Your investment in ELCA benefits is money well spent, thanks to these advantages.

1.       One-Stop Shop Lets Your organization focus on other Priorities

Imagine the effort it would take for individuals in your congregation to research, purchase, and manage separate policies for:

• Medical, mental health, and prescription drug coverage
• Dental coverage
• Wellness programs
• Employee assistance plan
• Disability coverage
• Life insurance
• 403(b) retirement savings plan that offers clergy housing allowance
• Financial planning services
• Tax-advantage spending accounts

With ELCA benefits, it's all in one package.  Portico creates and delivers a comprehensive benefit program specifically for this church.  You get the efficiency and reliability of professionally-managed benefits, and your plan members can devote themselves to ministry less encumbered by financial concerns

2.  Buying Health Benefits as One Community Saves Money

Thanks to the purchasing power of more than 7,000 congregations and other ministries, your organization:

• Saves 10% on health costs - because we're large enough to self-insure (that is, we pay for all our claims), organizations avoid the fees and commission built into the price of fully-insured plans.  Last year the collective savings added up to $17 million¹

• Is protected against skyrocketing health premiums - on small health plans, one catastrophic claim can double next year's rates.  Not likely with ours.  In any given year, a fraction of our members will face a serious health crisis.  It it's your leader, rest assured he or she can get quality care without affecting your rates.
• Secures deeper discounts than small groups or individuals can access alone - for example, as part of a coalition of 21 denominations, we renegotiated our Express Scripts contract to save 10% on prescription drug costs

3.  Serving Members for Life Creates Better Outcomes

The average pastor spends 44 years sponsored in the ELCA benefit program.  That's good news for their financial health - the median retirement account balance for ELCA plan members approaching age 65 exceeds the U.S. average by more than 40%².  When it comes to our members' physical and emotional health, we believe wellness works over the long run.  Our community's stability gives us the unique opportunity for our investment in wellness to pay off - through lower health care costs and more resilient leaders.

¹2013 Towers Watson analysis of incremental costs of fully-insured group plans. 

²The median account balance is $76,381 for defined contribution plan members age 55 - 64 according to the 2014 Vanguard report, How America Saves.  For this same age group, the ELCA Retirement Plan median account balance is $109,364 according to Portico data. 

PRAYERS of HEALING

• for Rev. Charles Lindholm
• for Olga Hluchy (Pr. Stephen Hluchy)

Does your congregation have any youth in Detroit right now for the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering? There are 30,000 ELCA youth and adults there as part of the experience including more than 350 from our synod.

Here are some tidbits:

• Each day, youth, volunteers and their Adult Leaders will gather in Ford Field to hear the day's Scripture text articulated by engaging speakers and Christian musicians, as well as stimulating video and interpretive dance. Speakers challenge youth to think differently and to practice their faith with a living, daring confidence in God's grace. The music of the Gathering sets the tone of the day and lifts the spirits of youth and their adult leaders. 

• Daily programs are the heart of the Gathering. Through these activities, youth and their adult leaders are inspired to grow in their faith through various activities. During the middle of the day, congregational groups will participate in a three-day activity rotation that includes a day of service in the Detroit metropolitan area (Proclaim Justice Day), a day of exploratory learning with other groups from their synod (Proclaim Story Day), and a day of interactive learning in the Convention Center (Proclaim Community Day). 

• Community Life takes place in varied venues throughout the Gathering and is an opportunity for youth to connect with one another and just have fun. From game rooms to karaoke to prayer stations and dance marathons, there is something for everyone! 

• The Gathering concludes with Eucharist on Sunday morning, at which Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will preach.   

• Youth and adults who attend the ELCA Youth Gathering will know the opening line of Mark's Gospel: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1) And, they will know that they are the ones who carry the good news of Jesus into the world.
  

You can be part of this witness to God's redeeming cycle of life-death-life again (Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.) by following the live stream at Youth Gathering Stream. You can also participate with the young people by using their daily devotions called First 15 and Final 15. They can be found on the same website or you can download the Youth Gathering app.