First Sunday in Lent

In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:

• This Sunday's Service -- First Sunday in Lent: The Obstacle is the Path
• Last Sunday's Service: Transfiguration Sunday: Judy Lucas and the Prom Dress
• This Sunday, Welcome Church Member Rev. Pamela Chappell
• Congregational Meeting, March 17
• An Evening with Baba Jerry Coates, Feb 20
• CJT Book Discussion
• Help Us With Housekeeping: Lights, Doors, Leftovers
• Honoring Black History Month -- Online Webinar, "Giving Up White Supremacy"
• Lent Devotional "Bend" Now On SaleHelp Spread Hope: The Peanut Butter Drive 
• February is Carpool to Church Month!
• Soul Collage, March 9
• Church Council Minutes
• Prayer Requests, Stewardship Drive & Financial Stewardship

First Sunday in Lent: The Obstacle is the Path

Scripture describes Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, how his faith was tested. How have you been tested in your life? Please join us at 10am this Sunday morning, when our church member, Rev. Pamela Chappell leads us in worship, helping us understand that "The Obstacle is the Path." Worship Leader: Pamela Chappell. Music by Peter Black and Cantor: Jeff Spangler

You can join us online on our YouTube Channel at 10am right here.
And you can find our online bulletin for Sunday at https://bit.ly/DUCCBulletin

---

​Last Sunday's Service: Transfiguration Sunday: Judy Lucas and the Prom Dress 

Being truly enlightened means remaining open to the miraculous things that go on around us every day. Scripture is filled with miracles. And so is our world today. Please enjoy last Sunday's service, when our church member and fearless Congregational Care coordinator Lynne Snyder shares a story from her life in education. Was it a miracle? You decide!
​Message: Lynne Snyder, Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler 

---

​This Sunday, Welcome Church Member
​Rev. Pamela Chappell 

Pam was born and raised in South Haven, the daughter of an attorney and a school teacher. She graduated with both a B.A. and an M.A. from Western Michigan University. For more than thirty years, she taught school in Tampa, Schenectady, Paw Paw, and London, England. In her retirement, she delved more deeply into songwriting and performing, as well as recording her six CDs. At one time, she sang an original song at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. She also had the honor of performing her own songs for President Jimmy Carter when he was in Michigan. Pam married Peter Wehle in 2007. Nine months later, they began their journey when Pete went into heart failure and required a heart transplant. Pam wrote a book, For Pete’s Sake, about that time in their lives.  Later, she also wrote a book on how teachers can integrate music with the curriculum to enhance learning.  Pam earned another B.A., M.A. and eventually a PhD. in Metaphysics at the University of Sedona, her focus being what happens to us after we die. Pam and Pete have two sons and two stepsons from previous marriages. as well as six grandchildren and another on the way.

---

Congregational Meeting, March 17

Our Church Council will hold a Congregational Meeting on March 17, after church at 11:30, in the Friendship Hall and online via Zoom. All church members are encouraged to attend. Council will be updating us on interim plans, campus projects, budget and other items. If you wish to attend the service online, please email Julie Ridl for the Zoom info. She will add you to her Zoom list, and will send out instructions for joining us and joining in when we get close to the meeting date.

---

​An Evening with Baba Jerry Coates, Feb 20

Ask our church member, Jerry Coates, about his spiritual path, and you will hear of his remarkable journey from his childhood roots in Judaism in Chicago to his path of enlightenment through the Hindu tradition, and others!

Says Baba Jerry, "Being on a "spiritual path" means constantly learning-discovering Who am I? Why am I here? and Where am I  going?" Our real 'I' is not the ego-mind or anything that we usually name as real. The purpose of life is to seek Truth and integrate it with our entire being. This Truth of life and divinity is similar in all great traditions and often gives 'room' for the individual's particular path.... Discussion and exploration are very important in this area of inquiry."

On Tuesday, February 20,  from 7 to 8:30pm in the Friendship Hall, we will all have the chance to sit, breathe, explore, and discuss the spiritual path from the perspective of of one of our most beloved elders. Sure to be an evening you carry with you for all of your days. Also, there will be treats.

Please sign up for this special evening on the sheet in the Friendship Hall so we can plan our refreshments.

---

​CJT Book Discussion 

The Creation Justice Team (CJT) is partnering with Saugatuck-Douglas District Library to offer an open discussion of A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds by Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00 pm at the Saugatuck District Library meeting room.

The church has a limited number of copies of the book for sale at $10 (half the Amazon price). Contact Chris Clark OR borrow a copy from the library!

Three years ago, headlines delivered shocking news: three billion birds had vanished from North America over the past 50 years. That’s one-third of the population -hummingbirds, crows, warblers, owls, sparrows and more! This book chronicles the race to save birds, as people struggle to overcome habitat loss, deal with climate change, and navigate urban hazards. The authors, retired journalists, traveled from Hawaii to Florida, Kansas to Ecuador to learn about stunning experiments, contentious politics, and groundbreaking technologies. The book offers hope, however, concluding with a list of dozens of things ordinary people can do to help.

---

​Help Us With Housekeeping: Lights, Doors, Leftovers 

Photo by Isabella Fischer on Unsplash

Our beloved campus Ms. Clean, Laurie VanDenBeldt, is sending a gentle plea to all church members attending all the meetings, to please help us save energy and keep our campus safe by turning off all lights (in the bathrooms too) and locking the doors as your meetings come to a close. And also, that Lost and Found Box is filling fast! Soon we'll take the items off for donation to empty it. So If you've perhaps been missing a mug, a sweater, a pen, or reading glasses (So Many Reading Glasses!), you are strongly encouraged to check the box the next time you visit campus! Thank you for your help in caring for our campus!

---

Honoring Black History Month -- Online Webinar, "Giving Up White Supremacy"

The DUCC Social Justice team invites you to honor Black History by attending this online three-part webinar series called "Giving Up White Supremacy."
​
Lent is a 40-day period of sacrifice, discipline, and penitence to help Christians prepare for Holy Week and Easter. This new Faithful America webinar series is meant to offer both confession and action as we explore racism in American Christianity and what grassroots Christians can do about it.

The first webinar in the series, "The 'White' in White Christian Nationalism," will be this Monday, February 19, at 7 p.m. Eastern.

This timely discussion will feature presentations and Q&A about white Christian nationalism's racist threat to freedom, democracy, and the church itself from two renowned experts and friends of Faithful America: Dr. Jemar Tisby, author of "How to Fight Racism," and the Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer, author of "Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right." Here are the details:
What: Zoom webinar
"Giving up White Supremacy, Part One:
"The 'White' in White Christian Nationalism"
Where: Online via Zoom (Register for link)
When: Monday, February 19, 2024
7:00 p.m. EST // 4:00 p.m. PST
Who: Dr. Jemar Tisby, the Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer,
and Faithful America members like you

In parts two and three of this webinar series, we'll have a robust discussion on racism past and present in our own Catholic and mainline Protestant communities, then explore how spiritual exercises can help us commit to the work of racial justice.

For part one, we couldn't be more excited to welcome both Dr. Jemar Tisby and the Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer -- two of the leading voices in the country for exploring this pressing topic.
Dr. Jemar Tisby is a New York Times bestselling author, national speaker, and historian of race and religion at Simmons College of Kentucky, on a mission to deliver truths from the Black experience with depth and clarity. A leading expert on white Christian nationalism, he is the co-founder and president of "The Witness: A Black Christian Collective" and the author of both "How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice" and "The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism."
The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer is a prize-winning historian, Emmy nominee, Episcopal priest, and the John Phillips Chair of Religion at Dartmouth College. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including "Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right." If you've heard news stories about how the religious right was originally started not to ban abortion but to protect segregation at private schools like Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, there's a very good chance they were quoting Dr. Balmer. One of his earlier books, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America," was made into a three-part documentary series for PBS.
Ready to learn about the "white" in white Christian nationalism?

Register for the Series Here»

---

​Lent Devotional "Bend" Now On Sale 

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
we are perplexed, but not despairing;
we are bent, but not destroyed.
(2 Corinthians 4:8-10, adapted)

From the Stillspeaking Writers' Group, this year's UCC lenten devotional, Bend, provides daily readings, reflections, and prayers for the Lenten season: from Ash Wednesday (Feb 14) to Easter Sunday (March 31).

Copies are on sale for $5 apiece in the Friendship Hall for as long as they last, or
You can order paper copies online at Pilgrim Press right here»
Or a PDF version right here»

---

​Help Spread Hope: The Peanut Butter Drive  

Photo by Corleto Peanut Butter on Unsplash

February is our Peanut Better Drive month, when we collect peanut butter for the food bank at  Christian Neighbors, through February 29.

This annual event gathers in most of the peanut butter distributed annually by Christian Neighbors to community folks in need.

Through the month of February, we will be gathering jars of peanut butter in the Friendship Hall. Or, if it's more convenient, jars can be dropped off during open business hours at:

• Lake Vista SuperValu, 237 W Center St, Douglas
• Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, 174 Center St, Douglas
• Christian Neighbors Food Pantry, located in the rear of Community Church of Douglas, 6874 Wiley Road

---

​February is Carpool to Church Month! 

Photo by Girl with red hat on Unsplash

As a follow-up to the recent worship service that focused on energy, the Creation Justice Team has declared February 2024 “Carpool to Church Month”! We’re asking everyone to find another person or couple with whom to share rides to church. You can tell each other stories, enjoy conversations, and park closer to the door!

Empty car seats represent missed opportunities to cut back on fossil fuel, save money, and build community. Driving can sometimes be a hassle - even in Allegan County. Why not take turns and reduce the stress?

We’re hoping that some people will make this a permanent arrangement. For others, it may prompt them to consider additional ways to reduce car trips. Please join the fun during Carpool to Church Month!

Here are a few carpooling etiquette tips for drivers...

• DO pick up on time.
• DO communicate if plans change or you’re late.
• DO drive extra carefully.
• DO keep your car reasonably clean.
• DON’T talk on the phone.
• DON’T make extra stops.

And for passengers...

• DO be ready.
• DO communicate if plans change.
• DON’T eat or drink in the car.
• DON’T distract the driver.
• 
  

---

​Soul Collage, March 9 

Rev. Ruth Zwald's next SoulCollage workshop is scheduled for Saturday, March 9 in the Friendship Hall. Ruth has had a great response to these workshops, and is now offering two sessions, a morning and an afternoon time.

The theme for this month is:  Using SoulCollage® to Reflect, Listen and Grow.  Through a gentle guided meditation, we learn and listen to what is stirring in our lives, and create a card or two that expresses those parts of ourselves.  If you are an experienced SoulCollager, she will also be encouraging you to work on the Transpersonal suit of your deck.  Instructions will be provided. It can be a surprising and insightful journey.

All the details are in the attached flyer.  Please note the time options:  either 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM or  from 1-4 PM.

These workshops take a lot of preparation, so you must sign up in advance for this workshop by contacting Rev. Ruth directly by email: [email protected]
​

---

​Church Council Minutes 

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

approved_church_council_minutes_jan_2024.pdf
File Size:	192 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

---

Prayer Requests

Ann Hopkins; The Chappell-Wehle Family; Carol Brown and Dan McGavin; Dan Mack; David Miedema, his parents and family; Karl Fahlstrom (Tom Fahlstrom's brother); John Kerr; Mike Mok; Dave and Shirley Lawson; Clark McMillion (Chris Clark's friend); Ruth Fahlstrom (daughter of Tom Fahlstrom); Nancy Grib (Friend of Pamela Chappell); Stuart Family; Charlene Burdick (Paul Burdick's Mother); Diane Carr; Myron (Wendy Hamlin's grandson, Fred Hamilin's great-grandson); Mary Westenbroek; Brian Aikens; Jerry Elpers and family (Beth Howley's Dad); Edie Plantinga (Nancy Plantinga's mother);  Max Matteson; Eric Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Nicole and John (Wendy Hamlin's daughter-in-law and son)

---

Stewardship Drive 

Stewardship Drive Giving Week ending February 11:​
Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $115,327.98
​
Thank you to all who pledged toward our Campus Stewardship Drive. Weekly Stewardship Drive totals are posted here and on the giant ‘thermometer’ poster in the Friendship Hall. If you have not received a pledge card, you can pick one up in the Friendship Hall. Or you can help us reach our goal of $275,000 by giving online here:

Give to Stewardship Fund Here

---

​Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, February 11: 62
​Total Views for February worship videos: 229

​Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $3,188.00
Online Giving: $3,307.94
Total, General Support: $6,495.94
​​​​​
Thank you!! 
​Your generous giving allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service in the world. Please consider giving online, which is easily done by
texting your donation amount to 844-931-2849.