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Teaching & Sharing Centers a Michigan non-profit (IRS approved 501c3)corporation |
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Welcome to the Teaching & Sharing Centers website. We are an IRS approved 501c3 public charity. Our organization has a broad scope encompassing a variety of aspects across the Nature-Spirit-Expression spectrum. As our name implies, basically we teach and share. At our heart's core we are followers of the principles and teachings of Jesus, the Christ. We endeavor to help people find the fullness of a complete relationship with God (however you might perceive God). Believing He has blessed every one of us with gifts and abilities which can be used for the benefit of all, we assist those who wish to follow their hearts, and the leadings of Spirit, bringing their talents into expression. You need not identify yourself as a Christian to participate in the vast array of teaching and sharing this leads to. We have both "in-house" programs and Independent Affiliates (who are completely in charge of their own outreaches and operations). Thank you for visiting our site. We hope you will find it informative and helpful. Feel free to contact any of our leadership team (see "who we are" link at bottom of page) with your questions. |
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A Message from One of Our Founders The most basic human instinct is personal survival. Jesus turned that upside down when he said, “If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.” (Matthew 10:39 CEV). Only teaching and sharing can move us beyond that basic instinct to the level of love He both taught, and shared with us. As a matter of our routines and missions, we do not rescue cute little puppies or kittens. We do not save emaciated children from starving. We do not fight to keep a natural area from being turned into a shopping center, or provide food, or clothing, or shelter. We have nothing tangible to market. But what we do at the Teaching & Sharing Centers will affect all of those things. The “compete and compare” model embraced by our culture creates divisions at every level of our society. While there is a healthy side to competition, and even comparing, unchecked they cause problems in marriages, in families, in neighborhoods, between churches, in communities, and at every level of prejudice where there is some difference that can be focused upon. Our mission is to change that. Beyond the basic Good News of salvation, Jesus showed and admonished us to teach and share. It stands at the core of the solutions to most of the problems and challenges we face in our families, in our communities, in our countries, and in our world. We often hear people complaining about how bad things are, but most do not want to change the primeval compete and compare format which made them that way. We do. If this makes sense to you, and you can see the basic need for a core shift to a teaching and sharing way of behavior across the board, we invite you to join with us at whatever level of participation, big or small, you can fit into your life. Together is the key word here. As we teach and share together, from puppies to pulpits, to basic human needs, to a balance between nature and business, all will be positively affected. I pray God will guide our hands and our hearts, encouraging us by Jesus’ model of teaching and sharing, to fix the intangible philosophies which create our very tangible troubles. 10/28/17 Domestic Missionaries Our organizational structure can offer a non-denominational home to connect with, for anyone who is called by God to function as a domestic missionary. Our country is as much in need as any other to have dedicated followers of Jesus serve as missionaries here at home. If you feel called by God to serve in this capacity, independently of denominational dogmas and doctrines, feel free to contact us. "Keep your focus on God, You might wish to look at our Primary Operating Values if you feel such a call from God. Click here to view all MEETINGS Annual Membership Meeting Fourth Saturday in June at 12:00 p.m. (call for how or where) Regular Board of Trustees
Meeting BRIEF HISTORY: Founded in October of 1994 as a piece of the a touch of william ministries, on January 1, 2005 the Teaching & Sharing Center [of Grand Ledge] legally became a Michigan non-profit corporation. At the board meeting of May 7, 2005, two other pieces, christian life programs and the poet's circle, were officially accepted as DBAs (assumed names - doing business as) of the new T&SC organization. Also, a touch of william (atow) and Cherokee Bill's Teaching & Trade Center (CBTC) entered into contracts with the T&SC as Independent Affiliated Ministries (IAMs). On July 14, 2007 the organization's name was changed to Teaching & Sharing Centers (adding an "s"), recognizing projects such as the Michigan Living History Encampment (now Encounters) as separate "teaching and sharing" endeavors from the original Center. In 2008, the FBI Reading Club (Bob Buckley) became the first new (not previously connected) IAM of the Teaching & Sharing Centers non-profit organization. In 2009 the T&SC board made significant changes wrestling with the tough economic realities of the times. Among those changes were the elimination of the two back rooms of the original Center which were converted into a private apartment, and the discontinuance of a (land line) phone. In 2010 the T&SC corporation moved to its own website (URL) and a touch of william (including the wsharing website) and CBTC re-established as IAMs under a new single agreement. A simplified and more streamlined organization emerged from these early years of development as a non-profit charity, with a renewed focus on our primary missions. In 2012 we began our "Beyond These Walls" organizational campaign with an eye to the future, and recognition of the strong beginning and stable footing we have developed in spite of the severe economic times affecting many organizations, businesses, and individuals across our country. In 2014, those endeavors filed as DBA's with a specified mission statement of their own were designated as branches, allowing for direction of both membership status and contributions. In 2015, at the recommendation of tax experts interpreting IRS regulations, a touch of william (atow), Cherokee Bill's Teaching & Trade Center (CBTC), and the wsharing.com website were merged into the T&SC as a branch called william's works. No longer Independent Affiliates, the three became one (branch), yet retained their interrelated but three distinctive dynamics and individual mission statements, overseen by william as the volunteer director. In 2018 the organization made a long term commitment to its continuation by purchasing the "Sharing in Christ" building (417 S Bridge St) it has occupied since its inception. The Board of Trustees at its regular meeting in June 2010, restated our focus to be helping individuals to seek a close personal relationship with their Creator and to assist them in utilizing their gifts and talents for the benefit of all. Recipient's endeavors might be independent from or an integral part of the T&SC depending on God's guidance in any given circumstance. How can we help you to find your fulfillment? The Board of Trustees has authorized a 7% paid commission (independent contractor status) income option for any member willing to seek out grants for T&SC programs, or who runs an Independent Fundraising Project on behalf of the T&SC. If you are interested in either of these opportunities, please contact us. The T&SC is approved by the IRS as a 501c3 public charity. We are legally incorporated on a membership basis. If you would like to become involved, or simply show your support, by becoming a member, just click on the Membership Form link below. After completing, print and mail the form with the annual or lifetime fee to the T&SC. Memberships can be general, or designated for a specific branch. All memberships carry the same T&SC benefits and annually renew on July 4th each year. They first renew in the calendar year following the original year of enrollment. Therefore, an initial membership can last as long as 18 months or as short as 6 months, depending on when the application is submitted. The "nobody left behind" option allows you to self-adjust the membership fee if so desired. Along with voting rights, and a substantial progressive discount program for all purchases made at Cherokee Bill's Trade Center which membership gives to you, members now also have available to them the various credit union services of the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. For information about this or other benefits please feel free to contact us.
Important Note: With the proliferation and wide use of cell phones, trying to keep our expenses minimal, we no longer maintain any (land line) fax or telephone service at the Teaching & Sharing Center of Grand Ledge. See the "Who We Are" page for board members and other individual contact information. |
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contact us Individual Contact Info |
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Primary Pages |
Corporation Pages |
IAM Pages __________ |
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| Website design and development, and most of the photos and graphics used throughout these pages are courtesy of www.wsharing.com. |
