Meet the C3 Board of Trustees

I have been a C3 member since 2003 and have experienced the lead teacher transitions from Dick Rhem to Kent Dobson. I value this community for its openness to many beliefs and strongly value its continued existence. My religious pedigree is mongrel (Lutheran, United Church of Christ (in Pennsylvania), Christian Science (Grandparent).

I have been involved with the C3 Finance Committee since 2009, a member of the Board of Trustees from 2012- 2018 and from 2020 to the present. I served as C3 Treasurer from 2013 to 2018.

I participate in in many of the Community’s events and fundraisers including Highway Cleanup, Dine with 9 and Sunday Gathering Hosting and Ushering.

My main focus and passion is to insure that C3 remains on a sound financial footing so that we can continue to be influential in and welcoming to the wider Tri-Cities community.

Beth Buelow

Kim Crozier

I’ve attended C3 regularly since 2008, at that time commuting from Grand Rapids, where, in addition to Southern California, I had mostly lived and worked.

For over a decade, I have resided in Spring Lake and been in partnership with Bob Kleinheksel, who was on staff at CCC/C3 for 25 years. We enjoy spending time with friends and our respective families in West Michigan. My personal enjoyments include tennis, travelling, acting, movies, music, and I have been a Pez collector since 1982.

Professionally, I’ve worked as a licensed attorney in Michigan and California in the public and private sectors. I started my own practice in 2008 and presently offer consulting and mediation services.

Over my years at C3, I have been involved with various activities and fundraisers, and I joined the Finance Committee in 2020 and the Board of Trustees in 2021.

I am honored to be a part of the C3 community and have become a better person for it.

Kathy Humphrey

I have been a member of the C3 Community (formerly known as Christ Community Church) since shortly after moving to the Tri Cities area in the mid ‘80s. In addition to being a regular attendee at Sunday Morning Gatherings, I have served on the C3 Board of Directors for several years.

Outside of C3, I serve in several other Board volunteer and leadership capacities at the local and state level including the ACLU of Michigan, Progressive Lakeshore, and the Tri Cities Family YMCA.

Rod Van Abbema

Cheryl and I have enjoyed living in Grand Haven for well over forty years. Our two children live in west Michigan as well as four grandsons. For most of our years here I had the pleasure of traveling beautiful West Michigan selling industrial supplies. I am now retired and enjoy writing poetry, bicycling in the Tri-Cities area, and actively participating in life at C3.

Cheryl and I have been active members of C3 and its predecessor Christ Community Church for many years. I am currently serving on the Board of Trustees, the Sunday Gathering Team, and as chairperson of the Outreach Committee. My favorite C3 Outreach activity is helping the kids every Tuesday in the library at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Muskegon Heights. I also enjoy ushering at Sunday Gatherings once every five weeks. I was usher coordinator for a number of years.

I have long loved C3 for its inclusiveness, its willingness to probe hard questions and its efforts at social action. I would be excited to continue working for a great future for C3 for the next two years as a member of the Board.

Sally Alderink

I am a retired elementary school teacher. I worked at the Coopersville Public Schools for 27
years in the Migrant/ESL Program. Gordy and I have two daughters and 4 grandchildren. I have
been a member of Christ Community/C3 West Michigan since the spring of 2006. In that time I
have been involved in the C3 Book Club, volunteer in the C3 Kids Program, chair of Community
Life Committee, member of the C3 Board of Trustees from May 2018-the present time, member
of the budget team, member of the audit team, and Chairperson of the C3 Board from March
2022-the present time. My favorite thing about C3 West Michigan is its passion for social justice.
I also love the new ideas I learn each week from speakers, musicians, meditations, and Talk
Back.

Shannon McMaster

The first time Charity and I brought Claude to this community was at Exchange Street the final day Rev. Rehm was pastor there, and passed the baton to Ian. We had heard good things about the community, and the walk from our home was only a couple of blocks. We saw good things there, and though my career path took us away from the Tri-Cities for a few years, we were happy when we returned to find the C3 community had successfully navigated serious challenges, and was there to welcome us, now with Gretta. We got involved in the children’s program. I got involved in the outreach committee.

We are still involved with the children’s program (Charity more directly than I am), and after a few years on outreach, I took a little break from direct community involvement. In the last couple of years, though, I have spent some time on both the membership and finance committees. I think the greatest strength of C3 is our community self-direction, and our community’s openness to all members stepping into roles of community direction. I have been fortunate to be able to take part in many aspects of our community life over the years, and hope to continue that service as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Teresa Colbry

I have been attending C3 since about 2015. Before joining the board and the outreach team in 2021 I was on the membership committee. I have also contributed time to chair the auction committee in 2022, and occasionally offer a meditation. And-I love to bake, so I bring small bites in once a month.

My professional life is in health care as a home palliative care nurse with some peer leadership and committee positions along that journey. I have volunteered time on the board of a local charter school, and been a host family 5 times for international exchange students. Personally I am settling into an empty nest after my 6 kids became adults. (By replacing them with dogs! A warm happy distraction while I wander with curiosity and intention towards meaning.)

Joining this inspiring community at C3 has enriched my life and I believe we have a collective consciousness worthy of rippling out into West Michigan. C3 has lived the values and put forth action for many years that promotes our rich and meaningful just cause statement: C3 inspires spiritual, intellectual, and creative exploration and action, led by the questions, “what are the biggest challenges we face on our shared journey, and how do we respond to those challenges? I’m excited to see what’s ahead!

Tom Edwards

I am a retired educator and product designer, having taught at Kendall College of Art & Design for 25 years, and practiced as a design consultant for the contract furniture industry. My wife, Annie Wassmann, and I have been members of C3 since 2003, and have sailed through many years of transition, buoyed by the shared values and strong camaraderie of the community.

I was initially elected to the board in 2018, and this year I will be finishing my third and final term.
 

Valerie Engeltjes

One visit to C3 changed my life. When I walked out of that first service, I knew I was where I belonged. I became a Board member in 2018. My first year on the Board, I was chair of the Outreach Committee. Since 2019, I have been Board secretary, which means I produce the minutes of BOT meetings, Executive Committee meetings, and C3 Community meetings. Having to pay such close attention means I continue to be impressed by the caliber of the people who make up the C3 community and am consistently thankful that my husband and I find ourselves here.

Since becoming part of C3 in 2010, I’ve also been involved in the book club, the auction, Loving Spoonful, and as host for Sunday Gatherings. C3 is my spiritual community and where I feel at home.
 

Wayne Johnson