Vintage Voice: Freedom!
WINTER 2024
The Rev. Bruce Lomas reflects on what CPG means to him and his family.
Looking ahead, my wife and I wondered how we would fare in retirement, but thanks to the Clergy Pension Plan, we have the freedom—financial and emotional—to do what we enjoy, like spending time with our grandkids.
CPG’s planning sessions and events helped us understand what life could be like, and having that insight lessened my anxiety about the future. Seeing it all play out was refreshing. I cannot say enough how much it means to have The Church Pension Fund in my corner. To clergy readying for retirement, this is my advice: Learn all you can now about CPG’s resources!
The pension fund also frees me to do the work I love most—part-time. I’m staying busy in retirement but without the added stress of administrative duties, like getting leaky roofs fixed. I can be more present and guide my congregants as they actively live out their faith.
The parishes I serve are without full-time pastors, so I fill in to preach and do pastoral work. Instead of worrying about whether there will be a Sunday service, congregants can now focus on managing community outreach programs and welcoming new members. It is the people in the pews who are the driving force behind the resurgence of the parishes.
The Rev. Bruce Lomas is a 1992 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the Diaconate in the Diocese of Rhode Island the same year and to the priesthood in 1993. An avid cyclist, Father Lomas also dabbles in essay writing and poetry.
Comments? Questions? Concerns? CPG is listening. Please reach out to us at corpcomm@cpg.org