Update for September 22, 2024

Sep 20, 2024 | C3 Updates

This Sunday at C3

Our new series What the World Needs Now continues with Lead Teacher Brad Ruggles focusing on Balance. As any Star Wars fan will tell you, balance is essential. Whether we’re talking about wielding the power of the Force or engaging with complicated topics in our crazy world, we must work to maintain a balance. What does a balanced life look like? How do we become more balanced? These are some of the questions we’re going to wrestle with this coming Sunday as we explore something we probably all could use a little more of right now.

Michelle Held makes a return appearance as musician. She was with us for the first time in April. Watch the video of her award-winning single The World Moves On as a refresher. The meditation will be done by Beth Buelow.

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

Do You Have Any Old Photos of C3 (Christ Community Church)?

🆕  We’re trying to collect historical photos of C3/Christ Community Church, including past members, events, pastors, and the building, to be used for the Community Celebration on November 3. We would prefer all of the photos in digital format, sent to Brad (brad [at] c3westmichigan [dot] org), but if you have hard copies of old photos, we can scan them at the office. Call 616-842-1985 or email Shannon (smcmaster [at] c3westmichigan [dot] org) to set up a time to bring them in to the office for scanning.

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

Outreach

Your Participation Matters!

    • September 21: Hispanic Heritage Fiesta 🗓️
      The Fiesta is tomorrow, Saturday, September 21! As in previous years, C3 is a sponsor of the event and has a booth to sell cookies and talk to festival-goers about C3. Proceeds from the cookie sale will go to the Lupita Reyes Scholarship Fund through the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation. If you’re not volunteering, head down sometime on Saturday, stop by, say hello to the volunteers, buy cookies, and enjoy all the fiesta activities!
    • 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.

Adopt-A-Highway is Saturday, September 28

We are still asking for volunteers to sign up for our fall Adopt-A-Highway cleanup. Sign up anytime via email or at the Gathering Outreach table. 🆕 If you have signed up, watch for a reminder next week in your email box. Thank you!

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. 🗓️

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, or Mike and Charlotte Rozich: email.

      • Nelleke Knarr’s mother Norma Jean Knarr died on September 14, and a funeral mass was held in Danville, IN, on September 19. 
      • Barbara Lee Van Horssen thanks everyone for their welcome of the Across the Bridge participants last week, and cherishes the kind words and expressions of love and support she received from C3 members.
      • A memorial celebration of life will be held for Joan Sutton on October 19, time to be announced. Joan died August 26.

    Groups

      • Sunday Dinner Group at the Park We’ll try for one more time (again!) 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 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. ️ 🗓️
      • Women’s Journey We meet this coming 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 table.” For example. “County board elections are important. I have information at the 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.

        🆕  Your Voice Matters

        Apply for a Position on an Ottawa County Board or Commission! Being an active participant in the life of our communities is a way we can contribute to the well-being of our fellow citizens. Ottawa County has posted openings on multiple boards and commissions, and most of them have an October 9 application deadline. Take a look at the many opportunities to serve, see where you might contribute, and submit an application!

        Calendar

        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

        Monday, September 23

        6:30 p.m. Women’s Journey (The Bookman, 715 Washington, GH)

         

        Tuesday, September 24

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

         

        Saturday, September 28

        10 a.m. Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup (Central Park Parking Lot, GH)

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

         

        Sunday, September 29  

        9 a.m. Pre-Talk

        10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Char Kole

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

          • Guest Teacher: Dr. Sarah Kornfield
          • Music: Annagail
          • Meditation: Bob Kleinheksel

        11 a.m. Talk Back

        June 11 Banner

        Dr. Sarah Kornfield is Associate Professor of Communication at Hope College and affiliated professor of Women’s and Gender Studies. Her research combines rhetorical criticism and feminist theory to analyze three pillars of U.S. public culture: entertainment television, Christian religiosity, and politics. She is the author of Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism, and the just-published book from Johns Hopkins University Press, Invoking the Fathers.

        Annagail has always defied and stretched genres, equal parts singer/songwriters and rock band. Thinking man’s Americana. Pop for philosophers? Country for the curious? Rock for the recluse? Whatever you call them, Annagail weave heartache and hope for the disillusioned.

        Additional Resources

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        Note: 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.

        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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