Animated characters in “Tiny Ocean Tails,” a series from Studio 3:16Kristen Collier was helping two-year old Mila record her lines for a new video cartoon series.

"She wanted to be just like the bigger kids in Sunday School," said Collier of the toddler's role while working in her church video production room. "So (Mila) pressed the button for the microphone and repeated the words after me."

Collier is one of the on-site production managers at Studio 3:16, an in-house ministry of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, a mile south of GVSU's Allendale campus. And she was teaming up with young Mila on a pre-schooler project called "Tiny Ocean Tails."

This is the column in which West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-inspired arts/entertainment/events in the coming month – it's a good one for choir music! Here are a several possibilities for November that otherwise might be overlooked.

Dr. Rex M. RogersNone of us would pray, "Lord, send us a pandemic." The idea doesn't make sense.

Yet we know God uses adversity to advance his purposes, develop the Church, teach us what we need for the days ahead, and bring glory to himself. God even says we should be joyful in the face of hard times.

     "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know
     that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may
     be  mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4).

This occurred to me during Year 2020, our "annus horribilis." What possibly could be good and useful, much less enjoyable about a year – actually a year and one-half and counting – of illness and deaths, slowdowns and lockdowns, masks - vaccines – mandates and controversy, government orders, loss of freedoms, and anxiety?

Grand Rapids-based socially conscious recruiting firm Hire for Hope founder Ashley Ward announced its new community partner is YWCA West Central Michigan. Ten % of Hire for Hope's profits will be donated to YWCA to not only empower women who are experiencing domestic violence, but empower and unite all women and eliminate racism. For over 160 years, YWCA has been working to improve the lives of women, girls and communities of color through advocacy, local programming and services.

Calvin University graduate and Tacoma, Wash. native Dean VanderLey has been promoted by the United States Navy to the rank of rear admiral during a ceremony held at U.S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey assumed command as Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific, and Fleet Civil Engineer, U.S. Pacific Fleet, in August. He leads a team of more than 9,000 military and civilian personnel across seven Echelon IV commands and public works and construction offices in over 40 locations along the Pacific coast of the U.S. and across the entire Indo-Pacific theater.

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!