Denomination receives insurance dividend, Brethren Mutual Aid named a top agency by Brotherhood Mutual

Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, 

through a partnership program with the 

Brethren Mutual Aid Agency, presented 

a large insurance dividend of more than 

$174,000 to the Church of the Brethren.

The Church of the Brethren denomination has received a large insurance dividend of $174,984 from Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, through its Partnership Group Program. Brethren Mutual Aid is the sponsoring agency for the program, which rewards the claims experience of the congregations, camps, and districts that make up the group along with the denominational organization.

Brotherhood Mutual returns excess premiums not needed to pay losses, up to a certain level, as part of its Partnership Group Program. The company grants the dividend if the denominational group collectively enjoys a better-than-average claims experience.

In related news, the Brethren Mutual Aid Agency has been recognized by Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company as one of the company’s top 15 agencies for 2013.

Leadership team directs insurance dividend to aid districts

The denomination’s Leadership Team--which includes the Annual Conference officers and the General Secretary--determined this year’s distribution. The bulk of this dividend will be shared directly with districts, said moderator Nancy Sollenberger Heishman in a report to the Mission and Ministry Board.

Each district will receive $2,000, with policy participating districts receiving an additional amount based on their percentage of total district premiums. The largest district distribution will amount to almost $16,000. In addition, 5 percent or $8,750 will go to the Brethren Mutual Aid Share Fund, and 5 percent or $8,750 will be given to the Compassion Fund of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) to aid to Nigerian Brethren who have been affected by violence.

Each time the Church of the Brethren receives such a dividend, part of the money is given to the Brethren Mutual Aid Share Fund, and $1,000 is given to the Finance Office to pay for administration of the funds.

Previous years in which the denomination has received a dividend are 2005 when $109,835 helped support a number of 300th anniversary events as well as a congregational membership study among other projects; 2006 when $128,290 supported the 300th anniversary Annual Conference and the Germantown Trust; and 2010 when $156,031 aided Brethren Disaster Ministries work in Haiti following the earthquake as well as debt reduction for Annual Conference. Moneys also have helped support the presence of Brethren Mutual Aid at Annual Conference.

Brethren Mutual Aid Agency receives national recognition

Brethren Mutual Aid Agency based in Abilene, Kan., has been named one of Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company’s Top 15 agencies for 2013.

The agency received the Five-Star Award at an awards banquet on March 7 in Fort Wayne, Ind. The annual award recognizes an agent’s outstanding production and overall profitability to the company over a three-year period.

This is the fifth time the company has been recognized as a Five-Star agency. The agency has represented Brotherhood Mutual since 2002. President and general manager Eric Lamer has worked in insurance for five years and the communications industry for 29 years, including nine years as the president of a marketing agency.

Brotherhood Mutual is one of the nation’s leading insurers of churches and related ministries. It designs property and liability insurance to help ministries run safely and effectively.

For more information about Brethren Mutual Aid go to www.maabrethren.com. For more about Brotherhood Mutual visit www.brotherhoodmutual.com.

-- A release from Dan Watson, communications specialist-marketing communications for Brotherhood Mutual, contributed to this report.

Source: 3/18/2014 Newsline