Region Staff
Rev. Dr. Michael P. L. Friday
Executive Minister
The Rev. Dr. Michael Friday is the fifth child of his parents, who raised him in a Baptist home and church, and in a multicultural and multiethnic village in southeast Trinidad, in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. He attended the same elementary school as his elder siblings – one run by the Trinidad Muslim League – as it was only two doors down from his home (while the other Christian families in his village sent their children to Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Anglican schools two or three miles away. They all got there by walking). Although the school was run by Muslims, none of the Hindu or Christian or non-religious children were ever indoctrinated, though Michael learned in those early days a generosity of tolerance and welcome of others. Later, when he would attend the United Theological College of the West Indies – a multi-denominational seminary – these values would be strengthened.
M. Mae Thorburgh
Office Administrator and Bookkeeper
Mae Thornburgh grew up in a small town in the south east corner of Minnesota, then attended college in Iowa at Luther College where she studied History and Religion. After graduating, she did Lutheran Volunteer Corp in Chicago, working at a drop in center where she did a range of things from food pantry, drop in center for the unhoused, and mainly working with youth in the community. After that she went to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN where she earned a MA in Old Testament. Moving back to Chicago she worked for many years as the Administrative Assistant at North Shore Baptist Church, before continuing her education at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, earning an MA in Interfaith Studies. Shortly after that Mae landed in Indianapolis, raising her 3 children as a stay at home mom for 9 years, before getting her job at ABCGI. Mae now serves as the Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper for the region and is grateful for her time here and really enjoys the work she does.