The Diocese administers severals funds, listed below, that assist in supplementing pensions and providing one-time emergency funds to retired clergy and their families.
Two of the funds are distributed upon request, as follows:
In 2020, a kind donor provided monies for a Clergy Widows Assistance Fund. This fund is available to clergy widows who experience one-time unusual expenses such as medical costs or temporary shortfalls in personal finances. Request should be made to the bishop’s office and will be reviewed by the bishop, executive officer and finance officer.
The Incapacitated Clergy Fund
The funds below are distributed annually to all who qualify:
The Garrod Pension Fund provides pension supplements to retired clergy who are members of the General Synod Pension Plan (GSPP) and who served in the Diocese of British Columbia, excluding the Greater Victoria area (i.e. south of the Malahat and the Gulf Islands). Pension supplements commence January 1 of the year following retirement, and are calculated to include both the year of first serving and the year of retirement. Partial years are counted as full years.
The Emily Elizabeth Stoneham Pension Fund provides pension supplements to retired clergy who are members of the General Synod Pension Plan (GSPP) and who served in the Diocese of British Columbia, at any time, in Greater Victoria (i.e. south of the Malahat, including the Gulf Islands). Pension supplements commence January 1 of the year following retirement, and are calculated to include both the year of first serving and the year of retirement.
The Clergy Widows and Orphans Fund was created in 1876 and augmented by legacies since. Grants are given annually to widows and orphans of clergy who served in the Diocese of British Columbia.
The Lay Retirement Fund was created in 1956 and added to through the 1960s. It augments the pensions of lay employees who are on the General Synod Pension Plan (GSPP); lay employees on the GSPP that retire after 2017 must have a minimum of 10 full years of employment within the diocese to qualify for a payment from the Lay Retirement Fund.