Third Sunday of Easter

4/12/2024

Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash

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

This Week's Service, Third Sunday of Easter: (Un)Certain
Last Week's Service, Second Sunday of Easter: Our Messy and Marvelous Church
This Week, Welcome Jeremy Lund
Something New This Week!
Next Week: Welcome Luncheon for Rev. Jody: A Feast for the Soul
Contemplation Service Time Change
In Search Of: Art Guild Candidates
Are You Our New Council Member?
Now Recruiting: DUCC Transition Team
KUDOS to Lynne Snyder and an Opportunity
Social Justice Team Presents: And They Were Wonderful Teachers: How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles, April 11 & May 31
It's Not Too Late to Try Living the Questions!
Pete Wehle Sings Frank Sinatra: Woman's Club Fundraiser, May 17 & 18
Qigong is Back! Tuesdays at 3pm, Beginning May 7
Can You Support Team Donovan in MS Walk for a Cure on April 20?
Reports and Minutes
Prayer Requests
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Stewardship Drive & Financial Stewardship

This Week's Service: (Un)Certain

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

Is Uncertainty always a problem? Or is Uncertainty a gift? In this week's scripture reading, we are reminded to take heart in these times, to turn into them with interest, courage, and faith, rather than away from them, always seeking safety and stability. Please join us this Sunday as our our church member Jeremy Lund leads us in worship. Message: Jeremy Lund, Music: Peter Black, Jeff Spangler, Max Brown and Doug Sipsma

Join us at church, in person at 10am, or livestreaming on our YouTube channel.
Download this week's Bulletin and Hymns, to follow and sing along as you watch:

order_of_service_april_14_2024.pdf
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Last Week's Service, Second Sunday of Easter: Our Messy and Marvelous Church

Last Sunday our church member Mark Johnston lead us in worship, sharing his message: "Our Messy & Marvelous Church." Mark challenged all of us to embrace the messy-ness that is our local church so we can make it even more marvelous than it already is. No matter how you serve and support our church, and love and care for those in our family, all of us could use a fresh reminder that WE are the Body of Christ here on this earth. Message: Mark Johnston, Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler

This Week, Welcome Jeremy Lund

This week we once again welcome our church member Jeremy Lund to lead our service. This real estate counselor, interior designer, spiritual teacher, classical pianist., French major, linguist, entrepreneur, and storyteller reminds us that our quest and or questions are a gift. Jeremy is married to Mark Johnston. He and Mark have been attending and leading us in contemplation and worship since 2017.

Something New This Week

Photo by Bill Underdown

Alert churchgoers will notice a new (atomic!) clock in our Narthex. Its purpose: This Sunday we are introducing a new opening order to our Sunday services, a gentler way to begin our liturgy. It will go like this:

1. Bell rings at 10 am sharp (clock is for the bell ringer!). Bell will ring for a full minute as people are taking their seats, then...
2. Acolyte lights the candles as the bell continues to ring.
3. Welcome, Announcements, and Stillness. We learn the work of the church, and quiet ourselves for worship.
4. Quiet time.
5. Introit, and on into the service.

Next Week: Welcome Luncheon for Rev. Jody:
A Feast for the Soul

Photo by Felipe Pelaquin on UnSplash

"This is how the world changes--little by little, table by table, meal by meal, hour by hour. This is how we chip away at isolation, loneliness, fear. This is how we connect, in big and small ways--we do it around the table."
-Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table

Beginning with a luncheon for our new Interim Pastor, Rev. Jody Betten, after church April 21, The Pastoral Relations Committee and the Spiritual Retreat Center Committee would like to welcome you, our beloved Douglas UCC family, to join us for a series of six "family dinners" of soup and bread and conversation, to be held in the Friendship Hall.

We offer you a respite, a sacred space, in which to commune with your fellow church family members and process both the shared loss and hope that have been part of our Douglas UCC journey.

So that we can more accurately judge quantities for both food and drink, please sign up for the dinners on the sign up sheet in the Friendship Hall.

Contemplation Service Time Change

Our Thursday Contemplation Service has changed it's start time back to 5pm. Take note, Contemplatives!

In Search Of: Art Guild Candidates

Our Art Guild, the team that sets the scenes for our liturgy, is looking for new members. If you have an inner interior designer, set designer, lighting designer, or artist, looking for a way to support our worship experience, here is your opportunity to share your talents on this team. Send an email to Julie, our church admin, to add your name to the candidates list!

Now Recruiting: DUCC Transition Team

Photo by Lili Popper on Unsplash

To facilitate the Interim Process, we are inviting members and friends of the congregation to be involved in an Ad Hoc Transition Team made of a group of people for each phase of the process.

There will be planning for and facilitating the various activities of each phase of the process, so one or two coordinators are needed (people with organizational skills, could be the same person for all the phases or a different person for each phase).

We will need people with a variety of gifts, interests, and skills, which are listed with the various phases in the document linked below.

Generally the characteristics of the people involved will be: concern with the best interest of the church, integrity, trustworthiness, creativity, people skills, and respect for the process.

Imagine the time commitment to be 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a planning session for each phase, and the time as necessary to implement or facilitate related activities (perhaps 5 hours per phase or per month).

Please volunteer yourself or suggest a person who you think would be appropriate for each phase. Email names and contact info to [email protected]

congregational_tasks_during_interim_period.pdf
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KUDOS to Lynne Snyder and an Opportunity

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

Our beloved Congregational Care Coordinator, Lynne Snyder, is moving into other opportunities to serve here at Douglas UCC, and so we are looking for someone to take on the role of Care Coordinator. "This is NOT an onerous job," says Lynne, who is happy to share her methods of directing care traffic. Congregational Care is our team that helps congregation members who are in need of food, transportation, or other forms of assistance. If you are looking for a way to serve people in need, and this work sounds interesting, email Julie, our adminsitrative assistant.

Social Justice Team Presents: And They Were Wonderful Teachers: How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles, April 11 & May 31

Our DUCC Social Justice Team, together with the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, presents a two-part program featuring historian Karen L. Graves:

Part 1: Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ, April 11, 7:00 p.m.
"They Were Wonderful Teachers: How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles"

Part 2: Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, May 31, 4:30pm
"The Fight Isn't Over": How the History of LGBTQ+ Teachers Informs Current School Battles"
Education historian Karen Graves will highlight elements from the history of LGBTQ+ educators that put our current school battles in historical context.

On April 11th she will discuss the most intense state purge of LGBTQ+ teachers on record, detailing the impact of the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (1956-1965).

On May 31st she will discuss how LGBTQ+ educators across the nation turned to the courts to protect their jobs, beginning in the late 1960s.

In both talks Graves will discuss why schools have been fierce battlegrounds in the fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights.

Karen Graves is Professor Emerita at Denison University. Her book, And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers, was awarded a 2010 Critics Choice Book Award from the American Educational Studies Association. In 2013 Graves received the Education Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Illinois. In 2015 AERA recognized her with its Queer Studies Body of Work Award.

Are You Our New Council Member?

Photo by Mark Pan4ratte on Unsplash

Two of our council members have served out their terms, and Council is now accepting nominations for two posts. We are looking for a new Trustee, who coordinates the care and upkeep of our campus, as Kelly Wright completes his term, and a Councilor-at-Large as Stan Greene retires from that position. Many thanks and blessings to Kelly and Stan for their amazing service to our church. If you are someone or know someone who might take on these important roles in the church, please email administrative assistant Julie Ridl.

It's Not Too Late to Try Living the Questions!

Rev. Linda Knieriemen invites anyone interested in delving into the last section of Living the Questions to join her group. Beginning April 14 and ending May 19 right after church (11:30-ish), Rev. Linda will cover the section titled: Transformation.

Topics will include: Social Justice, Incarnation, Prayer, Compassion, and Creative Transformation.

Even if you haven’t participated in earlier chapters, don’t be shy: join us! The last section covers fewer than 100 pages, but offers an opportunity to dig into the beauty and mysteries of Progressive Christianity.

If you have questions, contact Linda by email.

Pete Wehle Sings Frank Sinatra: Woman's Club Fundraiser, May 17 & 18

Our own church member, Pete Wehle is offering his beloved concert of Frank Sinatra Songs to raise scholarship funds for deserving Saugatuck High School seniors. Food, Dancing and Sinatra! What fun! Tickets are $20 and available from Lynne Snyder, or by calling the number above.

Qigong is Back! Tuesdays at 3pm, beginning May 7

Photo by Sajad Nori on Unsplash

Our friend Kat VanHammen is returning to the Retreat House lawn, teaching Qigong Tuesdays at 3pm, beginning May 7 and running through September. Class is one hour long and is $10, but all are welcome to attend and pay as you are able if there are financial constraints. Kat will be out of town June 18th and 25th so there will be no class on those dates.

Qigong an ancient Chinese practice rooted in Chinese Medicine. It is much like Tai Chi and consists of gentle movement, visualization, mindfulness and breath work. In this class we will center and ground ourselves and cultivate strength, balance and deep awareness. Qi means Life Force Energy and Gong means to experience and learn. A simple but profound practice, Qigong helps to regulate the nervous system and leaves us relaxed yet energized and is accessible to everyone.

Kat VanHammen holds a masters degree in Expressive Arts Therapy, is an artist and a certified Yoga and Qigong Teacher. She has 40 years experience teaching and leading workshops and retreats for a wide range of people and places. Having integrated many BodyMind practices, Kat is skillful and creative in building experiences and spaces for groups and individuals that cultivate creativity, connection, and useful tools for wellbeing.

Can You Support Team Donovan in MS Walk for a Cure on April 20?

Each year, Team Donovan hits the road, raising money to fuel research for a cure and treatments for people with Multiple Sclerosis, like our church member Sarah Donovan. Sarah and her team invite you to walk with her, and/or support her team on their April 20 walk in Grand Rapids. It's so easy to donate online here:

Support Team Donovan's Walk Here»»

Reports and Minutes

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

approved_special_congregational_meeting_minutes_031724.pdf
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approved_church_council_minutes_mar_2024.pdf
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Prayer Requests

Sydney Williams (Kristine Sherman's Daughter); Rev. Marchiene Rienstra Family; Fred Hamlin; Debra Carr; Ann and Jim Hopkins; The Chappell-Wehle Family; Carol Brown and Dan McGavin; David Miedema, his parents and family; Karl Fahlstrom (Tom Fahlstrom's brother); John Kerr; Dave and Shirley Lawson; Clark McMillion (Chris Clark's friend); Ruth Fahlstrom (daughter of Tom Fahlstrom); Nancy Grib (Friend of Pamela Chappell); Stuart Family; Charlene Burdick (Paul Burdick's Mother); Diane Carr (Debra Carr's Sister); Myron (Wendy Hamlin's grandson, Fred Hamilin's great-grandson); Mary Westenbroek; Brian Aikens; Jerry Elpers and family (Beth Howley's Dad); Edie Plantinga (Nancy Plantinga's mother); Max Matteson; Eric Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Nicole and John (Wendy Hamlin's daughter-in-law and son)

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Birthdays: April 14- Julie Hebding; 16- Jerry Coates

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.

Stewardship Drive

Stewardship Drive Giving Week ending April 7:

Pledges to Date = $228,800.00
Pledge Fulfillment to date = $122,993.6
Thank you to all who pledged toward our Campus Stewardship Drive. Weekly Stewardship Drive totals are posted here and on the giant ‘thermometer’ poster in the Friendship Hall. If you have not received a pledge card, you can pick one up in the Friendship Hall. Or you can help us reach our goal of $275,000 by giving online here:

Make Your Stewardship Drive Pledge or Payment Here»»

Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, April 7: 77
Total Views for April 7 worship videos: 153

Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $3,585.50
Online Giving: $3,828.67
Total, General Support: $7,414.17

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.