<p>At the 2017 Annual Conference Session, you learned that the Board of Medical Benefits will be conducting listening sessions for important legislation coming to the 2018 Annual Conference. The subject will be the study of the Post-Retirement Health Benefit available to clergy and lay employees who participate in the conference health plan and the related cost that is included in the Mission Shares and in the Board of Medical Benefits Budget. </p><p>Following are other concepts that will be shared:</p><p>1. If the benefit is terminated, what future date should this occur? By setting a date in the future, participants who are nearing retirement and have planned on this credit being a part of their retirement package can make necessary decisions. 2. How much additional funding will have to be collected so that the decreasing credit going forward can be funded out of the reserves on hand, if any? 3. How can we help the participants who actually lose the benefit make provisions for the loss of this amount in their future retirement?</p><p>Following are the dates, times and locations for the listening sessions. The session should last one hour. All lay and clergy members of the 2018 annual conference should attend. </p><p>Date Time Location Brookhaven 7/25/2017 6:00 PMBrookhaven First East Jackson 7/27/2017 6:30 PMAnderson UMC Greenwood 7/24/2017 6:30 PMIndianola First Hattiesburg 8/8/2017 6:00 PMParkway Heights UMC Meridian 7/31/2017 6:30 PMDistrict Office New Albany 8/3/2017 6:30 PMRipley First UMC Seashore 8/1/2017 7:00 PMGateway UMC Senatobia 7/20/2017 6:30 PMComo UMC Starkville 8/2/2017 6:30 PMStarkville First UMC Tupelo 8/7/2017 7:00 PMDistrict Office West Jackson 7/27/2017 6:30 PMAnderson UMC</p><p>David Stotts, CPA Treasurer/Director of Finance & Administration Conference Benefits Officer Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church 320-A Briarwood Drive Jackson, MS 39206 601-354-0515 (main office) 769-243-7020 (direct line) 601-955-3912 (cell phone) 601-948-5980 (fax) [email protected]</p>