Calvin University's 2022 January Series lineup includes New York Times best-selling authors, a renowned theologian, a retired four-star admiral, and a popular public television host, are among an eclectic lineup who will use the power of story to humanize some of today's most important and timely issues. The free lecture series, now in its 35th year, is Jan. 10-28.

Speakers include Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, co-hosts of the popular podcasts, Pantsuit Politics and The Nuanced Life; Max Stossel, an award-winning artist named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year; Colum McCann, an Irish-born international bestseller who is among the world's foremost storytellers; and Brad Montague, a popular storyteller and creator of the hit web series "Kid President," author of the New York Times bestseller "Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome," and an illustrator whose work is regularly featured in Joanna Gaines' The Magnolia Journal.

Five Grand Rapids' chefs recently came together for a peak-harvest, five course, farm to table dinner to help reduce homelessness in Grand Rapids. "Breaking Bread" benefited Degage Ministries' capital campaign Building Dignity Through Christ, which has already raised nearly $6.8 million of its $7.3 million goal. Chefs who made it possible were Clark Frain, Terra; Armando Suarez, Rose's; Katy Waltz, MudPenny; Devin Cook, Bistro Bella Vita and Amy Ruis, Apperitivo. Each chef prepared one course of the five course meal, featuring peak-harvest produce.

Mel Trotter Ministries recently launched a podcast titled Everyday Humanity. It is intended to share stories of life transformation through the compassion and unconditional love the MTM staff demonstrates. Episodes will drop each week on Wednesdays and will include interviews with multitudes of people who have been deeply impacted by what it means to experience homelessness.

Visit: https://www.meltrotter.org/everyday-humanity

Nathan Cochran (center) Bart Millard (right) and Mercy MeIt was twenty years ago that the MercyMe song "I Can Only Imagine" was released to an unsuspecting public.

The award-winning ballad, picturing what it might be like to see a departed father in heaven, soared to the top of both the Christian and mainstream music charts. It was a turning point for the upstart band, establishing a solid recording and performing career that has continued with this year's collection "inhale/exhale" and a new tour. (The tour comes to Grand Rapids Nov. 5 – see details below).

But the inspirational-pop band still lives with the echo from its "imagine" ballad of two decades ago.

"That's certainly a song that is larger than us and that people have taken ownership of," said bassist Nathan Cochran during a recent interview. "It's amazing that we will have that kind of legacy song that will outlive us as a band."

"I Can Only Imagine," written by lead singer Bart Millard after his father's death, spawned the 2018 biographical hit movie of the same name, providing another boost for both the song and the band.

Duane Laflin makes a scarf magically appear from a “secret message scroll” Magician/illusionist Duane Laflin has performed at secular venues on five continents and had extended runs at some of our nation's great "magic" theatres.

But he's also used his craft to share his faith and deliver a Christian message at mega-churches like pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback congregation in California as well as small churches "in the middle of nowhere."

Now he's organized an Oct. 22-23, 2021 conference to educate and equip Christian magicians/illusionists to use their slight-of-hand and other skills to advance the gospel (see details at the end of this article).

"I want to bring the things I've learned to people who want to do ministry," said Laflin from his modest "Grand Magic Theatre" storefront in downtown Colon Mich. "Teaching is a big part of what I do these days."

Fellowship for Performing Arts, a nonprofit New York City-based production company producing theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience, returns to live theatrical performances in Grand Rapids at DeVos Performance Hall Saturday, Nov. 6, at 4 p.m., with one performance only of the hit national tour of C.S. Lewis' "The Great Divorce."

This updated and expanded version of the original production features four actors portraying 22 vivid characters. They take a strange bus trip from hell to the outskirts of paradise, where they are given an opportunity to stay or return to hell . . . forever divorced from heaven. The choice proves to be much harder than imagined. And it all takes place in 90 minutes!

Four Christian Reformed Church chaplains shared their experiences while serving in Afghanistan and turmoil occurring at the airport in Kabul.

The Kent County Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships team recently attended a special meeting of the Kent County Board of Commissioners work session, urging them to require students in pre-K through 6th grade students to wear masks while indoors at school.

"We are gathering to support our (Kent) County health officer, Dr. Adam London, and the Kent County Health Department's order requiring pre-K through 6th grade students to wear masks while indoors at school," said Khary Bridgewater, coordinator for the Kent County Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Team. "As leaders in the faith community, we continue to work alongside our health care providers on the frontline of this deadly pandemic by serving the sick, comforting the suffering and burying the dead. We applaud the extraordinary work of the Kent County Health Department in serving all members of our community, including our children."

Faith Hospice is currently raising funds to construct a community-based Grief Support Center at its Trillium Woods inpatient facility in Wyoming. The new Grief Support Center will be better able to serve staff, patients, and the general community. As well, the new space will allow Faith to expand bereavement services, give staff a home base to find support, and enhance training and education for better care. Learn more here: https://faithhospicecare.org/grief-support-center/.

Demand for senior living services drove Holland Home to undergo a $5.5 million expansion project at its Breton Woods campus on 44th Street near Breton Avenue in Kentwood. Completed recently, the new facility will provide an innovative 19,000-square foot, 15-bed assisted living unit and a 5,400-square foot activity center with a gym and exercise area. The privately funded single-story assisted living unit will be a much-needed addition to the two existing assisted living buildings on the Breton Campus. Each of the existing structures, built in 2015 and 2017 respectively, contain 15-bed units. Meanwhile, as more seniors incorporate iPads, apps and online shopping into their daily routine, they are increasing their risk of online scamming. To help residents understand all the traps and help with password and technology security, Holland Home is offering free educational classes to better equip residents on how to identify and avoid online scams.

D.A. Blodgett-St. John's broke ground in mid-August on a $10 million multipurpose facility near the organization's Knapp campus in Northeast Grand Rapids. When finished in late 2022, the new building will serve as the campus cornerstone, as it integrates all children and family services under one roof, an intentional move to improve outcomes for the 7,000 children and families it serves annually. Locating all services onto one campus will save the organization $2 million over the next two decades

Rev. Scott Stark: “The microchurch initiative allows us to have another pathway of leadership ministry.” Green shoots of evangelism and new leadership prospects will soon sprout for Grand Valley State University (GVSU) students.

The Christian Reformed Church in America campus ministry intends to first train GVSU students, with the goal of eventually getting underway microchurches, says Rev. Scott Stark, director of campus ministry at GVSU.

"Microchurches, as we define them, take complex things and make them as simple as possible but they're not simplistic," says Stark. "I'm talking about small communities of people — 5 to 30 people — that are centered around the person of Jesus Christ. They're started by believers but are often designed missionarly in order to welcome de-churched or unchurched people either with shared interests, characteristics, location, and vocation."

Glenn Bulthuis, shown here performing with the Hark Up HornsSinger-songwriter Glenn Bulthuis has done plenty of benefit shows in his 44-year concert career. But his upcoming Oct. 22 performance with his band the Tonedeafs and Chris Hansen's Brass has special meaning for the veteran musician.

"These two organizations (Manna Media and Turning Point Missions) are close to home," said Bulthuis during a recent interview.

Both of the non-profit ministries are headed by members of his Oakhill Presbyterian Church on Grand Rapids' northeast side.

The Monroe Church worshiping at its new homeIt wasn't a long walk. But it was one to remember.

On a mild late-summer Sunday, the congregation of Monroe Community Church (MCC) of Grand Rapids, MI began worship at one location, took a walk and then finished worship down the street.

It was goodbye to its old home and hello to a new one.... just a few blocks down Monroe Ave. NW.

Pastor Jim Boer led his congregation in saying good-bye.

Newsboys (from left), Jody Davis, Duncan Phillips, Jeff Frankenstein, Michael TaitJeff Frankenstein of the Christian pop-rock band Newsboys is primed to go from pandemic isolation to the concert trail.

"We probably tour more than a lot of bands and we're used to being in a different city every day," said the keyboardist during an interview from Nashville, TN.

"From there to going nowhere for 16 months....I had always wondered what that would be like," he said.

Spending time at home with family was a good thing. In fact, Jeff and his wife Jennifer had a "pandemic" baby during the interlude – their fourth child. "I didn't have to worry about missing the delivery day," he smiled.

This is the column in which West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-inspired arts/entertainment/enrichment events in the coming month. Here are a several possibilities for October....

Artist Jan Maureen and her Art Prize entry “The Fear Breaker”Jan Maureen Nosakowski refers to herself as an artist who happens to be a Christian, rather than a "Christian artist."

"I guess there are some people in the world who are turned off by the phrase 'Christian artist,'" she said from her southeast Michigan home. "But really, I couldn't do any of my art without Him (God).

Her inspiration is exemplified in her Art Prize exhibit "Safari Series" – four related pieces on display at the lobby of the 234 Market Apartments venue in downtown Grand Rapids (Art Prize runs through Oct. 3 – more info at www.artprize.org).

Jan Maureen (the name she often uses professionally) is a mixed media collage artist and uses various mediums in her two-dimensional work.

Tim VanBruggen of Master Arts Theatre (center) shows onlookers the lobby of their prospective new home.Master Arts Theatre (MAT) executive director Tim Van Bruggen paused while giving a tour of what could be his organization's new home.

"The square footage of this lobby is bigger than our current auditorium," he told onlookers.

"That's a terrible statistic, but it's also funny," he smiled.

The faith-based theatre company has an inside track for a move to the relatively spacious Central Christian Church in the 2500 block of Leonard St. NE near the I-96 expressway.

Four "test-run" August performances in the prospective space were successful with full houses and also drawing a wave of financial donations.

But a sale is not a done deal. A purchase deadline from the soon-to-be-closing church looms and there are zoning matters which Master Arts currently has under consideration.

Tammy Trent sang and shared her story at the 20th Unity FestivalThe Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon completed its 20th anniversary with a look back and a look ahead.

And also with some words recalling its co-founder and avid supporter Roger Eikenberry, who passed away July 26 at the age of 74.

Included on this year's concert bill were two artists who performed on that very same stage 20 years ago.

It was 2001 when the newly-formed Alive on the Lakeshore organization took a giant step of faith and led in the planning and production of that first, three-day, August festival at Heritage Landing along Muskegon Lake.

Dear Friends:

Manna Media is partnering with Turning Point Missions (TPM), a nonprofit Christian outreach, for a concert event. TPM is a ministry we love, "TPM exists to provide clean safe drinking water to the people of Haiti and beyond, while introducing them to Christ."

If you have not seen their work I would encourage you to visit their website: www.turningpointmissions.org. Together we are planning a fun evening for you on October 22, 2021. It will be great to get together with friends and enjoy an evening of entertainment. Glenn Bulthuis and the Tonedeafs will be playing the music of the Beatles and more for your enjoyment.

This is the column in which West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-inspired arts/entertainment/enrichment events in the coming month. Here are a few possibilities for September....

Randy: “I’m a much more peaceful person.”Editor's note: In keeping with Alcoholics Anonymous' spiritual foundation and tradition, WMCN will identify the person interviewed as Randy.

With his flowing white beard and Ben Franklin-style glasses, 60-year-old Randy radiates a peaceful countenance. The reason is as simple as it's profound: the outer man now matches the inner.

Randy gives Alcoholics Anonymous credit for his calmer demeanor and clear headedness. And for this, the Grand Rapids resident readily acknowledges his indebtedness to God.

"Without God's help, I couldn't have done any of it," he says.