C3 inspires spiritual, intellectual, and creative exploration and action, led by the questions, “what are the biggest challenges we face on our shared journey, and how do we respond to those challenges?”
On Sunday, C3 Member and frequent teacher Beth Buelow will talk with us about Breakdown, Breakthrough, and Re-Membering in the series Spirituality for the 21st Century. We’re pleased Hannah Laine is able to play for us again this week. And Teresa Colbry completes the team with a meditation. We hope you will join us!
All Sunday-morning C3 events take place in the Mackinaw Ballroom at Central Park Place. Pre-Talk and Awakenings start at 9 a.m. The Gathering begins at 10 a.m.; Small Bites and Talk Back follow the Gathering. C3 Kids meet at 10 a.m. in the C3 Kids’ area in the Mackinaw Room. If you aren’t able to join us in person, you can watch the Gathering online on C3’s Facebook page.
Get Ready to Rock!
Here’s the perfect way to have a great evening while supporting C3! You’ll have a great time singing along with Twyce the Band at this fundraising house concert. For a $40/person donation, join the fun on April 22 in Coopersville at Ira and Valerie Engeltjes’s home (or yard, if the weather is good). Seating is limited, so reserve your space today by emailing Valerie. Event details, here (webpage) and here (flyer).
🆕 No Sunday Dinner Group on April 9
The Sunday Dinner Group will not meet this Sunday. We’ll be back in action next week!
Space for C3 Kids
Part of the Mackinaw Room (our main gathering space) will be sectioned off to create a room for our kids. This area will be walled off floor to ceiling, with two doors and access to the outdoor picnic table area, which could be lots of fun once the weather gets warmer! Once the Gathering has begun, children should enter and exit this room through the storage room into the lobby. Please be aware that sometimes the children’s voices will be audible despite the sound barrier. They are our C3 children, and this is their space, too, so let’s allow them to be kids!
Creativity and Flexibility Needed!
The situation at Central Park Place is in flux, so let’s approach this challenge with creativity and flexibility! All of our Sunday morning activities will now take place in the Mackinaw Ballroom, except for Awakenings, which will be downstairs. The shifting of the C3 Kids to a section of the Mackinaw Ballroom necessitates a reconfiguration of the seating for our Gathering, and the tables which are usually at the back of the Gathering space will be shifted to other locations in the room. Please come with an open mind about how this will all work! Note: Due to noise outside the Mackinaw Room, if you must leave during the Gathering, exit through the door to the kitchen, and please refrain from exiting during the Meditation and Moment of Silence. The entry doors at the back of the building (downstairs) may be locked (out of concern for the safety of the children’s program), but there will be a host—Life Church or C3, or both—stationed there to let you in. Please share any urgent concerns with our liaisons Teresa Colbry or Kim Crozier.
At their last meeting, the Board established a task force to look at possible alternative locations for C3 to meet. While there is no pressure to vacate Central Park Place in the immediate future, this is an opportunity for C3 to explore available sites and consider what our needs are and what would best meet those needs. Task force members are Beth Buelow, Andy Cawthon, David Dean, Wayne Johnson, and Rod Van Abbema. If you have suggestions, please contact Andy. Thank you, in advance, for your help with this project!
Adopt-A-Highway Volunteers Needed
Our spring pick up will be on Saturday, April 22 (rain date April 23). Cleaning up our West Michigan roadways is a wonderful way to kick off Earth Day week! Sign up anytime via email (name and phone number please) or on Sundays at the Outreach table. More information here!
Vigil for Peace and Justice
Vigil for Peace and Justice takes place every Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. along Washington Avenue at Central Park in Grand Haven. C3 and Stand for Peace Michigan are identified as co-sponsors of the event, so it ’s a good way for C3 to be a presence in the community. We don ’t march or shout, but rather stand or sit quietly, meditating on peace and sending our peaceful intentions into the world. Will you join us? Contact Chrys Moelter-Gray for more information.
Caring for the members of our C3 Community is a shared communal responsibility, rather than a role reserved for a pastor, priest, or leader. Our C3 Community Care Team encourages members to support each other at time of need with notes, cards, phone calls, visits, meals, and transportation. C3 members are urged to contact the Community Care Team to inform them of life events, illness, or hardships, which can be shared with the C3 Community. To report a need or request help, or to help visit members in hospital, rehab or recovering at home, contact Cheryl Van Abbema: email or Mike and Charlotte Rozich: email.
🆕 Connie Farell celebrated her birthday this week. She misses C3. Belated birthday cards can be sent to 201 S. 4th Street, Grand Haven, MI 49417.
🆕 Longtime C3 member Kathy Klouw passed away on April 1. Her obituary can be seen here. Cards can be sent to Bill at 15541 Gierman Drive, Spring Lake, MI 49456.
🆕 C3 member Grace Persinger, age 96, mother of Jen Snideman, passed away on March 16 after a long, active life. Cards may be sent to Jen and Bob Snideman at 1226 Grant Avenue, Grand Haven, MI 49417.
Jeanne Shell is still recuperating in Florida from major surgery after breaking her femur. Cards may be sent to 70 N. McCall Road, Englewood, FL 34223.
Mary VanDeRiet wrote: Thank you for all the wonderful C3 friends who reached out to us after Lowell’s passing. We appreciated every card, visit and presence at the memorial service. You are truly living out your values.
Would you like to save money on your taxes and support C3 at the same time? You can use money in your IRA to contribute directly to a charitable organization like C3, without it being considered a taxable distribution. The same applies if you are required to take an RMD. Be certain to consult with your tax advisor or financial representative as it is important to understand the process and follow the appropriate guidelines.
Your ongoing support of C3 is greatly appreciated. Online donations can be made here. Automatic donations can be set up by contacting Carol Takas at Selby Accounting. 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.
Week 3@C3
We’re cooperating with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) once again to furnish items for Hygiene Kits. Collection dates are April 9 and 16. Please limit generosity to the items listed. No toothpaste needed! Collect these items in a brown paper bag and bring to the Week 3@C3 table:
- 1 adult-size toothbrush (in manufacturer’s packaging)
- 1 large bar bath soap (leave in wrapper)
- 1 nail clipper (good quality)
- 1 hand towel (medium weight, dark or bright colors; approx. 16 x 26 in.)
- 1 wide-toothed comb (6-8in.)
41,700 hygiene kits shipped last year to Burkina Faso, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Ukraine, the U.S., and Zambia. Let’s join together to help even more people in need of these personal items.
Please add these additional Outreach events to your calendar!
- Earth Day Fair: Saturday April 29, Central Park Place 1–4 p.m
- Grand Haven Pride Festival: Saturday, June 10. We are looking for ideas and volunteers to work with the coordinating committee for this event. If you’re interested, contact Rod Van Abbema.
C3 Book Club and Friends
Please note this important change! Starting in April, C3 Book Club will meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. The book for our meeting at the Bookman on April 18 is One Long River of Song by Brian Doyle. 🆕 May 16: Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
C3 Men’s Group
The C3 Men’s Group meets each Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Harbor Drive in Grand Haven. Questions? Contact Phil Koster.
During Talk Back last Sunday, people asked about supporting the schools in Uganda Cindy Anderson spoke about. She suggested the best way would be to sponsor a student with their school fees, and on Tuesday she spoke with the headmasters at both schools. Both Bwindi Plus and St. Matthews reported that $300 per student per year would cover books, meals, educational materials, and a uniform. Because of the expense of wiring money (and with the cooperation of the Anderson’s stock broker, who will send funds to the schools without charge), Cindy suggests, if you want to sponsor a student, send a check to her at 15016 Stickney Ridge Road, Grand Haven, MI 49417. You can also Venmo her (Cindy-Anderson-51), and let her know which school you want to support: Bwindi Plus (new building) or St. Matthew’s (desks donated by the Andersons). Cindy will tell the schools who the donors are, and usually, the students send a thank you.
Momentum Center: Free Dinner and Movie Night
Join with community members in a stigma-free setting at Momentum Center (714 Columbus Avenue) on Friday, April 14, to enjoy free dinner (pot luck items welcome but not required or expected) and the movie Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (PG), a hilarious and heartwarming film about an adorable shell who gets his big debut finding connections in the smallest corners. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. and the movie at 6 p.m. All are welcome. For more information about events at the Momentum Center, click here.
🆕 Music by the Fireplace–Steel Doin’ It at Spring Lake Library
Enjoy the sounds of the Caribbean, featuring traditional island songs, to the Beatles, Disney songs, and everything in between. There is something for everyone. All ages are welcome on this musical journey, on Sunday, April 23, 2–3 p.m. C3ers Karen Cottonand Cindy Krause play with this fun group of musicians!
LEDA Workshop
Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance is pleased to announce its new series, Working Toward Inclusion and Belonging, which will be held at Central Park Place on April 20. The session will address biases and ways to counter them, so participants can begin or continue their journey to a more equitable, diverse, inclusive community where everyone belongs and has opportunity to participate fully. The 90-minute session will provide participants with information to better understand how systems of advantage have taken root and grown, and tools to move inclusion and belonging forward at work, home, and in life.
