Some 61 people, representing 19 states, attended POAMN’s 2023 conference, held September 14-15 outside Detroit, Michigan. Participants ranged in age from mid-80s to early 30s. For approximately one-third of attendees, this event was their first POAMN conference.
We met in the beautiful Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church (GIPC). This was the home congregation of Helen Morrison (1927-2021) who helped found POAMN in the 1980s and served as POAMN’s president from 2009-2014.
We gathered under the theme Walking in New Shoes. Speakers frequently referenced footwear as they shared information about programs or ministry opportunities for older adults.
So put on your comfortable loafers, gardening shoes, or work boots to walk back in time a few weeks to the 2023 POAMN conference.
POAMN’s executive committee (below) met the day before the conference for our annual in-person meeting. What a joy to meet face-to-face! We shared information about ourselves and our ministries, discussed the status of our areas of POAMN, talked visions, made plans for the coming year, and ironed out final details of the conference starting the next day.
Multiple members of the Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church congregation helped make the conference a success. Pictured below are a few of them: Steve Benton, Anne Wright*, Holly Lauscher, Sue Hurst*, and Nancy Colina*. We also are grateful to Ilona Macek*, Kathleen Rankin*, Rev. David Montgomery, Rev. Dr. Loren Scribner, Ray Kramer, and many others! The five GIPC members on the planning committee (identified with *) provided invaluable guidance on local options for speakers, catering, lodging, and transportation. We are extremely grateful for their contributions.
Each POAMN conference involves months of planning and coordination. The planning committee consisted of Adrienne Knight (chair), Pat Baker, Chris Pomfret, Kelley Hope plus the five members from GIPC.
View Conference Presentations
Many of the conference speakers made available their slide presentations to POAMN. Visit the conference page to view presentations that interest you. Links to the organization each speaker represents also are available. One presentation is available as a video recording.