Photo by Brittany Burnett on Unsplash
In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:
This Week's Service: Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Blessed are the Merciful
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
According to Oxford Dictionary, mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Can you remember a time when you received mercy? When someone who could have punished you, forgave you? Maybe as a young person you received mercy from a parent. Maybe the police who stopped you for speeding let you off with a warning. How does this make you feel? Are you inclined to "pay it forward," in the words of a popular movie plot? And, what's so special about the kind of mercy we read about in Jesus' guide for a full life, the Beatitudes?
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 can always find our latest church bulletin and service music at Bit.ly/DUCCBulletin 
Friendship Hall Closed for Renovations!
Friendship Hall restoration work begins early Monday morning. In preparation, the hall has been emptied. If you prefer to enjoy the service in a more casual setting, you are welcome to watch the YouTube broadcast at the Isabel Graham Center 88 Spring Street.
For those worshipping at the Isabel Graham Center,, you have the option of walking over to the sanctuary to take communion, or self-serving communion at IGC. For those worshipping in the Sanctuary, coffee hour takes place at the office building after service, and the Friendship Hall bathrooms will remain open during construction. Thanks to everyone for your your help and good cheer as we find our way through this awkward and important work! Last Week's Service: Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost: Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Rev. Dan knows Righteousness when he sees it, and has a few examples for us. You, too, can learn to spot it in the wild. Please Enjoy Last Sunday's service with the Homily by Rev. Dan Plasman.
Jody's Hours in Douglas
KUDOS to the Trunk or Treat Crew!
THANK YOU everyone for such a wonderful Halloween Night! We counted 78 total kids, plus adults, more than 150 people total. Some adorable outfits, lots of goodwill, and overall community spirit. Even the weather was somehow both warm and spooky. Thank you everyone for the fun, laughter, and creativity. We LOVE this kind of stuff - it's a great way to share Douglas UCC with our community. And it's time to start imagining next year's spooky offering!
KUDOS to the Friendship Hall Moving Team
This past Wednesday, a gang of energetic movers made quick work of emptying our Friendship Hall for the renovation beginning this week. Please thank each of them for their hard work:
Bill Briggs & his SUV, Bert Hallewas, Bob Kenny, Linda McWebb, Matthew McWebb & their pick-up truck, Robert Trenary was standing by to offer his pick-up truck if a second day was needed. Meanwhile, inside the Friendship Hall, master packers, Laurie VanDenBeldt and Mike VerMerris did incredible work getting everything ready to move! And of course, Kathleen Mueller is herding all the cats ! The Few, the Brave, the AV Team!! Join them? 
Our Audio-Visual team works hard to grow our presence, broadcasting our services to our campus and all around the world. Today hundreds of people in many countries call DUCC their church home. However, at the moment, we have just three people who are qualified to operate the camera and three who operate the soundboard. The AV team would like to train and add one or two more individuals for each function, and invites anyone interested in either of these positions to contact Julie Ridl by email. She will make sure a member of the AV team discusses the work further and conducts the training you may need if you are ready to join us!
One More Last Call for Soup Donations!
The All-Important Interim Team Survey
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The Interim Team has some critical questions for every member and friend of the church. Your answers will help shape the future of our church. This Sunday, during the service, you will hear about a critically important survey being conducted by our Interim leaders, and on Sunday afternoon, you will receive the survey link in your email. It isn't a long survey, but it is designed to determine together the reason we exist and how we want to move forward as a faith community. So listen to Rev. Jody on Sunday, and watch for the important link, and if Monday or Tuesday you haven't seen your emailed survey, please send an email to Julie in the church office, so she can send the survey out to you.
Voting Day Vigil, November 4-6
Given the anxiety around this election, let's gather our strength and hope and prayers --however you express your deep belief in the power of love -- in an intentional way, beginning at 7am Monday, November 4 and continuing to 7pm on Wednesday, November 6. This is an invitation for us to keep vigil together, to breathe deeply, and to extend calmness, from within, to your home, your people, our community, and our country. There is a sign up in the Isabel Graham Center for you to commit, in 15-minute increments, to keep silence, to pray, to meditate, to sing, to breathe, in whatever way it is that you connect with the power of the universe for good.
We know that you all do this without prompting, and this is a way to harness the power of our community for this moment in history. If you are part of our community, but are not physically present to sign up, please email Pastor Jody ([email protected]) and they will add your name to the sign-up sheet for the time to which you commit. Social Justice Planning Meeting, November 6
Wednesday, November 6 at 2:00 pm at the Isabel Graham office! We are inviting all Social Justice Team members and interested congregants to join us in our church mission to raise awareness and take action on issues chosen by the group. This will be a planning meeting to direct our educational efforts and activities. We are seeking people willing to work together on Social Justice issues of concern in our Community. At this meeting, we will seek to chart our course for the coming year. If you are already a member of the Social Justice Team, and cannot attend, please contact me: [email protected]. All are welcome.
CJT Movie Night at Saugatuck Brewing, November 7
New Members Meeting, November 10
Photo by Thomas Franke on Unsplash
The long -awaited New Members Meeting has been scheduled for November 10, after Church, in the Isabel Graham Center. If you are membership-curious, or if you just want a refresher on the history and mission of this church and/or the UCC, come along after church to the Isabel Graham Center. No pressure to join, but if you wish to, this meeting is the place to start. We hope to see you!
Soul Collage, November 23
The final SoulCollage® for 2024 will take place on Saturday, November 23 at the Isabel Graham Center. You can choose to attend the morning session from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM or the afternoon session from 1 PM - 4 PM.
Our theme this month is "Exploring Our Community Through SoulCollage®." We create cards to honor people, pets, and places that have influenced our lives. Using copies of photographs or found images, we develop cards to celebrate our unique community. Ideally, you would bring photocopies of photos of family members, friends, pets, or ancestors. I will guide you through the process. You must register for this workshop. Just follow the directions in the poster, above. Sign Up for a Paper Copy of the Church Directory
We will be working this season to update the print church directory. If you prefer to use a paper copy rather than the phone or desktop apps (always the most updated) just sign up for your copy in the Isabel Graham Center. The signup sheets will help us determine how many copies to order, so it's really important that you request a copy in order to receive one. Directory printing comes only once a year!
And if the Instant Church Directory phone and desktop apps are unfamiliar to you, ask Julie, Chris Clark, Mike Vermerris or your favorite church buddy for help. Care Team News
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