Thank you to all who helped out at our church’s booth at last weekend’s Holland Pride event:
Greg Gerrans & Greg Harvath; David VanDyke; Cindy Winkler; Ruth VandenBosch; Philip Raywood; Max Brown & Doug Sipsma; Kirt Oliver; Bev and Orie Hawkes; Fred Hamlin; Gregg Smith; Wendy Hamlin and Freddy; Mary Browning; Foye McDonald & Ian Mills; Shirley Haaksma. 

Peter Mueller (our Church Council Moderator) and Kathleen Mueller (our Retreat House coordinator and a member of our Pastoral Relations Committee) represented Douglas UCC at last week's UCC General Synod in Milwaukee.

We are grateful for their service to our church.

Click to learn more: UCC Synod

Pastor Sal will be taking a three-month sabbatical beginning in January of 2020.  Between now and then, our Pastoral Relations Committee will be helping us to prepare for Pastor Sal's absence.  They will be facilitating another "Sabbatical Feedback" session this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the Spring Street House. This will be an opportunity for you to learn more and to share your ideas, too.  All are welcome.​

​“Adopt-a-Highway” Clean-Up- Please help us clean-up the highway next month. We will be going out two times: Saturday, July 13, from 9 a.m. till noon, and Tuesday, July 16, from 4 to 7 p.m..

​Please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall if you can help. Thank you to our church’s Creation Justice Team for facilitating.

​Thank you to Leith Letcher and Jim Shewell for planting the zinnias in front of the church, and thank you to Gemina Petruzzelli and Dick Bont for the new plants in the Memorial Garden. 

We will be going to two Sunday services this summer: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

We will begin on Sunday, July 7, and end on Sunday, September 1.

Coffee Hour will be held outside in front of the church between the two services. ​

From our church members, Dan McGavin and Carol Brown, owners of the Summerhouse Lavender Farm:

"The dreaded Polar Vortex took out over 400 of our lavender plants. We are replanting this year and are holding events July 20-21 and August 17-18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  $10 Admission. Learn about lavender and the best techniques for successful planting. We will discuss culinary lavender and include recipes and sample of lavender infused lemonade, shortbread cookies, and a lavender-lemon salt spice for outdoor grilling."  Learn more HERE.

In this Sunday's Gospel Message (Luke 8:26-39), Jesus heals a man possessed with demons. How do we as Progressive Christians make sense of this story?  How do we understand terms such as "demons," "devil," and "hell" from a metaphysical perspective?  Come join us this Sunday as we explore these questions together and uncover what a life of "Spiritual Freedom" really looks like when we are truly liberated from the bonds of the ego. 
Special Music: Stan Greene sings "You Will Be Found," from the musical, Dear Evan Hansen.

As was announced at the Annual Meeting, Pastor Sal will be taking a three-month sabbatical beginning in January of 2020.  Between now and then, our Pastoral Relations Committee will be helping us to prepare for Pastor Sal's absence.  All are invited to one of three listening sessions the PRC will be facilitating this month.  These "Sabbatical Feedback" sessions will be an opportunity for you to learn more and to share your ideas.  The sessions will be at the Spring Street house on Sunday, June 23, at 11:30 a.m.; Wednesday, June 26, at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 30, at 11:30 a.m.. Please sign the sheets in the Friendship Hall for the session you wish to attend. 

Thank you to Larry Fuerst (our Church Council Trustee) and Sue Scott for purchasing an AED for our church, and thank you to Tony Shippa for leading us in an AED/CPR Training.

You can still contribute to 4 Paws Lakeshore's 2019 Hearts Project. Learn more HERE.

​TONIGHT! PFLAG Holland/Lakeshore June 21 Meeting: We will view and discuss Stonewall Uprising, a documentary film about the Stonewall Riots in 1969. The gay rights movement traces its origin to these riots.  PFLAG meets on the ground floor of Grace Episcopal Church, 555 Michigan Avenue, across the street from Holland Hospital. We will begin with a business meeting and support at 7:00 pm. After a time for refreshments at 7:50 pm, the film and brief discussion will begin at 8:00 pm and last until 9:40 pm.  Bring a snack or dessert to share, if you can. Prior to the PFLAG meeting, Gender SAFE (Supporting All For Equality) meets 6:00 to 8:00 pm (note the longer meeting time), also on the ground floor of Grace Episcopal Church. This is a support group that is open and welcoming to all people who are or who love someone who is transgender or gender diverse (TGD). We also welcome those who are gender affirmative and who are interested in learning about the TGD community. 

This first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday, where we celebrate the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is one of the most fascinating - and controversial - Christian teachings. Come join us this Sunday as we explore the metaphysical meaning of the Trinity and its relevance in our contemporary spiritual lives. We will also be celebrating Father's Day.

As is our longstanding Douglas UCC tradition, each year on Pentecost Sunday we wear red and take a group photo. Our church has grown so much that we couldn't get everyone in one frame! So, this year, we took a group video.  This church is on fire!

Our Annual Meeting is this Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Friendship Hall. ​
Our Church Council, Investment Advisory Council, Facilities Team, and Pastoral Relations Committee will all be giving us updates, and the proposed budget for the new fiscal year will be presented for approval. All church members are encouraged to attend.

Douglas UCC was proud to be a sponsor of the "Summit on Race and Inclusion" this week at Hope College. Pastor Sal and members of our Social Justice Team (Karen Clark, Bev and Orie Hawkes, Dan Ryan) were moved and inspired by amazing speakers, such as Rudy Valdez 
​and John Pavlovitz. Thank you to Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance for facilitating this event, and thanks to Grand Rapids Pride Center for the pronoun buttons, too! 

KUDOS!!

Thank you to Jim Shewell and Leith Letcher for planting the zinnias in front our church, again, this year.  Leith and Jim do this every year for us, and we are so very grateful for their service to our church.

Jerry Coates (pictured left) will be teaching a weekly class on the "Bhagavad Gita," the ancient Hindu Scripture, beginning Tuesday, July 9, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Summerhouse Lavender Farm in Fennville, which is owned by our church members, Dan McGavin and Carol Brown.   A love offering will be taken.  For more information, please contact Jerry at 616-836-7705 or email him at [email protected].

Thank you to all who helped out at our Douglas UCC booth at the very first PRIDE event in Douglas last weekend: Stan Greene, Eric Lejeune, Gemina Petruzzelli, Alan Weathers, Peter Mueller, David Turner, Fred Hamlin, Brad Hopkins, David Bohn, Ed Korson, Annie Hotwagner,
Marty Coffin, Gregg Smith, Gloria Becksford, Katie Nucci, Nancy Plantinga, Floyd Fleming. 
So many of our Douglas UCC members were also involved in the Pride Planning Committee and/or served as volunteers for the event.  We are so grateful for their efforts.  Happy Pride!

​

Saturday, June 22 is Holland Pride. The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at Centennial Park in Holland. Our church will be having a booth there.
If you can work the booth for all or part of the day,  please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall.

​We will be going to two Sunday services this summer: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

We will begin on Sunday, July 7, and end on Sunday, September 1.

Coffee Hour will be held outside in front of the church between the two services.