Update for January 7, 2024

Sunday Gathering

Come for Pre-Talk at 9 a.m. to get a jump on the rest of the group; join us at Central Park Place in Grand Haven for the Gathering at 10 a.m., which is live-streamed on C3’s Facebook page. Snack and socialize during Small Bites, then respond to the teaching at Talk Back from 11:15 to noon. C3 Kids meet in the C3 Kids’ area of the Mackinaw Room from 10 a.m. to noon.

• Missed an email? Revisit or catch up on our website > Updates
• Need Event Information? Our website has a full event calendar > Upcoming Events
• 🆕  Last Sunday’s Teaching here and Meditation here.
• This is the link to purchase a copy of Berny Snoeyer’s book,The Wolfert Letters: Family and Friend Correspondences During World War II (178 pages, $10), 

🆕  Successful Year-End Fundraiser

Wonderful news: We not only met our year-end fundraiser goal of $28,400, but we exceeded it by about 16% and raised $33,000! What an affirmation of the vitality of our C3 Community and the important role it plays in our community.

🆕  Those Last Two Sundays in December

The Sunday Gathering Team is grateful for the C3 members who took on the role of teacher for our last two Gatherings! Thanks again to Pam Park, Gordy Alderink, Jeff Crandle, Ira Engeltjes, and Tod Wyn  for their “I am C3” stories, and to Berny Snoeyerand Beth Buelow for their conversation based on Berny’s book, The Wolfert Letters: Family and Friend Correspondences During World War II. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, you may do so here. The 178-page book is $10. Remember, if you missed either of these two special Sundays, you can watch the teachings on our YouTube channel:

• I am C3, December 24 (video link)
• Berny Snoeyer and Beth Buelow, December 31 (video link)

Top row: Pam Park, Gordy Alderink, Jeff Crandle. Bottom row: Ira Engeltjes, Tod Wyn

🆕  Board of Trustees

Tabitha Blanski, Beth Buelow, Andy Cawthon, Teresa Colbry, Karen Cotton, Kim Crozier, Cheri Eshenaur, Kathy Humphrey, Wayne Johnson, Rod Van Abbema, and Tod Wyn comprise our new Board of Trustees. They will meet for the first time on January 10 at the C3 Office. At that time, the Executive Committee will be elected. The C3 Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Shannon McMaster has officially signed the contract to be C3’s first executive director. He will begin working in the position on January 8, 2024.

Week 3@C3 Greeting Card Blizzard

Thank you to all who helped make our Week 3@C3 Second Annual Seasonal Greeting Card Blizzard a success. 231 cards were delivered to four local care centers. Please note that in January there will be no Week 3@C3 project; we will resume in February.

Vigil for Peace and Justice

Please pick a time that works for you to hold all the people and places suffering from wars. Take any action you find valuable to diminish injustice, as we take our winter break from weekly peace vigils.

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.

🆕 Pastor Tim from Life Church and his family lost their home and everything in it, including pets, to a fire, while they were out of town recently. We plan to collect funds to provide a gift card from Meijer, which can be used for food, clothes, household items to help them with a new start, or even gas for the car if needed. Creative, crafty people might be inspired to make something for them, to make a new place feel like a home. Contact Charity McMaster if you have items to donate, or make a monetary donation to C3 with “Family in Need” in the memo field.

🆕  C3 Men’s Group

The C3 Men’s Group will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at the new permanent meeting location at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Room B, in Grand Haven. Contact Phil Koster for more information.

🆕  Sunday Dinner Group

There will be a sign-up sheet for Sunday Dinner Group at the Membership Table at the Gathering. The time remains 5:30 p.m. The location will be determined soon. If you have a favorite place or a suggestion for someplace new that is open on Sunday evening and takes reservations, please send that information to Chrys.

🆕  Women’s Journey 

Our January meeting will be at The Bookman on Monday, January 15, at 6:30 p.m.

🆕  C3 Book Club and Friends

At our December meeting we selected 16 amazing books for the coming year! Come to our next meeting on Tuesday, January 16 at The Bookman at 6:00 p.m. (note the time change!) to discuss Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. We will also assign the books for February–May at that meeting.

Thank You! Your support matters and is greatly appreciated! 

It takes a lot of time, energy, and money to produce all the great things that happen at C3. Whether it is our Sunday Gatherings or working within our West Michigan communities, we strive to make a difference, with compassion. Your financial support allows us to continue to learn, teach and live our values to heal and effect change.

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.

🆕  Open Positions on Ottawa County Boards

There are four open positions on Ottawa County Boards. Could you be the person we need to represent the citizens of Ottawa County? Click here to learn about the positions and apply.

🆕  Momentum Center

• Free Dinner and Movie Night

For a relaxing, fun, free evening out, consider attending the Free Dinner and Movie Night at the Momentum Center the second Friday each month. This month’s event will be on Friday, January 12. Dinner is at 5 p.m., the movie starts at 6 p.m. This month’s feature is Million Miles Away, the true life story of a boy from a family of migrant farm workers who watches the moon landing in 1969, which ignites his desire to be an astronaut. Pot luck items are not necessary, but welcome. 

Ottawa County Leadership

If you are concerned about the current quality of leadership in Ottawa County, here are some groups you can learn from and get involved with:

• Organize Ottawa–-this is where the action is right now if you want to get involved. Groups are organizing in each district to elect responsible leadership to the County Commission in the next election. You can find it on Facebook or send an email to to get involved.
  
• The Unifying Coalition of Ottawa County came together in response to Ottawa Impact becoming the majority on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners. The main organizations are Ottawa Integrity PAC and Vote Common Good West Michigan.
  
• Ottawa Objects Facebook page is a good source of information about actions of the County Commission.

Sunday, January 7

All events held in the Mackinaw Ballroom in Central Park Place (421 Columbus Ave., GH)

9 a.m. Pre-Talk & Awakenings

10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Sandy Kate Stephens

10 a.m. Gathering, In Person + Livestream on Facebook

   • Guest Teacher: Brad Ruggles

   • Musician: Spencer LaJoye

   • Meditation: Wayne Johnson

11 a.m. Talk Back

Tuesday, January 9

7 p.m. C3 Men’s Group (Room B, St. John’s Episcopal Church, GH)

Wednesday, December 10

6:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting (C3 Office, 1447 Washington Ave., GH)

Sunday, January 14

All events held in the Mackinaw Ballroom in Central Park Place (421 Columbus Ave., GH)

9 a.m. Pre-Talk & Awakenings

10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Patti Baldus

10 a.m. Gathering, In Person + Livestream on Facebook

   • Guest Teacher: Matthew Laidlaw

   • Musician: Aleksi Campagne

   • Meditation: Nelleke Knarr

11 a.m. Talk Back

Matthew Laidlaw is a co-founder of Open Circle, an “Inclusively-Christian” spiritual community in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Matt enjoys reading, running, jokes, and outdoor adventures with his wife, Stephanie, and their two young children. You can find out more about Matt at here.

Aleksi Campagne is a bilingual contemporary indie-folk fiddle-singer from Montreal. As the son of Canadian Folk icon Connie Kaldor and student of Jazz Violin Legend Didier Lockwood, Aleksi combines his powerful voice with rich songwriting, all while accompanying himself on the violin and seamlessly switching between English and French.

New Year, New Reviews!

We would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to share your experience at C3 by reviewing us on Google. Thank you!

Google requires reviewers to have a Google account. If you don’t have one you can set one up with your current email address, follow instructions here.