Update for October 6, 2024

Oct 4, 2024 | C3 Updates

This Sunday at C3

Lead Teacher Brad Ruggles will address What the World Needs Now with mettā, a Pali word, most often translated as loving-kindness, but also as universal goodwill or compassion. The practice originates from the historical Buddha’s early discourse on immeasurable friendliness, the Mettā Sutta. Cultivating loving-kindness in our day-to-day interactions is a difficult practice, especially when we encounter people that are, well, just so damn unlovable! But if there’s anything our world needs more of right now, it’s more kindness and compassion. We begin first by nurturing it within ourselves and then share it with an ever-widening circle. Through mettā, we become more honest and loving toward ourselves and the world around us. Join us and spread the mettā!

Jen Sygit will spread mettā through her music, which we know and appreciate through her many appearances with us! Abby Black joins the roster of people who share meditations.

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

🆕  Dine with Nine 

Sometime in the next week or so, attendees should expect a message from your Dine with Nine host with information you’ll need, and asking you to indicate which part of the meal you will provide when you attend on Saturday, October 19. 🗓️

🆕  Set-Up and Tear-Down Teams

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up and answered the call to help with the weekly set-up and tear-down of the Mackinaw Room. Rod Van Abbema has built a great set of weekly teams to help make Sunday Gathering a great experience for everyone.

🆕  Community Celebration November 3

Join us on Sunday, November 3 for the C3 Community Celebration! We will have our Annual Meeting, tables with Opportunities to Connect, and a potluck! 🗓️

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. Photos in digital format are preferred, and can be sent to Brad. If you need us to scan your hard copies of old photos, we can do that at the office. Please call or text 616-842-1985 or email Shannon to set up a time to bring them in to the office for scanning.

From Coast Guard Parade: C3 kids with musicians Channing & Quinn

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 for October: Thanksgiving Baskets

We will help Muskegon Rescue Mission fill 900 baskets for the annual Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway, which offers area residents a full Thanksgiving meal to make at home. Choose from the list below and bring items to the Week 3@ C3 table on October 6, 13, and 20. New to the list this year are mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves.

    • Food: Boxed stuffing, boxed potatoes, canned corn and/or green beans, boxed mac & cheese mix, boxed brownie or cake mix
    • Winter wear: mittens, gloves, hats, scarves
    • Gifts of cash are welcome. Cash and checks go into the donation boxes. See Chase for credit card donations. If you want acknowledgement for checks, indicate Thanksgiving Baskets on the notation line. Contributions can be sent to C3 Spiritual Community, PO Box 371, Grand Haven, MI 49417.

Outreach

🆕  Adopt-A-Highway Wrap-Up

A heartfelt thank you to the 27 incredible volunteers who joined us to clean up our Adopt-A-Highway section on September 28. Your commitment and hard work were truly appreciated. We’d like to give a shoutout to Julie Bratton, Rita Coutré, Karen & Ryan Cotton, Jeff Crandle, Jane Curtis & Bill Haug, Lynne Deur, John Job, Bob Kleinheksel, Kim Crozier and her sister Janet, Charity, Shannon & Claude McMaster, Chrys Moelter-Gray, Marian Mullette, Yvonne Olmsted, Nancy Owens, Charlotte & Mike Rozich, Deb Schubert, Kathy & Mark Smith, Berny Snoeyer, and Kathy & Tom Tosa. Your dedication made a big difference, and we couldn’t have done it without you! — Annie Wassmann & Tom Edwards

Hispanic Heritage Fiesta

Thanks to all who donated cookies and worked at our booth at the Fiesta. We will donate $323 from the sale of cookies to the Lupita Reyes Scholarship Fund through the Grand Haven Community Foundation! We shared copies of our C3 Values in Spanish, and Ryan Cotton and other volunteers did a great job of talking with visitors about our C3 community.

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. 🗓️

🆕  Momentum Center October Newsletter

Click here to read the October edition of Gaining Momentum.

Humanity for Prisoners September Newsletter

Click here to read the September issue of Humanity for Prisoners Communicator.

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.

      • Thom Clay died recently, as we learned from his sister Celia Said. She related how they enjoyed attending Christ Community Church and listening to Ian. There will be a service on November 2. Contact Shannon at the office for details.
      • Connie Farell is under hospice care in Room 206 at Harbor Homes Assisted Living near Muskegon Trinity Hospital.  Note this corrected address: 2649B Vulcan Street, Norton Shores, MI 49444. Please send cards. If you are able, a visit to sit and sing to her would be welcome. She will hear, although she may not be able to respond.
      • Nelleke Knarr’s mother Norma Jean Knarr died on September 14, and a funeral mass was held in Danville, IN, on September 19. Cards may be sent to 747 Fuller Avenue, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506.
      • Janice Scharich’s mother Vera Sturgeon Van Velsen, died on September 4, at age 88. Cards of support may be sent to Janice at 940 Bradford Greens Court, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.
      • A celebration of life will be held for Joan Sutton on October 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 11888 144th Avenue, West Olive, MI 49460, at her brother’s family blueberry farm. Bob Kleinheksel will hold a short service at 2 p.m., at which time the family would love for you to share stories of your time with Joanie. Time to visit and eat will follow.
      • Kathy and Tom Tosa thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts. Son Michael was released from the rehab hospital September 20 and is at home in Busselton, Australia, getting used to normal life again and gaining strength, on his way to further recovery. Kathy and Tom will travel to see him in December.

    Groups

      • 🆕  Sunday Dinner Group is Now Inside! Sign up at the Membership table to join the group at 5:30 p.m. at Ted’s in Spring Lake. 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. 🗓️
      • 🆕  C3 Book Club and Friends October’s book is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. We meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, at The Bookman. 🗓️  November 19: The Hornet’s Nest by Jimmy Carter
      • Women’s Journey Our next meeting is Monday, October 28, 6:30 p.m. at The Bookman. We could use one or two volunteers for snacks. We will again have some questions as conversation starters. Join us! 🗓️

      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.

      Honor and Memorial Giving

      A donation in memory of Mike Pinder was made by Kerry FitzGerald.

      Values in Action

      Volunteer Delivery Drivers Needed

      AgeWell Services needs delivery drivers for its Grand Haven area routes, which leave from the base at Four Pointes, Monday through Friday. The morning time commitment is about two to three hours. To begin the application process, create an account at AgeWell Services. Contact Jessica 231-559-0476 with questions, or talk with Chrys Moelter-Gray about her experience as a delivery driver.

      Community Events for Your Consideration 

      Click on the links for more information.

      Kristin Du Mez Film For Our Daughters

      You can watch the film directly on YouTube here.

      From Shannon McMaster, Executive Director

      As we approach the final stretch of the 2024 election cycle, please keep in mind that C3 is a 501(c)(3) organization, classified by the IRS as a church (a taxation designation, not doctrinal). Our bylaws state, “The activities of the Community shall not consist of propaganda or 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, from the first to the last song, is under the official C3 umbrella and may be seen as an official action. Please speak with the Gathering Host or me (Shannon) before making any announcements, and limit personal political appeals to brief issue-focused statements like, “X is an important issue. I have information at the table,” such as, “County board elections are important. I have information at the table.”

      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, October 5

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

           

          Sunday, October 6  

          9 a.m. Pre-Talk

          10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Sally Alderink

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

            • Lead Teacher: Brad Ruggles
            • Music: Jen Sygit
            • Meditation: Abby Black

          11 a.m. Talk Back

          Tuesday, October 8

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

           

          Saturday, October 12

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

           

          Sunday, October 13  

          9 a.m. Pre-Talk

          10 a.m. C3 Kids with Miss Mary and volunteer Sally Alderink

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

            • Guest Teacher: Daryl Van Tongeren
            • Music: Sam Robbins
            • Meditation: Nelleke Knarr

          11 a.m. Talk Back

          June 11 Banner

          Daryl Van Tongeren, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College. His research tackles big questions, ranging from the nature of suffering and meaning in life, to religion and humility. His latest book, Done: How to Flourish after Leaving Religion, explores ways to find meaning and experience growth after undergoing religious change.

          Sam Robbins (he/him) is often described as an  “old soul singer-songwriter.” A Nashville-based musician whose music evokes classic singer songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller-troubadour persona. He has gained recognition as one of the six 2021 winners of the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk competition, and as the first to sing a Jim Croce song on The Voice. Sam released his second album  “Bigger Than in Between” to critical acclaim in August 2022.

          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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