Second Sunday after Epiphany

1/17/2025

Photo by Dan Plasman

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

This Week's Service: Second Sunday after Epiphany
Last Week's Service: Baptism Sunday
Welcome Home Reverends Jody and Dan!
Remembering Leith Letcher
King: A Life -- With Author Jonathan Eig, Jan 20, Noon
Helping Southern California/Nevada: The UCC's Global Hope Team
Peanut Butter Drive, January 24 through February
Caregivers and Grief Group
A Great Wild Mercy: Jack Ridl and Carrie Newcomer Collaborate Online Jan 23
Restorative Circle Facilitator Training: January 23-24
How to Know When We Cancel Services for Bad Weather
Lost? Found!
Prayer Requests
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Financial Stewardship

This Week's Service: Second Sunday after Epiphany

Photo by Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash

The Season of Epiphany continues on Sunday with the story of the wedding in Cana found in John 2. Jesus performs the first of many miracles. Not my favorite topic, yet worth exploration. Oddly, this is not an occasion of healing or snatching a victim from certain death. The wine runs out! (Gasp!) No doubt embarrassing for the host, but hardly life-threatening for tipsy party goers. There’s got to be something deeper going on here. I suggest this is a story about abundance and muchness — God’s and ours, and Martin Luther King’s too.

Please join us on Sunday at 10am in our Sanctuary, or online, live on our YouTube channel.
Message: Rev. Dan Plasman
Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, Lauri Donaldson
You will always find our latest church bulletin and service music at Bit.ly/DUCCBulletin

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Last Week's Service: Baptism Sunday

Last Sunday Rev. Keith Mannes returned to Douglas UCC, thinking about his good and faithful friend who is, nevertheless, a fussbudget for God, always nagging himself and others. Rev. Keith sees flickering reflections of himself in his friend. In our reading from Luke, Jesus is baptized. As Keith ponders Jesus, and the river we all drink from, he finds relief, and some peace for his fussbudget friend, too. Here's the whole service.

Here's the Homily

Welcome Home Pastors Jody and Dan !

What's better than one settled pastor? TWO settled pastors! They are on campus this week, in meetings, and prepping for service. If you'd like to make an appointment, simply email or call them. You'll find them both in the online church directory and church directory app, of course!

During the following hours at least one pastor will be in Douglas;
Week of Jan 20
Monday 11am to 4pm
Wednesday 10am to 3pm
Thursday 11am to 4pm
Friday 10am to 3pm

If you need to see a pastor, please text or call them directly about a time.
Dan - 616.828.2293 Jody 616.706.3549

Remembering Leith Letcher

We have only recently learned that our beloved friend and church member, Leith Letcher, passed away in May of 2024. Leith and his husband, Jim Shewell, were married here at Douglas UCC in 2017, and we remember them especially in the Spring, because each year they planted the zinnia bed at the entrance of the church, and we continue to do so to honor our loving memories of these wonderful men.

King: A Life -- With Author Jonathan Eig, Jan 20, Noon

On Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20 at Noon in the Isabel Graham Center, we will host Calvin University's January Series (free to attend and to watch online) as it kicks off with a talk from 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathon Eig, author of King: A Life. Church member Karen Clark is organizing a viewing of this talk at the Isabel Graham Center, 88 Spring Street in Douglas. The program will be broadcast from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Doors will be open at noon. Bring a friend! Let's learn more about this remarkable man's life, together.

Helping Southern California/Nevada: The UCC's Global Hope Team

The UCC’s Global Hope team is connecting with partners in SoCal and Nevada and around the country to coordinate support services and gather resources for victims of the SoCal fires and for the Altadena Community UCC church, which has been destroyed. We can support this team's work and specific requests for funds here.

You can write a check made out to the UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST.
Please note "Califorina Wildfires 2025" on the check
so that your donation reaches the right fund.

Mail it to:
United Church of Christ
PO Box 71957
Cleveland, OH 44194

Please be sure to note "California Wildfires 2025"
in the memo section of your check.

The UCC's EIN is: 34-1927041

Dontate to UCC Global Hope Fund to support SoCal

Peanut Butter Drive, January 24 through February

Photo by Maryam Sicard on Unsplash

Our annual peanut butter drive for Christian Neighbors begins next week, January 24, and runs through the end of February. Please bring jars of peanut butter to the Isabel Graham Center or drop them off at Christian Neighbors. If you don't have time to shop and drop, please consider making an online donation to Christian Neighbors, so they can stock peanut butter for our hungry neighbors.

Caregivers and Grief Group

Photo by Pablo Merchan on Unsplash

The CareGivers and Grief Support Groups have combined, (caregiving and grief go hand-in-hand, after all), meeting the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at the Retreat House at 11 AM. Rev. Marty is on a sabbatical, so our church member Wendy Hamlin will be coordinating the sessions in her absence.

A Great Wild Mercy: Jack Ridl and Carrie Newcomer Collaborate Online

Internationally beloved Singer/Songwriter/poet/activist Carrie Newcomer will join Jack Ridl for a conversation between song and poem on Thursday January 23 at 7pm on Zoom. Their event, A Great Wild Mercy, (the title of Newcomer’s latest album) will be presented on Zoom as part of the monthly poetry-and-music Vespers program Hosted by the UU Church of Detroit.

The link for the program will be sent automatically to the Detroit UU Vespers, Carrie Newcomer, and Jack Ridl email lists. If you are not on any of those lists or unsure, contact Jack through his website, ridl.com, and he will make sure you receive the link either early in January or on the day before the performance.There are only 100 available audience spots, so attendance will have to be first come/first served. (However, the program will be recorded and released on YouTube later this month.)

Here’s guaranteeing you an inspiring way to give the new year a second kick start. And your heart is certain to be warmed, comforted. uplifted. Newcomer’s many albums are available through your favorite music shops and she co-hosts a thoughtful, meditative podcast with Parker Palmer, The Growing Edge. Jack’s latest collection of poetry, ALL AT ONCE is available wherever books are sold, and directly from the publisher, CavanKerry Press, right here.

Jan 23 Restorative Circle Facilitator Training: January 23-24

January 23-24 from 9am-4pm at Lavender House in Holland, MI.

We are living in a fractured society where conflict and division is tearing at the social fabric. This two-day training is for anyone who is eager to actively build strong communities, families, work environments and faith communities. You will learn how to communicate and collaborate during times of conflict or even just around different points of view. You will develop skills that can be put to practice immediately in informal ways and will also learn how to facilitate a formal restorative circle as well. Registration is limited to 12 so be sure to register early. You can register with this

Registration Link: tinyurl.com/RCTrainingJan2025 or for more information about restorative circles go to HollandRestorativeCircles.org.

How to Know When We Cancel Services for Bad Weather

Art by Douglas UCC

With the news full of the coming Arctic Blast, it's time for our annual reminder that if we find it necessary to cancel services, we will announce our cancellations on both the WoodTV8 and WZZM cancellation notice pages. We will also post it in the latest e-pistle page on our website, and will send an email out to everyone who has subscribed to receive our newsletters and emails. If you haven't subscribed to receive our news, you can do that at the e-pistle page of our website here.

Lost? Found!

Did you lose a sparkly earring in service recently? If so, Julie has it safe in the office. Write to her to set up a time to retreive it!

Prayer Requests

Jim Solazzo (Anne Hotwagner's uncle); Virginia Stuart; The VanPortFleet Family; Family of Nancy Grib; Paul and Carrie (Julie Ridl's brother-in-law and sister); Bev Hawkes; Dan McGavin and Family of Carol Brown; Barbara Lindsay (Lewis Corbin’s Bridge Partner); Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; Karen Clement (Friend of Debra Carr's); Ann and Jim Hopkins; Janice Campbell children & grandchildren (Pete Wehle's friends); James Higgins (Friend of Shane Anderson and Michael Tuleja), Joe Scarpone (Friend of Tom Fahlstrom); Fred Hamlin; John Kerr; Ruth Fahlstrom (daughter of Tom Fahlstrom); Stuart Family; Mary Westenbroek; Jerry Elpers and family (Beth Howley's Dad); Edie Plantinga (Nancy’s Mom); Max Matteson; Eric Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother)

Birthdays & Anniversaries

BIRTHDAYS
January 23: Greg Sherman, Rose Marie Stevenson
January 25: Patrice Greene

ANNIVERSARIES
January 21: Bob & Louise Kenny

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.

Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, January 12: 58
Total Views for January 12 worship videos: 166

Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $1,320.00
Online Giving: $3,176.96
Total, General Support: $4,496.96
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.