Bishop and Mrs. Smith with Lauren Kinard (C), CPG consultant for the diocese, at the Province IV Chaplains to the Retired Conference | Photo courtesy Bishop Dabney Smith

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dabney Smith, part-time assisting bishop, and his wife, Mrs. Mary Wallis Smith, have been appointed by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb as Church Pension Group Chaplains to the Retired for the Diocese of Central Florida. Holcomb announced the news in his address to the 55th annual Diocesan Convention on Saturday, Jan. 27.

“As well as being a bishop among us and for us, Bishop Smith is here to minister to our clergy and their families, retired clergy as well as widows and widowers,” Holcomb said, adding that “Gifted clergy care is a major part of the Smiths’ legacy in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, and they are a gift from God to the diocese. This is the first time in a long time that the Diocese of Central Florida has CPG chaplain representation.”

“The Chaplains to the Retired Program provides local support to retired clergy, their spouses and surviving spouses,” per the CPG website. “Each diocesan bishop is encouraged to appoint Chaplains to the Retired.” These chaplains provide local pastoral care and support for spouses and beneficiaries of the CPG, hosting gatherings and maintaining regular communication.

As Holcomb pointed out, the Smiths’ time in the Diocese of Southwest Florida prepared them well for the CPG role. In Smith’s 16 years as bishop, the Chaplain to the Retired Program remained intact, and he built it up by having a chaplain couple in each regional deanery.

“It is an honor to serve Bishop Holcomb as his assisting bishop,” said Bishop Smith, whose work with the diocese began in January. He and his wife are excited about their new responsibilities as CPG chaplains.

“We went to a conference right out of the gate,” Mary Smith said. “This was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the job and bring it back to Justin. We learned a lot, and by going, we met the CPG consultant for the Diocese of Central Florida.”

The Smiths attended the Province IV Chaplains to the Retired Conference at the Hotel Haya in Ybor City, Florida, a suburb of Tampa, March 19-22. Attendees included clergy acting as chaplains along with their clergy spouses.

“We attended as Bishop Holcomb’s appointed chaplains to the Church Pension Group,” Bishop Smith explained. “The conference’s content included a session titled ‘In Pursuit of Wellness’ presented by Dr. Karen Keune, who has a wealth of experience in nursing education, health law and policy, and clinical administrative practice. Marc Savasta, senior strategic account executive from United Healthcare, also presented. In addition, there was an update on the Church Pension Fund and benefits.”

The CPG chaplain program is designed to maximize the leveraged distribution of information and services to the clients and enhance pastoral care to all retirees of the CPG Pension Plan through appointed diocesan chaplains in cooperation with diocesan bishops. Each chaplain works with their bishop to develop a pastoral ministry for all retirees within the CPG plan.

“This role requires various contact approaches with the retired clerics, spouses and surviving widows and widowers,” Bishop Smith said. “It also requires meetings with CPG. The CPG list for the Diocese of Central Florida currently contains 537 names. Not all of them reside in the diocese, and not all remain in the United States. I have made some contacts already.”

The specifics of the chaplaincy position, however are still in the rollout process.

“Bishop Holcomb and I met after Holy Week to discuss and formulate the plan for the Diocese of Central Florida,” he added. “Two activities already under consideration are, first, an ‘Enriching Your Retirement’ event for the diocese. The date and place for this four-hour conference still need to be set. At this conference, the CPG conveners discuss The Church Pension Fund, the rules about working in retirement, the Medical Trust, clergy taxes, fraud protection and legacy planning.

“Second, we also plan to host an annual luncheon for retired clerics, spouses and surviving widows and widowers,” Bishop Smith said. “It will be a time to reconnect, share information and have time with the bishop.”