Global Ministries is pleased to announce the establishment of a new permanent fund that will provide pensions for retired pastors of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ).  Over 100 years ago, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission established the UCCZ. The UCCZ has been affiliated with the United Church of Christ in the United States since 1893 and also is a longstanding partner of Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  Today the UCCZ has 47 congregations with 30,000 members.  Unfortunately, UCCZ pastors have little or no pension, or other means of sustaining themselves and their families after they retire.  Reverend Sandra Gourdet, Global Ministries Area Executive for Africa, Reverend Matuyhunye, the President of the UCCZ, and several constituents of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with long-standing and strong connections with the UCCZ and its ministry requested that a permanent endowment fund be established to generate an ongoing sources of income in order to provide these pastors and their families now and in the future with supplemental support during retirement.  

The Pension Endowment Fund for Retired Pastors of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe was established through Wider Church Ministries/Global Ministries.  The Fund's establishing amount is $4,800.00.  The UCCZ will incorporate the distributions from The Pension Endowment Fund for Retired Pastors of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe each year into their existing resources in a pension plan administration that the UCCZ administers.

President of the UCCZ, Reverend Matuvhunye, in a communication with Reverend Sandra Gourdet, Global Ministries Area Executive for Africa writes:

Indeed I run short of words to express how grateful I am to you and staff at the Global Ministries office.  This, honestly speaking, is going to alleviate the plight of our Ministers as what was saved as pension has been eroded by inflation believed to be around 8000% today.  These pastors cannot survive on what we give them.

Today, the uncertainty in Zimbabwe increases and estimates of inflation are much higher.  The Global Ministries Africa Office contends that The Pension Endowment Fund for Retired Pastors of the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe is being established at a very opportune time.