Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

7/19/2024

Photo by Daniel Sinoca on Unsplash

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

This Week's Service: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Water is Life
Last Week's Service: Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: Two Dances
Rev. Jody's Office Hours for the Week of July 22
In Search of A Church Bookkeeper: Is it You?
Name Tags Please
Call for Altar Flowers
Come Meet the Creation Justice Team, June 22
Now at Beery Field: Help Us Make our First Ever Douglas UCC "Block" Party a HUGE Success
Show Your DUCC Pride at the Picnic: Order Your Church-T Now!
Tickets are On Sale: West Shore Aware Funder Derby Downs, August 17
New Members Class, August 18
Prayer Requests
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Grant Proposals, Stewardship Drive & Financial Stewardship

Water is Life

Photo by Dan Plasman

How much of your body is made of water? How many people don't have clean water to drink? How much of the planet is water? How many times does the Bible talk about water? How do we keep water at the forefront of our concern for ourselves, our neighbors, our planet? What are the ways you remember water? Join us for Water Sunday, sponsored by the Creation Justice Team. Texts: Genesis 2, Revelation 22 and Mark 6

Message: Rev. Jody Betten, Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, and Lauri Donaldson
Join us at church at 10 am., or on our YouTube channel, live right here.
Download our order of service to follow along online below:

order_of_service_july_21_2024__1_.pdf
File Size:	1902 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Last Week's Service: Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: Two Dances

How do you demonstrate joy? Do you tap your toes in public? Do you dance around the house? Do you have two left feet? Can you twirl like a ballerina? How do you celebrate the things that for you are lifegiving? Dancing is one way, not just a performance, but a way to move our bodies with joyfulness. Two stories this week, two dancers, lots of intrigue and emotion. Please enjoy last week's service, when we thought about dancing, in particular; and other themes, in these stories of King David and Herodias' daughter.

Message: Rev. Jody Betten, Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, Lauri Donaldson
Join us Sunday at 10am in church, or on our YouTube channel live, or recorded here.

Here's the Homily»»

Rev. Jody's Office Hours for the Week of July 22

Jody will be on vacation
from July 22 - July 30.
If you have a pastoral emergency,
please call the office. One of our pastor-members will be available for support.

In Search of A Church Bookkeeper: Is it You?

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Are you interested in helping out your Church? Are you good with detail and finances? Douglas UCC is looking for a volunteer with skills and interest in bookkeeping, including payables, record-keeping in Quick Books and some other related tasks. Work from home on your time, average 5 hours per week. Training is available. If you are interested, please contact Rev. Jody.

Name Tags Please

Photo by Artem Bryzgalov on Unsplash

With so many new people joining us in service these days, here is your gentle reminder to help them out and help them connect by wearing your name tag during service. If you need a name tag, you can sign up for one on the little pad near the tag storage table in the Friendship Hall.

Call for Altar Flowers

Photo by 五玄土 ORIENTO on Unsplash

The new altar flower schedule-and-signup sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the Friendship Hall. If you can provide flowers for our altar, please sign up there.

Come Meet the Creation Justice Team, June 22

The Douglas UCC Creation Justice (Environmental Justice) Team would like to invite anyone interested in environmental protection and greener practices to join our next team meeting. You don't need to be a church member to participate and help us come up with ways to inspire our communities toward greater protection of our planet home.

Monthly meetings are on the 4th Monday of the month.

Our our next meeting is Monday, July 22 @ 5:30.

Also, the CJT has a small collection of books on Creation Justice on the book shelf at the back wall in the friendship hall. Feel free to borrow a book or add to our collection.

Now at Beery Field: Help Us Make our First Ever Douglas UCC "Block" Party a HUGE Success

On Sunday, Aug 4th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. we will be hosting our first Community Block Party. Spring Street in front of the church will be closed for a big, fun, summer party filled with food and games.

OUR MISSION We want to let our entire community know just how thankful we are for them!

HOW WILL WE DO IT? We will have free food (burgers, hot dogs, and other goodies), together with a Bouncy House, 18 Foot Slide, Dunk Tank, Games, Competitions, Face Painting, and much more.

ENJOY THE LIVE BAND"Random Play" featuring our own Lauri Donaldson.

ITEMS NEEDED (contact Julie in the church office if you can help with these items)

Trailer or Flatbed - We are looking for a trailer or flatbed that could be parked at the church on which the band could set up and play.
Yard Games - Any yard games you can loan us just for the event?
Baked Goods/Treats - we will have multiple prize giveaways for various games and would like donated treats to share with the winners.
Gift Cards to Local Establishments - again for our game winners, we would love to give away some local swag and gifts

READY TO VOLUNTEER? - Sign up sheet will be available this Sunday in the Friendship Hall or you can also reach out to Julie in the church office. Opportunities for cooks (grilling burgers and dogs), food servers, gameshow hosts, face-painters, dunk-tank volunteers (yes to go IN the dunk tank) and much more - see sign up sheets!

Show Your DUCC Pride at the Picnic:
Order Your Church-T Now!

The shirts will have our colorful church logo across the front, and the words “A Just World for All” on the back. The cost is $20 (due at pickup). They will be ready on or before August 2nd (in time for our Block Party).

We have Female and Male sizes S/M/L/XL/XXL. Orders can be placed by emailing Julie or on the order form available in the Friendship Hall.

ORDERS due by Monday July 22nd.

Good Grief, August 6,

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Good Grief
Tuesday, August 6 from 7 to 8:30pm
Facilitated by Rev. Marchiene Rienstra

Who of us has not grieved often, in many ways, for many reasons, through many times in our lives? Often grief gets ignored, stuffed, avoided, because it is painful. And who likes pain? But grief -- not acknowledged and processed -- can cause significant injury in our lives.

In this session on grief, we will explore our experiences of grief and how grief can become a source of good. The little classic book by Granger Westberg titled Good Grief will be a resource for our consideration. You are invited to read the book, but come to our session whether or not you have read it. We have much to learn from each other about grieving, and we are all experts on the subject in some way!

Tickets are On Sale: West Shore Aware Funder Derby Downs, August 17

Get Your Tickets Here»»

New Members Class, August 18

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

We'll be holding a New Members class on August 18, after church at the Isablel Graham Center. If you're membership-curious, or have been a member, but want a refresher, or not at all sure if you'd like to be a member, but want more information before you decide -- all are welcome. Come learn about the church, its history, its approach. And lunch will be served! Register by signing up in the Friendship Hall, or drop Julie Ridl a note!

Prayer Requests

Karen Clement (Friend of Debra Carr's); Ann and Jim Hopkins; Sally LaRowe (Linda Charvat's friend); Janice Campbell children & grandchildren (Pete Wehle's friends); Tim Mikita (Ginny Mikita's Father); James Higgins (Friend of Shane Anderson and Michael Tuleja), Joe Scarpone (Friend of Tom Fahlstrom); Fred "Fritz" Royce and Sara Hurley; Sydney Williams and Baby (Kristine Sherman's Daughter); Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; Fred Hamlin; The Chappell-Wehle Family; Carol Brown and Dan McGavin; John Kerr; Dave and Shirley Lawson; Ruth Fahlstrom (daughter of Tom Fahlstrom); Nancy Grib (Friend of Pamela Chappell); Stuart Family; 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)

Prayers for 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; for our Pastoral Search Team, our Church Transition Team, our church committees; our communities, our schools, our nation and our planet

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays: July 21- Carol Cunningham, Barbara Muller, Lee Sorg 22- Larry Fuerst,
24- Elizabeth Estes, Mike Mok, Scott DeWitt, 25- Kelly Wright, 27- Norm Capello
Anniversaries: July 24- Elaine & Alton Overweg

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.

Grant Proposals

hoto by Michele Henderson on UnSplash.

Organizations that wish to apply to Douglas UCC for funding consideration can download and fill out this Grant Request form, below, and mail it to: DUCC Grant Proposal Team, PO Box 519, Douglas, MI 49406.

2022_grant_application_form.pdf
File Size:	79 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Stewardship Drive

Stewardship Drive Giving Week ending July 14:
Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $141,445.55
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:

Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, July 14: 108
Total Views for July 14 worship videos: 152

Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $2,419.00
Online Giving: $1,961.23
Total, General Support: $4,380.23

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.