Update for September 15, 2024

Sep 13, 2024 | C3 Updates

This Sunday at C3

C3 Lead Teacher Brad Ruggles is back to kick off a new series, What the World Needs Now. In our first week, Refuge, we’ll look at the growing need for safe spaces, where individuals can explore life’s deep questions without expectations or judgement. C3 has become a refuge for honest expression and thoughtful dialogue, but that didn’t happen overnight. How we cultivate these spaces within our community can foster genuine connection, but it can also be messy. Join us as we explore what creating safe spaces looks like within our community, our families, and our neighborhoods.

One of our favorite musical twosomes returns, Folias Duo. Carmen Maret and Andrew Bergeron always fascinate us with their flute and guitar compositions. Charlotte Rozich will share a meditation.

We meet at Central Park Place (Mackinaw Ballroom, 421 Columbus Avenue, Grand Haven, MI 49417). Pre-Talk begins at 9 a.m. The main Gathering kicks off at 10 a.m. C3 Kids meet from 10 a.m. to noon. Stick around after the Gathering to discuss the morning’s talk in Talk Back, which runs until noon. Gathering livestream here.

C3 News

C3 Featured on front page of USA Today

Brad, Shannon, and C3 are highlighted in a front-page article of USA TODAY on September 2, titled “Spiritually homeless find like-minded communities” The feature includes photos of both Brad and Shannon, with C3 being one of four communities showcased. Help spread the news by sharing the article with your friends, family, and on social media!

Click on the photo below to read the article!

🆕  Call for Counters

Lana Brock has let us know the Sunday Counting Team needs at least two more new people willing to help with post-Gathering donation counting and deposit preparation. The obligation would be for one Sunday a month (or less often, if we get more people). People interested should email Lana (brockl [at] gvsu [dot] edu), or approach her or Shannon McMaster on a Sunday.

Join Us for “Dine with Nine” This October!

Mark your calendars for October 19 and be part of the next Dine with Nine (or a group of seven or eight)! Everyone is welcome to join. Sign-ups will be available every Sunday in September. This event, themed “Fall Harvest,” offers a cozy evening of great food, laughter, and conversation. Several hosts will be opening their homes to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for a memorable night with friends old and new. 🗓️

Nominations for BOT

The Board of Trustees election will happen at the Annual Meeting on November 3. There are three openings on the board for 2025-26. Two current board members will be seeking re-election, leaving one open seat. Nominations are open through October 1. If you would like to nominate someone, or have any questions, please see Trustee Wayne Johnson or Executive Director Shannon McMaster. 🗓️

Can You Take One Small Step? 👣

C3 is encouraging people to participate in One Small Step, an initiative by WGVU and StoryCorps by signing up to take part in a facilitated conversation with someone new, with different political beliefs from yours, and get to know each other as people. 

Learn More  //  Apply to be Matched

 

Charter for Compassion

Week 3@C3—September

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being described as hell on earth. Nowhere is safe, not even hospitals or schools. This Sunday is the last day to make a donation to help provide food packets for refugees sheltering in camps in Gaza.  We will accept checks, cash or credit card donations.  Gifts will be funneled through MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) in Goshen, IN. Checks should be made out to C3 with “Food for Gaza” in the memo line. They may be put in the donation box at the C3 Gathering or mailed asap to C3 at PO Box 371, Grand Haven, MI 49417. Checks will be acknowledged for tax purposes. At the Gathering, cash indicated “Food for Gaza“ can be placed in the donation boxes. For credit card donations, see Chase at the sound table.

Outreach

Your Participation Matters!

  • September 21: Hispanic Heritage Fiesta 🗓️
    Opportunities for volunteers     for the Fiesta itself are listed at the link. As before, C3 will be a sponsor of the event and will have a booth to sell cookies. 🆕 Proceeds from the cookie sale will go to the Lupita Reyes Scholarship Fund through the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation. We need volunteers to make and donate cookies, and also to staff a two-hour shift at the booth that day. On Sunday, Patti will have signup sheets for cookie donations and volunteers. If you haven’t done it before, consider joining us and sign up. It’s a fun day!
  • September 26: Humanity for Prisoners “Voices of Humanity”
    This annual fundraiser will feature a dinner and the premiere of the documentary film Wronged: The Maurice Carter Story, the compelling story of Maurice Carter’s wrongful conviction and the birth of Humanity for Prisoners. The narrative resonates deeply with HFP’s mission and highlights the importance of their work. Please consider attending.     Event poster here.

Fall Highway Cleanup 

Join us for our fall Adopt-A-Highway pick up on Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to noon! We’re looking for plenty of volunteers to help out. In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled for Sunday, September 29, following Talk Back. You can sign up anytime by emailing your name and phone number or at the Outreach table. For more details and to watch the safety video, click here.

Vigil for Peace and Justice ✌️

The Vigil for Peace and Justice continues to be a quiet C3 presence for peace in our community, each Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. along Washington Avenue at Central Park. You are always welcome to join us. 🗓️

The Momentum Center Gaining Momentum newsletter is here.

Care and Concern

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, 616-402-3108, or Mike and Charlotte Rozich: email, 517-918-5464.

    • 🆕  Nelleke Knarr’s mother suffered a ruptured aneurysm earlier this week and she is now at an in-patient hospice facility surrounded by family members, including Nelleke. Please hold Nelleke, her mom, and her family in your thoughts. Cards may be sent to 747 Fuller Avenue SE,Grand Rapids, MI 49506.
    • Joan Sutton died peacefully at home on Monday morning, August 26. Arrangements are pending. Cards can be sent to Gayle Sutton at 13892 148th Avenue, Grand Haven, MI 49417.

    Groups

    • Sunday Dinner Group at the Park We’ll try for one more time at William Ferry Park in Ferrysburg at 5:30 p.m. This ad hoc group needs someone to spearhead the scheduling as we return indoors. Let Chrys know if you can step into that role. 🗓️
    • C3 Book Club and Friends We are looking forward to discussion of Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman next Tuesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m. at The Bookman. ️ 🗓️
    • C3 Men’s Group Join in conversation with men from C3 and the community each Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room B at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Questions? Call Phil Koster at 616-402-1751. ️ 🗓️
    • Women’s Journey Our next meeting will be on Monday, September 23, 6:30 p.m. at The Bookman. If you would like to make or renew connections with the some of the women of C3, please join us for relaxed social time at one of our monthly meetings. 🗓️

    Finance

    Your ongoing support of C3 is greatly appreciated. Online donations can be made here. Automatic donations can be set up by contacting Carol Takas, 616-613-3222, 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.

    Values in Action

    🆕  From Shannon McMaster, Executive Director

         As we enter the home stretch of the 2024 election cycle, please keep the following in mind. C3 is a 501(c)(3), and is classified by the IRS as a church (it’s a taxation thing, not a doctrinal thing). As such, C3’s bylaws control how we move in the world. On political matters, our bylaws read, “The activities of the Community shall not consist of propaganda or to the influencing of legislation. The Community neither participates nor intervenes in political campaigns on behalf of candidates for public office.”

         Anything that happens during the Sunday Gathering between the time the musicians begin their first song and the time they end their final song happens under the official umbrella of the C3 Community, and can appear to be an official C3 action. 

         Please talk with the Gathering Host or me (Shannon) before getting up during the Gathering to make any announcements of any type, and please limit your personal appeals for political action to issues (not candidates), and use a very a brief format like “X is an important issue. I have information at the Outreach table.” For example. “County board elections are important. I have information at the Outreach table.”

        🆕  Kent Dobson’s New Pilgrimage Greece: The Birth of Christianity

        Explore how Christianity, born from the crucifixion of a political prisoner, spread across the Roman Empire and the world. This tour blends historical study, spiritual reflection, and group conversation, offering a unique pilgrimage through the land where Christianity began. The tour runs from March 21–28, 2025. Find complete details here.

        Community Events for Your Consideration 

        Click on the links for more information.

        Stay Informed about Ottawa County Commission News

        If you care about what is happening at the Ottawa County Commission but don’t have time to read all the news, Organize Ottawa sends a great summary of what happens at meetings and more. Just click here to sign up. You can also click on Ottawa Notes to see past newsletters.

        Calendar

        Saturday, September 14

        12 p.m.  Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)

        Sunday, September 15   ️

        9 a.m. Pre-Talk

        10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Ryan Cotton

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

        • Lead Teacher: Brad Ruggles
        • Music: Folias Duo
        • Meditation: Charlotte Rozich

        11 a.m. Talk Back

        Tuesday, September 17

        6:30 p.m. C3 Book Club and Friends (The Bookman, 715 Washington Ave., GH)

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

         

        Wednesday, September 18

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

         

        Saturday, September 21

        12 p.m.  Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)

        12 to 9 p.m. Hispanic Heritage Fiesta (Waterfront Park, GH)

        Sunday, September 22  

        9 a.m. Pre-Talk

        10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Charity McMaster

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

        • Lead Teacher: Brad Ruggles
        • Music: Michelle Held
        • Meditation: Beth Buelow

        11 a.m. Talk Back

        June 11 Banner

        Brad Ruggles (he/him) joined C3 as Lead Teacher in May of this year. He is a former pastor that deconstructed and later left the faith he was raised in after 18 years in ministry. He and his wife Lisa enjoy adventuring and traveling with their two adult daughters. Brad’s interests are diverse and include backpacking, meditation, breathwork, yoga, sport kiting, and photography.

        Michelle Held, a stalwart in the contemporary folk music scene in Detroit for over a decade, has earned Honorable Mentions in the past three Telluride Troubadour Contests. She released her debut single The World Moves On last November. Tom Paxton says of Michelle: “Two years ago, I told Michelle that I thought she had the gift. I am changing ‘thought’ to ‘know’.”

        Additional Resources

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        Contact

         

        frontdesk [at] c3westmichigan [dot] org

        C3 Spiritual Community Office

        1447 Washington Ave., Grand Haven, MI  49417

        Mailing Address: P.O. Box 371, Grand Haven, MI 49417

        616-842-1985 (number can receive text messages)


        Becky Park, Office Manager
        Weekday office hours by appointment.

        Shannon McMaster, Executive Director
        smcmaster [at] c3westmichigan [dot] org

        Brad Ruggles, Lead Teacher
        brad [at] c3westmichigan [dot] org

        Automatic donations are handled by Carol Takas, 616-613-3222, at Selby Accounting. Please direct any questions to Andy Cawthon. 

        Board of Trustees

         

        Newsletter Submissions and Editor: Chrysteen Moelter-Gray News items to be included in the C3 Update should be submitted by Wednesday morning. 

        Newsletter Designer: Annie Wassmann

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