Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ • Douglas UCC
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Weekly E-Pistle: Pentecost Sunday

5/29/2020

 
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​In this week's E-Pistle, you'll find:

  • "Set Your Life On Fire," Sunday Service Notes
  • Last Week's Service Video
  • Pentecost Selfies!
  • Covid 19 and the Church Update
  • Virtual Cereal Drive
  • The Cross and the Lynching Tree
  • Free Online Rain Garden Class!
  • There's an App for Giving!
  • Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship

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Weekly E-Pistle: Seventh Sunday of Easter

5/22/2020

 
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​​In this week's E-Pistle, you'll find:

  • "Ascension Sunday," Sunday Service Announcement
  • Last Sunday's Video Links
  • United in Song Concert Links and Kudos
  • 2020 Pride Celebration Plans
  • Free Online Rain Garden Class
  • Pentecost Selfie Party!
  • Support for Hannah/Star's legislative reform effort!
  • Social Groups Meeting Online
  • Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer List, and Financial Stewardship

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Weekly E-Pistle: Sixth Sunday of Easter

5/15/2020

 
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​​In this week's E-Pistle, you'll find:

  • "I am always with you," Sunday's Service Notes
  • Last Sunday's video links
  • Jim Lemons memorial notice
  • Announcing "Childish Thinking," Pastor Sal's new book!
  • Friendship Hall Roundup
  • Podcast Service Notes
  • Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship


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Weekly E-Pistle: Fifth Sunday of Easter

5/8/2020

 
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​​In this week's E-Pistle, you'll find:

  • "Mother's Day Sunday" Service Notes
  • Last week's service videos
  • Online Friendship Hall: Meeting online in love
  • Pastor Sal's Lovingkindness Meditation Video
  • "United in Song" Online Concert Announcement
  • Let your mask do the talking: UCC Peace and Love masks
  • Online Friendship Hall News Roundup
  • UCC Covid  19 Announcement
  • Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, Financial Stewardship

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Weekly E-Pistle: Fourth Sunday of Easter

5/1/2020

 

This Sunday: The Good Shepherd

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In Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus instructs his disciples to follow the shepherd's voice. Our UCC motto is "God is Still Speaking." How do we hear God's voice in our lives today? Join us online this Sunday at 10 AM for our Video Worship Service, as we learn how to listen more closely to our inner G.P.S. (God Positioning System), the Divine Voice within which is always leading us to pastures of plenty. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black & Nancy Plantinga.

​Tune in on Sunday at 10 AM via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or here on ourwebsite.

Weekly Zoom Meeting Invitation:

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We are sending out emails each week with the post-church Friendship Hall Zoom address. If you aren't receiving the emails, please check your Spam folder/filter. If you find nothing there, write to Julie at Onlinechurch@douglasucc.org to check to see if we have your correct email address.

Zooming our Friendship Hall isn't perfect, but has been the best way for us to:
  • Chat with each other and Pastor Sal!
  • Share Joys and Concerns with the church live and in person.
  • Talk about our work in the world, how it continues and how it has changed.
  • Discover how we are each dealing with  the frustrations  and finding the grace notes in this pandemic time.
We would love to see you there!


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Wow! This past month, our Douglas UCC videos have had more than 11,000 views on YouTube, and we've added 115 new subscribers to our channel. Thank you to all for your support.

Watch Last Sunday's Service:

Thank you to all who tuned in last Sunday for our Video Worship Service. We even had people watching and commenting from South Africa and the UK! Thank you to our reader, Lynne Snyder, who joined us from her home; to Peter Black and Stan Greene for providing the music; and to Gregg Smith for recording it. If you missed the service, you can watch it here.

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SAVE-the-DATE: Join us online on Friday, May 15, at 7 PM, for "United in Song: Music of Hope and Inspiration," a free Video Concert from our Douglas UCC Musicians.

Our Work in the World Continues...

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During our Zoom Online Friendship Hall this past Sunday, we learned of the work in the world our fellow congregants are engaged in. Here's a round-up. Please follow the links or connect with these members if you have interest in helping out or learning more:. 

We discussed the Governor's requirement that we wear masks in public -- we need more makers to place masks in the Retreat Hall Mask Box please.  And Linda Charvat showed us her no-sew,  effective, double-layered, filtered mask from old t-shirts (schematic above). See the #Masks4All explanation video and the instructions behind this link.

Hannah Huggett and Gail (Gigi) Babel and their team are organizing the West Michigan Mutual Aid Network, and have a couple of first projects in mind for helping families in Fennville. Stay tuned for more news!

​Kirt Oliver and Larry Fuerst are raising concern that the blood banks need more blood to help treat Covid-19 patients, while many blood drives have been canceled. They ask us to please consider giving blood if we can. Click here to find the Red Cross' listings for local times and locations.

Sarah Swift reported that the Creation Justice Team has been busy re-designing their offerings for distance learning and distance action. The local highway and beach cleanups have been canceled, but the team encourages you to mask-and-glove and clean the parks and roadways near you. Here are safety guidelines you can adapt to  pick up trash on the beaches, hiking trails, and roads around you. Also, stay tuned for a re-designed Rain Gardens program, and a re-designed local food/local farmers program and book read. 

We shared a wish that Farmers' Markets would open up this weekend. While we wait, look at Pennyroyal Cafe and Provisions website and Facebook page for the CSA boxes they are offering, full of local farmers' and local food producers' goods. Also the Holland Farmers' Market has made this handy poster (download below) of local farms and food producers who are offering curbside pickup of their goods. The websites and Facebook pages of many of our local restaurants are featuring wonderfully creative ways they are responding to the pandemic. Check them out!
​
Holland Farmers Market Vendors
File Size: 451 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Help Us Grow

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Your Church is working hard to provide for our community and our spirit
during this pandemic, continuing to do our peace and justice work.

Without a Sunday collection plate, we are asking church members and friends
to consider adopting 
​a new habit of giving to the church: either online or by mail.
It's so easy to give online from our website. ​Just click here. 
Or please consider mailing a check to: 
​

Douglas UCC, 56 Wall Street, PO Box 519, Douglas, MI 49406.

We are so very grateful for your continued support of our church, especially during this time.

Happy Birthdays & Anniversaries:


​May 1- Max Matteson & Bud Baty, 6- Luke Brunette, 7- Cathy North


Birthday and Anniversary cards are a great way we can continue to reach out to one another during this time. If you wish to mail a card to one of our church members, addresses can be found in our Church Directory. If you don't have a directory, please let us know and we will email one to you.
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​​Congratulations to our church members, Bud Baty and Max Matteson, who are celebrating their 50th Anniversary this week! We are so grateful for their inspiration and for all they do in service of our church and our community.


Prayer List

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​Phyllis Wallis (Kathy Austin's mother); Kristen Molitor (Ann Hopkins' daughter), John Willming; Drew Carter; Ferman Sims (father of Duce Sims); Howard McLauchlan (brother-in-law of Dale and Ted); Jeff Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Marcia Sullivan (Jo Cooley's friend), Len Lynch (Kathleen Mueller's brother); Curtis Coffin (Marty Coffin's brother). 

Our educators, the caregivers and patients at Mary Freebed Hospital and on the U.S.S. Comfort, and in all of our hospitals and care centers during this Covid-19 pandemic. For the leaders and volunteers in every state and city who are stepping up to take care of people every day. 

All in the military and their families. All who are homeless or addicted or abused or neglected or rejected or hungry; The UCC; the Grand West Association; our Church Council; our Stephen Ministers; our church committees; our communities, our schools, our nation and our planet.
To add/remove a name from the Prayer List, please email julie (at) douglasucc.org


Financial Stewardship

April 26
Attendance for Online Service: 691
Weekly Online Giving: $2,394.23
Mailed-in Donations for the Month of April: $5,275

Thank you!! 
​

Your generous giving allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service. Please consider giving online, which is easily done by clicking ONLINE GIVING.
​

Or you may send checks by mail to:
Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ
56 Wall Street, PO Box 519
Douglas, MI 49406

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© 2023. Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ. All Rights Reserved.
  • About Us ▾
    • Meditation Garden
    • Retreat House
    • Our Staff
    • Our Stories
    • About Douglas UCC
  • Connect & Serve
  • Worship & Music Videos ▾
    • Podcast Library 🔊
    • Homily Library 📖
  • Calendar & E-pistle ▾
    • E-pistle
  • Contact
  • Giving