 In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:BEING THE CHURCH
Being the ChurchThis Week's Service: Second Sunday of Pride Month -- Pentecost -- We Wear Red  Last Year's Pentecost Photo! This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. As is the custom at DUCC, you are invited and encouraged to WEAR RED. Why RED? As the story unfolds in the book of Acts 1, the disciples of Jesus gathered in a house in Jerusalem to celebrate and commemorate the Jewish observance known as the Feast of Weeks. Think harvest festival. Something strange happened that day. The biblical writer describes it as tongues of fire (RED no doubt) resting on their heads. Others in the city experienced the same. It's a wild story that defies all description. But this much is a matter of record. Once timid and fearful, the people who experienced Pentecost became more focused, more loving, more determined to change the world for the better. This Sunday, wearing RED, we'll explore what that might mean for us. 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 of Pride Month People who live outside of the dominant culture in our country have had to get by for too long. This includes, BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Color) and LGBTQI+ individuals, who we celebrate with the Progressive Pride flag during Pride month (and here at DUCC we celebrate them all the time!) This year, if you have been paying attention, you know that transgender folk have been persecuted more than most. This Pride season we will focus on those who are (still) being discriminated against, celebrate who they are, and seek to bring justice where we can. Last Sunday, we especially celebrated our trans siblings. Click the image above to enjoy the whole service, and below for Rev. Jody's amazing homily. Jody and Dan's Office Hours This Week
Pulse Night Club Memorial June 12, 6pm, Pride Garden Click photo for news of the National Memorial. On June 12, 2016, a 28-year-old shooter killed 49 people and wounded 53 more at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff. Pulse was hosting a "Latin Night," and most of the victims were Latino. The shooting was the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks. On June 12, we will hold a memorial service at 6pm, following our Contemplative Service, at Douglas' Pride Garden, 147 West Center Street. We hope you can join us. Douglas Social Justice Team Meeting, June 12, 7pm, IGC  At 7pm, following the Pulse Nightclub Shooting Memorial, our Social Justice Team will meet at the Isabel Graham Center. Everyone is welcome. Congregational Meeting June 29 Our Annual Congregational Meeting is June 29, 2025, immediately following the Sunday service in the Friendship Hall. The agenda will include a vote to approve the budget for 2025-26, a progress report about capital improvements to the campus and the Campus Stewardship Drive, a summary of church activities in the past year, and a vote to install new members to Church Council, among other agenda items. The current Council will present the following slate of three candidates for leadership positions on the 2025-26 Church Council:
We sincerely hope you will participate in this important annual meeting of the congregation. A Zoom link for the meeting will be provided to church members upon request. Just write to Julie to request the link before June 28. We will be voting to accept the draft minutes from last year, posted below, and on new officers for the church, and our budget (which will be posted in the E-Pistle soon), with copies in the IGC, so all members' attendance is highly encouraged!
Say Goodbye to Single Use Plastics at DUCC, Effective July 1 Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash Effective July 1, 2025, our church will no longer use these single-use plastic items in its buildings or at church-sponsored activities:
This measure was proposed by the Creation Justice Team and approved by the Church Council on February 25. In July, the Creation Justice Team will make a presentation on this topic, with time for questions and answers. Two Grant Committee Openings -- Is This Your Thing? Photo by Micheile Hendersen on Unsplash Our grant committee, which oversees giving Isabel Graham Fund grant monies to support the work of area non-profits, is looking for two new members. Could this be you? Read the post description, below, and email Committee lead Tim Lemanski if you are interested.
Church Office Greeters? Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash The church office at 88 Spring Street needs a small team of greeters who create a welcoming presence during office hours, help direct people to the events and happenings at Douglas UCC, answer the phone, pass along messages, and connect people with information on all the happenings in this busy church. Familiarity with the use of office equipment, a friendly demeanor, and willingness to team up with other greeters to establish and strengthen this important team is all we're looking for. See the opening announcement below and note the June 15 deadline for sharing your interest!
Prayer Requests Orie Hawkes; Tony & Stephanie (Wendy Hamlin's family); Maciek (Matt) Wozniak (Robert Fisher's partner); Family of Fred Hamlin; Elinor Hite (Virginia Stuart’s sister); Dave Lawson; Rich Marth; Christine Kerney; Nancy Plantinga and her family; Dan McGavin and Family of Carol Brown; Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; Ann and Jim Hopkins; James Higgins (friend of Shane Anderson and Michael Tuleja), Joe Scarpone (friend of Tom Fahlstrom); John Kerr; Ruth Fahlstrom (Tom Fahlstrom’s daughter); Mary Westenbroek; Jerry Elpers and family (Beth Howley's dad); Max Matteson; Eric Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother) Birthdays & Anniversaries This WeekBirthdays: June 9- Nancy Grib, Tamara Ritt, 10- Catz Dienes, Jim Hopkins, Matthew McWebb, 12- William E. Briggs, Barbara Flynn Anniversaries: June 9- Nancy & David Van Dyke, 12- Jan & Jim DeVries, 13- Elizabeth Estes & Mary Fechtig 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. Battling Power outage! Stay tuned! Financial StewardshipIn-Person Attendance, June 1: 110 Total Views for June 1 worship videos: 193 Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $1,898.00 Online Giving: $1,788.60 Total, General Support: $3,686.60 Strengthen the Church Collection: $191 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 CalendarOur Church calendar is online! Use it to look for space for your event, click on an event to get all the details, or copy an event to your own calendar software. So convenient! When you have events to schedule anywhere on campus, scan the calendar for a spot, then contact [email protected] to make your reservation. Reservations are first come, first served. Email is best so she can keep track of requests. VOLUNTEERING & GIVINGLetters for Gaza Here's an opportunity to add to our prayers for Gaza: A letter-writing campaign to participate in and share with your friends and neighbors. It's always a good time to demand action from our representatives. The power of now is joining in a national movement to do so. This Week's Special Offering: Strengthen the Church This week you'll find envelopes in your bulletins for next week's special offering. Each year on Pentecost Sunday, we take this offering to show our shared commitment to people across the United Church of Christ to build up the UCC cooperatively. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. You build up the Body of Christ with your generosity to this offering. As God calls our congregations to be the church in new ways, your generosity will plant new churches, awaken new ideas in existing churches and develop the spiritual life in our youth and young adults. CLASSESQigong is back! Tuesdays at 3pm, Retreat House Lawn Photo by Sajad Nori on Unsplash Once again Kat VanHammen will be offering Qigong at the backyard of the Retreat House on Tuesdays at 3pm. Qigong is a wonderful 5,000 year-old practice from China, very much like Tai Chi. It involves simple movements that build strength, flexibility, balance and well being. It also employs visualization, breath, and mindfulness to integrate the body, mind, and spirit and develop our felt sense of Interbeing. Class is one hour long and involves both sitting and standing practice although it can be done sitting if needed. There is a requested donation of $10 per class but for those of you on limited incomes, any amount will be gratefully received. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!Two Dana Nessel Events in Saugatuck-Douglas! Michigan Attorney General is going to be Priding all over this month including TWO (2!) visits to Saugatuck-Douglas mid-June. Saugatuck-Douglas Indivisible will host her on June 16, in person and on Zoom. Register for this event. And we at Douglas UCC will be hosting her here on June 17 , in the IGC at 10am. Come for coffee, and hear from our Proud AG! All the Pride Events in Saugatuck-DouglasHit the links for more and detailed pride events. It's almost time! Local Saugatuck Douglas Pride events... https://www.communitypridemi.org/# All the Pride Events in HollandMORE COMMUNITY EVENTSJune 14: No Kings Day ave you been hearing the buzz about the No Kings protests scheduled for June 14? Because our country doesn't do kings?
It's happening. Everywhere, all at once. There is a protest scheduled in Holland at 2pm, Centennial Park, hosted by Indivisible. Or find one closer to you on this map, searchable by Zip Code. You'll have a whole lot of protests to choose from. These protests are being sponsored by a very many organizations. Here's the list. |
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