Matthew Price, lead pastor of the South Hills Partnership of churches, 
is serving on the denomination's Wespath Benefits and Investments (Wespath) inaugural Young Leaders Advisory Board (Y-LAB). Wespath is the UMC general agency responsible for administering benefits and investing retirement plan assets.
Wespath created Y-LAB last year to engage and better serve young adults dedicated to the Church. Members are partnering with Wespath to identify gaps in connecting with young clergy and lay employees, generate ideas that help improve Wespath’s products and services, and help shape how Wespath shares information.
In November, the group traveled to Pensacola, Florida to attend Wespath’s Revitup! For a Lifetime in Ministry, an event for young clergy, where they provided insights about how Wespath can enhance its educational outreach. The group also met at Wespath’s headquarters in Glenview, Ill in September, where they interacted with Wespath employees and senior leadership, including General Secretary Barbara Boigegrain.
“The discussion among the Y-LAB members has been lively and energetic, and their feedback has already proven valuable,” said Ms. Boigegrain. “We appreciate their willingness to help us better serve the Church, and look forward to hearing more from this engaging group of young UMC leaders!”
The 15 Y-LAB members are all aged 35 or younger, and represent both laity and clergy across the U.S. Y- LAB members were selected by Directors of Connectional Ministries in their UMC jurisdictions.
Wespath has created a similar Conference Advisory Board consisting of Conference Benefits Officers and Treasurers across the UMC in order to better engage with and connect to the annual conference and participants it serves.