Weekly E-Pistle: "1st Sunday of Advent" at Douglas UCC

11/29/2019

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a time for us to prepare with great expectation for the birth of the Christ Light within us. This Sunday, we will be focusing on the theme of the first Advent candle: HOPE. Come join us this Sunday at 10 AM for an inspiring message of hope from Pastor Sal with special music by Peter Black and Stan Greene.

Copies of the 2019 UCC Advent Devotional, A New Earth, are now available in the Friendship Hall for $5.

A New Earth includes a biblical text, reflection, and prayer for each day of Advent. Plus, new for 2019: this popular resource now includes daily readings through Epiphany.

Thank you to Leith Letcher and Jim Shewell for the beautiful Thanksgiving display on the altar at last Sunday's service. We are grateful for their talents and service to our church.

Wow! Thanks to your generous giving, our church was able to donate 920 pounds of flour to Christian Neighbors Food Pantry for Thanksgiving Boxes to families in need!! Our goal was 700 pounds, and we far exceeded that number!! Thank you so very much for your generosity, and thank you to our church members Alan Weathers, Carey Idema, Wendy Hamlin, and Garnet Lewis for helping with the delivery and distribution.

Christmas Eve Choir rehearsal starts this Sunday at 11:25 AM in the sanctuary.

Thank you to all who took slips of paper from our Christian Neighbors Giving Tree last Sunday. These gift requests were given by families in need. Please purchase the gift request written on the paper and then place the unwrapped gift inside the "Holiday Box" in the Friendship Hall by Sunday, December 8. There are still some requests left on the tree. Thank you, as always, for your generous giving.

The beautiful Douglas UCC Christmas ornament (pictured above) is now available for sale. Designed and crafted in Poland, the ornament depicts the front of our church. The cost is $25. We will be selling them in the Friendship Hall after Sunday worship until December 22.

The Lakeshore Community Chorus will celebrate its 10th anniversary during the upcoming 2019-2020 choral season. Under the artistic direction of Nancy Plantinga, with accompanist Vivian Boot, the festivities begin with LCC’s holiday concerts on December 7 and 8, called “A Season to Remember.” The concerts will feature music from LCC’s past nine years of holiday performances, including pieces which chorus members voted as their favorites from prior years. The chorus will be accompanied on several selections by instrumentalists from Grand Valley State University, featuring LaAlma, an all women’s choir, directed by Pamela Pierson. Both holiday concerts will be held at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts (SCA). The SCA has received compensation for the venue space for this event, benefitting the Lakeshore Community Chorus, a non-profit organization. Purchase tickets now at the SCA box-office (400 Culver Street in Saugatuck) or by calling 269-857-2399. You can also purchase tickets ONLINE.

Douglas UCC will be holding a Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence on Saturday, December 14
at 5 PM in our sanctuary. This vigil is held every year on the anniversary of the Newtown school shooting to remember the lives lost to gun violence. Thank you to Hannah Huggett and members of our church's Social Justice Team for coordinating. We hope you will join us.

We hope you will join us for our annual Candlelight Service of “The Lessons & the Carols” on Christmas Eve at 6 PM.

Watch Last Sunday's Music & Message:

Financial Stewardship Report:

November 24: Attendance: 137 Collection Plate: $4,002.81 Online Giving: $2,044.41
Friendship Hall Use: $250 Total: $6,297.22
Thank you for your generous giving
which allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service.
You can also give securely online by clicking ONLINE GIVING.