November 2023

Denominational Focus: Geneva Benefits Group serves those who serve others. We provide support for the financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing of people who work in full-time ministry. When PCA ministry families are in need, the Relief Fund is available to give financial assistance to widows and those who need it most. Geneva was founded for and continues to serve PCA pastors and their families.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”   

 ‒ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Prayers

October 29-November 4

Prayer for the PCA to continue to be true to the Bible and the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

November 5-11

Thanks to God’s faithfulness, PCA pastors and ministry workers have access to high-quality, biblically grounded retirement investments, insurance and relief assistance for serious financial distress.

November 12-18

Please pray that we would be wise stewards of the resources God has entrusted to our care and ask the Lord to guide our Benefits and Financial Planning Advisors as they counsel PCA pastors and ministry workers on important financial issues.

November 19-25

Pray for the growing number of widows of PCA pastors, served through the Relief Fund. Pray that the Father of mercies would comfort them in this season.

November 26-December 2

Pray for more and diverse ways to seek the wellbeing of PCA pastors and ministry workers. Ask God for gifted employees to lead us as we grow and for resources to support our efforts.

Stories

In 2022, Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Luis Obispo, CA, began the search process for a new pastor. After weeks of interviewing candidates, the search committee zeroed in on a wonderful pastor named Bryce Hales.

When it came time to assemble a call package, Bryce and the Trinity session encountered several challenges, the most significant of which was the soaring cost of living in the area. As a result, both parties needed some guidance.

“As I prayed about a new call, I wondered whether the transition was financially feasible for our family,” said Bryce. “The numbers just did not seem like they could work.”

Thankfully, Bryce reached out to Paul Chi, a Financial Planning Advisor at Geneva. As a former pastor himself, Paul is keenly aware of both the value of a comprehensive call package and the many budgeting challenges sessions face. Paul served as a go-between, a helpful third-party who could both advocate for Bryce and collaborate with the Trinity session.

“I’m so thankful for the ministry of Geneva!” he said. “Their guidance helped us through this process, and they made it possible for the church to call me as their pastor.”

– Bryce Hales, Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church, San Luis Obispo, California

When PCA pastor Mike Fennema flew over the handlebars of his mountain bike and crashed onto his helmet, his whole world changed. He suffered a spinal cord injury, severely limiting his movement. Though he has regained some mobility, he and his family are adjusting to a life they never expected.

But amidst the changes, Christ’s body remained. The Fennemas watched as the church rose to their occasion of need. Christians installed wheelchair-accessible features to their house. Friends stayed by their side. The PCA’s Relief Fund stepped in to provide financial assistance to help fill the gap between their income and need.

“I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if the church and the Relief Fund and people had not come to our aid. Our family would have been devastated,” shared Mike’s wife, Stephanie.

All over the country, the Relief Fund is helping ministry families like the Fennemas: the need is great, but the church can meet it.

“John 13 says, ‘The world will know that you are my disciples by the love that you have for one another.’ This has been such a tangible way that we have been so deeply loved by the body of Christ — not just by local churches, not just by our presbytery, but by the entire denomination.”

– Mike Fennema, Associate Pastor, Parish Presbyterian Church, Franklin, TN

Fun Facts

• As our ministry has grown and expanded over the years, we have adapted our name to better reflect our mission and identity. In 1982, the agency was formed by the denomination under the name Insurance, Annuities, and Relief (IAR). Then, in 2002, it became PCA Retirement & Benefits, Inc. (RBI). In 2022, the agency changed its name to Geneva Benefits Group to better reflect our identity.
• Our Financial Planning Advisors are also ordained ministers. One reason we are able to serve those who work in the church well is that many on our team have worked in vocational ministry. Even Ed Dunnington, our president, served as an RUF campus pastor and senior pastor at a church before joining our team.
• We primarily serve the PCA, but our work extends to other like-minded denominations such as the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPC) and ministries like Campus Outreach.

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