Dan offers this teaser for this coming Sunday's Talk:

Be the Miracle. 
(Could rightly be answered by the grieving...)
Yes, damn it, we prayed 
day and night,
night and day
for one 
but never 
got it! 

Did you even hear us?

Please join us on Sunday at 10am in our Sanctuary, or online, live on our YouTube channel.
Message: Rev. Dan Plasman
Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler
You will always find our latest church bulletin and service music at Bit.ly/DUCCBulletin

Jody writes, "I was certain that there was a heaven and hell that I was destined for when I died, based on whether I was a believer or not. I was fairly certain that if my 80-year-old parents got Covid they would die; but they did become ill, and they lived to talk about it.  As Americans we were fairly certain that the US would not be attacked on its own soil. Until 9/11. What makes us certain of anything? Is it not better to live with a little humility that maybe we don't know, or at least that we don't know everything? Jesus spoke to this. Enjoy last week's service, when we explored "Certainty," based on Luke 13. ​

For one hour every year, the UCC asks every UCC member to Be the Light, to consider our own advantages in this life, and in gratitude, make an investment in the lives of others -- share what we have, bringing love, food, development, kinship to the whole world. We will be asking for that gift during service next week, but to help you consider what the UCC does with these gifts, here's some background:

2021 Mission Impact Report. It takes a while to measure and report on the impacts of our gifts. We need to be patient to see the results. This report, just out, highlights the distribution and outcomes of your giving from 2021.

Where do OGHS monies go? Here's the UCC's Andrew Long-Higgens' explainer.

Here's What it Means to Be the Light.

You can use the envelopes in your bulletin to make your gift, or find envelopes at the church office, or give online by clicking the button below. We will be gathering gifts throughout Lent, and gifts will be matched by our Church Council. ​

In the wake of Christian Neighbors of Douglas anticipates a significant increase in the cost of food for our clients due to announced cuts in USDA funding. Please prayerfully consider a monetary donation to Christian Neighbors of Douglas. Contact Rich Marth or Wendy Hamlin with any questions. We are already seeing the effects of this decision in our local food pantries.​

​On Easter Sunday, it's our tradition at Douglas UCC to fill our chancel with Easter Lilies, offered in memory of our friends and loved ones. Can you help us accomplish this? You can order lilies (and tell us who they are in memory of) for $15 apiece either online (click that button below), or by using the lily envelopes in the church pews. After the Easter service, you can take your lilies home with you if you wish! Please help the Worship Team in their planning by having your orders in by April 1.

In January, we learned that we would not be able to salvage the existing shallow foundation beneath our Friendship Hall kitchen, as an undetected water leak had eroded the mortar between the blocks. After several months of discussion with our architect, bidding with our contractor, and prepping our site for work, we finally have a solid foundation beneath our Friendship Hall kitchen! Heavy supports and lifts were installed under the joists per architect’s specifications, allowing the foundation installation to begin. Excavation, pouring of footings, and installation of concrete blocks was finished on March 21. As the mason said: 'This foundation will last forever!' Our contractor, Will Lamer of Straight Arrow Homes, is busy working on framing and drywall. Every week will bring visible progress. Your patience while this important work is completed is greatly appreciated.

Lent is traditionally a time of introspection and reflection. Sometimes that work is done well with others with whom to share the journey and insights. This year, beginning March 6, we are offering a Soup Supper on Thursday nights after the Contemplative Service (which occurs from 5:00-6:00pm in the Sanctuary). Depending on the number of people who sign up, we will gather in the Retreat House (or the Isabel Graham Center) for a cup of soup and a quiet conversation. We will use the UCC Devotional, Into the Deep (available in the Isabel Graham Center for $5 or at this link for possible topics. Please let us know that you are available by signing up in the IGC or emailing Louise Kenny ([email protected]).  If you would like to donate soup, you can contact Louise, as well. Please join us for one week or all of them through Maundy Thursday, April 17.

Our local friends and LGBTQIA+ supportive organizations are celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility with several local events. Three days of Transgender Visibility in our communities. Enjoy!

In these stress filled times it is very important to be able to regulate both our personal and collective nervous systems. Join Kat VanHammen for an informative talk and direct experience of some tools and practices that we can use to help us to maintain our steadiness and peace during times of chaos and upheaval. We will see how cultivating and strengthening our capacities to regulate and co-regulate are truly a deep service to ourselves and our communities and come away with some practical and doable practices that can be applied in everyday life.

Kat VanHammen has an MA in Expressive Arts Therapy and is a Yoga and Qigong instructor.  
This class will be offered on a donation basis. 

A love offering will be taken to support Kat's work.

The annual spring fundraiser held by our friend and neighbor Arthur Frederick will now be held in his honor. Save the date and watch for more information here. This year's funder will be held on May 4. Questions Check with our church members Bert Hallewas and Kirsten Stannis.

Birthdays: March 30- Ann Hopkins, Rachael Overweg, 31- Pamela Chappell
April 1- Nancy Plantinga
Anniversaries: April 4- Bill Klatt & Jim McHugh

Birthday and Anniversary cards are a great way we can reach out to one another. If you wish to mail a card to one of our church members, addresses can be found in our Church Directory.
Battling Power outage! Stay tuned!

​

• This Week's Service: First Sunday in Lent
• Last Week's Service: Transfigurationalism
• Jody and Dan's Office Hours
• Wisdom for Wild Days: Join the UCC Movement
• Easter Choir Rehearsals Begin This Sunday, March 9​
• Lenten Soup Suppers
• Remembering our Loved Ones with Easter Lilies
• Call to Courage, (Next Steps)​
• A Listening Ear: Empathy, Confidentiality -- If You Need to Talk
• SoulCollage with Rev. Ruth Zwald, March 8
• Inquirers Class, Lunch and Learn, March 16​
• Spring Equinox Celebration with Rev. Ruth Zwald, March 20
• CJT Book Read, Nature's Best Hope, March 25
• Save the Date Christian Neighbors Fundraiser,  May 4​​
• Prayer Requests
• Birthdays & Anniversaries
• Financial Stewardship