About Us Adult Ministries   Children & Family Ministries Classes & Religious Services FPC Community
Mission & Outreach  Music News & Events Presbyterian Women Rejoice & Renew!
Sermons Skyline Special Needs Ministries Visitors Youth Ministries

Learn more about us as people here. Then let us learn more about you.
Reaching us is always easy. Just click here.
 

Interim Pastor, Head of Staff
R. Bruce Meyer

Bruce Meyer is a graduate of Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and holds a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Presbyterian Seminary. During his 36 years of ordained ministry, Bruce has served installed positions in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Since 2001, Bruce has focused on Interim Ministry and has served two large multi-clergy congregations. Bruce has completed both phases of Interim Ministry Training offered by our denomination, and as our interim pastor, he will help us through this period of transition and establish the foundation for the ministry of our installed Pastor/Head of Staff. Dr. Meyers shares that “My style of leadership is participatory and collegial, striving to lead in ways that help congregations and groups establish their own norms and goals; and create processes which effectively revitalize congregational life.” He prefers to be part of a congregation that “is actively involved in caring for the needs of others, accepting others in spite of differences in behavior, thought and/or life style. It is through the concern, acceptance and understanding of committed people that the message of Christ’s reconciling love is heard and the resulting health and wholeness of His Body is experienced.”

Bruce loves singing and playing the guitar, especially during the Time with the Younger Church during worship. He is an avid storyteller, a member of the “Network of Biblical Storytellers,” and has just completed writing an Advent adventure for children which he hopes to have published. Bruce and his wife, Barbara, have four grown children and seven grandchildren. In addition to being with their grandchildren, Bruce and Barbara love to travel and enjoy hosting a marriage enrichment retreat entitled “Recreating Marriage with the Same Old Spouse.”

Congregational Care, Evangelism and Church Growth
Mary Austin, Associate Pastor

Mary Austin is the Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care, Evangelism and Church Growth.  She comes to the church with a background as the director of pastoral care and bereavement for a hospice in New Jersey, where she served for eight years.  She has a passion for pastoral care, and is also interested in how the church tells its story to its neighbors – how we share the good news of what God is doing.  Mary is a graduate of Princeton Seminary and Wells College.  Before going to seminary, she worked in marketing and fund raising in the Washington, DC area.  Mary is married to Carl Smith, and has a daughter Lucy, and a stepson, Carl. 

Amy Morgan is a 2006 graduate of Princeton Seminary, where she served as a teaching assistant in Speech Communications. Amy served as a seminary intern at Riverdale Presbyterian Church in the Bronx during her seminary years, working in the area of youth ministry. She graduated from New York University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama. Amy is married to Jason Morgan, and they have a son, Dean. The Morgan family lives in Pontiac. Amy comments about ministry at FPC: "The congregation has such tremendous gifts, and your youth seem to be an essential, well-loved part of your community."

Director of Christian Education
Cindy Merten

Cindy Merten, our Director of Christian Education, came to FPC after serving in a similar position at the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak. There she began the first Workshop Rotation Model Church School in the Detroit area. Rooted in her conviction that Christian education programs need to address the learning styles and needs of all people, she brought the model to us in the form of CrossWalks. She is an Associate Certified Christian Educator and leads workshops, organizes conferences, teaches others about the "rotation" model.

Ministry of Music

Director of Music Ministries
Tom Trenney

Tom Trenney is Director of Music Ministries at First Presbyterian Church where he oversees a comprehensive choir program and serves as organist. Tom is also founding Artistic Director of Many Voices...One Song, a community-wide music outreach organization which includes the popular Ovations! Concert Series, the celebrated Birmingham-First Chamber Choir, an annual Church Music Workshop, and a seasonal series of Summer Sings. Tom has earned two graduate degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, studying Organ Performance with David Higgs and Choral Conducting with William Weinert. He holds the Bachelor of Music Degree in Organ Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where his mentors were Anne Wilson and Todd Wilson. A certified colleague of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), Tom is the first organist ever to win both first prize and audience prize in the AGO National Competition in Organ Improvisation (2006). In frequent demand as organist for recitals, silent films, workshops, and hymn festivals, Tom has been featured performer and clinician at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the Calvin Symposium on Worship, The Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.

Recent engagements have included performances at Portland (Maine) Town Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra's Kimmel Center, and the Nashville Symphony's Schermerhorn Center. This summer, Tom will serve as conductor of the adult choirs for the annual Westminster Conference of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and will perform at the AGO National Convention in Minneapolis. His first CD recording, Organa Americana, was released in June 2004 on the ProOrgano label and his new CD, Organ Ovations and Improvisations, was released in 2007.

Kent Wattleworth
Kent Wattleworth is Associate Director of Music Ministries at First Presbyterian Church, where he serves as director of the FPC Youth Choir and assists in leading the Chancel Choir and the Children's Choirs.  Kent is currently the choir director at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township, where he also teaches music theory and directs the musical each year. He holds a master's degree in choral conducting from Oakland University and a bachelor's degree in vocal music education from Hope College.  He has performed as a conductor, singer, and soloist throughout the Detroit area at various churches, with the Cantata Academy Chorale, and with the Birmingham-First Chamber Choir.  He recently served as Director of Music at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Rochester.

Chancel Choir Section Leaders
Mary Bonhag and Judith Premin , Sopranos
Jennifer Trombley, Alto
Brian White, Tenor
Seth Mease Carico and Drew Smith, Baritones

Donna Edwards is FPC's Assistant Organist, serving as primary organist for the Wednesday evening worship service and as accompanist for FPC's choirs.

Donna Calhoun
Donna Calhoun, our Director of Bell Choirs, is one of the most enthusiastic and talented handbell musicians in the area.  In addition to her outstanding work with the bell choirs at FPC, Donna has performed with Detroit's popular Classical Bells and has served as a regional representative for Schumlerich Handbell Corporation.  Having attended many festivals sponsored by the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, Donna brings a wealth of experience to complement her abundant passion for ringing.  As Director of Bell Choirs, she conducts the FPC Ringers and organizes the Festival Handbell Choir for the annual Many Voices...One Song Church Music Workshop.

Minister of Music Emeritus
Gerald S. Crawford
 

Director of FPC Nursery School
Leslie Butler

Leslie Butler has been associated with the FPC nursery school program for thirteen years--first as a teacher, then as director for the past five years. She spent four years as a nursery school "mom" when her two children attended this play-based, developmental program.

Leslie is a graduate of Alma college with a B.A. in both English and Elementary Education. She received her M.A. from Oakland University in Reading.

Leslie and her husband, Keith, have reached the "empty nest" period of their lives. They spend a good deal of time at their  cabin "up north." She enjoys all the lake activities, and also hiking, fishing, and golfing.

Kitchen Coordinator
Sara Paterson

Dr. Krug is a Presbyterian minister and physician, who specializes in developmental-behavioral pediatrics and clinical bioethics at Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak).  He is a non-stipendiary member of the staff, who assists in hospital visitation, as well as the liturgical and educational life of the church.  He leads worship on Wednesdays evenings and provides staff support to Celebration Station and to the Health and Inclusion Committee.

Director of Skyline Camp & Conference Center,
Pastoral Associate
Christine Gannon

Christine Gannon joined the church staff in March, 2003, as director of Skyline Camp and Conference Center, near Almont, Michigan, which was then owned by FPC.  The Center is now a separate 501(c)3, which continues to maintain close ties to the church.

As Pastoral Associate at FPC, Chris teaches the high school Sunday school class, leads adult education classes, and participates in worship.  She worked with the youth to prepare for the Christmas pageant and for Youth Sunday, and is co-coordinating the Mexico mission trip this year.

Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Queens College, NY and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton (NJ) Theological Seminary.  In January 2006, Chris was certified ready to receive a call for ordination by the Presbytery of Long Island.  Cheerful and enthusiastic, she feels she has been called to Christian camp ministry, working with youth and adults in a setting where they can live and learn in Christian community.

A native New Yorker, Chris' employment history includes stints as an ambulance driver and a police officer. Contrary to popular belief Chris does not use the skills she learned as one of New York’s Finest in her daily work at Skyline.   However, it might behoove folks to obey Skyline’s 15 mph speed limit. Just a warning!

Bridget Donohoe joined our staff in April 2007 as part-time Inclusion Coordinator. Bridget works with children and families in Celebration Station as well as those who are in our other children’s and youth programs. She coordinates, recruits and trains volunteers, adapts curriculum, and will help us expand our outreach into the community as we live into our Focus Statement to “reach out to all people, especially those with special needs.” Bridget is also a special education teacher in the Clarkston School District and has a Master's degree in Special Education from Oakland University in May. We look forward to the ways in which Bridget’s expertise and her commitment to the inclusion of all people in our communities will enrich our ministries here at FPC.

Support Staff:

Sue Gore - Parish Nurse
Linda Luther  - Financial Administrator

How to Reach Us

First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham
1669 West Maple Road
Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Telephones:
Church Offices: 248-644-2040
Skyline Administrative Office: 248-644-2043
Skyline Center: 810-798-8240
Fax: 248-644-8047

Church E-mail: contact@fpcbirmingham.org
Skyline E-mail: skyline@fpcbirmingham.org