First of all... Go Lakers! My name is Matt Mattson (GVSU Class of 2000). I'm a proud Laker alum. One of my first jobs out of college was as a GVSU regional admissions counselor, too. I'm also pretty sure I'm the greatest GVSU tour guide in our university's young history (don't look it up). Anyway... I'm writing because I'd love to share the good news with you that this Laker alum has a book set for publication by Turner Publishing in February. This non-fiction, highly inclusive, spiritual book meant to help heal the loneliness, division, and disconnection in our world includes a few tales from my days in Allendale. As I mentioned, my book, Cathedrals of Connection, is set to be published by Turner Publishing on February 24, 2026! THE BOOK'S WEBSITE IS: https://www.cathedralsofconnection.com/ About Cathedrals of Connection This book is an invitation. For the spiritual but not religious. For those deconstructing and hoping to reconstruct their faith. For those disenchanted with, disappointed by, and disengaged from their faith. For those who have a deep faith but who want deeper relationships. For those who feel like today's religious options are dangerously different from the love they sense at the core of faith. For those who have been bored by faith or broken by faith. This book is an invitation to the simplest church on earth. The space between you and every person in your life. The space between you and the next person you encounter. You are invited. You are invited to build a cathedral of connection in that space. Written as an interconnected, compounding series of personal reflections (40 short chapters), Cathedrals of Connection gently offers people frustrated with or disenchanted by religion an accessible on-ramp to their spiritual journey. Rooted in a progressive, ecumenical, and at times slightly irreverent Christian perspective, with Biblical passages anchoring every chapter, author Matt Mattson reveals an ordinary mysticism in the common interactions of daily life. Matt, who has spent over two decades helping people gather in simple, sacred ways, invites readers to construct their own cathedrals of connection and erect their own temples of togetherness in the space between themselves and every person they encounter. On a final personal note, I've lived in Colorado for the past 16+ years. During a summer trip back to the Midwest, I had the joyful experience of getting to give both of my daughters (both high schoolers) a tour of campus this July, and it just keeps getting better and better. Anchors Up (I think that's what they say now... we didn't have cool sayings like that back in the old days). Thanks for your consideration. -Matt Matt Mattson Executive Director & Lead Co-Creator | BETWEEN