Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

Head Start for Kent County

Apply today! North Kent Heat Start is a high quality preschool program at no cost to families. 3 year old – full day classes, family support – transportation (in most cases), nutritious meals and snacks, child health and development screenings. Accommodations for children with disabilities. Families must meet eligibility guidelines. Enrolling now! Complete an Application on our website www.hs4kc.org or call 616-453-4145. #22,23p

Summer Celebration Fireworks – View From the Hill

June 11: You are invited to enjoy the Rockford Start of Summer fireworks from the hill at Rockford Reformed Church, 4890 – 11 Mile Rd. NE on Saturday, June 11^th. Popcorn, refreshments, and children’s activities provided. Please bring a chair or blanket, your family and friends and enjoy the beauty of the fireworks from the top of the hill at Rockford Reformed Church. Hope to see you there. #22,23p

Vacation Bible School @ Solon Center Wesleyan Church

June 12: Hey kids! Come for VBS beginning Sunday evening, June 12th from 6:30 – 8 pm. It’s family Night, so bring the whole family to enjoy the fun of the Double KK Petting zoo (weather permitting) and a hot dog roast. VBS continues through Thursday where you’ll make new friends, sing great songs, play fun games, experience Nazareth…where Jesus was a Kid and visit the market places of His home town. Monday through Thursday VBS is for children 4 years old through the 5th grade. Please pre-register by calling the church office @ 696-3229 or online at http://scwchurch.com/#/get-connected/vbs-registration. The church is located at 15671 Algoma Avenue, just north of 19 Mile Road. Come join the fun! #21-23p

Red Flannel Queen Pageant Contestants

June 12: Attention all young ladies living or attending school in the Cedar Springs School district who will be in the 11th grade in the 2016-17 school year. There will be a mandatory parent’s meeting for any interested young lady and her parents concerning the 2016 Red Flannel Pageant. The meeting will be Sunday, June 12th at 3 pm at the Springs Church (135 N. Grant St.) There will be a makeup meeting Sunday, June 26th at 3 pm at the Springs Church. For more information, you can contact pageant director Kaleigh Rosenberger at redflannelpageant@gmail.com. #22,23p

Praise the Lord at Cowboy Church

June 12: 2^nd Chance will be having Cowboy Church on Sunday, June 12^th at 6 pm. It will be at 2^nd Chance School at 810 – 17 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs (corner of 17 Mile and Olin Lakes Rd). The message will be shared by Pastor Craig Carter from North Kent Community Church. Invite your family and friends. Cowboy Church will be every 2^nd and 4^th Sunday of the month. Each service will have different people sharing God’s word and music. If you have questions, call 616-293-2150. See you there! #23

VBS at Snow Bible Church

June 13-17: Snow Bible Church, 1877 – 18 Mile Rd. Kent City, will host Cave Quest Vacation Bible School June 13 – 17 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm for grades K-6th. Enjoy Bible stories, crafts and games. Any questions please call Vickie at 616-901-5274. #23

A Magic Show with Tom Plunkard

June 14: Tom Plunkard’s entertaining and hilarious show includes animals, audience involvement and tons of amazing magic. For families with children. Tuesday, June 14^th at 1:30 pm at the Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch, 88 Eighth St. #23

Flying Aces Frisbee team

June 15: You don’t want to miss the tricks, amazing feats, and the fun of seeing the Flying Aces Frisbee team in action on Wednesday, June 15, at 4 p.m. at Cedar Springs Middle School. This family program is part of the Cedar Springs Library’s summer reading program. #23

The Village Puppeteers

June 15: It’s a raucous comic romp, packed with silly antics and featuring a cavalcade of colorful puppets. Puss ‘N Boots, the Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffet and Rumpelstiltskin joined by a host of others, including a dazzling dragon. For families with children. Wednesday, June 15^th at 6:30 pm at the Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch, 88 Eighth St. #23

Henna with Harsha Gohil

June 20: Experience the intricate art of henna tattooing with Harsha Gohil. Choose your own design for application and learn how to apply the henna yourself! For teens. Pre-registration is required, 877-243-2466. Monday, June 20^th at 1:30 pm at the Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch, 88 Eighth St. #23

VBS at Cedar Springs UMC

June 20-23 & 25: Catch the Wave of God’s Amazing Love at Surf Shack – 150 Vacation Bible School! June 20-23 from 6 – 8 pm. Grades K-6^th are invited to Cedar Springs United Methodist Church, 140 S. Main St., to discover how to surf through life with God and others! New this year, as we celebrate our 150^th year in this community – 150 Field Day on Saturday June 25^th from 1 – 4 pm at Morley Park! Register online at www.cedarspringsumc.org. For more information, please call the church office at 616-696-1140. #23,24

Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

16^th Annual Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 29: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 16^th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 29^th at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ veterans will be Ebenezer Jewell, War of 1812; John Roys, Mexican War; Myron Fogleson, Civil War; Joe Osborne, Spanish-American War; Franklin Sheldon, World War I; Kenneth Winters, World War II; Rex Morris, Korean War; Timothy Towns, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentations in the museum. #20,21p

DIY Spa for Teens

June 4,13: Make a variety of spa products from simple ingredients that you can take home, such as sugar and oatmeal scrubs, fizzy bath bombs and silky body lotion. Pre-registration is required for teens grades 6-12. Call 877-243-2466 to pre-register. Saturday, June 4^th at 11 am at the Spencer Township KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. Monday, June 13^th at 1:30 pm at the Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch, 88 Eighth St.  #21

Fresh Food Fairy

June 7: Meet this Fresh Food Fairy and her amazing smoothie bike! She’ll help you whip up a tasty treat and teach you all about healthy eating. The first 75 kids will receive a treat bag. For ages 6 and older. Tuesday, June 7^th at 6 pm at Spencer Township KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. #21

Help Promote Literacy

June 9: The need is urgent at this time! The Literacy Center of West Michigan has scheduled and information session on Thursday, June 9^th, for prospective volunteer tutors. This session is held at 6 pm and lasts one hour. It allows persons interested in becoming volunteer tutors to find out more about the Center and its literacy programs. At the end of the session there will be an opportunity to sign up for tutor training. By training people to be tutors, the Center can offer one-on-one reading help to adults asking for assistance in reading or English as a Second Language (ESL). You do not need to speak another language to tutor ESL. The Center is located at 1120 Monroe Ave., NW, Suite 240, Grand Rapids. Please call 616-459-5151 (ext. 10) or email us at info@literacycenterwm.org to register. #21

Nazareth Vacation Bible School at Solon Center Wesleyan Church

June 12: Hey kids! Come for VBS beginning Sunday evening, June 12th from 6:30 – 8 pm. It’s family Night, so bring the whole family to enjoy the fun of the Double KK Petting zoo (weather permitting) and a hot dog roast. VBS continues through Thursday where you’ll make new friends, sing great songs, play fun games, experience Nazareth…where Jesus was a Kid and visit the market places of His home town. Monday through Thursday VBS is for children 4 years old through the 5th grade. Please pre-register by calling the church office @ 696-3229 or online at http://scwchurch.com/#/get-connected/vbs-registration. The church is located at 15671 Algoma Avenue, just north of 19 Mile Road. Come join the fun! #21-23p

Alpha Family Center Annual LifeWalk

June 18: Cedar Springs Alpha Family Center will host its annual LifeWalk Events on Saturday, June 18^th at Morley Park in Cedar Street. 5K LifeRun at 8:30 am, Kid’s FunRun at 9:15 am and LifeWalk at 10:00 am, and Baby Bottle Blessing change drive now thru June 19^th. LifeWalk is a great time for families which includes a coloring contest for ages 3-10 (deadline to enter is June 1^st ), a clown, face painting, balloons, refreshments, door prizes and the chance for everyone to help local families in a very real way. To participate in LifeWalk 2016 pick up your pledge form, a baby bottle for the change drive and an entry form for the coloring contest by stopping into Alpha on Mondays 11 to 5 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 – 4 pm. For more information you may call 616-696-2616. #20,21p

Summer Solstice Run with the Sun 3k

June 21: Celebrate the longest day of the year with a Cross Country 3k at Howard Christensen Nature Center, 16160 Red Pine Dr., Kent City. Tuesday, June 21^st at 7 pm for registration. Water and post run refreshments provided. All runners receive a T-Shirt and entry into prize drawings. Medals and prizes for top 3 in each of 4 categories. Pre-register by June 14^th. Cost: $15, members $10. Registration received June 14^th to race day $20. www.HowardChristensen.org, 616-675-3158. #21

by Ronnie McBrayer

God loves to astonish. Just consider the Virgin Mary. What a surprise! Who could have anticipated that this little, teenage girl from Nazareth could birth of Son of God? She was a thing of wonderment and here is why.

First, she was little; that is, she was young. In the custom of her day, a woman would enter a prearranged marriage even before sitting for the SAT. So she was a novice. Second, she was a woman. Women in first century Palestine were often considered property—intended for domestic labor, sexual pleasure, and the manufacture of male heirs.

And Mary’s third issue: she was from Nazareth. To call Nazareth your home was to lay claim to one of the most rebellious and unruly regions of the Empire. It was a Jalalabad or Aleppo of the ancient world.

So when it is said, “Mary was just a little girl from Nazareth,” that is a statement loaded with surprising characteristics. She was the wrong age, the wrong gender, and from the wrong neighborhood. Yet, these liabilities became the very pathways for Mary’s future. These things kept her in a place of dependence upon and submission to God.

A man named Irenaeus was one of the first Christians who did serious thinking about Advent and its meaning. He came to the conclusion that Mary’s example of holy surrender was a pattern for us all; and he used a scintillating title for her. He said, “Mary is the undoer of knots.” Mary took the tangled mess she had been given and persistently worked it out, overcoming all her challenges in redemptive, surprising ways.

Pope Francis says the same. Speaking of that little girl from Nazareth, he says: “There are problems and struggles we face that form a tangle which gets more and more painful and difficult to undo. But even the most tangled knots are loosened by God’s grace.”

And then Francis says how: “Mary first conceived Jesus in faith when she said ‘yes’ to the message God gave her. And what took place in the Virgin Mary also takes place within us. Believing in Jesus means giving him our flesh with the humility and courage of Mary, so that he can continue to dwell in our midst. May Mary help us to say ‘yes,’ to be open to God’s surprises, for everything he gives us is a gift—even our weaknesses—so that he can become our strength.”

Ronnie McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, blogger, pastor, and author of multiple books. Visit his website at www.ronniemcbrayer.me.