Ruth earned her BA in philosophy from Wheaton College and her Masters in global leadership from Fuller Seminary. She was ordained at Mayflower Church in 2019.

Julia Brown joined the staff at Mayflower in August, 2018, moving from Eugene, Oregon. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Julia studied piano, harpsichord, and organ in her native Brazil before receiving her Masters of Music in Church Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance from Northwestern University.

Julia is passionate about music-making with volunteers and professionals of all ages. She believes that music is a powerful means of outreach, faith formation, and spiritual growth.

In addition to church work, Julia teaches, performs, and records. Her Naxos recordings of W. F. Bach, J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, and Scheidemann have gained high critical acclaim, and are readily available on Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube.

Julia has three children, Howell, Gabriela, and Alex Petty.

Scott Bosscher is a choir trainer, voice teacher and worship liturgy planner who began his musical career as a Bass Section Leader at Mayflower.

A Grand Rapids native, Scott received his Bachelor of Music from Calvin College, then a Masters of Music from Oklahoma City University. While living in Chicago he sang with the St. Luke’s Choir of Men and Boys in Evanston, where he met his wife Jane. They moved to Somerset, UK, where Scott was a Choral and Chorister Voice Trainer and on the Music Faculty at Wells Cathedral (ranked #1 choir in the world).

Scott was the Choir Director at Thornapple Covenant Church for 11 years, and has been the Director of Music for the Grand Rapids Choir of Men & Boys since 2001. He teaches voice and music at Grand Rapids Community College and Calvin College.

Rachael Cooley oversees programming and staffing for the Nursery on Sundays and Wednesdays. She leads Outreach efforts and organizes events to engage our congregation and community.

She directs Mayflower’s Midweek program which includes choir and youth groups for grade school-aged children as well as fellowship for families. She is also the Coordinator of Mayflower’s Family Promise/IHN ministry for homeless families in Grand Rapids.

Rachael has a background in non-profit, having worked with at-risk youth at Boys Town for 10 years and was the Executive Director of Youth Unlimited.

Rachael and her husband Andy have two children, Jackson and Harper.

Andrew Ely (Andy) is retired after spending 30 years in corporate finance most recently as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for a local defense firm in Grand Rapids.

Andy holds a BA in Accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA from Grand Valley State University Seidman School of Business. Throughout his career, he has worked for familiar companies like General Motors, Magna International, and Amway Corporation.

Andy and his wife love spending time with their 2 boys and extended family. For fun, Andy enjoys playing and coaching tennis.

Amy joined the staff in May 2023 as the Office Manager.

Amy has a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Recreation and Facility Management from Central Michigan University and comes to us with more than 25 years of experience in the field of hospitality and event planning.

She and her husband Brian have a yellow lab, Tucker.  They enjoy going to the dog park, spending time with family, playing card games, and going to the lake.

Murry Idema is a long-standing member of Mayflower, having also served as Director of Mayflower Preschool for 33 years.

Her current responsibilities include chairing the Congregational Care Committee, which is instrumental in scheduling volunteers as greeters on Sundays and in sending handcrafted cards to persons on the prayer list and also to members who are celebrating milestone birthdays. The committee is also responsible for facilitating coffee receptions before and after the Sunday services.

Murry also arranges the “69UP” social gatherings for Mayflower members and guests.

Murry attended Colby Junior College and received her B.A. degree and teaching certification from Michigan State University. She has two children and three grandchildren.

Jana joins us to oversee the custodial service needs of the church. She has been a longtime member of Mayflower, participating as a section leader within the Chancel Choir, oversees the Music library and rings with the Adult Bell Choir.

Kristen Van Stee serves as the Communications Coordinator.

Kristen has a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Calvin University and comes to us with more than 25 years of experience in the field of graphic design and promotions.

She and her husband have three children and enjoy spending time in northern Michigan.