Weekly E-Pistle: Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

1/29/2021

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

This Sunday's Service Notes - "Inner Authority"
Last Week's Service Video --"Called to Love"
UCC! Representing at the National Prayer Breakfast
Interfaith Prayer Service Online with Pastor Sal!
Becca's Big Move!
Radar Hill Hiking Club
Ways to Get Involved at Douglas UCC!
Michigan's Contact Tracing App
Sign up for your vaccine! Volunteer to help people get their vaccines!
Friendship Hall News
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship

This Sunday's Service: "Inner Authority"

In the gospel reading for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany, Jesus begins to teach in the temple, and everyone there is amazed because he taught with an inner authority. Our spiritual growth requires the development of an inner knowing and an inner authority. During this Sunday's "Video Worship Service," we will explore how to develop and tap into our inner wisdom. Message: Pastor Sal Sapienza. Music: Peter Black and Brenda Marcy.

Tune in on Sunday at 10 AM via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or here on our website.

Last Week's Service Video

In last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus continued to call his first disciples, telling fishermen Simon and Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." What did Jesus mean by this? Was he really instructing us to go and 'catch' people for God, or did he have something much deeper in mind? We hope you'll enjoy last Sunday's video service, where we explored more fully the meaning of this Gospel message and the purpose our Christian calling.
Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Elizabeth Estes.
Read, listen, watch, and share the Homily from here.

UCC! Representing at the National Prayer Breakfast.

It’s a tradition dating back to the first inauguration of President George Washington. In 2021 at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, the United Church of Christ was represented well. The Thursday service at Washington National Cathedral had to be held virtually this year, because of the pandemic. But, held one day after President Biden’s inauguration, it was richly moving and spiritual, with faith leaders from many traditions. Here is the article from the UCC with details of the ministers offering prayers at this service. Click below to watch this whole, moving service.

Interfaith Prayer Service Online with Pastor Sal!

And speaking of Interfaith Services, our own Pastor Sal is among the faith leaders taking part in the "All Faiths Harmony Service" on Wednesday, February 3 at 7 PM, online. All are welcome to take part. The meeting information is shared in the poster above.

Becca's Big Move!

We have so enjoyed having Becca Waaso and Wolfie join us in our Sunday services in person, and in our social justice and environmental programs and meetups too. And we will continue to see them through our online meetups, as the Waaso clan are moving to Oregon to follow job opportunities there. We wish them safe travels and happy new home-making, and will continue to hold their place in our church and our hearts, always and in all ways!

Radar Hill Hiking Club

Church members and Creation Justice Team members Betsy York and Chris Clark have been busy working to support the Trail Masterplan of Saugatuck, and forming up a new hiking club to celebrate and promote the more than 30 miles of beautiful hiking trails available in our area. Some are well known to hikers, others may come as a surprise to you. Learn more and sign up for updates at: https://radarhill.club/

Ways to Get Involved at Douglas UCC!

As Pastor Sal mentioned at our Congregational Meeting this month: Even though our church building has been closed, we continue to stay connected to one another. In addition to our weekly Sunday morning Zoom calls, there are also many other opportunities to stay connected and to get involved. Click below for a list of all the many church and church-affiliated groups in our community. Though some are "on hold" due to the pandemic, most are still meeting via Zoom and are welcoming new members. Check them out!

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Michigan's Contact Tracing App

We can protect one another as we work to stay safe by downloading and using the MI COVID ALERT app for our apple or android smart phones. The app a free and is managed by the state health department to help with contact tracing and notification, which will slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan. Using the MI COVID Alert app along with following and observing existing public health recommendations will help us all stay safe when we meet up, socialize, work or travel. Click here to find and download the app to your phone!

Sign up for your vaccine!
Volunteer to help people get their vaccines!

Local public health departments are working to distribute vaccines in West Michigan. Click here to visit Vaccinate West Michigan for news of distribution in our region. If you are an Allegan County resident and wish to have a vaccine and/or volunteer to help out , follow this link to register with the Allegan County Health Department website. You may wish to register with your local Meijer, whose clinics will be set up to distribute Covid 19 vaccines. Here is the link to register at your closest Meijer pharmacy. Hope is on the horizon!

Please note that healthcare advisors in our own church and across the nation are advising people who have received the vaccine to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing for a while longer. Patience is the gift we give to each other. Here's a good explanation of why masking and distancing will still be necessary.

If you have the time and the skills to help people sign up and receive their vaccines, Allegan County has a volunteer application form you can use to let them know of your skills and availability.

You need to sign up online, and here is the link for Allegan County:
http://cms.allegancounty.org/sites/Office/Health/PHEP/SitePages/Volunteers.aspx

And here is the link for other locations in Michigan:
http://mivolunteerregistry.org/

Friendship Hall News

More than 40 folks joined in on our weekly Friendship Hall virtual meetup last week. We had a lot of Bernie Mittens Memes (spotted above at Isabel's!) to share, along with chat about Pamela Chappell's lovely Coptic Center sermon, linked in last week's Epistle. We learned that Ann Hopkins' daughter, nurse Krissy, is doing very well in her fight with Covid-19. Wendy Hamilin gave us a Christian Neighbors Update -- the clothing store will have open hours soon, and food store is taking orders for curbside pickup. Thursday volunteers are needed there, please call them if you can help!). We encouraged vaccination patience as the State of Michigan works to pull in more vaccines and organize to deliver them. We learned that Brenda Marcy's kids are moving home from out West, and celebrated that with her. And we celebrated that the word "slept" trended on Twitter after the inaugeration. May you find peace in your world and the time to rest!

Birthdays & Anniversaries

January 31- Kris Sherman, February 1- Dee Baker, Max Matteson, Doug Sipsma, 2- Jeff Kinnunen, 3- Jeff Chinski, Becca Waaso, Alan Weathers, 4- Jim Codman, 5- Jason Smith

Birthday and Anniversary cards are a great way we can continue to reach out to one another during this time. If you wish to mail a card to one of our church members, addresses can be found in our Church Directory. If you don't have a directory, please let us know, and we will email one to you.

Prayer Requests

Kurt McDonald (Roye McDonald's nephew) ; Matt Brazys (Friend of Pete Wehle's); Darren Dixon (Beverly and Orie Hawkes' nephew); John (Wendy Hamilin's son); Mike Spina (Tom Spina's father); Chris Lee (Joy McClendon's son); Krissy Molitor (Ann Hopkins' daughter); The Plantinga Family; Dr. Bernie Siegel (Ruth VandenBosch's friend); Kathy Austin and Mike Boston and their family; Barbara Muller; Bill & Sue Tucker (Gregg Smith's parents); Emil 'Sonny' Pulick (Sue Fleming and Mary Alice Townsend's dad); David Lezondra; Lisa and Michael and baby Harper McLoughlin (Jane Brodt's daughter and son-in-law and new granddaughter); Mary Elizabeth Loudin (friend of Laurie VandenBeldt); Richard Graham; Max Brown; the Klott Family; five members of family of Max Brown's sister; Audrey Looman and Michael Titus, (friends of Ruth VandenBosh; Ruth Pearson (Wendy Hamlin's sister, Fred Hamlin's daughter); Char Clausing (Nancy Plantinga's cousin); Brent Havens; Ruth VandenBosch; Pamela Chappell; Bubba Beaudreaux; Marilyn Ondersma (the Reimans' friend); Chris Robinson (Peter and Kathleen Mueller's nephew); Leith Letcher and Jim Shewell; Gregg Kirchen (Sheryll and Greg VanPortfleet's friend); Sidney Matheis; Jodi Berault, Dirk Hollebeek (Ruth VandenBosch's godson); Larry Gregsbeek (friend of Mark Reiman); Daniel Ver Meulen (Susan Fleming's son); Hannah Sherman; Terry Stough (Catz Dienes' son); Ted Sommer; Drew Carter; Jeff Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Marcia Sullivan (Jo Cooley's friend); Len Lynch (Kathleen Mueller's brother); Curtis Coffin (Marty Coffin's brother).

All of our Covid-19 pandemic first responders, and for the researchers and scientists working on effective tests and treatments for Covid-19. Prayers for all in the military and their families; all who are homeless or addicted or abused or neglected or rejected or hungry; The UCC; the Grand West Association; our Church Council; our Stephen Ministers; our church committees; our communities, our schools, our nation and our planet.

To add or remove a name from the Prayer List, please email us.

Financial Stewardship

January 24, 2021
Viewers for January 24, Online Service Videos: 957

Online Giving: $3,727.11
Facebook: $750

Total: $4,477.11

Thank you!!