 Photo by Ellis Garvey on Unsplash In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:BEING THE CHURCH
BEING THE CHURCHThis Week's Service: Cleanliness is Next to Godliness? Annie Dillard wrote, "You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it.” Dillard points to the value of the darkness in a world where we are encouraged to let our light shine. What if there is value in letting our tears flow, and voicing our anger, and becoming comfortable with discomfort? What if the binaries like white and black, right and wrong, love and hate -- so often used to create categories -- tie us to simplistic thinking? What if complicating the narrative or nuancing the story is a more helpful way to investigate the world? Our text for this week speaks of clean and dirty and light in the darkness. Join us as we imagine the value of light and dark, what is clean and dirty. Please join us on Sunday at 10am in our Sanctuary, or online, live on our Youtube Channel. Message: Rev. Jody Betten Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler You will always find our latest church bulletin and service music at Bit.ly/DUCCBulletin 
Last Week's Service: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost -- Thoughts on Prayer The phrase ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ is a common expression of condolence. Prayer is many things: meditation, quietness, introspection, contemplation, silence, wonder... Pastor Dan talks about the varied forms that prayer can take. Click the image above for the whole service, including wonderful music by our music team and guest artist Kimia Ghaderi, Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. Click below for the homily. Jody and Dan's Office Hours This Week
About that IRS Ruling... Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Since 1954, a provision in the tax code called the Johnson Amendment stated that churches and other nonprofit organizations could lose their tax-exempt status if they participate in or intervene in “any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." National religious broadcasters and two Texas churches, inspired by the current president, sued the IRS over this rule, arguing that it infringes on their First Amendment rights to the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion. The IRS has recently stated that the agency would not punish or revoke not-for-profit status or punish religious leaders for political statements and candidate endorsement made in worship services. As your pastors, we will not publicly endorse candidates. We will not say, “Vote for this candidate as opposed to this candidate.” We seek to be the conscience of the government but not publicly aligned with any political party or person. We will not put ourselves in the position of being beholden to any candidate. In Search of an Administrative Assistant Photo by zane carter on Unsplash Julie's been putting off her re-retirement for long enough! She's ready to step down from the role she's held since 2019. And so, Douglas United Church of Christ is on the hunt for an energetic and friendly Administrative Support person to join our team! This hybrid role, about 30 hours a week, is perfect for someone who is tech savvy, has exceptional organizational skills, and has a passion for creativity. You'll be the go-to person for supporting our pastors, committees, visitors, and congregation — handling emails, scheduling, event planning, and document creation. Use of Google Office Suite and church management software is a plus. We’re all about community and joy here, so a good sense of humor, patience, and a positive attitude will help you thrive in our encouraging, upbeat environment. If you're organized, tech-savvy, and enjoy supporting others in a meaningful way, we'd love to meet you! Imagine being part of a welcoming, open, and affirming community. To apply, just send us your resume and a short note about why you’d be a great fit to: [email protected]. We are eager to hear from you! KUDOS to Douglas Social TeamA huge thank you to our amazing Douglas UCC family who came out to the Douglas Social—rain and all! Your joyful energy, smiles, and helping hands made the evening shine despite the weather. Special thanks to everyone who helped organize, set up our booth, served hot dogs, and hung in through the rain, proving rain can’t dampen our Douglas UCC spirit one bit! Save These Dates: Social Justice Team Conversations Our Social Justice Team has been busy making connections, and inviting local thought leaders to come to our church and help us understand current challenges to Justice For All in our communities. Here are the upcoming dates and times already scheduled. Stay tuned for more from the SJT. Thurs August 14, 6pm, Mark Neidlinger, Saugatuck Public Schools Superintendent Thurs Sept 11, 6pm, Jane Dickie, Indivisible Thurs Oct 9, 6pm, Claudia Berry, League of Women Voters Thurs Nov 13, 6pm, Lighthouse Immigration Services Representative to speak All events are scheduled for our beautiful new Friendship Hall. All are welcome! Styrofoam Solution from the Creation Justice Team! Photo by Jonas Gerlach on Unsplash The CJT wants folks to know styrofoam is a horrible product that takes hundreds of years to decompose and is not collected in curbside pickups. Our Creation Justice Team has launched an ongoing collection of styrofoam and transport to a facility in Muskegon that recycles styrofoam. Unfortunately the facility does not recycle ALL styrofoam. No meat trays, egg cartons coffee cups, etc. However they do recycle big styrofoam, like that used in packaging appliances or items purchased on Amazon that need assembling or even styrofoam coolers. Next time you have something delivered that is packaged in styrofoam, rather than throw it in your trash bin, please contact Kathleen Klage to arrange pick up or if you have any questions. [email protected]; 616-886-2541 Listening Ear: Do You Need to Be Heard? Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Our Listening Ear service has been a great help to our congregation during a tumultuous time, and so, after a successful trial period, this highly trained team of empathic folks -- Paul Burdick, Pat Denner, and Doug Sipsma -- will be continuing the service. Their premise is, everyone goes through rough patches in life. Sometimes stress can feel overwhelming. Talking to a caring human helps in so many, sometimes immeasurable, sometimes mystical ways. Our listeners are available at the Isabel Graham conference room on Thursday afternoons from 1 to 3 pm. Inquirers? New Members? Let's Get You Ready. Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash DUCC will be receiving new members on Sunday August 24 during the worship service. If you haven't taken an Inquirer's Class but would like to join the Church, please reach out to Jody ([email protected] or 616-706-3549) or fill out a welcome card from the back of the pews in the sanctuary, and put it in the Offering Plate, so we can get you ready. Thanks! Can You Help Us With Cleanup After Service?  We are looking for a few new folks to help with coffee hour clean up. Specifically, with the glass communion cups. We have a new process in place that takes just a little extra time. If you can help once a month or so, please make your availability known by signing up in the Isabel Graham Center during coffee hour. Thanks! Prayer Requests Lucille Corbin (Lewis Corbin’s mother); Jean Hotwagner (Annie Hotwagner's Mom); Nancy VanDyke; Debra Carr and Carr Family; 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; 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 July 27: Norman Capello, 30: Doug LaCroix, 31: Kathleen Klage Anniversaries July 29: Larry Fuerst & Suzanne Scott; Kathleen & Peter Mueller 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. Grant Committee Application Now Online Photo by Micheile Hendersen on Unsplash Our Grant Committee -- the group who review grant requests from area non-profits for funds from our Isabel Graham fund and congregational offerings, has worked to make the grant application process more accessible to more area organizations. Please make your favorite non-profits aware of this funding source by sharing the link and/or QR code below to your favorite local non-profit groups. Both the link and the code will take them to the online form where they can submit their request. The online address for the grant request form is here: bit.ly/IG-Grant-App Or share this QR code to navigate to the online form:  Reports & Minutes
Financial StewardshipIn-Person Attendance, July 20: 106 Total Views for July 20 worship videos: 102 Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $1,225.00 Online Giving: $3,052.79 Total, General Support: $4,277.79 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 Calendar When you have events to schedule anywhere on campus, click the button below, scan the calendar for a spot, then contact [email protected] to make your reservation. Reservations are first come, first served. Emailing is always 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. CLASSESQigong! No Class on Tuesday the 29th Photo by Sajad Nori on Unsplash Our Qigong leader, Kat, will be on vacation this coming week, so no class on Tuesday the 29th! Save the Date, September 25, Line Dancing! Photo by Polina Kuzofkova on UnSplash Thursday September 25, from 6:30 to 8pm, the church is holding an evening of Line Dancing with instructor, Linda Booker. See Shannon Connell, Virginia Stuart, or Betsy York for questions. More details to follow! AROUND TOWNLibrary Used Book Sale, August 14-16 Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash The Friends of the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library raises money for special projects not in the library budget. They are holding a sale of used books, at the Library, in mid-August. All proceeds will help the library with special programming. August 14, 12 to 6 pm August 15, 10 to 6 pm August 16, 10 to 2 pm West Shore Aware White Party -- Mardi Gras Carnival! -- August 16 They are going fast, but still a few seats available at the summer's big funder for West Shore Aware -- the folks who have been making things better for our LGBTQIA+ community for more than 20 years. Hit their website to learn about their history and see all the amazing organizations this funder supports. Follow the button below to snap up these last seats! DUCC Men's Coffee & Conversation |
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56 Wall Street • Douglas, Michigan 49406
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