Longing to get past the politics? Focus on shared values at this lakeshore gathering

GRAND HAVEN — If you're longing to find common ground in a time of unprecedented division, there's an event you should attend in August.

The Momentum Center will host a community conversation titled “Common Values in Uncommon Times” from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the American Dunes Golf Course in Grand Haven. Anyone who wants to listen, learn and share is invited to attend and participate.

"Since 2015, the Momentum Center has been facilitating community conversations about complicated issues and working to find space where we can talk respectfully with each other about our disagreements,” Founder Barbara Lee VanHorssen wrote in a release.

The organization said it’s “never been more important” to address questions of whether any values are universal and if, in uncommon times, people can recognize both common and diverse values and communicate civilly.

Four panelists will present on a handful of concerns Thursday. Hope College Professor Deirdre Johnston will discuss “Why We Divide,” Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck will talk “Election Integrity," former prosecutor Ron Frantz will cover “Traditional Republican Values,” and Dr. Rob Davidson will identify “Traditional Democratic Values.”

“To address the complex issues that challenge our humanity and threaten our very existence, we must engage in conversation about the values that divide us,” Johnston wrote. “If we do not speak with civility, we will not be heard. If we do not listen, we will not understand.”

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Following a question and answer period for panelists, attendees will break into small groups of individuals with varied perspectives. In those sessions, participants will be encouraged to “rehumanize” each other.

The event is not a political gathering or campaign opportunity. Although the event is free and open to anyone, attendees are asked to register at momentumcentergh.org/townhall-commonvalues.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.