Kent Dobson will be with us this Sunday to probe our value of Compassionate Action in our series Be of Value. Our Guest Teachers bring unique perspectives, and we appreciate them sharing their knowledge and insights with us, but it’s always a good Sunday when Kent is with us!
Ruth and Max Bloomquist are back on familiar ground with us, and isn’t it great that they feel like part of the C3 family? They’ve been singing together for 40 years! Why not warm up for Sunday morning by watching the Michigan Girl video?
Sundays at the Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven)
- 9:00 a.m. Pre-Talk: In Person
Meet the morning’s teacher in a small group setting for an open discussion of the morning’s theme. - 10:00 a.m. Gathering: In Person + Livestream on Facebook
Welcome, readings, meditation from a community member, teaching and music - 10:00 a.m. C3 Kids: In Person (Woodbine Room)
- 11:00 a.m. Talk Back: In Person
A chance to share questions, comments and stories related to the morning gathering.
Special Spring Gathering
Next week on Sunday, April 24, is our Welcome Back Sunday! Will you join us in person and celebrate the C3 Community? Bring a friend or neighbor, too! That morning will be a special time of community celebration, reconnections, a silent auction—and Small Bites make their comeback! (Of course, if you can’t make it in person, you can still watch the Gathering on Facebook).
Call-out to C3 Members: Be Part of the Outreach Team
Outreach, a standing committee at C3, sponsors or participates in these exciting, well-developed programs and more:
- Earth Day Celebration
- Adopt-a-Highway
- Library volunteering in Muskegon Heights with CCD (Coalition for Community Development)
- Grand Haven Hispanic Heritage Fiesta
- Humanity for Prisoners
We are reaching out to ask some folks to join the team because several devoted members have felt the need to go on to other things. Please contact Rod Van Abbema or Chrys Moelter-Gray for information. And hooray to Cindy Leitner and Jeff Crandle for joining the team!!
Treasurer’s Notes
Internal Audit: Earlier this year an internal financial audit was conducted by Dave Hodson and Sally Alderink. Their conclusion: “After completing our audit, we feel comfortable saying that C3 has adequate financial controls in place, and the monthly financial statements presented to the Board are an accurate summary of the income/expense and financial position of C3.” Thank you to Dave and Sally for taking on and completing this important project.
Quarterly Update: Our first quarter expenses are about as expected; however, donations have been lower than anticipated, in part because of lower in-person Sunday attendance. While we receive generous donations in multiple ways, a critical source comes from gifts made during the Sunday Gathering. As the weather warms and the world opens up more, our attendance will grow, and with it, the resources we have to sustain our community and its work. We’re excited to offer a fun opportunity to support C3 on April 24, Welcome Back Sunday, where festivities will include a silent auction featuring beautiful wooden bowls created by Tom Webber. The bowls will also be on display at the April 17 Gathering. Please join us in that fundraising effort and consider how you can continue or renew your financial support of C3’s future. Each and every gift is appreciated!
Dine With Nine is Back!
The first post-pandemic Dine with Nine will be on Saturday, May 14, at 6:00 p.m. Mark it on your calendar now!
Several times a year, you are invited to gather in people’s homes to share food, fun, and conversation. This popular program aims to connect adults regardless of age or relationship status, bringing together widows, singles, couples, partners, and divorcees at the home of the evening’s host. Each person is asked to bring an element of the meal – an appetizer, salad, dessert, wine, or bread, while the host provides the main entrée. Sign up at the Connections Table in the lobby any Sunday in April or on May 1.Coordinators of the event are Joyce Cawthon, Kathy Smith, and Mary Ackerson. Contact Joyce with questions: joycevcawthon@
C3 is a sponsor and participant—
- Join the Green March at 12:30 pm
- Check out all the booths in Central Park from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
- Prevailing Winds Performance and other events
- C3-sponsored Kids activity booth with Sunflower Planting
- C3 Outreach booth where visitors can sign up for our Duncan Park Cleanup (Saturday, May 21)
We Need More Assistance—
- This Sunday and next, Cindy VanIttersum will be soliciting volunteers to help with the Kids activity and collecting empty toilet paper rolls needed for the project.
- We need one more 10’ by 10’ canopy, contact Rod Van Abbema.
Adopt-A-Highway
Our Spring Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup will be held on Saturday, April 30. If you’ve driven along our section of US-31 recently, you know that we could use a lot of help! We meet at the Community Center parking lot at 10:00 a.m. and carpool from there, and we are typically done by 12:30 p.m. You can sign-up in the lobby at C3 on Sundays or contact Mary Ackerson at mfjackerson [at] gmail [dot] com.
Vigil for Peace and Justice on Saturday
Our Vigil for Peace and Justice has resumed and meets each Saturday, from noon–1:00 p.m. along Washington Avenue at Central Park in Grand Haven. All are welcome.
New Opportunity for Community Outreach
On Friday, May 20, from 10:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. the C3 Outreach Team is partnering with the American Red Cross to provide volunteers for the blood drive at the Community Center. Blood supplies continue to be low and critically needed. The Outreach Committee is asking for four volunteers to participate: two to cover the 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. shift and two for the 1:00–4:00 p.m. shift. One volunteer will check in donors and the other will assist donors in the canteen after they have donated. If you would like to be one of the volunteers helping at the blood drive, please contact Nancy Owens at nl_owens [at] comcast [dot] net or call 616-502-4779. To sign up to be a blood donor on May 20, use this link.
C3 and Friends Book Discussion Group
What a great discussion last week, so many ideas and interpretations!
Our next book is Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait. Because of the elections on May 3, our meeting will be moved to Tuesday May 10, 6:30 p.m. at The Bookman. New members are welcome. If you need to meet by Zoom, please email joycevcawthon [at] gmail [dot] com.
May 10: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
June 7: The Humans by Matt Haig, author of Midnight Library
C3 Men’s Group – Meeting by Zoom
With most members out of town during the winter months, the C3 Men’s Group meets via Zoom on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. To join via the Zoom link, contact Phil Koster at 616-402-1751. New participants are always welcome.
Week 3@C3 for April
This Sunday is your last chance to bring any of the following items for the School Gardens Program at Edgewood and Martin Luther King Jr. schools in Muskegon Heights.
Still needed are:
- 12 hand trowels for students
- 2 brooms & dustpans
- 1 hoe
- Baskets/plastic tubs for harvesting produce
- 1 large (40-50 gallon size) tote for storage
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Plastic bowls – large & small for mixing & serving
Volunteers and professionals from MH Coalition for Community Development head and teach gardening at these two schools. Planting, tending, and harvesting the gardens go on through the spring and summer. Preparing foods and snacks for consumption from the garden harvest, using recipes, is part of the program. Read about the Muskegon Heights Coalition for Community Development (CCD) Healthy Heights Program here.
Common Humanity Meditation
The Greater Good Science Center offers this Common Humanity meditation to “help overcome that sense of difference and distrust by opening channels of compassion.” It takes about ten minutes.
Did You Know?
Did you know that you can use money from your IRA to contribute directly to a charitable organization, like C3, without it being considered a taxable distribution? It may also serve as your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for 2021. To make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), be sure to consult with your tax advisor or financial representative before making this decision, because it is important to follow the guidelines and understand the process.
Donate via PayPal, it’s safe and secure!
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Your ongoing support of C3 is greatly appreciated. Online donations can be made here. Checks should be sent to C3 Spiritual Community, P. O. Box 371, Grand Haven, MI 49417. C3 is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organization. Our tax ID is 38-1960212. |
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You can support the Ottawa County Parks Foundation and local artists, Saturday, April 16, at the Art for the Parks 2022 event at Hemlock Nature Education Center, from 5:00–8:00 p.m.
With Earth Day just around the corner, you might want to check in at the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive website. What a great resource, right here in Michigan!
Click here to access the April newsletter from Humanity for Prisoners, including information about their spring fundraiser, the Unball.
Momentum Center: Town Hall on Race and Racism
This month’s Town Hall on Monday, April 25 focuses on Housing. See details and register for this Zoom event here.
Saturday, April 16
12:00 p.m.: Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)
Sunday, April 17
Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Ave., GH)
9:00 a.m. Pre-Talk, In Person
10:00 a.m. Gathering, In Person + Livestream on Facebook
- Teacher: Kent Dobson
- Music: Ruth and Max Bloomquist
- Meditation: Beth Buelow
10:00 a.m.: C3 Kids, in Woodbine Room with Miss Mary
11:00 a.m.: Talk Back, In Person
Tuesday, April 19
7:00 p.m.: C3 Men’s Group via Zoom
Saturday, April 23
12:00 p.m.: Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)