In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:
This Week's Service, Pentecost Sunday:
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| order_of_service_may_19_2024.pdf |
Last Week's Service, Seventh Sunday of Easter: We Welcomed Rev. Lillian Daniel
In last Sunday's Scripture Reading, Paul describes the Body of Christ. In our church body, who are we to one another? How does our body function? How do we help our community function? Last Sunday, we welcomed our Michigan Conference Minister, Rev. Lillian Daniel, back to our pulpit. This great writer and homilist had some thoughts for us at this important time in our church history. Also great lessons from her mom about extravagant welcoming, and a duck. Or perhaps two.
THIS SUNDAY WEAR RED for our ANNUAL GROUP PHOTO!
This Sunday, as we celebrate Pentecost, we also celebrate our own community -- and the Spirit working in us -- by wearing some shade of red (Orange counts! Got pink?) for a group photo, taken right after service. Come with your red on, and come as you are. You are welcome here!
This Week's Special Collection:
Strengthen the Church
This week, we will be gathering gifts for our annual UCC donation entitled "Strengthen the Church." Monies collected on Sunday (or now if you like, just click above) will help our neighbor churches grow, new churches plant and strengthen their roots, and all thrive in their spiritual paths. Click above to make a donation online, or watch for the special envelopes available in service on Sunday.
Rev. Jody's Office Hours, Week of March 20
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Rev. Jody's uoffice hours at the Isabel Graham Center for this coming week are: Wednesday the 22nd 10am - 3pm Thursday the 23rd 12pm to 8pm. |
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May Cereal Drive
Thanks so much to all the donors who have already dropped boxes of cereal off at the church! Because hunger doesn't take a summer vacation, Christian Neighbors Food Pantry, along with the Allegan County Food Pantry Collaborative, is collecting cereal to distribute this summer to neighbors with children, to keep them nourished through the summer months. The Cereal Drive Ends May 31. You may leave cereal boxes at the Friendship Hall, or in collection boxes around town, or deliver them directly to Christian Neighbors' Food pantry, located at the Douglas Community Church on Wiley. Check out the Christian Neighbors website for more opportunities to take care of our neighbors in need. Or ask our church's Christian Neighbors liaisons, Wendy Hamlin and Rich Marth!
In Search of a New Coffee Hour Coordinator
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Church Member Joyce Wright, after a couple of years facilitating our after-church coffee hour, is stepping away from that role at the end of June. We are looking for someone to take on this work, facilitating the food donations and coffee brewing and tea offering. Joyce will gladly show you the ropes. Is that person you? Connect with Joyce! She'd love to tell you about it.
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 Julie@douglasucc.
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 Julie@douglasucc.
Saugatuck-Douglas Art Club Annual Show Finishes this Weekend
This is the art show we all wait for each year. This year's wonderful outpouring from our Art Coast artists (MANY of whom are church members), and a celebration of what gives this community its identity, and always has, and always will. Three more days! Go see! Buy art!
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.
17th Annual Benefit for Christian Neighbors, May 19
The 17th Annual Benefit Open House for Christian Neighbors is Sunday, May 19, from Noon to 4pm. Beverages, Hearty Hors d'oeuvres and desserts are provided. Join us with a $100 donation at 2232 Sheffield Lane, home of Arthur Frederick, host.
RSVP BY MAY 14TH in writing to: Box 400, Douglas 49406. Or call Arthur at 269-543-3080 Checks made payable to: Christian Neighbors May Benefit. Please carpool if possible, as parking is limited.
RSVP BY MAY 14TH in writing to: Box 400, Douglas 49406. Or call Arthur at 269-543-3080 Checks made payable to: Christian Neighbors May Benefit. Please carpool if possible, as parking is limited.
CJT May Meeting, May 20, 5:30pm, Retreat House
The Creation Justice Team meeting date is moved to avoid Memorial Day. The team will meet May 20 at 6pm at the Retreat House. The topic of discussion will center around the Campus Landscape Project. Anyone interested in that topic is invited to join us!
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!
SJT Presents: Karen Graves: The Fight Isn't Over, at the Library, May 31, 4:30pm
Our DUCC Social Justice Team, together with the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, presents the second part of the two-part program featuring historian and neighbor Karen L. Graves:
If you could join us for Part 1, reading Graves' book, that's just great, but it isn't a prerequisite for joining us for Part 2:
Part 2: Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, May 31, 4:30pm
"The Fight Isn't Over": How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles"
Education historian and Queer Studies author Karen Graves will highlight elements from the history of LGBTQ+ educators that put our current school battles in historical context.
On May 31st she will discuss how LGBTQ+ educators across the nation turned to the courts to protect their jobs, beginning in the late 1960s.
In both talks Graves will discuss why schools have been fierce battlegrounds in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights.
Karen Graves is Professor Emerita at Denison University. Her book, And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers, was awarded a 2010 Critics Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association. In 2013 Graves received the Education Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Illinois. In 2015 AERA recognized her with its Queer Studies Body of Work Award.
If you could join us for Part 1, reading Graves' book, that's just great, but it isn't a prerequisite for joining us for Part 2:
Part 2: Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, May 31, 4:30pm
"The Fight Isn't Over": How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles"
Education historian and Queer Studies author Karen Graves will highlight elements from the history of LGBTQ+ educators that put our current school battles in historical context.
On May 31st she will discuss how LGBTQ+ educators across the nation turned to the courts to protect their jobs, beginning in the late 1960s.
In both talks Graves will discuss why schools have been fierce battlegrounds in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights.
Karen Graves is Professor Emerita at Denison University. Her book, And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers, was awarded a 2010 Critics Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association. In 2013 Graves received the Education Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Illinois. In 2015 AERA recognized her with its Queer Studies Body of Work Award.
Spiritual Center Summer Programs -- the Menu
The Spiritual Center team has prepared an absolutely beautiful buffet of spiritual exploration classes and drop-in support offerings, designed for the way we Summer here at Douglas UCC. Open the whole gorgeous menu by clicking on it, below, to learn about dinners and caregiver support and reading and iconography and poetry and grief support, oh my! Deeper descriptions of classes will be found with their sign-up sheets, in the Friendship Hall. Use this menu below to plan your spirit-filled summer! Got questions? Check in with Spiritual Center Coordinator Kathleen Mueller!
| summer_at_the_spiritual_center.pdf |
Next Feast for the Soul, June 5
Photo by @felipepelaquim on Unsplash
"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
June 5 is our next Feast for the soul. The Pastoral Relations Committee and the Spiritual Retreat Center Committee would like to welcome our beloved Douglas UCC family, to join us for a "family dinner" 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 dinner ahead on the sign up sheet in the Friendship Hall. Attendance at each of the dinners will be kept to 25 people. These dinners will be run through August, on the first Wednesday of the month.
-Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table
June 5 is our next Feast for the soul. The Pastoral Relations Committee and the Spiritual Retreat Center Committee would like to welcome our beloved Douglas UCC family, to join us for a "family dinner" 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 dinner ahead on the sign up sheet in the Friendship Hall. Attendance at each of the dinners will be kept to 25 people. These dinners will be run through August, on the first Wednesday of the month.
Prayer Requests
Rich and Linda Marth and the Marth Family; 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; 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; Ruth Fahlstrom (daughter of Tom Fahlstrom); Nancy Grib (Friend of Pamela Chappell); Stuart Family; Charlene Burdick (Paul Burdick's Mother); 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)
Reports and Minutes
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
| approved_church_council_minutes_apr_2024.pdf |
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Birthdays: May 20- Nancy DeWitt, Mary Westenbroek, 21- Jeremy Lund, John Fleming,
22- Michael Tuleja, Mark Zancanaro
Anniversaries: May 19- Elizabeth & Joe Mannancheril, 21- Nancy & Scott DeWitt
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.
22- Michael Tuleja, Mark Zancanaro
Anniversaries: May 19- Elizabeth & Joe Mannancheril, 21- Nancy & Scott DeWitt
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 May 12:
Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $132,573.45
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:
Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $132,573.45
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, May 12: 82
Total Views for May 12 worship videos: 199
Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $2,947.00
Online Giving: $2,568.64
Total, General Support: $5,515.64
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.
Total Views for May 12 worship videos: 199
Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $2,947.00
Online Giving: $2,568.64
Total, General Support: $5,515.64
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.
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