Are you planning to retire at the next session of Annual Conference, or ad interim between conferences?
The first step is to write a letter to Bishop David Graves, stating your intent to retire. The Book of Discipline says this letter should be sent at least 120 days prior to the date retirement is effective, which would be March 1.
However, our conference asks that these letters be sent in no later than the time Cabinet Information Cards are due, so that they are considered during the time of apportionment consultations.
Send that letter to Bishop Graves at 3040 Riverside Drive, Macon, GA 31210. Send copies of the letter to:
When we receive your letter, Eleanor Dickson will notify Wespath (formerly the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits). She will take care of requesting your retirement packet. Wespath will mail this to you, generally by mid-April.
Second, call the Administrative Services office and schedule a time to talk about your actual retirement funding with Suzanne or Eleanor. We can run some projections for you. In fact, you may want to do this before you decide to retire. Talking with us about these possibilities is entirely confidential -- we do not inform anyone until you have sent your retirement letter.
Finally, once you have spoken with your DS, be sure to let the Staff-Parish Relations Committee in your church know. They will need to be in touch with the DS about your successor, and will also likely want to share in the joy of your retirement!