Mature Ministries 2023-2024

Mature Ministries

Mature Ministries offers activities that foster spiritual growth, good health, educational pursuits, outreach activities, and fellowship events.

Lunch and Learn

Monthly opportunities to gather for a catered lunch and listen to presentations by local experts in their field. The cost for lunch is $12 per person.

Day Trips

Join us on one of our educational, informational, and recreational day trips.

Classes

Take a course of study that offers deeper understanding on specific topics.

Lunch & Learn

Cost of lunch: $12 per person ($15 per person on September 14) Register online: firstpresbyterian.org

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

Introduction and Basics of Sound Baths

11:00 a.m., Montheith Hall

Rob Meyer-Kukan

First Pres member Rob Meyer-Kukan will introduce us to a sound bath, a meditative practice involving the use of resonant music. This creates an immersive sound that fills the room and the body, aiming to help people relax and let go of stress, anxiety, or other worries and concerns.

Rob Meyer-Kukan is a Licensed Massage and Sound Therapist. He is a level III trained Reiki practitioner, a reflexologist, and an aspiring naturopath. He is currently enrolled in a four-year program that will culminate in the title Doctor of Naturopathy. He is the Owner of 7 Notes Natural Health, LLC, a holistic health and wellness practice located in Ann Arbor. In his previous life, Rob served churches

and schools in southeast Michigan for 21 years as Music Director, organist, and music teacher. He still maintains a small private piano studio out of his home. Rob is married to his husband, Scott, and they reside in Ann Arbor with their five fur-children (2 cocker spaniels and 3 cats).

FedUp Ministries: Faith and Food Justice

12:00 p.m., Social Hall

Rev. Anna McCants

Lunch will be catered by FedUp Ministries. FedUp serves good, healthy, food truck-style meals with dignity to communities that are food insecure and economically exploited by unjust racial and economic systems in the United States.

Pastor Anna McCants (she/her) was ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament in 2021. She received her M.Div from United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia and Gettysburg, PA. She is originally from East Tennessee but has lived in Syracuse, NY, and Philadelphia, PA, since beginning her ministry. Pastor Anna currently resides in Ypsilanti with her wife, Monique, and children,

Laynee and Ezra. Pastor Anna is passionate about antiracism work and queer inclusion in the Church. She also cares deeply for those who are food and housing insecure. FedUp Ministries is the place where these passions meet. Pastor Anna is a minister at Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10

My Life in Books

Loren D. Estleman

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction, having written 80 books and hundreds of short stories. He is known for a series of crime novels featuring the investigator Amos Walker.

An authority on both criminal history and the American West, Estleman has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award.

A sought-after speaker and a veteran journalist of police-beat news, Estleman graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 with

a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Journalism. On April 27, 2002, EMU presented him with an honorary doctorate in letters.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9 NAGPRA and Michigan: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Dr. Ben Secunda

The Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was passed in 1990 to require museums and other institutions that receive federal funding to follow a process for transferring human remains and associated objects to the Indigenous peoples that have the legal right to them. The University of Michigan has an established set of policies and procedures to guide these efforts, and for the past decade Ben Secunda has been overseeing the project’s implementation.

Ben Secunda has served as NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) Office Managing Director for the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President of Research since 2010. He has a Ph.D. in U.S. History with a focus on Native Americans. Ben has worked with native nations, mainly the Potawatomi and other Great Lakes area nations, on historic and cultural preservation issues and other related matters. In his down time, Ben enjoys taking road trips, listening to music, and playing board games with friends.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14

Holiday Sing-a-long

11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Sanctuary

Brent Ivey and David VanderMeer

We will gather in the Sanctuary to enjoy a fun-filled collection of the most beloved Christmas songs and carols, accompanied by Brent Ivey and David VanderMeer with a special appearance by Santa Claus.

Innovations in Diabetes Treatment

12:15 - 1:40 p.m., Social Hall

Meng Tan

At Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, Dr. Tan was Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry as well as Head, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine. There, he was active in clinical practice, research, education, and administration. Next, at Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, he was Distinguished Medical Fellow at Lilly Research Laboratory and Global Medical Director for Diabetes. He then joined University of Michigan in Ann Arbor as Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes. He is currently Professor Emeritus (Active) there.Dr. Tan is a clinician-scientist active in diabetes mellitus and lipoprotein metabolism research.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11

The Harley Davidson Museum: A Virtual Tour and Presentation

ONLINE ONLY

Meghan Selke-Gorski

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5502657984

History roars to life at the Harley-Davidson Museum. It’s the best of American design and culture – seasoned with freedom and rebellion, showcased in a landmark building. Join us for this virtual tour from the comfort of your home.

Meghan Selke-Gorski is the Visitor Experience Lead at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8

Beyond the “Happy Little Trees”: Painter Bob Ross and His Impact on American Popular Culture

ONLINE ONLY

Brian Statz

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5502657984

In this Zoom gathering, explore the life, philosophy, and art of the iconic American painter who hosted the long-running PBS program, The Joy of Painting. Bob Ross inspired generations of viewers with his soft-spoken voice and a pallet knife. With its global reach, it’s hard to imagine that much of his beloved series was filmed in an unassuming television studio inside a historic home in Muncie, Indiana.

Brian Statz is President and CEO of Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, IN, home of the Bob Ross Experience.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14

A Journey from Success to Significance

Dave Keil

Dave Keil is President of Franworth, an Ann Arbor-based firm who build, incubate, and grow emerging companies via a franchise model. Prior to Franworth, Keil led four franchise companies as CEO: The Lash Lounge, Pure Barre, HoneyBaked Ham and Haagen-Dazs Shoppes. Dave’s life mission is: ‘to honor God by loving my family well, sharing life lessons and scaling companies for Good’. In 2020 he founded the 501(c)3 company Franchise For Good (franchiseforgood.org), and has since partnered with 12 nonprofit companies and University of Notre Dame to help non-profits scale. Partner companies include Catholic Charities Chicago, Goodwill Excel Center, BuildStrong, and Mission Animal Hospital. Keil received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and a MBA from the University of Kansas. He and his wife Jenny joined First Pres in August 2022.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11

Detroit’s Failed Bids for the Olympics

Stefan Szymanski

Between 1940 and 1972, Detroit tried and failed nine times to get the Summer Games. The sad story of the Motor City’s failure, which is painstakingly documented in 30 boxes of materials available in the Detroit Public Library, also is the story of the corruption of the Olympic ideal.

Dr. Stefan Szymanski came to the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology as the Stephen J. Galetti Professor of Sport Management in 2011. Before that he had appointments at London Business School, Imperial College Business School, and Cass Business School, all in London. Dr. Szymanski completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford, and received his Ph.D. in Economics at Birkbeck College, University of London. As a leading expert in the economics of sports in general and soccer in particular, he is widely quoted in the media and has written op-eds for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Financial Times. You can follow him on Twitter (@sszy) and on his blog (soccernomics-agency.com).

Stopping Climate Change: A Citizens’ Guide to Actions

Mary Garton

Mary Garton is a retired nurse and educator. As a volunteer with the Ann Arbor chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby for seven years, she has participated in 36 lobby meetings with over 16 different members of Congress or their legislative aides, both on Capitol Hill and here in district. She believes the best way to handle one’s own climate anxiety is to actively work towards a viable solution and that there is a path forward.

THURSDAY, JUNE 13

Uncovering Our Lost Stories:

African American Genealogy in Washtenaw County

Cheryl Garnett and Jean Winborn

Cheryl Garnett and Jean Winborn are founders of the Washtenaw County African-American Genealogical Society. They specialize in helping the descendants of slaves complete their life stories and have much to tell us about Ann Arbor’s history.

Day Trips

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Gilmore Automobile Museum and Historic Honolulu House

Visit the largest car museum in the country with nearly 20 acres of automobiles in Hickory Corners, Michigan (near Kalamazoo). We will stop in Marshall, MI, for lunch at the century-old, familyowned restuarant, Schuler’s. Then it is on to the historic Honolulu House, built by Abner Pratt, a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and United States Consul to Hawaii under President James Buchanan.

Time: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Deadline for registration: Thursday, September 14

Cost: $100 ($28 for discounted admissions; $50 for Schuler’s lunch, gratuity, and room fee; $22 for bus).

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12

Toledo Museum of Art

The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It is a worldwide leader in the collection and presentation of historical and contemporary glass art objects. Our tour will include a glass blowing demonstration and time on your own to explore the exhibits. A late lunch/early dinner is included.

Cost: TBD

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16

Charles H. Wright Museum

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, or The Wright, is located in Detroit and is one of the world’s oldest independent African American museums. Come explore and celebrate the rich cultural legacy of African Americans. Then, we will grab a quick lunch and visit the First Congregational Church on Woodward Avenue, known for it’s use as a safe haven during the Underground Railroad passage that operated between 1840 and 1863.

Cost: TBD

Classes

FIVE WEEKS

Smartphones 101

Mondays, September 11 - October 9

10:30 a.m. - Noon

Curtis Room

Cost: $40

Are you frustrated by your smartphone? Would you like to learn how to get the most out of it? Sign up for Smartphone 101, a fiveweek course for iPhone and Android users offered Mondays, September 11 – October 9, 10:30 a.m. – Noon in the Curtis Room. This class is open to all. Cost is $40. Make checks out to First Presbyterian Church, with “Smartphone 101 class” on the memo line or register online at firstpresbyterian.org. Class size is limited to 25 people.

SIX WEEKS

Loaves and Dishes: Cooking with Karin Elling

Thursdays

October 5, November 2, December 7, March 7, April 4, May 2

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Kitchen

Cost: $50 per session

Nutritionist and chef Karin Elling will teach you how to make nutrious and delicious meals that are good for your overall health. Fee covers food, supplies, and food to take home! Class size is limited to 10 people.

Register for classes online: firstpresbyterian.org

Thank You!

Thanks to those who have donated to Mature Ministries in 2023!

Sandy Anderson

Barb DeLancey

Paula Doering

Becky Donally

Heidi Ford

Carol Gottliebsen

Alice Holderby

Polly Pan

Sally Richardson

Brad Taylor

Linda Upton

Julie Wheaton

As always, your donations are most welcome and help offset the costs of lunch and funding transportation on trips. And they support scholarships for members in need. Bless you!

To make a donation, visit: https://secure.myvanco.com/YM88/campaign/C-115M9