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?”
What shape waits in the seed of you
to grow and spread its branches
against a future sky?
David Whyte, from “The House of Belonging”
C3 has been growing and spreading its branches against a future sky for more than a century. It’s experienced 153 years of evolution, from the seed of conservative Protestantism to becoming an inclusive, progressive community. Resilience is in our DNA. Adaptability is our superpower.
At the Sunday gathering on April 23, Lead Teacher Kent Dobson announced he was leaving C3 this fall. Kent is moving to Georgia to be closer to family and to tend some family land. He will continue leading wilderness programs, making podcasts, and finding ways to lend his voice to evolving spiritual conversations of today. He wishes to express his deep gratitude for his time here, and his sadness to leave this community.
With the announcement of Kent’s departure, we are again being called to reaffirm our commitment to this vibrant place that is a spiritual home for so many. We are extremely grateful for Kent’s leadership over the past 5½ years. He has expanded the conversation in ways too numerous to count. He led us through a pandemic, keeping us connected and engaged. Our community has been enriched by his psychospiritual perspective, insatiable curiosity, stories of his spiritual journey, and passion for bringing people into higher consciousness. We are sad to see Kent go, even as we celebrate future opportunities for him and his family in Georgia.
Among the things we have learned from Kent—and one another!—is that grief and hope can co-exist. Light and shadow are essential to our growth. And we are always stronger than we know.
This news comes alongside conversations about our future at Central Park Place (CPP). The Board has been working since last fall to negotiate changes in our Sunday gathering space and advocate for our presence at CPP. We are incredibly appreciative of your flexibility and patience as we figure out a way to be good neighbors and renters. We continue to explore our options, including the possibility of finding a new home base.
We are a resilient, resourceful community, capable of moving through this by leveraging the opportunities inherent in change. To ensure we make the most of this liminal space, the Board plans to investigate various possibilities, including engaging an external consultant and/or an internal team to lead us through the process.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the C3 community. Please reach out to any board member with your questions, concerns, and feedback.
We hope you’ll join us in wishing Kent and his family all the best in their next chapter. He’ll be with us through November 1, so we have lots of time yet to learn and grow together.
We look forward to seeing what beautiful branches C3 spreads against its future sky.
Sincerely,
C3 Board of Trustees
Sally Alderink, Chair
Teresa Colbry, Vice-Chair
Valerie Engeltjes, Secretary
Shannon McMaster, Treasurer
Beth Buelow
Andy Cawthon
Kim Crozier
Tom Edwards
Kathy Humphrey
Wayne Johnson
Rod Van Abbema
C3 Spiritual Community Office
1447 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, MI 49417
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 371, Grand Haven, MI 49417
Becky Park, Office Manager
Office Hours: Wednesday 12:30–2:30 p.m., Friday 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., or by appointment
Automatic donations are handled by Carol Takas at Selby Accounting.
Please direct any questions to Shannon McMaster.
C3 Board of Trustees
Chair: Sally Alderink
Vice-Chair: Teresa Colbry
Secretary: Valerie Engeltjes
Treasurer: Shannon McMaster
Beth Buelow
Andy Cawthon
Kim Crozier
Tom Edwards
Kathy Humphrey
Wayne Johnson
Rod Van Abbema
Newsletter Submissions and Editor: Chrysteen Moelter-Gray.
Newsletter Designer: Annie Wassmann
Copyright © 2023 C3 Spiritual Community. All rights reserved.