In This Week's E-Pistle, You Will Find:
This Sunday's Service: "Giving & Receiving"
In Sunday's Gospel, a widow puts two pennies in the collection. Jesus praises her because she gave her all. The cycle of Giving and Receiving is a spiritual law. We know that we reap what we sow, so what seeds are you sowing?
Join us this Sunday at 10 AM (either in person or streaming live online), as we learn "The Treasure Principle" of giving and receiving. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler. Click below for Sunday's bulletin: 
Last Week's Service
In last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" He answers, "Love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." Enjoy last Sunday's service, when we explored love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self. In honor of All Saints Day, we will concluded our Sunday service in the Memorial Garden behind the church with a "Remembrance of Names," honoring our loved ones who have died.
Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler Click here to read, listen to, watch, and share Pastor Sal's Homily. 
The pandemic continues to be a challenging and stressful time for many of us. Sadly, we’ve been seeing a lot of vitriol directed at flight attendants, restaurant staff, school board members, and front-line workers in recent months. Churches have certainly not been immune to such vitriol. Now that our Sunday services are being broadcast live to hundreds of people around the world, we have seen a sharp uptick in negative comments and reviews directed at our church. I suppose it comes with the territory of having more than 30,000 viewers this past month alone, but it’s disheartening to read such hurtful comments. Although most of this is being done by online trolls behind the anonymity of a keyboard, one viewer recently confronted me in person outside the church. He wanted to tell me about Jesus and save me from my homosexual lifestyle. He was not aggressive and left peacefully. This one-off situation is not a cause for panic, but is the reason you may have noticed police presence outside the church on Sunday morning. I thought this incident would be a good time to remind you of the safety plan we established here at Douglas UCC back in 2018. During that time of great political division in our country, our Church Council was concerned that our social activism and progressive views might lead to protests at our church. So, at that time, several of our church leaders, Sunday greeters, and I received training from both the Douglas Police Department and the National UCC in monitoring and engaging with new visitors, and we put a safety plan in place that is routinely followed at all church services and events. Rest assured that we are in good hands and in God's hands, but should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Blessings, Pastor Sal
Allegan County Covid-19 Transmission Rate is "High," Masks Requested in Service
Mask Recommendation for Sunday Services Because our area transmission rate has increased to "High," the Church Council requests that we wear masks at the Sunday Service. Greeters will have masks available for anyone who needs them. You can follow Allegan County's Covid transmission and infection rate at this link: CDC infection and transmission rates by county. Daylight Savings Time Ends Sunday, Nov 7, 2am
Early Sunday morning we roll back the clocks, friends! We hope you enjoy your extra hour of sleep!
Community Read: A Great Success!
Thank you to all who took part in Tuesday night's Community Book Read for The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard. More than 30 people were in attendance. We are grateful to our Douglas UCC Creation Justice Team for facilitating and hosting this event. Special kudos to church member, Dan Mack, for his many hours of work promoting the event and preparing the materials for it. To learn more, please visit www.DarkSky.org
Flour Collection for Christian Neighbors until November 21
It's time for our annual flour drive to help fill the holiday food baskets prepared by Christian Neighbors and shared with our neighbors and friends in need this holiday season. If you'd like to participate, please drop your flour off at the Friendship Hall, on the flour table, or in the bin just inside the Retreat House door. We will be accepting flour contributions through Sunday, November 21.
Thank you for all of your generous giving and looking after our community members! And if you know a family that needs a food basket for Thanksgiving Dinner, please write to us at welcome@douglasucc.org. Saugatuck-Douglas Art Club Event
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56 Wall Street • Douglas, Michigan 49406
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