Both the General Church and the Academy are committed to providing support for employees during the transition. Although expense reduction decisions will be made locally, this support will be centralized and managed through Human Resources. More information on this will be forthcoming as the process unfolds.

We are sure you will have many questions and though we may not have the answers yet, we do encourage you to ask them. Employees may forward their questions to Karen Stoeller, Director, Human Resources, Karen.Stoeller@anc-gc.org, 267-502-4661 or directly to their manager/leader. Church members may send questions to Alaine York, Alaine.York@newchurch.org, 267-502-4998.

We understand this news may be unsettling, and we are sorry that financial stress has forced us into these difficult decisions. We deeply value our employees and the skills and devotion they bring to their work for the Church and the Academy. As well, we appreciate the many ways in which our members show their commitment. Now we ask for your understanding and support as we endeavor to address our financial deficits. In turn we will communicate forthrightly and try to be responsive to your needs and concerns as employees and stakeholders as we all work together for the health of our institutions so they may continue to serve the Lord.

Thank you.

Tom Kline, Executive Bishop, Chancellor of the Academy
Eric Carswell, Vice Chancellor of the Academy, Bishop's Representative Education
David Frazier, Executive Director of the General Church
Jim Adams, Acting CEO, Academy of the New Church

written in consultation with GC & ANC leadership

Link: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

May 28, 2010 Letter to All Employees: Change in Health Benefits

To our colleagues:

With healthcare costs making headlines in recent months, it is not surprising that the issue has hit home for us this year. Due to an unprecedented increase in premiums from our previous insurer, we have had to move quickly to make new arrangements for health insurance for all U.S. employees and retirees. We are pleased to announce that United Healthcare will be providing an excellent program of nationwide medical coverage.

The good news is that United Healthcare’s extensive network of hospitals and physicians means that very few employees will need to change their current preferred providers in order to benefit from in-network services. The new United Healthcare Choice Plus POS plan offers individuals a great deal of choice when selecting their healthcare providers. You do not have to choose a primary care physician or obtain a referral to a specialist under this plan. In addition, co-pays and out-of-pocket costs will be similar to current levels when you choose an in-network provider.

The not-so-good news is that the premiums we pay will still be much higher than in previous years. To help offset this growing expense, the employee’s share of the total premium will increase to 11.5% this year. Although this increase is substantial, this plan was our best alternative under current market conditions.

We ask you to join us in keeping costs down by using in-network providers whenever possible. We are also planning to offer more health and wellness services to help us all stay healthy.

During the past week, employees have had the opportunity to meet with our Human Resources team, along with United Healthcare representatives, to learn about our new plan. If you were not able to attend one of the meetings or webinars this past week the information that was distributed is attached to this email. Additionally, we are working on scheduling some more webinar times over the next two weeks. We encourage you to call with any questions. We also will be sending out more information and providing additional opportunities to learn about the plan, both before and after the new plan takes effect on July 1.

If you choose to participate in the new plan, the deadline for enrollment is June 11. Information on how to enroll will be emailed the week of June 1st. If you wish to opt out, you can still take advantage of our Buy Back program. In addition, you will be able to maintain a Flexible Spending Account to help offset your out-of-pocket expenses.

As we plan for the future, we know that we will have to take further steps to contain healthcare costs in the coming years. Please be assured that, as we address higher costs, we are doing all we can to maintain access to excellent care for all.

Karen Stoeller
Joe Weiss

April 2010: New Employee Policies

January 2010: All Employee Letter

Happy New Decade to all. We have attached a fourth quarter performance report (through December 2009) of the 403(b) mutual fund lineup at VALIC (click here to view). Following is an extract from VALIC’s January 2010 market commentary, written by Markus Schomer, CFA. More information can be found on the www.valic.com website.
 

“It’s all about momentum. That’s true in sports, as well as financial markets, and it looks like the U.S. economy is ending 2009 on a fairly positive note.
 

“We are getting close to the turn in the employment cycle. Consumer spending has held up well during the holiday shopping season, and from a political perspective, we are about to se a significant reform of the U.S. health care system.
 

“For some the glass remains half empty. The U.S. economy grew less than expected in the third quarter, the unemployment rate will remain close to 10% for most of this year, and the bruising battle over health care has exposed a political system increasingly unwilling to deal with key future challenges. Rating agencies ought to question whether Congress will be able to implement the painful measures necessary to bring the government’s finances back in balance.
 

“However, the glass is clearly half full (if not more) for most financial markets. The S&P 500 is up more than 65% from its March low, which exceeds the pace of recovery in most other developed stock markets. 10-year Treasury yields rebounded sharply in the last few weeks of December, reaching their highest level in more than four months.
 

“It appears that many investors are already positioning their bond portfolios for an expected increase in bond yields next year. Shorter-term yields remain extremely low, benefiting from the Federal Reserve’s decision to leave policy rates at record lows, and year-end financial flows into lower risk assets. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar is staging a tentative rebound, up almost 5% since the end of November.”
 

VALIC 403(b) Mutual Fund Fourth Quarter Performance Report

 

Dan Allen

Member of the General Church Retirement Plan Administration Committee; Academy Treasurer, (267) 502-2636 or Daniel.allen@anc-gc.org
 
 

November 2008 Update

We have added an update to employees on the Compensation Study. This can be found on the Total Compensation page linked to the left. We have also added a link to a Letter to All Employees that was sent on October 29 regarding the recent economic crisis. This can be found below and in the main navigation menu to the left.

October 29, 2008 Letter to All Employees Regarding the Recent Economic Crisis

A Strategic Investment in Our Human Capital

The PeopleVision 2006-2010 Project was started as a way to evaluate the current employee-employer relationship, particularly as we prepare for implementing our organizational Strategic Plans. Key success factors for us in achieving the goals of our Strategic Plans are to meet the ongoing needs of employees and create an environment in which employees can perform to their highest potential.

Early on, we asked ourselves four major questions:

• What differentiates the General Church and Academy from other employers?
• What makes the General Church and Academy a great place to work?
• What attracts the best in the employment pool to the General Church and Academy?
• What is our defining work culture and environment?

The desire to find answers to these questions evolved into a project known as the "Total Employment Relationship" project; since then it has come to be known as PeopleVision 2006-2010.

PeopleVision 2006-2010 Projects

The PeopleVision initiative involves a number of different projects that will help us to assess the current employee-employer relationship and implement programs that will provide employees with the best support and working environment that our organizations can provide.

The projects included in PeopleVision 2006-2010 are:

• Employee Relations
• Leadership Development
• Succession Planning
• Competency Modeling
• Recruitment and Hiring
• Total Compensation
• Performance Management

Each of these projects has a dedicated page on this web site that will be continually updated to provide status updates and latest news. Use the navigation bar on the left to visit each page and read more about these projects.

Our Hope for the Future

It is our hope that through this initiative we will redefine the employee-employer relationship to serve two purposes:

0. To better position ourselves to achieve the goals of our Strategic Plans.
0. To better align the "Employment Experience" with the needs of our employees and the needs of our organizations.

After all, employment at the General Church and the Academy goes well beyond compensation and benefits. It is about creating a complete work environment that engages employees in every facet so that they may passionately support each organization's mission and deliver the message of the New Church.