 Photo by krakenimages on Unsplash In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:
This Week's Service: Second Sunday in Lent Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash Scandals sell newspapers and daily feed the insatiable appetite of social media. Juicy stories are hard to resist. When public figures get caught in places they shouldn’t be, our curiosity is aroused. Jesus suffered a similar fate. He couldn’t resist welcoming and befriending people of dubious character, people whom others would cross the street to avoid. What can we learn from the woman who crashed an otherwise respectable dinner party in order to anoint Jesus’ feet? 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 
Last Week's Service: First Sunday in Lent So, how do we understand the story of the temptations of Jesus? If you have spent any time doing a good thing but found no joy in it, you know this temptation. There are many things we are tempted to do, and some of them, if we do them, result in a harmless use of time. But some of these supposedly good things we are tempted to do can actually undermine our life's calling. Catch up with Last Sunday's Service here. Or catch Jody's homily at the link below, or through the Douglas UCC podcast. Jody and Dan's Office Hours
Security Check, Please? Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash Last Sunday, the front door of the church was left unlocked after it had been closed and locked by staff. If you need to leave the church after the front door has been locked, please exit through the Friendship Hall door. After you leave, simply push the 'LOCK' button to secure the door. Wisdom for Wild Days: Join the UCC Movement A 40-Day Lent Journey of Grounding, Guidance, and Discernment “Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.” – John Lewis Just one look at the news or social media reveals just how wild the days are that we are living in. So many pressing concerns and injustices demand our attention and response. At the same time, our heads swirl with distractions meant to sow chaos and disorientation. In this wilderness, we may find ourselves tempted to retreat into our privilege if we can, or to cling to whatever semblance of power we have to protect ourselves, whatever the cost may be to others. Or we may feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what we are facing. Whatever the particular shape of our wilderness, we may find ourselves wondering where to turn for guidance and grounding. How can we resist the distractions of the chaos machine and discern our calling in these wild days? At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus found himself living in some pretty wild days too. Journeying with outsiders, the marginalized, and those deemed criminals, facing the oppression and violence of Roman occupation, Jesus encountered chaos meant to distract him from his calling. Like us, he faced the temptations of materialism and resource hoarding, of the safety and comfort provided by privilege, and of the unbridled power to steal, own, and occupy. To discern his calling during his own wild days, Jesus turned to the wisdom of his ancestors for guidance and clarity. Reaching back to those who had first made the journey from exile and slavery toward freedom and learning from what kept them grounded and connected to each other and the Holy, Jesus was empowered to gather folks around him and join the movement his ancestors began, a movement of revolutionary love and world-changing justice. So this Lent, Join the Movement toward Racial Justice invites you to find grounding and guidance by reaching back, as Jesus did, to the wisdom and experience of our freedom-making ancestors. Each week of Lent, we will gather wisdom from a different movement toward justice as our guides. As you make your way through these wild(erness) days this Lent, we offer daily nuggets of movement wisdom and weekly reflection questions and practices to help you stay grounded in your faith, nourished by the Spirit, and discerning how you are being called to respond during these wild days. Join us on this Jesus-journey, building on the revolutionary work of our movement ancestors to cultivate intersectional solidarity with healing and repair at the center, as we align with the movement of the Spirit toward justice.
Easter Choir Rehearsals Have Begun! Photo by Michael Maasen on Unsplash 🎶 Sing with the Easter Choir! Come be part of something joyful! 🌷 ✨ Our Easter Choir has begun rehearsals, and we’re off to a wonderful start! The music is coming together beautifully, the energy is uplifting, and best of all, there’s still time to join us. We’ll lift our voices in celebration at the Easter morning service on April 20, and YOU are invited to be part of it. No matter your experience, every voice matters—together, we create something beautiful! We’re thrilled to once again have Stan Greene directing. If you’ve sung with Stan before, you know how inspiring and engaging he is to work with. If you haven’t—this is your chance! His passion and talent make every rehearsal something to look forward to. This year, we’re learning a brand-new, uplifting song to make our Easter celebration even more special. It’s a wonderful opportunity to sing something fresh and meaningful together! Rehearsals are underway, meeting Sundays at 11:30 AM throughout Lent. While we’d love for you to make them all, you don’t have to attend every single one to sing on Easter—come when you can! Have questions? Ask Peter Black, or simply come to a rehearsal and see what it’s all about! Join us and let your voice be part of the celebration! 🎶✨ Lenten Soup Suppers, Thursday Nights Photo by Aneta Pawlik on Unsplash Lent is traditionally a time of introspection and reflection. Sometimes that work is done well with others with whom to share the journey and insights. This year, beginning March 6, we are offering a Soup Supper on Thursday nights after the Contemplative Service (which occurs from 5:00-6:00pm in the Sanctuary). Depending on the number of people who sign up, we will gather in the Retreat House (or the Isabel Graham Center) for a cup of soup and a quiet conversation. We will use the UCC Devotional, Into the Deep (available in the Isabel Graham Center for $5 or at this link for possible topics. Please let us know that you are available by signing up in the IGC or emailing Louise Kenny ([email protected]). If you would like to donate soup, you can contact Louise, as well. Please join us for one week or all of them through Maundy Thursday, April 17. Easter Lily Orders Due April 1 On Easter Sunday, it's our tradition at Douglas UCC to fill our chancel with Easter Lilies, offered in memory of our friends and loved ones. Can you help us accomplish this? You can order lilies (and tell us who they are in memory of) for $15 apiece either online (click that button below), or by using the lily envelopes in the church pews. After the Easter service, you can take your lilies home with you if you wish! Please help the Worship Team in their planning by having your orders in by April 1. Call to Courage, (Next Steps) Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash Call to Courage - Thanks to all who attended the viewing of the Brene Brown documentary Call to Courage! Our goal is to grow in our resilience, and our ability to show up courageously. Next steps will be created from the survey handed out at the event. If you couldn't be there, but would like to participate, please view the documentary (Call to Courage, Netflix) and email Jeremy Lund (jeremyalanlund@gmail) for a digital copy of the survey. This is your invitation to be courageous! A Listening Ear: Empathy, Confidentiality -- If You Need to Talk Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Everyone goes through rough patches in life. Sometimes stress can feel overwhelming. Thinking that may hold true for members of our congregation, an idea has come out of the DUCC Carers Group to offer the services of church members who have been trained in listening, empathy and confidentiality. Starting in March, Doug Sipsma and Pat Denner have volunteered to be available at the Retreat House on Thursday afternoons from 1:00-3:00. We're calling this service "Listening Ear", but all are welcome whether that is your need, or you want to check out some of the resources in the Library, or you'd just like to share a cup of tea. We're initiating this program on a drop-in basis to start and will evaluate the program after 3 months to see if our church family finds this useful. Inquirers Class, Lunch and Learn, March 16 Photo by Alex Shuper on Unsplash If you are considering becoming a member of Douglas United Church of Christ and want to know more about that process, we are offering an Inquirers Class on Sunday March 16, after the Sunday service. A light lunch will be served. Join us to learn more about DUCC, the United Church of Christ, Progressive Christianity and how to become a member. There will also be time to ask questions. Please let us know of your interest by signing up in the Isabel Graham Center, or emailing Jody, Dan, or Julie. Looking forward to seeing you there! Spring Equinox Celebration with Rev. Ruth Zwald, March 20 As March begins, our thoughts turn to spring. This year, the spring equinox arrives on Thursday, March 20. You are invited to join a circle of seekers to celebrate the seasons turning together. The equinox is the day of balance between light and dark, and the ritual prepares us to move into the season of light and growth. Spring is the season of new beginnings - and the ritual allows us to take a moment to breathe and reflect. The attached flyer offers more details, as well as things you would need to bring. The ritual is hosted at our farm just south of Saugatuck. To attend, please RSVP by writing to Rev. Ruth Zwald Senior Luncheon, March 20 Photo by Paulette Wooten on Unsplash The Senior Luncheons start back up for the 2025 year on March 20: Luncheon for Area Senior Citizens Thursday, March 20 12 Noon St. Peter's Hall, Douglas Cost: $6 per person Corned Beef & Cabbage, Assorted Appetizers, Delicious Side Dishes, and Homemade Desserts. Thanks to Barb Borst, Bert Kupres & All Volunteer Staff for providing these senior luncheons! A popular Irish blessing states: "May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields." Want to know more about this program? Contact Theresa Wiley, Volunteer Christian Neighbors Senior Program Coordinator, 616-638-6835 (cell/text). CJT Book Read, Nature's Best Hope, March 25 This engaging book advocates for a paradigm shift in conservation. It is a call to action, urging readers to transform their grass yards into vital habitats filled with native plants. The author, Professor Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware is an entomologist and ecologist. The book gets great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads! You can borrow the book from the library, access the ebook or audiobook for free through Hoopla, purchase a copy online for $16.59 on Amazon, or buy one in person for $24 at Readers World (mention the Saugatuck discussion). The event takes place at Saugatuck-Douglas District Library on March 25, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, and it is co-sponsored by the Creation Justice Team Our Common Ground, March 30 Our Creation Justice Team is supporting and encourages you to join Holland UCC for an engaging and inspiring conversation on caring for our planet! The Justice Action Team at Holland UCC, in collaboration with community partners, invites you to "Our Common Ground: An Earth Care Conversation," a thought-provoking panel discussion on Sunday, March 30, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM at the Midtown Center. Our panelists—Debra Reinstra, Emily Ulmer, and Steve Bouma-Prediger—will share insights on the climate crisis, practical steps for meaningful change, and ways to foster hope in the face of environmental challenges. Moderated by John Puttrich of 8th Day Farms, this discussion will inspire both individual and collective action toward a more sustainable future. Come be part of the conversation and discover how we can make a difference together! Thank you to our co-sponsors: Still Processing, St. John's Episcopal, Grace Episcopal, Hope Church, Hudsonville UCC, Douglas UCC, Maple Avenue Ministries, the Hope Green Team, Hope Sustains, Holland Citizens Climate Lobby, the Momentum Center, and b.comm creative. Save the Date Christian Neighbors Fundraiser, May 4 The annual spring fundraiser held by our friend and neighbor Arthur Frederick will now be held in his honor. Save the date and watch for more information here. This year's funder will be held on May 4. Questions Check with our church members Bert Hallewas and Kirsten Stannis. Prayer Requests Rich Marth; Christine Kerney; Nancy Plantinga and her family; Jim Solazzo (Anne Hotwagner's uncle); Virginia Stuart; Family of Nancy Grib; Paul and Carrie (Julie Ridl's brother-in-law and sister); Dan McGavin and Family of Carol Brown; Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; 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); Mary Westenbroek; Jerry Elpers and family (Beth Howley's Dad); Max Matteson; Eric Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother) Birthdays & AnniversariesBirthdays: March 16: Gemina Petruzzelli, 17: Peter Black, Dan Mack, Tommy Blasco, 19:Joe Mannancheril 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 StewardshipIn-Person Attendance, March 9: 67 Total Views for March 9 worship videos: 135 Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $9,370.00 Online Giving: $3,674.96 Total, General Support: $13,044.96 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. Church CalendarDid you know the Church Calendar is published to our Website? Why, yes! And you can find it right here. Click on an event to get all the details. Copy an event to your own Google Calendar. So convenient!
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