This photo, taken in 2010, shows a firefighter giving a four-year-old a chance to use a fire hose at Community Night. Photo by J. Reed.

April 19, 6-8:30 p.m.

By Tom Noreen

For the past 31 years, the Community Action Network (CAN) sponsored Community Night. CAN was founded as a group of people and organizations meeting to serve as a public forum for member organizations to share information on community opportunities and challenges. Since then, other organizations have evolved to better meet the needs of client groups. The Kent Schools Service Network (KSSN) provides support for the schools; the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association is a forum for local churches; and the Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce for businesses. Each of these groups now run events as well. The CAN board of directors voted to dissolve CAN and offer Community Night to the Cedar Springs Rotary Club.

 For the Rotary Club, this seems to be a great fit to provide an opportunity for community businesses, churches, non-profits, and individuals to share what they are doing. Many of our small home-based businesses only get exposure by word of mouth. This gives them a chance to display their products in a public forum at a reasonable cost. Community service is a key element of Rotary’s mission. Any proceeds from this event will be returned to community.

The 32nd Annual Community Night will be Thursday, April 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Cedar Springs High School. Vendors, churches, non-profits and more will have booths for you to peruse. Food will be available from the Music Boosters concession stand and multiple forms entertainment will be in the auditorium throughout the evening. Additionally, there will be martial arts demonstrations in the auxiliary gym and industrial arts projects in the industrial arts room near the concession stand.

If you would like to register for a booth, go to cedarspringsrotary.org and download the registration form in the left hand column. Deadline for the $30 registration fee is March 23. After that it will increase to $35. They can also be picked up from the Cedar Springs Area Parks and Recreation, Cedar Springs Community Library, ChoiceOne Bank, Independent Bank, City Hall and White Creek Lumber.

Community Night also offers the Rotary Club an opportunity to expand its exposure in Cedar Springs. For 75 years, the CS Club has supported local organizations and international projects. Annually the Club sends 4-8 high school students from CSPS and CTA to Life Leadership Camp and awards two $1,000 scholarships. As part of Rotary’s literacy focus, the Club conducts a writing contest with 5th grade students in CSPS and CTA. Check out their Facebook page and website for more information and activities. 

The Cedar Springs American Legion Glen Hill Post #247 presented checks last week to both the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association and the Cedar Springs Community Food Pantry.

Legion Commander Bill Gregones presented Pastor Craig Carter, of the Ministerial Association, with a check for $200, to help with the requests they receive at Christmas time.

Gregones presented Pastor Mary Ivanov with a check for $100 for the food pantry, which is located at the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church, where Ivanov is pastor.

The American Legion makes the presentations annually, and also donates $200 to the Salvation Army.

By Judy Reed

Post photo by J. Reed

It was a historic moment in Cedar Springs on Sunday, August 31, when at least eight different churches in the area joined together for a community worship service at Morley Park. “We weren’t Methodist, or Baptist, or Pentecostal, or Christian Reformed, or any other denomination,” explained one worshiper. “We were just Christians, worshiping as a community, and remembering what we all had in common, rather than what separates us.”

“It was awesome,” remarked Pastor Kevin Reed, of Grace Evangelical Free Church. “It was good to see so many people come together. There was a lot of energy. People were excited about worship.”

The event, called United—a community for one! was put on by the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association, with Reed as organizer. He estimated that at least 500 people attended, and maybe more. “I was extremely pleased with the turnout for our first year of doing this,” he noted.
Unseasonably cool temperatures and morning clouds may have kept some people away from the outdoor event, although the weather cleared and the sun came out when the service began. “Nobody prayed harder than I did that the weather would be good,” said Reed with a laugh. He said that next year they might use a tent.
A worship team made up of worship arts pastors and musicians from various churches led the singing. It was followed by messages from a couple of different pastors, and several pastors offered prayer for specific community needs. Churches represented included The Springs Free Methodist, Cedar Springs United Methodist, North Kent Community, Crossfire Ministries, Solon Center Wesleyan, Grace Evangelical Free, Pioneer Christian Reformed, and the Journey. Hillcrest Community joined in activities later in the afternoon.
After the worship service, there was a free picnic, games for kids, and a dunk tank where parishioners could dunk their pastor for a donation. There was more music later in the afternoon.
The offering that was taken raised over $1,000 for the En Gedi Youth Center, and the pastor dunk tank raised $130 for the Alpha Family Center.
Reed said he had nothing but positive feedback from those that attended, and some would like to see it happen more than once a year. But Reed isn’t sure whether that will be possible. “It was a lot of work,” he explained. But they would like to do it again next year, and they hope that sense of community lives on all year long.