease these side effects. Less common

effects include bloating, belching, flatulence, recurrent fever, and stomach pains. Rarely there may be intestinal blockage, gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), or pancreatitis.

All GLP1s are by injection except for semaglutide in the form of a pill called Rybelsus. Semaglutide has two other injectable versions: Ozempic for DM2 and Wegovy for weight loss. The drug is the same just sold under different names with different dosing. The same is true for liraglutide: Victoza for DM2 and Saxenda for weight loss. There are other GLP1s, such as dulaglutide (Trulicity) and exenatide (Byetta and Bydureon). They are all effective for weight loss. Semaglutide seems to be the most effective.

Of note, there is one more GLP1 called tirzepatide, but it is a little different because it affects both GLP1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors. A recent study found tirzepatide to be the most effective GLP1 for weight loss, surpassing semaglutide. Anecdotally, it may have less side effects of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

GLP1s are expensive, ranging from $800-$1,200 monthly. Be very careful of online sites that offer very discounted prices.

GLP1s are expensive, ranging from $800-$1,200 monthly. Be very careful of online sites that offer very discounted prices. Sometimes the low price is for the starting dose only, and most people need more than that for weight loss; sometimes the drug is compounded, which may result in consistency or efficacy issues; sometimes it is a bait and switch; sometimes the drug is fake. While not endorsing any of these sites, Henry and sites run by the manufacturers seem to be reputable. The prescription and care at these sites are through nurse practitioners not connected to your doctor, so you will need to inform your family physician if you decide to go that route. There are other sites, especially compounding sites, which may be trustworthy. It is imperative to do your homework.

As they have been used and studied more, GLP1s have been found to be beneficial for treating heart failure or chronic kidney disease in some patients. They can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease and who are either obese or overweight. Other areas under study include potential in some people to decrease colon cancer risk or assist with cravings for substances like alcohol or cocaine.

Overall, GLP1s are considered generally safe and very effective treatments for obesity and DM2 with other benefits for heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. Their benefits on health outcomes are due to weight loss, direct impact on the disease process, or some combination of the two.

It is best to work with your family doctor to see if one of these medicines is safe for you and could improve your health or health risks.

Dr. Stephen A. Wilson, MD, MPH, FAAFP, is Chair of Family Medicine at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and Chief of Family Medicine for Boston Medical Center.

Special Anniversaries

Dates for this column come from pension applications. Records are not updated unless NBUSA is notified of changes in marital status, such as the death of a spouse.

75th Anniversary

Rev. Jack R. and Mrs. Peggy Pease Dec. 30

2202 S Eastern Dr, Cottonwood, AZ 86326-5826

70th Anniversaries

Rev. Darrell E. and Mrs. Leah Rotz Nov. 27

1054 Park View Dr Apt 135, Covina, CA 91724-3747

Dr. Arthur W. and Mrs. Patricia Williams .

2511 Woodberry Dr, Nashville, TN 37214-2825

Rev. Lionel G. and Mrs. Joan L. Yetter .

. . Oct. 19

Nov. 24 PO Box 12948, Salem, OR 97309-0948

“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” — Psalm 126:3

65th Anniversaries

Rev. Paul D. and Mrs. Joanne Basham Oct. 17 14 Privet Ct, Marlton, NJ 08053-4405

Rev. Richard O. and Mrs. Nancy Jo Brenner Nov. 26 8588 E U Ave, Vicksburg, MI 49097-8388

Rev. Frederick W. and Mrs. Deloris A. Coburn . . . . Oct. 7 106 Southwold Cir, Goose Creek, SC 29445-5319

Rev. Freddie L. and Mrs. Judith A. Fritz . . . . . . . . Nov. 29 108 Glass Ln, Rushville, IL 62681-1512

Rev. Rollan J. and Mrs. Carol A. Gongwer . . . . .

. Nov. 7 2355 N Elizabeth St, Decatur, IL 62526-9436

Rev. David M. and Mrs. Wilma L. Heikes . . . . .

. Oct. 6 826 N Rothsay Ave, Minneapolis, KS 67467-1641

Rev. Robert L. and Mrs. Janet L. Highley Oct. 3 3619 Greensfelder Ln Apt 7, Cincinnati, OH 45241-2791

Rev. Henry G. and Mrs. Bessie A. Reed . .

. . . . . Nov. 13

3604 Magnolia Dr, Sand Springs, OK 74063-2835

Rev. Bill and Mrs. Faye Richardson Oct. 17 10618 Crystal Cove Dr, Magnolia, TX 77354-3232

Rev. William E. and Mrs. Audrey J. Saunders Dec. 26 6925 W 3rd St, Dayton, OH 45417-7841

Rev. Gracie and Mr. Thomas D. Taylor .

746 S Wildwood St, Westland, MI 48186-4537

60th Anniversaries

Dec. 26

Rev. Terry G. and Mrs. Gloria Krebs . . . . . . . . . . Dec. 20 2547 Pine Forest Rd, Cantonment, FL 32533-5736

Rev. Galen D. and Mrs. Joyce Lemmon Nov. 26 PO Box 36, Glasgow, VA 24555-0036

Rev. Nicanor and Mrs. A. Valentina Mairena Dec. 9 14107 Grayson Rd, Woodbridge, VA 22191-2501

Rev. Ronald D. and Mrs. Linda K. McDuff . . . . . . Dec. 16 1511 E Florence Blvd # 764, Casa Grande, AZ 85122-4747

Rev. Kenneth I. and Mrs. Phyllis Mihill . . . . . . . . . Oct. 25 12 Station St, Lake Placid, NY 12946-1944

Mr. Stephen R. and Mrs. Janet R. Adams . . . . . . . Dec. 19 3162 Evelyn Ct, Franklin, TN 37064-2125

Rev. Donnell R. and Mrs. Carolyn S. Armstrong . Dec. 23 1125 Hereford St, Summersville, WV 26651-1788

Rev. Ralph K. and Mrs. Teresa Barger Nov. 21 2193 S Kirby Rd, Bloomington, IN 47403-9235

Rev. John R. and Mrs. Rebecca Cahill Nov. 28 205 W Market St, Anadarko, OK 73005-2813

Rev. Larry L. and Mrs. Barbara L. Cook .

Nov. 27 PO Box 662, China, ME 04358-0662

Rev. Kenneth R. and Mrs. Sandy Downey .

Oct. 25 PO Box 3087, Durango, CO 81302-3087

Rev. Lois J. and Mr. Curtis Knight

Dec. 24 1575 W 1st St, Fruitland, ID 83619-2492

Rev. Gary E. and Mrs. Sharon Lore Dec. 24 759 S Roger Rd, Connersville, IN 47331-9754

Rev. James F. and Mrs. Carol R. Mahan Dec. 19 310 Sheffield Pl, Franklin, TN 37067-4431

Rev. Ambroise and Mrs. Therese Mathurin Oct. 1 1027 NW 5th Ave # 2, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311-6237

Dr. David A. and Mrs. Kathleen Slamp

Dec. 10 5713 NE 62nd Cir, Vancouver, WA 98661-1582

55th Anniversaries

Rev. Paul K. and Mrs. Kathleen M. Alger

274 Grand St, Coldwater, MI 49036-1050

Dec. 6

Rev. Richard L. and Mrs. Deloris M. Barriger Dec. 13 31 Northview Dr, Caro, MI 48723-1124

Rev. Gerald A. and Mrs. Christine Carnes Nov. 22 226 Summit Trl, Dallas, GA 30132-0599

Rev. Alvin B. and Mrs. Lynda J. Dayton

Dec. 27 1724 Westwood Dr, Anderson, IN 46011-1154

Rev. Terry W. and Mrs. Karen Douglass

129 Easy St, Colorado Springs, CO 80911-1924

Rev. Daniel E. and Mrs. Shirley Hesselrode .

Dec. 20

. Oct. 25 4378 5th St, Ecorse, MI 48229-1151

Rev. Bill F. and Mrs. Marian Hilton

3721 S Granite Ave, Tulsa, OK 74135-5524

Dec. 27

Rev. Larson L. and Mrs. Joan Hiltz Dec. 22 267 Allen St, New Bedford, MA 02740-3325

Rev. Duane C. and Mrs. Ruth Ann Schmidt . . . . . Dec. 27 528 W 100 N, Valparaiso, IN 46385-9232

Rev. Kenneth C. and Mrs. Joanna Schubert . . . . Dec. 27 9303 Grant Dr, Overland Park, KS 66212-4835

Rev. Richard A. and Mrs. Niada Stoneburner Oct. 4 219 S Crestview Dr, Creston, OH 44217-9692

Rev. LeRoy K. and Mrs. Lynn J. VandenOever Nov. 7 409 Plumtree Dr, Berea, KY 40403-9129

Rev. Ronald L. and Mrs. Eunice l. Whitlock . . . . . . Oct. 11 8737 Twain Ln, Indianapolis, IN 46239-8015

Rev. Willis G. and Mrs. Donna J. Young . . . . . .

Dec. 27 841 Civic Center Dr, Augusta, ME 04330-7914

Dr. Mario J. and Rev. Ana M. Zani . .

Dec. 27 341 N Locust St, Gardner, KS 66030-1816

50th Anniversaries

Rev. Jose A. and Mrs. Janie Ayala Nov. 10 490 S Reagan St, San Benito, TX 78586-3854

Rev. Jon E. and Rev. Jane A. Bemis . .

. Nov. 28 6450 Highway 105, Guthrie, OK 73044-6986

Rev. Darrell D. and Mrs. Carolyn A. Bisel . . . . . . . Dec. 21 330 W Central Ave Apt 2A, El Dorado, KS 67042-2103

Rev. William T. and Mrs. Cheryl J. Brown . . . . . . . Nov. 2 PO Box 126, Kinnear, WY 82516-0126

Rev. Danny K. and Mrs. Cynthia K. Brummett . . . Nov. 28 110 Hidden Spring Dr, Somerset, KY 42503-6411

Rev. Jimmy L. and Mrs. Pamela K. Burks Dec. 27 208 Katherine St, Bennettsville, SC 29512-3424

Rev. Donald J. and Mrs. Jane I. Byam Nov. 30 138 Englewood Garden Cir, Englewood, FL 34223-3071

Rev. Paul E. and Mrs. Frances W. Carruthers . . . . Dec. 20 9705 N Highland Ave, Kansas City, MO 64155-2189

Rev. Philip M. and Mrs. Esther M. Corbin . . . . . . Dec. 21 3136 N Rainbow St, Kingman, AZ 86401-4364

Rev. Nick E. and Mrs. Linda M. Crosby . . . . . . . . . Nov. 5 1613 Forest Glenn Cir, Chester, VA 23836-6113

Rev. Edward L. and Mrs. Lois N. Davis . . . . . . . . . . Oct. 4 PO Box 948, Laramie, WY 82073-0948

Rev. Jerry K. and Mrs. Cynthia A. Dobbins Nov. 16 9123 W Avenue E8, Lancaster, CA 93536-9316

Rev. Jose C. and Mrs. Elva Figueroa Oct. 19 PO Box 496, Hanford, CA 93232-0496

Dr. Alberto C. and Mrs. Lillian E. Guang Dec. 20 9425 NW 88th St, Yukon, OK 73099-9290

Rev. Jerry and Mrs. Daisy A. Guess

Dec. 20 1204 Walnut Grove Rd, Kosciusko, MS 39090-4228

Rev. Wesley L. and Mrs. Peggy Harper

Oct. 12 PO Box 1267, Vienna, IL 62995-1267

Rev. Larry K. and Mrs. Peggy D. Hatter

3880 Forest Green Dr, Lexington, KY 40517-1919

Nov. 2

Rev. Tony J. and Mrs. Linda Hayes Oct. 25 72 Brookford Way, Georgetown, KY 40324-6118

Rev. Joel F. and Rev. Catherine K. Hicke Nov. 16 PO Box 45, Seward, IL 61077-0045

Rev. Dennis A. and Mrs. Theresa K. Holley Dec. 27 130 Irongate Dr, Union, OH 45322-9784

Rev. T. Wayne and Mrs. Zella Holmes

4236 W Mesa St, Battlefield, MO 65619-9284

Rev. Roger A. and Mrs. Sue A. Hutcheson

Dec. 21

Dec. 28 1403 Rains St, Jonesboro, AR 72401-5017

Rev. Donald P. and Mrs. Deanna B. Kauffman .

Nov. 1 123 Bathurst Ln, Simpsonville, SC 29681-4684

Rev. German and Mrs. Dina Lainez Dec. 6 7050 Vinings Way, Columbus, GA 31907-5754

Rev. Debra D. and Mr. Roland D. McCluer Oct. 19 229 N Washington St, El Dorado, KS 67042-1854

Rev. Larry W. and Mrs. Nancy C. McNutt Oct. 4 6864 Brooklyn Heights Rd, Westerville, OH 43081-7718

Rev. Gary W. and Mrs. Irene Merritt .

4858 SE Devenwood Way, Stuart, FL 34997-2163

Rev. James D. and Mrs. Barbara A. Muncy .

Oct. 19

Oct. 17 PO Box 115, Prichard, WV 25555-0115

Rev. Jon V. and Mrs. Brenda S. Nelson .

Dec. 22 1720 September Dr, Racine, WI 53402-1800

Rev. Samuel and Mrs. Grace Obeng-Appau Dec. 21 1621 Creosote Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76177-7647

Dr. John A. and Mrs. Jadene Payton Oct. 20 525 W El Norte Pkwy Spc 257, Escondido, CA 92026-3917

Rev. Robert L. and Mrs. Sharon K. Rhodabarger . . Oct. 17 106 Campau St, Bay City, MI 48706-5206

Rev. Wayne L. and Mrs. Debra L. Searls Dec. 28 PO Box 975, Jackson, OH 45640-0975

Rev. Donald M. and Mrs. Denise A. Smith Dec. 28 4925 Cypress Gardens Rd Lot 120, Winter Haven, FL 33884

Rev. Angus B. and Mrs. Maxine N. Tate Dec. 14 622 S 35th Ave, Yakima, WA 98902-3939

Rev. Tautua F. and Mrs. Salilo F. Tupu Oct. 8 3660 Pinell St, Sacramento, CA 95838-3929

Rev. Bill I. and Mrs. Margaret A. Williams Nov. 9 134 Whitehaven Cir, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129-6676

Dr. Richard A. and Mrs. Ruth A. Wilson Nov. 29 534 Locust Ave, Westminster, MD 21157-6211

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” — 1 Peter 2:9

Church Triumphant

Church Triumphant lists credentialed Nazarene ministers or spouses who were receiving benefits provided by NBUSA at the time of death.

Dr. John K. Abney

May 9, 2024 Texarkana, Texas

Mrs. Beryl Adams

Rev. Catherine E. Boulos

age 93

May 20, 2024 Festus, Missouri

Rev. Charles W. Alger

age 83

.July 6, 2024 Tulsa, Oklahoma

Rev. Philip W. Amburgey

age 79

April 24, 2024 London, Ohio

Rev. Jack Barnes

age 70

June 12, 2024 Nashville, Tennessee age 89

Mrs. Christine Blankenship

May 17, 2024

Lubbock, Texas age 93

Mrs. Sue Boyd

July 22, 2024

Haines City, Florida age 68

July 1, 2024 San Antonio, Texas

Rev. F. Pat Bozeman

age 74

April 25, 2024 Newton, Texas

Rev. Jefferson O. Brock Jr.

age 85

July 23, 2024 Lakeland, Florida

Rev. Gerald E. Brooks

Overland Park, Kansas

Mrs. Patsy Brown

age 88

May 17, 2024

age 95

July 7, 2024 Chattanooga, Tennessee age 73

Mrs. Shirley Brown April 28, 2024

Hillsboro, Tennessee age 85

Rev. Frederick J. Brucker III June 28, 2024

Sanford, North Carolina age 49 17

Rev. Marla L. Carlton April 22, 2024

Canyon City, Oregon age 85

Mrs. Sharon Casey April 29, 2024

Lakeland, Florida

Rev. Jimmie L. Chapman

Pegram, Tennessee

Rev. DeLoss E. Conger

Jacksonville, Florida

Mrs. Anna P. Cox

Weston, Missouri.

Mrs. Virginia L. Cowley

Nampa, Idaho

Rev. Robert E. Dean

age 79

July 13, 2024

age 86

May 4, 2024

age 84

July 7, 2024

age 86

May 23, 2024

age 92

April 29, 2024

Charleston, West Virginia age 76

Rev. John L. Denney

June 5, 2024

Springfield, California age 75

Rev. Grover C. Deskins

July 4, 2024

Hockessin, Delaware age 90

Rev. Luther J. Doctorian

May 20, 2024

Sierra Madre, California age 57

Rev. Daniel R. Donaldson

Livingston, Texas

Rev. Sina Eang

Long Beach, California

Mrs. B. Jeanne Ebert

Van Buren, Arkansas

Mrs. Florence J. Edwards

Pasadena, California

Mrs. Debra J. Fightmaster

May 28, 2024

age 77

May 11, 2024

age 84

June 25, 2024

age 73

June 19, 2024

age 101

July 9, 2024

Hamilton, Ohio age 70

Mrs. Evelyn L. Fischer

July 4, 2024

Saint Albans, West Virginia age 95

Rev. John T. Frierson

May 6, 2024

Irmo, South Carolina age 82

Rev. Ronald O. Frye

May 26, 2024

Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin age 78

Rev. LaVerne L. Gates

Palm Bay, Florida

Rev. Steven W. Gates

Green Valley, Arizona

May 28, 2024

age 91

May 10, 2024

age 74

Rev. Harold Gilkerson Jr. May 26, 2024

Stanwood, Michigan age 82

Rev. Carl D. Gilmore April 27, 2024

Anderson, Indiana

Mrs. Linda L. Gregory

Lexington, Kentucky

Dr. F. Milton Harrington

Greer, South Carolina

Mrs. Norma A. Harrington

Greer, South Carolina

Mrs. Sharon Hill

Benton, Arkansas

Mrs. Margie L. Hinshaw

age 83

May 16, 2024

age 78

May 25, 2024

age 101

May 25, 2024

age 99

June 5, 2024

age 82

July 17, 2024

Marion, Indiana age 84

Mrs. Marilyn S. Hopkins July 10, 2024

Ypsilanti, Michigan age 80

Mrs. Ruthelma Hunter April 29, 2024

Norman, Oklahoma age 78

Mrs. Patricia T. Hutchens June 18, 2024

Mount Vernon, Ohio age 88

Rev. Gene Jackson

Cincinnati, Ohio

Mrs. Nancy W. Jackson

Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Rev. Donald E. Johnson II

Fairmount, Illinois

Mrs. Edith Johnson

New Castle, Indiana

Mrs. Elsie A. Justice

.May 15, 2024

age 77

June 5, 2024

age 90

June 18, 2024

age 60

April 30, 2024

age 93

July 7, 2024

Xenia, Ohio age 91

Dr. Teryl R. Ketchum

July 19, 2024

Lacey, Washington age 72

Mrs. Ock Kim

June 1, 2024

Dumont, New Jersey age 99

Mrs. S. Jane Kissee

July 3, 2024

Belton, Missouri age 91

Mrs. F. Joy Kunselman

Washington, West Virginia

Rev. Arlie L. Kyzer

Atlanta, Texas.

May 9, 2024

age 84

June 16, 2024

age 87

Rev. James W. Lais

July 5, 2024

Canby, Oregon age 92

Rev. Charles H. Lambert Jr.

Jacksonville, Texas

Mrs. Syble L. Laws

Nampa, Idaho

Mrs. Davette Lee

Marion, Illinois

Rev. Larry L. Leonard

Casselberry, Florida

Rev. Donald W. MacNeil

New Brighton, Pennsylvania

Rev. Earl R. Marvin

Mrs. Naomi J. Rhoades

May 3, 2024

age 94

April 27, 2024

age 93

July 26, 2024

age 85

.May 15, 2024

age 78

June 28, 2024

age 92

June 20, 2024

Olathe, Kansas age 90

Rev. Karl L. Mason

April 27, 2024

Bowling Green, Kentucky age 87

Mrs. Leta M. Rhodes

Bakersfield, California

Mrs. Jalileh Rihani

Arlington Heights, Illinois

Rev. Carl E. Romey

Gainesville, Florida

Mrs. Teresa G. Sailors

Owensboro, Kentucky

Mrs. Shelby J. Salyer

West Van Lear, Kentucky

Mrs. Alicia Santon

May 15, 2024

Hickman, California age 69

Mrs. Jan McNaught

June 3, 2024

Nampa, Idaho age 81

Mrs. Donna Midgette

May 7, 2024

Lexington, South Carolina age 86

Rev. Ronald L. Miller

Hesston, Pennsylvania

Rev. Louise C. Murguia

Lake Isabella, California

Rev. Michael D. Murray

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Dr. Lummy L. Newberry

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Rev. Janess A. Nimrod

July 10, 2024

age 84

April 23, 2024

age 85

July 25, 2024

age 73

June 11, 2024

age 85

June 4, 2024

Brooklyn, New York age 72

Rev. Allan D. Parker July 3, 2024

Thomasville, Georgia age 76

Rev. Bruce C. Paul

May 11, 2024

San Diego, California age 63

Rev. Ryan M. Pennington

May 12, 2024

Lewiston, Idaho age 51

Mrs. Jeannette C. Pettit

Sierra Vista, Arizona

Mrs. Loretta M. Reinhart

Canton, Ohio

June 27, 2024

age 92

May 7, 2024

age 82

June 16, 2024

age 75

July 18, 2024

age 75

May 24, 2024

age 83

June 1, 2024

Valencia, California age 84

Rev. Edward Ray Savage April 25, 2024

Sparta, Tennessee age 88

Rev. Carolyn A. Savell

June 9, 2024

Juliaetta, Idaho age 67

Mrs. Dolores Shrider June 21, 2024

Mount Blanchard, Ohio age 89

Mrs. Billie K. Stearman

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Rev. Samuel W. Stewart

Indianapolis, Indiana

Rev. Rosita V. Suyat

Vallejo, California

Rev. James D. Tapley

Spokane, Washington

Mrs. R. Elaine Turner

May 7, 2024

age 96

July 5, 2024

age 90

July 1, 2024

age 90

May 6, 2024

age 92

May 25, 2024

Rockford, Illinois age 93

Rev. J. Ted Underwood

May 23, 2024

Murfreesboro, Tennessee age 79

Mrs. Betty N. Watson

May 29, 2024

age 81

July 9, 2024

age 83

July 8, 2024

Colorado Springs, Colorado age 95

Rev. Vicki Webb

July 22, 2024

Bayonne, New Jersey age 55

Rev. William D. Whatley

East Point, Georgia

Mrs. Lila M. Wilson

Medford, Oregon

April 26, 2024

age 75

June 1, 2024

age 98

Nazarene Benefits USA

17001 Prairie Star Pkwy, Lenexa, KS 66220-7900

888.888.4656 | benefits@nazarene.org | nbusa.org

Nazarene Benefits USA supports ministers from their first assignment through retirement.

One way we do this is through Nazarene events which are attended in person or virtually with a live representative.

We educate participants on our benefit plans, financial markets, the importance of retirement planning, and a variety of other financial issues that may be impactful.

Participant registration is required, but all events are free of charge.

For more details, scan the QR code to be provided with a list of events.

Web Workshops This Quarter: September 2024 Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning

October 2024 Understanding Roth Contributions in Your Workplace Savings Plan

November 2024 Organize, Plan, and Own Your Future

Scan the QR code for a full list of events.