Today in the Mission Yearbook - Retired pastor thanks the PC(USA)’s Christmas Joy Offering and Board of Pensions for providing invaluable support

Navigating the road to retirement

February 16, 2024

The Rev. Peggy Krong

When the Apostle Paul wrote about the varieties of God-given abilities conferred by the Spirit, the Rev. Peggy Krong — a gifted former English teacher — would be the first to admit that she likely missed out on the gift of financial expertise.

“People who are close to me know that I’m not great with finances,” she said.

Krong, an active Presbyterian for more than 50 years who had always sensed a call to ministry, was advised by nearly everyone that attending seminary and making a career change was not a good idea. For financial reasons.

“But my home pastor gave me the best advice,” she recalled. “‘Peggy,’ he told me, ‘don’t do it unless you can’t not do it.’”

Because God’s call indeed proved irresistible to Krong, she entered the Graduate Theological Union —affiliated with San Francisco Theological Seminary — in 1992. After earning her M.Div. and being ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1996, she served Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Antonio and Westwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles for a combined total of more than 15 years prior to her retirement in 2012.

“Although I have never regretted my decision to enter ministry, I do regret that my career change and life circumstances left me with minimal resources for retirement,” she said.

As a lifelong educator, Krong has often availed herself of the many educational resources available through the church, especially the programs offered by the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). When she learned about a clergy retirement planning seminar sponsored by the Board of Pensions in her area, she immediately signed up to attend in preparation for her own retirement.

“When I learned about the assistance programs of the church,” she said, “I felt that people who have served their entire lives in the mission field should be getting that money, not people like me.”

But later, when financial barriers jeopardized her ability to move into the Monte Vista Grove Homes in Pasadena, California, a long-standing Presbyterian retirement community well suited to her needs, she listened to a close friend’s wise counsel.

“My friend reminded me that everybody has different gifts, and while financial planning wasn’t one of mine, I had contributed much to the church and denomination through my service,” said Krong. “She then encouraged me to contact the Board of Pensions.”

The Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions granted her immediate assistance by partially paying the retirement home’s required entrance fee and later set her up with an ongoing Housing Supplement to help her manage the monthly fees.

The support that Krong receives is made possible, in part, by the PC(USA)’s annual Christmas Joy Offering, a cherished Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s, which distributes gifts equally to the Assistance Program and to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.

The Assistance Program provides need-based grants to help active and retired plan members and their families. Housing Supplements help eligible retirees and surviving spouses with the cost of remaining in their homes or moving to retirement facilities, as Krong did.

“A life committed to the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is one of selflessness and generosity,” said Lucas McCool, director of Member Services for the Board of Pensions. “Because Peggy has brought her gifts of valuing community above all — and at times even herself — I am grateful that she reached out to us for assistance in her time of need.”

Ever since she first connected with the Board of Pensions, Krong said that every interaction has been a pleasure.

“We’re all children of God, and we all struggle,” said Krong. “Thanks to the Board of Pensions and the Christmas Joy Offering, I can now be of more service to the church than I would otherwise have been without this assistance. I just can’t express enough how grateful I am.”

Emily Enders Odom, Associate Director of Mission Communications, Presbyterian Mission Agency

Today’s Focus: Christmas Joy Offering and Board of Pensions provide support to retired pastor

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Analise Brown, Administrative Assistant, Theology, Formation & Evangelism, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Joey Brown, Ministry Engagement Associate, Direct Mail, Ministry Engagement & Support, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray

Gracious God, we rejoice that you are generous with us. Keep us mindful that you have provided all that we need. Help us to be generous with our loaves, that you might show us once more that what we perceive as not enough may be all we need, with 12 baskets of crumbs to spare. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Strengthening connections: D.J. Lee of the Board of Pensions serves PC(USA) Korean churches

To 400 Korean ministers and congregation leaders, he’s the face of the Board

August 21, 2020

D.J. Lee is the Board of Pensions’ Senior Specialist for Korean Membership. (Contributed photo)

In a small conference room at the Board of Pensions, before COVID-19 led to staff working remotely, D.J. Lee recalled how he chose to travel from his home in South Korea to Philadelphia to earn an MBA. He spread an imaginary map of the United States across the conference table and ran his hands across it, one westward, one eastward.

“I opened up the map, and I had a few choices,” said Lee, senior service specialist for Korean membership at the Board, referring to his university admissions. “Philadelphia, I had never heard of. Philadelphia has the longest spelling. Hmm, Philadelphia is the place to go. I want to explore. I like adventure.”

Today, Lee gives back to his adopted city as a volunteer at Greater Philadelphia Health Action Inc. (GPHA), where he has served on the Quality Oversight Committee and Strategic Planning Committee since 2019. GPHA provides comprehensive health services to uninsured and underinsured people in the region. “It has been a great opportunity to share my knowledge and experiences gained from the Board and my education,” he said. “This is my way to return something back to Philadelphia.”

Dong Jo Lee arrived in Philadelphia in August 1994, his first time in the United States. “When I was young, I always dreamed about America,” he said. “I loved Western movies and World War II movies.” He had no family or friends in the U.S., but he had been introduced to the Presbyterian church in high school by a friend and soon, he was worshiping with a Presbyterian congregation in Philadelphia. “It brought me back to my faith,” he said.

By February 2000, he had two master’s degrees, a wife, a young son and a new job as Benefits Specialist at the Board of Pensions. Twenty years later, he and his wife, Heayoung Shin, share their home with son Nathan, a college sophomore, and daughter Hannah, a high school junior. And D.J. Lee is helping to strengthen church ties with Korean congregations.

His father-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Sang Gil Shin, was thrilled when his son was hired by the Board. Shin had moved to the U.S. from Korea in 1983 with his family — when Heayoung was 13 — for a Presbyterian leadership exchange program. He retired in Korea in 1997 after 30 years in ministry that included serving Presbyterian churches and in validated ministries in Korea, a PC(USA) congregation in the U.S., and as a missionary in Mexico.

Shin saw his son-in-law as a connection between Korean Presbyterians and a valuable church agency. Today, that connection is direct. Since January 2019, Lee has served as the face of the Board for Korean Presbyterian ministers and congregational leaders in the approximately 400 PC(USA) Korean churches. He travels, educating these congregations on the church Benefits Plan and how to use Benefits Connect.

“The people I meet with really appreciate the outreach,” said Lee, who has expanded face-to-face service for the constituency. “The word spread out. I have a total of 18 outreach activities scheduled in 2020, including workshops, Korean retiree luncheons, and NCKPC [National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches],” he said, although COVID-19 has forced schedule changes.

His understanding of Korean culture has been critical to conveying the richness of the Benefits Plan. Korean plan members traditionally haven’t made the most of their benefits because plan information was not always reaching the one responsible for wielding it.

“We used to train the ministers,” he said, but it is the spouse who oversees family medical claims and expenses. “In Korean culture, many spouses are women who have sacrificed their professional careers to support their husband’s ministry and child care. Once I took over this role, I said, ‘Hey, bring your spouse.’ Now, I see more engagement.”

His outreach supports the efforts of the Board, as part of the PC(USA), to strengthen the community of faith. In 2019, for the first time, the Chief of Church Engagement for the Board of Pensions attended the NCKPC. Translations of documents on pensions.org continue to grow, and this year, the Board plans to deliver Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations in Korean.

Lea Sitton, Agency Writer for the Board of Pensions

Let us join in prayer for: 

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Dick Liberty, Board of Pensions
Lora Limeberry, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray:

God of warmth and compassion, let us be filled with the light of Christ. Lead us out into the world, where the lost, lonely and hungry can be the face of Jesus for us. Amen.