We're having so much fun at Sunday Coffee Hour, outside between the two services!
We have been sharing the abundance from our gardens at our "Gardening is Giving" table.

Last Thursday was the final Douglas Social of the summer. Our Douglas UCC Food Booth was a big hit all summer. We took in a total of $1,672 in donations at the socials this season. Thank you to all who came out in support, and thank you to our Food Booth Team: Gregg Smith, Larry LaBine, Greg Harvath, Gemina Petruzzelli, Ed Korson, Peter & Kathleen Mueller, Annie Hotwagner & Marty Coffin. 

Click below for the latest editions of our Church Council Minutes and Pastor's Report:

Thank you to Nancy Plantinga and the Huggett Sisters (Hannah, Hailey, and Molly) for the wonderful Offertory song last Sunday. You can watch it at the link below:

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We are excited to announce that PETER BLACK is the new Director of Music at Douglas UCC!

Peter has been the pianist at our church since 2004, and his performances each week are often the highlight of our Sunday worship. 

We are so grateful to Peter for his willingness to step into this new role. 

Members of our Douglas UCC family joined Peter behind the piano at his other Sunday gig at Marro's in Saugatuck. Great to begin and end your Sunday with the music of Peter Black!

Thank you to all who attended last week's Movie Night for a screening of the documentary, "Traces of the Trade," facilitated by our church's Social Justice Team. More than 25 people took part, and a lively discussion followed. 

 Great to welcome Gloria Larrieu to our rotation of special musicians. Her stirring rendition
​last Sunday of "People Get Ready" already has more than 100 views on our YouTube channel.

Congratulations to our Douglas UCC church member, Jack Ridl, who was officially proclaimed the very first "Poet Laureate" of the City of the Village of Douglas this past week. More than 20 Douglas UCC church members were on hand for the proclamation at City Hall. 

Last Sunday was an emotional (and tear-filled) one at Douglas UCC, as we said, "Farewell" to our Director of Music, Jeff Spangler, who is moving full-time to Palm Springs, California. Jeff served as our Director of Music for 13 years, and we are so very grateful for his service and ministry to our church. He will be greatly missed.

TONIGHT: Our Social Justice Team is hosting a screening of the PBS Documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, tonight, August 16, in the Friendship Hall at 6:30 p.m. This documentary was shown on PBS several years ago, and it is still very relevant to help understand White Privilege in this country and around the world. This is a free event. Bring a friend or two. All are welcome.​

TONIGHT: Friday, August 16
At tonight's PFLAG meeting, we will view and discuss My Life in Pink, a film about a 7-year-old boy who believes he is really a girl. A winner of the Golden Globe's Best Foreign Language Film award, this 90-minute film in French with English subtitles was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.  We will begin with a business meeting and support at 7 PM, then have a time for refreshments at 7:50 PM, followed by the film.  At 6 PM, Gender SAFE (Supporting All For Equality) will be meeting. Gender SAFE 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. We hope you will join us!  Both PFLAG and Gender SAFE meet on the ground floor of Grace Episcopal Church, 555 Michigan Avenue, across the street from Holland Hospital. (Gender SAFE also meets the first Saturday of every month 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Out On The Lakeshore, 451 Columbia Ave., Holland).

The last Douglas Social of the season will be Thursday, August 22, from 5:30 to 9 PM at Beery Field in Downtown Douglas. Please stop by our church's Food Booth and show your support for our community.

In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says, "It is God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom."  Jesus spoke often of the "Kingdom of Heaven."  He said we've been given the keys to this Kingdom. So, what exactly is the Kingdom, and how does one find it?  Come join us this Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM as we explore "The Keys to the Kingdom" together.  Special music by Jeff Spangler and Friends in celebration of Jeff's final Sunday with us.

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​A CELEBRATION OF JEFF

Please join us in the front of the church this Sunday at 10:30 AM, as we celebrate our Director of Music, Jeff Spangler, on his final Sunday with us before moving full-time to Palm Springs.  There will be cake and gifts.  Be sure to sign the "big card" for Jeff, too.

Watch as our UCC President, Rev. John Dorhauer, reflects on the recent mass shootings
and what we, as people of faith, must do to create a just world for all.

Wow! Over 150 people attended our 4th Annual Douglas UCC Church Picnic this past week at Beery Field in Douglas. Thank you to photographer, Mark Reiman, for capturing these wonderful photos (more to be found on our church's Facebook page). Thank you to all who helped with planning, shopping, set-up, grilling, serving, recycling, flowers, games, photos, and clean-up: Floyd Fleming, Annie Hotwagner & Marty Coffin, Debra Carr, Karen Clark, Nancy Plantinga, Kathleen & Peter Mueller, Fritz Royce & Sarah Hurley, Sarah Swift, Greg Harvath & Greg Gerrans, Wendy Hamlin, Beverly & Orie Hawkes, Hannah, Molly and Kelly Huggett, Larry LaBine, David Geen, Jane Brodt, Mark Reiman, Stan Greene, Stacy Honson & Dick Bont, Chris Maitner, Bud Baty, Mike VerMerris, and Lynne Snyder. And, an extra-special thank you to Gemina Petruzzelli for coordinating the entire event. We are so grateful for all her hard work.

The Douglas UCC Social Justice Team will be hosting a screening of the PBS Documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, on Friday evening, August 16, in the Friendship Hall at 6:30 p.m. This documentary was shown on PBS several years ago, and it is still very relevant to help understand White Privilege in this country and around the world.  Please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall if you plan on attending. Thank you. ​

As you can see from the video above, we are having so much fun this summer at Coffee Hour outside between the two services. Be sure to stop by our Creation Justice Team's "Gardening is Giving" table where we're sharing the abundance from our gardens.

​Our Director of Music, Jeff Spangler, has sold his home in Saugatuck and will be moving full-time to Palm Springs, California.  Jeff has served our church for 13 years, so he will certainly be missed by all of us at Douglas UCC.

Jeff's final Sunday with us will be August 11.  We will be honoring Jeff during our worship services that Sunday, as well as celebrating him with a cake and gifts during Coffee Hour between the two services.

The Douglas UCC Social Justice Team will be hosting a screening of the PBS Documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, on Friday evening August 16th in the Friendship Hall at 6:30 p.m. This documentary was shown on PBS several years ago, and it is still very relevant to help understand White Privilege in this country and around the world.  Please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall if you plan on attending. Thank you. 

Our very own Pastor Sal will be a guest this Saturday, August 3, on the "Morning Grind" Radio Show. He will be talking about all the wonderful things happening at Douglas UCC this summer. Tune in to 92.7 FM, "The Van," at 8:30 a.m.

July 28:  Attendance: 169 (9 AM: 95 + 11 AM: 74)     
​Collection: $2,903       Online: $1,227.66       ​Total: $4,130.66
     Thank you for your generous giving 
which allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service.
​You can also give securely online by clicking ONLINE GIVING

This Sunday at both services, we are delighted to welcome back guest singer, Lara Allison, who will be performing two songs for us.  Lara, 18, is a recent graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy. She has appeared in productions such as Sweeney Todd, My Fair Lady, and Legally Blonde, and she worked on Memphis, the Musical at Saugatuck Center for the Arts. 

Last Sunday during Coffee Hour, we celebrated the 100th Birthday of Pauline Zancanaro.

Our Douglas UCC family had a great time at last night's Douglas Summer Social, where we debuted our brand-new Douglas UCC tent! Thank you to all who came to join in the fun, and thank you to all who worked our church's food booth: Gemina Petruzzelli, Ed Korson, Peter and Kathleen Mueller, Annie Hotwagner, Gregg Smith, Larry LaBine, Alan Weathers, Greg Harvath. We took in $544 in donations.

​Our Annual Church Picnic is Wednesday, August 7, from 6 to 8 PM at Beery Field in Douglas. We need to know how many of you plan to attend, as we need to know how much food and drink to buy. 
​
Please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall on Sunday if you plan to attend the picnic.

Each Sunday this summer, we invite you to share of the abundance from your garden. Please bring in vegetables and flowers from your garden and place them on the "Gardening Is Giving" table outside the church on Sunday for others to take home and enjoy. Thank you to our church's Creation Justice Team for facilitating. ​

Thank you to all the Douglas UCC'ers who took part in last week's Lights for Liberty marches in Holland and South Haven to protest the inhumane treatment of migrants and children at U.S. detention centers: Alan Weathers, Mike Valdez, Debra Carr, Fred Hamlin, Wendy Hamlin, Karen Clark, Mike White, Elinor White, Ruth VandenBosch, Rose Marie Stevenson, Linda Koch, Gail Babel, Hannah Huggett, Hailey Huggett, Pam Chappell, Pete Wehle, Dan Pierce. Thank you to our Social Justice Team for facilitating.

Thank you to all who helped clean-up the highway this past week: Mark Zancanaro, Eric Lejeune, Mike White, Linda Charvat, Betsy York, Wendy Hamlin, Mike Valdez, Fritz Royce, Doug Sipsma, Kathy Klage, Garnet Lewis & Vicky Cobb, Larry Gammons. And, thank you to Fred Hamlin for passing out water for our volunteers. We are grateful to our Creation Justice Team for facilitating.

Congratulations to our Douglas UCC church members, Foye McDonald & Ian Mills, who got married in the church last weekend. 

Our Annual Church Picnic is Wednesday, August 7, from 6 to 8 PM at Beery Field in Douglas. 

We need to know how many of you plan to attend, as we need to know how much food and drink to buy. 

Please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall on Sunday if you plan to attend the picnic.

Click the links below for the latest copies of our Church Council Minutes and Pastor's Report:

​In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Good Samaritan where several religious leaders pass by a dying man on the street without helping him. It takes a Samaritan to assist the dying man. Who were the Samaritans, and why were they so looked down upon by the religious leaders of Jesus's day? What does this parable mean for us today? Come join us this Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM as we explore together the question: "Who is my neighbor?" Special Music: Elizabeth Estes singing "You'll Never Walk Alone."  Coffee Hour outside between the two services.

Lots of fun at Coffee Hour outside between the two services. #WeAreFamily

Each Sunday this summer, we invite you to share of the abundance from your garden. Please bring in vegetables and flowers from your garden and place them on the "Gardening Is Giving" table outside the church on Sunday for others to take home and enjoy. Thank you to our church's Creation Justice Team for facilitating. 

​A "Celebration of Life" for George Brown will be held at the church on Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m.. All are welcome. A reception will follow at Clearbrook in Saugatuck.

​Our Annual Church Picnic will be on Wednesday, August 7, at 6 PM at Beery Field in Douglas.

We are seeking volunteers to help with shopping, set-up, grilling, games, clean-up, etc.

If you can help, please sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall on Sunday. Thank you!

Join Emmy-winner, Patrick Ziegler, for a fun-filled, creative workshop of play and improv games combined with the amazing work of THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle. Whether you've acted in shows on Broadway or never stepped foot on a stage, this class is safe, fun, and will get you out of your box and into a greater experience of creative living! Patrick was trained at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NYC, as well as the Groundlings Improv in Los Angeles. He is a two-time Emmy winning producer/director/writer, and an exceptional teacher of improv, The Artist's Way, and creative writing.  So get out of your head, get in the NOW, and, most of all, have FUN!!!  July 18th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Douglas UCC. Cost is $30.  Register at https://www.pwzclasses.com/improv-workshop/  Limited to 10 people. Don’t wait! Sign up NOW!  For more info, email Patrick at pwz@patrickziegler.com

​TONIGHT! 
Tonight, Friday, July 12, "Lights for Liberty" marches will be held all over the country to protest the inhumane conditions faced by migrants and children in detention centers.

A local march will be held in Holland at Centennial Park tonight at 6 p.m. Please make a sign and join us there.

July 7:  Attendance: 152 (9 AM: 98 + 11 AM: 54)      Collection: $1,329       Online: $1,889.91       ​Total: $3,218.91
     Thank you for your generous giving 
which allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service.
​You can also give securely online by clicking ONLINE GIVING

Last Sunday, we welcomed 20 new members to our church!!  Welcome to Ian Mills & Foye McDonald; Ed Korson; Roye McDonald; Jeremy Lund & Mark Johnston; Dick & Linda Rieske; Maryjo Lemanski; Rose Marie Stevenson; Linda Koch; Gloria Larrieu; Patricia Denner; Emil Pulick; Mary Alice Townsend; Gloria Becksford & Katie Nucci; Brenda Marcy; Howard Roche & Russ Lamesfield. 

Our Douglas UCC Food Booth was a big hit at last week's first Douglas Summer Social of the season. Thank you to all who came by to show your support.  We made $547 in donations. Thank you to all who helped with shopping, set-up, clean-up, grilling and selling: Annie Hotwagner and Marty Coffin; Gemina Petruzzelli; Larry LaBine; Peter and Kathleen Mueller; Gregg Smith. The next Social is on Thursday, July 25, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Beery Field.

Douglas UCC’s Creation Justice Team invites any of our neighbors who would like to help clean up the stretch of US-196 that hugs our cities and township to join us in our Adopt-A-Highway project to clear the trash along the highway. We have scheduled two cleanups this month: Saturday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to noon and Tuesday, July 16 from 4 to 7 p.m.. 
If you can help, please click the dates above or sign the sheet in the Friendship Hall.

Reception for Jeff:

Our Director of Music, Jeff Spangler, is retiring from the Saugatuck City Council after 22 years of service. A reception will be held for Jeff on Monday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Coral Gables Annex in Downtown Saugatuck. The public is invited. Cake and light refreshments will be served.

On Friday, July 12, "Lights for Liberty" marches will be held all over the country to protest the inhumane conditions faced by migrants and children in detention centers.

A local march will be held in Holland at Centennial Park that day at 6 p.m.
Make a sign and join us.

​

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 peacejiva17s@gmail.com.

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.