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We have a few new faces here on the Old Mission Peninsula – a new pastor, community police officer and township planner. Here’s a bit more about them, so you know who they are when you run into them. Welcome to the OMP!
Andrea Johnson, Pastor at OMP United Methodist Church
Pastor Andrea previously served in Monroe, Michigan, and arrived for her new appointment to the Old Mission Peninsula UMC in November 2021. She comes to ministry as a local pastor after many years of involvement as a lay person in her home church. She completed licensing school in late 2017 and began her first appointment in January of 2018.
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She says she’s been fortunate to work in a variety of settings prior to entering the ministry, including working as a social worker, directing a non-profit agency, and managing a medical practice – all diverse experiences and skills that help her to live our her calling as a local pastor. She’s excited to serve on the Old Mission Peninsula.
Pastor Andrea has two grown daughters, both living in Waterford with their families. She is a proud Nana to four grandchildren, the most recent born in January. Her hobbies include knitting and crafting, reading, gardening and riding her new bicycle.
Jenn Cram, Peninsula Township Planner
Jenn comes to the Old Mission Peninsula from Colorado, where she has been working as a planner for many years. But she’s not new to the Grand Traverse area. She was born in Traverse City and most of her family still lives here, “so I’m excited to have the opportunity to call northern Michigan home again,” she says.
Jenn graduated from Michigan State University in 1994 with a degree in landscape architecture and a minor in art history. She worked in the planning department for the town of Breckenridge, Colorado for 15 years, where she developed the community’s cultural assets, including a public art program and the Breckenridge Arts District campus.
That project included restoring four historic structures, building two new structures, as well as walkways and plazas, and adding landscaping, lighting and public art in the heart of the historic district. She was also responsible for developing Breckenridge’s wayfinding program and updating historic district guidelines, landscaping and forest health regulations.
From there, she took on the role of Director of Public Programs and Engagement for a new nonprofit, Breckenridge Creative Arts, established to manage cultural assets. In 2017, she accepted a position in the community development department with Larimer County in Fort Collins, Colorado. For the past four years, she’s worked on both current development review and long-range planning efforts, including working with the agricultural community and assisting with updates to the county’s land use code related to ag uses.
When she’s not working, Jenn loves spending time outdoors cycling, mountain biking, hiking, paddleboarding, cross-country skiing and gardening. She’s also a mixed media artist with a focus on installation art.
Sean Mugerian, Community Police Officer
Officer Sean Mugerian joined our existing officer Virnell France in late December to provide full-time coverage in Peninsula Township.
Sean was born and raised near Suttons Bay and attended Traverse City West Senior High School. Upon graduating, he enlisted in the United States Army where he served for six years in the National Guard. He attended Lake Superior State University and graduated with a degree in criminal justice/law enforcement. Upon returning to Traverse City in 2015, he enrolled in the NMC Police Academy soon thereafter.
Sean was hired by the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office in the fall of 2016 and has been serving the citizens of Garfield Township as a Community Police Officer for the past four years. “I have always been a strong advocate for programs that bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community in which they serve,” he notes on his Township web page.
He is married to Casey, and they often spend their days off visiting the Old Mission Peninsula. “It is an area that holds a special place in our hearts,” he says. “I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you, and serving this wonderful community for years to come.”
Sean can be reached at the office, (231) 223-4525, on his cell phone, (231) 313-4525 (which he shares with Virnell; whomever is on duty will have this phone), or via email, [email protected].
Here are Sean and Virnell, participating as guest speakers at a recent Zoom meeting of the Old Mission Women’s Club.
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SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
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[…] have only been assigned to Old Mission Peninsula since January 1st of this year. In that time, I have responded to more than 700 calls for service. […]