Fourth Sunday of Easter

4/19/2024

Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash

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

This Week's Service, Fourth Sunday of Easter: Landing in Liminal Space
Last Week's Service, Third Sunday of Easter: (Un)Certain
Welcome Rev. Jody Betten
Special Musical Guest, Rebecca Russcher
After Church Luncheon for Rev. Jody: A Feast for the Soul
Communion Bread Classes, April 20 & 27, 10am
Altar Flower Sign-up Sheets are Up!
In Search Of: Art Guild Candidates
Now Recruiting: DUCC Transition Team
SJT Reads: The Afro-Christian Convention: Fifth Stream of the UCC, May 23, 7pm
SCA Volunteer Opportunities!
Qigong is Back! Tuesdays at 3pm, Beginning May 7
Soul Collage, May 11

Pete Wehle Sings Frank Sinatra: Woman's Club Fundraiser, May 17 & 18
Prayer Requests
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Stewardship Drive & Financial Stewardship

Landing in Liminal Space

In this week's scripture reading, John is preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives. Please join us this Sunday at 10am as we welcome change in the form of our interim pastor, Rev. Jody Betten, who will guide us along a good path through this "liminal space," preparing the Douglas UCC membership to welcome our new pastor. Message: Rev. Jody Betten, Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, Rebecca Russher

Join us in church at 10am, or watch the service live on Youtube, right here.
Download this Sunday's E-Bulletin here:

order_of_service_april_21_2024.pdf
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Last Week's Service, Third Sunday of Easter: (Un)Certain

Is Uncertainty always a problem? Or is Uncertainty a gift? In last week's scripture reading, we were reminded to take heart in these times, to turn into them with interest, courage, and faith, rather than away from them, always seeking the safety of the known. Catch up with our hearts, when last week our church member Jeremy Lund led us in worship. Message: Jeremy Lund, Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, Max Brown and Doug Sipsma

Welcome Interim Pastor, Rev. Jody Betten

Rev. Jody was called to the pastorate in childhood. Told the pastorate wasn't for girls, she began her life in education, and then... persisted. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary, was ordained in the RCA in 1996. When she spoke up for a minister and seminary professor who officiated at the wedding of his daughter to her wife, she was brought up on heresy charges (settled with an admonition). She found her spiritual home in the United Church of Christ in 2012, when she received Privilege of Call and never looked back. She has served churches large and small and currently works for the UCC as an Intentional Interim Minister, her favorite calling of all. She says her greatest challenge is to ‘stay in the moment.'

Special Musical Guest, Rebecca Russcher

We welcome to our service this week, mezzo soprano and degreed chef Rebecca Russcher, who loves to design menus of song and great food. She performs with West Michigan Opera Project as solo recitalist and as half of the duo Two Baroque Girls, and enjoys singing, announcing, and eating her way through Oktoberfests all around West Michigan with Ein Prosit. She has been grateful for fifteen seasons as alto soloist with the Zeeland Civic Chorus in Handel's "Messaiah," and is eagerly anticipating the upcoming performances this December. Done with standing eight hours in a hot kitchen, Rebecca keeps close to her knives, teaching privately, and will be conducting cooking classes at Daydreamer Domes in South Haven.

After Church Luncheon for Rev. Jody:
A Feast for the Soul

"This is how the world changes -- little by little, table by table, meal by meal, hour by hour. This is how we chip away at isolation, loneliness, fear. This is how we connect, in big and small ways -- we do it around the table."
-Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table

Beginning with a luncheon for our new Interim Pastor, Rev. Jody Betten, after church April 21, The Pastoral Relations Committee and the Spiritual Retreat Center Committee would like to welcome you, our beloved Douglas UCC family, to join us for a series of six "family dinners" of soup and bread and conversation, to be held in the Friendship Hall.

We offer you a respite, a sacred space, in which to commune with your fellow church family members and process both the shared loss and hope that have been part of our Douglas UCC journey.

So that we can more accurately judge quantities for both food and drink, please sign up for the dinners on the sign up sheet in the Friendship Hall.

Communion Bread Classes, April 20 & 27, 10am

On April 20 and 27, at 10am, our long-time communion bread baker, Elaine Trohler, will teach a class to all who wish to join our communion bread baking team, now or some time in the future!. Come as you are, but if you can, please let Julie Ridl know if you plan to be there so that we can plan for enough supplies.

Altar Flower Sign-up Sheets

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Our new altar flower sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the Friendship Hall. If you can offer altar flowers for our upcoming services, please sign up, and if you are unfamiliar with the process, check in with Julie Ridl, your flower coach.

In Search Of: Art Guild Candidates

Our Art Guild, the team that sets the scenes for our liturgy, is looking for new members. If you have an inner interior designer, set designer, lighting designer, or artist, looking for a way to support our worship experience, here is your opportunity to share your talents on this team. Send an email to Julie, our church admin, to add your name to the candidates list!

Now Recruiting: DUCC Transition Team

Photo by Lili Popper on Unsplash

To facilitate the Interim Process, we are inviting members and friends of the congregation to be involved in a Transition Team who will guide us through each stage of the process.

There will be planning for and facilitating the various activities of each phase of the process, so one or two coordinators are needed (people with organizational skills, could be the same person for all the phases or a different person for each phase).

We will need people with a variety of gifts, interests, and skills, which are listed with the various phases in the document linked below.

Generally the characteristics of the people involved will be: concern with the best interest of the church, integrity, trustworthiness, creativity, people skills, and respect for the process.

Imagine the time commitment to be 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a planning session for each phase, and the time as necessary to implement or facilitate related activities (perhaps 5 hours per phase or per month).

Please volunteer yourself or suggest a person who you think would be appropriate for each phase. Email names and contact info to [email protected]

congregational_tasks_during_interim_period.pdf
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SJT Reads: The Afro-Christian Convention: Fifth Stream of the UCC, May 23, 7pm

The Social Justice Team invites you to read The Afro-Christian Convention: The Fifth Stream of the United Church of Christ, and then gather to discuss it on May 23 at 7 pm in the Friendship Hall. The holy stream of African spirituality that flowed across the Atlantic Ocean, up into the tidewaters of Virginia in 1619, the same stream that overflowed into the worship and work of the United Church of Christ, is celebrated by this volume, and given its long-overdue place in the canon of UCC history. The book was edited by Yvonne V. Delk and published by Pilgrim Press. If you don't have time to read the book, watch this video of Afro Christian Convention. It's a great synopsis of the book, and the broader archival project. The book is available through your favorite booksellers, and on your Kindle through Amazon. Or you can order it directly from the publisher, Pilgrim Press, who delivers more quickly than the average publisher!

Order Your Copy Here»»

SCA Volunteer Opportunities!

THE SCA is recruiting this year's class of volunteers! Join the SCA through our volunteer program and get your share of joy, great perks and the satisfaction of knowing you are bringing exciting, creative experiences to our community. With our busy season fast approaching, we are seeking additional volunteers to support the coming events at the SCA. Some of the events include Jump into Summer 6/7, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical 6/22-7/14, and Million Dollar Quartet 8/10-9/1 and we are seeking volunteers to support these types of events.

Getting involved as a volunteer is easy. Just go to our Saugatuck Center for the Arts website (sc4a.org). Using the drop down menu select "Get Involved," then select "volunteers" and select "apply to be a volunteer." Once your application has been finalized, you will be able to select dates and times you would be available to volunteer. Looking forward to seeing you at the SCA!

Qigong is Back! Tuesdays at 3pm, Beginning May 7

Photo by Sajad Nori on Unsplash

Our friend Kat VanHammen is returning to the Retreat House lawn, teaching Qigong Tuesdays at 3pm, beginning May 7 and running through September. Class is one hour long and is $10, but all are welcome to attend and pay as you are able if there are financial constraints. Kat will be out of town June 18th and 25th so there will be no class on those dates.

Qigong an ancient Chinese practice rooted in Chinese Medicine. It is much like Tai Chi and consists of gentle movement, visualization, mindfulness and breath work. In this class we will center and ground ourselves and cultivate strength, balance and deep awareness. Qi means Life Force Energy and Gong means to experience and learn. A simple but profound practice, Qigong helps to regulate the nervous system and leaves us relaxed yet energized and is accessible to everyone.

Kat VanHammen holds a masters degree in Expressive Arts Therapy, is an artist and a certified Yoga and Qigong Teacher. She has 40 years experience teaching and leading workshops and retreats for a wide range of people and places. Having integrated many BodyMind practices, Kat is skillful and creative in building experiences and spaces for groups and individuals that cultivate creativity, connection, and useful tools for wellbeing.

Soul Collage, May 11, 9:30am or 12:30pm

The next Soul Collage gatherings take place on Saturday, May 11 in the Friendship Hall. Our spiritual teacher and friend, Ruth Zwald, offers these popular workshops that provide another avenue for your soul to speak. You must pre-register for either the morning or afternoon workshop by following the instructions above. See you at Soul Collage!

Pete Wehle Sings Frank Sinatra: Woman's Club Fundraiser, May 17 & 18

Our own church member, Pete Wehle is offering his beloved concert of Frank Sinatra Songs to raise scholarship funds for deserving Saugatuck High School seniors. Food, Dancing and Sinatra! What fun! Tickets are $20 and available from Lynne Snyder, or by calling the number above.

Prayer Requests

Fred "Fritz" Royce and Sara Hurley; Sydney Williams (Kristine Sherman's Daughter); Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; Fred Hamlin; Debra Carr; Ann and Jim Hopkins; The Chappell-Wehle Family; Carol Brown and Dan McGavin; David Miedema, his parents and family; John Kerr; 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 (Debra Carr's Sister); 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)

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays: April 23-Michael Ritt, 24- Gregg Kurek, Ginny Mikita, 25- Lisa Titus

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.

Stewardship Drive

Stewardship Drive Giving Week ending April 14:

Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $133,603.60
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:

Make Your Stewardship Drive Pledge or Payment Here»»

Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, April 14: 82
Total Views for April 14 worship videos: 160

Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $12,858
Online Giving: $1,512.06
Total, General Support: $14,370.06

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.