Be of Value: Care of the Earth continues to be our focus as Kent Dobson returns to teach this Sunday. He poses the question Homo Sapiens: Pinnacle or Cancer?
He will be joined by musician Kate Pillsbury, who has played in person before at C3 (with Emily Petersmark, from the Crane Wives), and also solo a few times online during the pandemic shut-down. It will be great to see and hear from Kate again!
Gathering Information
Masks are optional now at our In-Person Gathering. The decision of whether or not to wear a mask will be up to each individual.
Sundays at the Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven)
9:00 a.m. Pre-Talk: In Person
Meet the morning’s teacher in a small group setting for an open discussion of the morning’s theme.
10:00 a.m. Gathering: In Person + Livestream on Facebook
Welcome, readings, meditation from a community member, teaching, and music
10:00 a.m. C3 Kids: In Person (Woodbine Room)
11:00 a.m. Talk Back: In Person
A chance to share questions, comments, and stories related to the morning gathering.
Lead Teacher Kent Dobson
There is a lot more to discover and learn from Kent Dobson on his website, and by listening to his podcast Hints and Guesses. Kent is leading a Wild Soul Program entitled Wilderness Within, Michigan on June 28–July 2, 2022. This program is designed to facilitate a deeper conversation between who you are, the wild world, and your deepest longing.
C3 News
Membership Committee to Update the C3 Directory
With the COVID interruption, we have not kept our membership records up to date. So, for three Sundays, June 5, 12, and 19, we will be taking pictures to update our membership directory. For some, it will be your first time, for others it will be an update. The directory is a way for our members to connect to one another, and a picture is sometimes useful. Look for the camera in the Mackinaw Ballroom after the Gathering.
Behind the Scenes
We made a commitment, during the pandemic, to support the many musicians who have played at our Gathering over the years. Each week Music Coordinator, Marianne Fischer, arranged for the musicians to perform live on our Facebook page. Many thanks to Marianne for that effort, and the scheduling of all the wonderful musicians now performing live again on the C3 Stage.
C3 Outreach
Volunteers Needed for Grand Haven Parks Clean-Up Blitz
You can still sign-up for the Clean-Up Blitz honoring Earth Day 2022, hosted by C3. Volunteers for the Parks Clean-Up Blitz will meet on Saturday, May 21, at 10:00 a.m. at East Grand River Park, (20 S. Eastern Street; take Franklin Avenue east off Beechtree to the park entrance on S. Eastern Street). Three areas are being targeted. Crews of four to eight are needed for each area below:
Harbor Island’s paths and perimeters
East Grand River Park and Bolt Park and perimeters
Railroad tracks from Park Avenue to Jackson
Volunteers will return to East Grand River Park at noon for a light lunch. Sign up after the Gathering in the lobby or with Rod by email. You will receive a confirming email about one week before the event.
Vigil for Peace and Justice
Our Vigil for Peace and Justice is held in Grand Haven along Washington Avenue at Central Park every Saturday from noon–1:00 p.m. With all the chaos in the world, it’s good to let the community know that we advocate for peace and justice. All are invited to join in. (Feel free to bring a chair, if that’s more comfortable for you).
Red Cross Blood Drive Postponed
The Blood Drive scheduled for May 20, which C3 volunteers were going to staff, has been postponed until July 15.
C3 Groups
C3 Men’s Group
C3 Men’s Group meets in-person at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays at the US Retail Office (next door to i’move, 18000 Cove Street) just off the Van Wagoner exit, east of US-31. For additional information, contact Phil Koster. New participants are welcome to join
C3 and Friends Book Discussion Group
Great discussion was had on Tuesday at the Bookman! We’re going to continue to meet at this central, book-loving location, but we’ll start at 7:00 p.m. (instead of 6:30) for our next meeting on Tuesday, June 7. Please join us for our discussion of The Humans, by Matt Haig, author of Midnight Library.
The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable novel about alien abduction, mathematics, and that most interesting subject of all: ourselves. Combine Douglas Adams’s irreverent take on life, the universe, and everything with a genuinely moving love story, and you have some ideas of the humor, originality, and poignancy of Matt Haig’s latest novel. —Goodreads
Happy Reading! If you need to meet by Zoom, please email Joyce. New members are welcome to join!
July 5: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Bookclub June July
Week 3@C3 for May: Ukraine Fundraiser
This is the last Sunday to donate to our drive to support our allies in Ukraine by sending donations to World Central Kitchen. This organization provides meals to areas in crisis. Find the table in the lobby where you can contribute, and receive a small Ukrainian flag. Donations can be made in one of three ways:
by check to C3 with a note in memo section—“Ukraine Fundraiser”
by credit card (via Square; see Chase at the sound table)—note “Ukraine Fundraiser”
by PayPal at the C3 website—when prompted to “add special instructions to the seller,” note “Ukraine Fundraiser”
C3 Finance
Did you know?
Did you know that you can use money from your IRA to contribute directly to a charitable organization, like C3, without it being considered a taxable distribution? It may also serve as your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). To make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), be sure to consult with your tax advisor or financial representative before making this decision, because it is important to follow the guidelines and understand the process.
Your ongoing support of C3 is greatly appreciated. Online donations can be made here. Automatic donations are handled by 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.
C3 Values in Action
Race and Public Health: May 18, 6:00 p.m. at GVSU
Michael DeWilde, last week’s teacher, shares information about this talk with bestselling author and physician Dr. Michele Harper. Click here to access the complete information about the program.
Humanity for Prisoners May Newsletter
There’s lots of information in this month’s HFP Communicator!
Momentum Center
Dinner and Movie Night
The movie to to be shown this evening, May 13, is Up from the Bottoms, a documentary which follows the stories of African Americans, now in their 80’s and 90’s, who migrated north in the 1940’s to the war factories of Muskegon. Free dinner (pot luck items welcome) at 5:00 p.m., movie at 6:00 at the Momentum Center.
C3 Participants in Civil Rights Road Trip
A dozen members or friends of C3 traveled with a group of 40 people to Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, AL, and Memphis, TN, on the Civil Rights Road Trip from April 18–21. Planning is underway for these folks to share what they learned with the C3 Community on Sunday, May 29.
Town Hall Meeting on Organizations Confronting Racism
The Momentum Center is hosting a town hall this month on organizations confronting racism. The (Anti) Racism Task Force town hall will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 23 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. See the details and register to attend here.
C3 Calendar
Saturday, May 14
12:00 p.m.: Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)
Sunday, May 15
Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Ave., GH)
9:00 a.m. Pre-Talk, In Person
10:00 a.m. Gathering, In Person + Livestream on Facebook
Teacher: Kent Dobson
Music: Kate Pillsbury
Meditation: Bob Kleinheksel
10:00 a.m.: C3 Kids: Board Game Day, in Woodbine Room with Miss Mary
11:00 a.m.: Talk Back, In Person
Tuesday, May 17
7:00 p.m.: C3 Men’s Group (US Retail Office, 18000 Cove St, SL)
Saturday, May 21
10:00 a.m.: Grand Haven Parks Clean-Up Blitz (East Grand River Park, GH)
12:00 p.m.: Vigil for Peace and Justice (Central Park, GH)
Sunday, May 22
Grand Haven Community Center (421 Columbus Ave., GH)
9:00 a.m. Pre-Talk, In Person
10:00 a.m. Gathering, In Person + Livestream on Facebook
Teacher: Kent Dobson
Music: House of Hamill
Meditation: Nelleke Knarr
10:00 a.m.: C3 Kids, Central Park Clean Up! in Woodbine Room with Miss Mary
11:00 a.m.: Talk Back, In Person
Kent Dobson has been the lead teacher at C3 since 2017. He’s also in the guide-in-training program at Animas Valley Institute in Colorado, an organization specializing in wilderness intensives. Kent leads Israel study tours, wilderness retreats, and has his own podcast called Hints and Guesses. He’s the author of Bitten by a Camel, a memoir about his time living in Israel and his departure from the Evangelical church he was pastoring.
House of Hamill is a high-energy professional Irish/Folk music duo from Philadelphia, PA. Rose and Brian have toured internationally with their bands “Burning Bridget Cleary” and “Enter The Haggis” for the last 15 years, and both are accomplished Irish fiddle players and multi-instrumentalists.