Weekly E-Pistle 9th Sunday after Pentacost

8/5/2022

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

This Sunday's Service Notes — 9th Sunday after Pentecost: "God's Good Pleasure"
Last Week's Service Video — 8th Sunday after Pentecost: "The Treasure Principle"
In Memoriam: Sarah Scott
New Roofs!!
Kudos, Dick & Stacy!
Douglas Non-Discrimination Ordinance, Action Needed
Overdue: Environmental Justice for All, Webinar, August 10
Lakeshore Community Chorus Auditions
Chamber Music Festival's "Art for Your Ears and Hands" Events, August 11
West Shore Aware White Party, August 21
Beach Cleanup September 17
Snug Home Opportunity
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship

This Sunday's Service: "God's Good Pleasure"

In Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus says, "It is God's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Jesus spoke often of the "Kingdom of Heaven." He said we've been given the keys to this Kingdom. So, what exactly is the Kingdom, and how does one find it?

Come join us this Sunday at 10 AM (either in-person or streaming live online) as we explore "The Keys to the Kingdom" together. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black & Jeff Spangler

Download this week's online bulletin here:

order_of_service_august_7_2022.pdf
File Size:	778 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Last Sunday's Service

In last Sunday's Gospel story, Jesus tells the "Parable of the Rich Fool." Is money really the root of all evil? Are material possessions really a stumbling block on the spiritual path? It is really that difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Please enjoy last Sunday's service, when we explored together what a prosperous and abundant life really looks like, and how we can manifest it now. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler

Click here to read, listen to, watch, and share Pastor Sal's Homily.

In Memoriam: Sarah Scott

It is with great sadness that we share the news that longstanding church member, Sarah Scott, passed away last week. Pastor Sal was able to visit and pray with Sarah on the day before she passed, and he anointed her with holy water. Her transition was a peaceful one. A private service for immediate family will be held at the church later this month. Cards of condolence can be sent to Sarah's niece, JoLee Hanson, at 2819 Crescent Street, Fennville, MI 49408

New Roofs!

Last week, all new roofing was installed on our church, Friendship Hall, Retreat House, and garage. Sharp Roofing and Construction did a great job. We are grateful to our Church Council Trustee, Kelly Wright, for overseeing this huge project.

Kudos, Stacy & Dick!

Thank you to church members, Stacy Honson and Dick Bont, for refinishing and staining the benches in our church's Meditation & Memorial Garden. We are grateful for their service.

Douglas' Non-Discrimination Ordinance:
Action Needed!

At this time in our history, as challenges mount against federal protections that are still only partially available to LGBTQ people, inclusive local nondiscrimination policies are more important than they have ever been.

On the one hand, Douglas, Michigan, was a pioneer in Southwest Michigan, one of the very first communities to enact a nondiscrimination ordinance to protect the gay community. But on the other hand, because the protections passed so early in our history, they failed to include protections for trangender people.

Interfaith Action and DUCC brought this matter before the Douglas City Council in 2020, and while we await action to include transgender people in the city’s protections, it would be very helpful for residents and business owners from Douglas to write to and/or publicly speak to the Douglas City Council in support of more inclusive language.

As most small towns in Michigan are currently without any ordinances protecting the LGBTQ community, we are so grateful that Douglas was among the first to have one, and we will continue our efforts to make our ordinance as inclusive as possible, so that all people are protected.

The Douglas City Council meets on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month at 7pm at the Douglas City Hall.

You can write to the council at: Douglas City Clerk, 86 W. Center Street, Douglas, MI 49406.

For written communications to appear on the Council Agenda, letters should be submitted to the City Clerk by Noon on the Wednesday prior to the scheduled meeting.

Overdue: Environmental Justice for All
Online, August 10

For the UCC's next Creation Justice webinar, the special guest will be Lynn Thorp, who serves as the National Campaigns Director for Clean Water Action. She will discuss how we can make effective and equitable strides in reducing water pollution, including exposure to substances such as the highly toxic “forever” chemicals found in almost everyone’s blood in the U.S. Even if you can’t make the scheduled time of 1 pm ET on Wednesday, August 10th, still sign-up, and we will send you a recording. Register now!

Lakeshore Community Chorus Auditions

Chamber Music Festival's "Art for Your Ears and Hands" Event, August 11

Our church member, Lynne Snyder recommends the remaining Chamber Music Festival education event for kids and adults called, “Art for Your Ears . . . and Hands." Children are invited to listen to music by the festival's guest artists, paired with an art project that relates to the music. The final event will be held on August 11at 1 PM at the Saugatuck Women’s Club. This event is free to the public. Feel free to bring your children or grandchildren and enjoy some lovely music and art!

West Shore Aware White Party, August 21

The Annual West Shore Aware White Party is coming up! Tables and individual tickets are going fast. Come along to have fun while supporting this organization's wonderful work.

Buy Your Tickets Here

Beach Cleanup September 17

Kudos to church member Brad Hopkins, who will serve as the the on-site coordinator for our annual beach cleanup, scheduled for September 17. If you would like to help with the cleanup this year, a sign-up sheet is in the Friendship Hall, or email Brad Hopkins.

Snug Home Opportunity

Our Congregational Care Team manager, Lynne Snyder, highly recommends the Snug Home program for owners of manufactured homes. She has worked with this Better Business Bureau 5-star organization, who will visit your home, and inspect it for opportunities to stay safe, and save energy and money with no-cost energy upgrades that increase your home comfort and reduce overall energy costs. The team looks for and seals air and heat leaks, seals and maintains ducts, caulks around windows and gaskets and outlets and switch covers, tests and cleans furnaces, provides carbon Monoxide Detectors, and may help with your plumbing too.

To schedule this free service, call 517-507-3746 or email [email protected].

Birthdays & Anniversaries

August 7- Gregg Smith, Gregg Smith & Salvatore Sapienza, 9- Bob Kenny,
11-Shirley lawson, Sue Scott, Larry Spencer, 12- Julie Ridl,
13- Michael Riemke & Dan Ryan, Sheryll Van Portfleet

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.

Prayer Requests

Mary Baxter (Marjorie Reiman's friend); Dianne Soper (Beverly Hawkes' sister); Elwood Cephus Stith (Mark Reiman's friend); Pete Wehle; Rev. Lou Grettenberger (friend of Ginny Mikita); Rachael Rienstra; Phil Sturdevant (Pete Wehle's friend); Darren Dixon (Beverly and Orie Hawkes' nephew); The Hotwagner Family; David Zylstra (Laurie VandenBeldt's friend); Elinor Hite (Virginia Stuart's sister); Judy Baxter (Kristine Sherman's Mother); Joann DeJonge; Richard and Joanna Weber's grandson Mattox (friends of the Ridls); Al Overweg; Beverly Willming (John Willming's mother); Jay North (friend of Dan Pierce); Hannah Sherman; Maureen Pierce; David Abbot; Sarah Johnson Lock; Vicki Latham (Ruth VandenBosch's cousin); Cole Hartman; Mike Sneedon (Peg and Jack Donohue's friend); Tim Reineck, Matt Brazys, Suzanne Cook, and Ken Cassbon (friends of Pete Wehle and Pamela Chappell); Richie Czarnowski (Mark Reiman's friend); Sherri Kanten (Ruth VandenBosch's friend); Chris Stuart (Virginia Stuart's sister-in-law); Mary Elizabeth Loudin (friend of Laurie VandenBeldt)

Financial Stewardship

In-Person Attendance, July 31: 90
Total Views for July 31 Online Videos: 702
July podcast downloads: 2,732

Collection Plate & Mailed Donations: $952.00
Online Giving: $2,897.25

Total: $3,849.25

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, or sharing through the donate buttons on
Facebook or Instagram, or at our website.