Adult Service Corps with Juergen Zirnstein and Laura McGee – G26010205
Please call Prescilla Tafoya at (505) 685-1019 to register for this workshop.
We are excited that you are considering Adult Service Corps (ASC) for Jan Term 2026! ASC is an opportunity to help Ghost Ranch with both our labor and spirit. If this is your first time in the Corps, please know that you have a great week ahead of you; for the old-timers, this opportunity offers a time for more celebration and reunion!
ASC members volunteer a total of 22 hours of work to the Ranch in exchange for reduced tuition, room and board (and a t-shirt)! Scheduled tasks can be outdoors and involve physical labor. Please let us know if you have a physical condition that prevents you from doing some tasks; we want everyone to be safe throughout the week.
January 2026 tasks include:
1. Remove carpet from the dining hall and replace it with wood laminate flooring
2. If there’s time after that: Remove carpet from Cottonwood Meeting and refinish those floors
3. Then, refinish wood flooring and tables in the library
4. If there’s time, repaint the library
For those who cannot do flooring tasks, we can purchase an upholstery steam cleaner, and ASC members can steam clean the red chairs in Agape and the blue ones in Lower Pavilion.
You should bring work clothes, a hat or visor for the sun, closed-toe shoes for outdoor work or in the shop, sunscreen, and a water bottle. We look forward to seeing you this January!
Instructors
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Laura McGeeLaura McGee is a long-time ranch visitor, having first attended with her parents when she was in her twenties. She counts her Ghost Ranch summers by the art courses she has taken. Her mother Roz McGee’s participation in the Adult Service Corps inspired Laura to try this way of serving the ranch while enjoying the company of others.
Laura has substantial experience leading groups to learn, grow, and accomplish a goal together. She has engaged in local and regional church leadership. In her work life, she taught German at a regional state university, and was Head of Modern Languages. There she focused on creating a quality learning experience for students.
Laura plans to bring to ASC a kind and supportive manner in helping participants engage in their own best ranch experience while providing 22 hours of service. She and her partner Juergen Zirnstein are excited to welcome their participants!
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Juergen ZirnsteinJuergen Zirnstein’s earliest experience in construction goes back to helping build his brother’s home in Brühl, Germany. The hands-on work with family left an indelible impression that encouraged Juergen to think of place, home, and identity as intertwined. That applies as well to his affection for Ghost Ranch.
He spent most of his career managing large projects for a German steel corporation’s North American locations. Later, he consulted for small, family-run businesses on resource and time management. After retirement, he served a 1-year term as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Botswana.
Active inquiry into spirituality and personal development has led Juergen to focus his life energies on service to people and organizations that help make the world a better place. As co-leader of the ASC, he aims to create a nurturing community where talents are recognized and developed, fostering a warm camaraderie that makes the ranch feel like home.