Weekly E-Pistle: Fourth Sunday in Lent

3/12/2021

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

This Sunday's Service Notes - "Fourth Sunday in Lent: Called to Be Light"
Last Week's Service Video --"Third Sunday in Lent: Cleansing the Temple"
Spring Forward!!!
Take Action: Support the Expansion of the Elliot Larsen Act
Recommended Viewing: The Black Church on PBS (and the UCC's role in it)
Lakeshore Coalition Beach Cleanup
Women's History Month and The State of Women
The State of Creation with Brooks Berndt and Jim Antal
Centering Prayer Group during Lent, Wednesday Evenings at 5:30 p.m.
Community Read with Interfaith Action, March 18: The Beauty of Your Face
Contact Tracing App: It works if we use it!
Sign up for your vaccine! Here's How!
Friendship Hall News
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship

This Sunday's Service: "Called to Be Light"

This Sunday's Gospel passage contains one of the most repeated lines Evangelical Christians quote from Scripture: John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." Does this mean one must believe in Jesus in order to have eternal life? Was Jesus God's only son, or are we all sons and daughters of God? How do we as Progressive Christians make sense of John 3:16? Please join us for this Sunday's "Video Worship Service," as we explore these questions together. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Jeff Spangler.

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

Last Week's Service

In the Gospel message for the Third Sunday in Lent, Jesus gets angry... so angry, in fact, that he brandishes a whip and overturns tables! This certainly is not the gentle "Prince of Peace" with which most of us are comfortable and familiar. Is Jesus demonstrating that it's okay for us to get angry? If so, what positive purpose can anger serve in our lives? Please enjoy last week's "Video Worship Service" when we explored "The Upside of Anger."
Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Pamela Chappell.
Click here to read, listen to, watch and share last week's homily.

Spring Forward!!!

Daylight saving time 2021 officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14, so be sure to adjust any adjustable clocks either before bed Saturday or first thing Sunday morning. We would hate to miss you on Sunday morning!

Take Action: Support the Expansion
of the Elliott-Larson Act

The time has come to modernize Michigan’s policies to make it clear that discrimination against LGBTQ+ people will not be tolerated. As Equality Michigan calls upon the legislature to move forward in a bipartisan manner by taking swift action in 2021, there are three things you can do:

Add your name to this list of supporters for an expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity here in Michigan.
Share this page with your friends and family so they can add their name to the list of supporters and allies too.
Our staff is looking for LGBTQ+ Michiganders who are willing to share their personal experiences with discrimination. Now more than ever, its critically important to share personal stories as we work to pass the expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. If you have a personal story to share, please do so here.

Recommended Viewing: The Black Church on PBS (and the UCC's role in it)

Our Director of Music, Peter Black, wrote to us about this series, recommending it to us, and saying:

"In watching this documentary, it was wonderful and not at all surprising how big a part the UCC played in the Black Church of America, and not just down south. Many of the pastors and musicians interviewed were members of old established UCC churches; while there was more of an emphasis and history on the AME church, you can see how large the UCC looms in the story of the Black Church in America."

TV Series Explores Abiding Power of Black Church
by Hans Holznagel , UCC.org

The United Church of Christ is in “The Black Church.” The TV special, that is. The four-hour documentary, airing this month on PBS, features several UCC ministers.
Viewers can check local air dates at the series web page. They can also stream it there — or on YouTube — in two episodes of two hours each.

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote and created the series.

The UCC is visible throughout as part of the wider Black church. Among many ministers and public figures on screen are:

The Rev. Otis Moss III. He is senior pastor of Trinity UCC, Chicago, and was an advisor to the series.
The Rev. Dwight Andrews. He is senior minister of First Congregational UCC, Atlanta, and was an advisor to the series.
The Rev. Andrew Young. A member of First Congregational, Atlanta, he was part of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s core team in the 1960s. He was also, later, mayor of Atlanta and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He is pastor emeritus of Trinity UCC, Chicago.
The Rev. Yvette Flunder. She is founder and senior pastor of City of Refuge UCC, Oakland, Calif., and presiding bishop of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.
The Rev. Traci Blackmon. She is associate general minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries. She was also pastor of Christ The King UCC, Florissant, Mo., through 2020, when her interview was filmed.

Their topics include the power of the pulpit, the role of music, the church as an agent of social and racial justice, and issues of women’s and LGBTQ inclusion.

“The Black church to me still remains the strongest demonstration of God with us that we have,” Blackmon says near the end of the documentary. She also offers a comment about the church’s historic local power — and a clue about its future.

“It is those small Black churches that have made the difference in our communities,” she says. “It is that strength that I want the church to tap back into.”

Lakeshore Coalition Beach Cleanup

he Creation Justice Team wants to share this great news! The US Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded a grant to the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and the Allegan Conservation District to support beach and river cleanups in Ottawa and Allegan Counties! This project is in partnership with Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, the Ottawa Conservation District, Hope College, the ODC Network, the Allegan Conservation District and the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council. Partners will hold volunteer beach and river cleanups throughout Ottawa and Allegan Counties over the next couple of years. Each partner will organize and run their own events and the MACC has posted the full list with registration links. As events are completed, they will also report the results on their website. You must register to participate in these events at the links below:

April 13th, 2021 from 10am - 12pm
Oval Beach, 690 Perryman St, Saugatuck, MI
Register here.

April 27, 4pm-6pm
Douglas Beach Park, 3099 Lakeshore Dr, Douglas
Register here.

May 8, 10am-12pm
Laketown Beach, 6710 142nd Ave, Holland
Register here.

More West Michigan Beaches and Dates for Cleanups here.

Women's History Month and The State of Women

As we begin Women’s History Month, leadership from the World YWCA and the Cleveland YWCA discussed the state of women globally. Women continue to live at the margins across the world often unemployed, underemployed, and fighting for human rights and dignity. Together with UCC leaders, this group discussed the issues facing women and children, including sexual and gender-based violence, digitalization, and the impact of COVID on young people. Watch the video above to witness this remarkable conversation and learn how we can all be better partners in raising the state of women globally.

The State of Creation with Brooks Berndt and Jim Antal

What is necessary to halt the deleterious effects of climate change in the 21st century? Join Rev. Brooks Berndt, Minister for Environmental Justice, UCC, and Jim Antal, author, public theologian, Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ for this important address. Rev. Antal reviewed:
• The current state of climate change
• The impact of the roll-back of over 100 EPA regulations and disengagement from the Climate Accord; needed reforms
• The role and responsibility of people of faith
• Actions we can engage both as individuals and as communities in 2021
Rev. Brooks Berndt moderated follow-on dialog on what we can do together to ensure God’s creation thrives in 2021 and beyond. This program was part of the UCC's "Tuesdays for Nurture" webinar series.

Centering Prayer Group during Lent, Wednesday Evenings at 5:30 p.m.

During the season of Lent, Pastor Sal will lead
a "Centering Prayer" meditation via Zoom each Wednesday
evening from 5:30 PM to 6 PM.

If you are interested in taking part in these sessions,
please email Julie for the Centering Prayer link.

Community Read with Interfaith Action
March 18: The Beauty of Your Face

The DUCC Social Justice Team, in partnership with West Michigan's Interfaith Action, invites you to read and discuss The Beauty of Your Face. Our friend Beth Kenagy writes, "The novel was named one of the New York Times's 100 Notable Books of 2020. It's rich with details of the Islamic faith and Arab culture and the prejudice that confronts American-Muslim immigrants. The generational conflict that sometimes arises within immigrant families is also a central theme."

The author will join the ZOOM discussion on Thursday, March 18 at 6:00.

Nevine Khalil, a journalist from Saint Joseph, and Tatiana Reinoza, a Notre Dame professor, will moderate the discussion.

Click here to register for the online book discussion.

Contact Tracing App: It works if we use it!

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! Here's How!

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

Pastor Sal shared with us memories of Jim Shewell, who died last week, and his talks with Leith Letcher, Jim's husband. Condolences for Leith can be mailed to 5525 W. St. Joe Hwy, #8, Lansing, MI 48917. Doug Sipsma shared his delight in reading the Interfaith Action Community Read book, The Beauty of Your Face (see article, above), and recommends it to anyone. Mark Reiman shared that he has foot surgery coming up, and would appreciate our prayers. More of us have been vaccinated, and we celebrated that. We especially celebrated seeing Serena and Tom Spina in the same room in Florida after months apart while Tom cared for his parents and moved them home. Barb Schipper shared that she was taking a course with Cynthia Bourgeault on Mary Magdalene, and that got us talking about great books for exploring her life. Chris Clark recommends The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, and Pastor Sal recommends Mirabai Starr's book, Wild Mercy. Bob Kenny pointed to the powerful devotional from UCC's Lent Devotional featuring this powerful image. With more of us having completed our vaccinations, we discussed ideas for returning to in-person services, and hybrid models that leave no churchgoer behind! Also there was a rumor of a special DUCC 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' service among some of our members in Palm Springs?

Birthdays & Anniversaries

March 14- Carey Idema,
16- Gemina Petruzzelli, 17- Peter Black, Dan Mack

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

Julia DeMario (Chris Clark's niece); Mark Reiman; Leith Letcher and his family; Linda Charvat; Becky Hoeppner (Demetrhea Terrien's niece); Dale Lower; Sherri Kanten (Ruth VandenBosch's friend); Diane Carr (Debra Carr's sister); Michael (a friend of Dan Mack's); Mike Boston and Kathy Austin; Myron (Wendy Hamlin's grandson, Fred Hamilin's great-grandson); Chris Stuart (Virginia Stuart's sister-in-law); Kurt McDonald (John McDonald's son); Matt Brazys (Friend of Pete Wehle's); Darren Dixon (Beverly and Orie Hawkes' nephew); Mary Elizabeth Loudin (friend of Laurie VandenBeldt); Richard Graham; Char Clausing (Nancy Plantinga's cousin); Chris Robinson (Peter and Kathleen Mueller's nephew); Gregg Kirchen (Sheryll and Greg VanPortfleet's friend); Daniel Ver Meulen (Susan Fleming's son); Marcia Sullivan (Jo Cooley's friend); Len Lynch (Kathleen Mueller's brother); Curtis Coffin (Marty Coffin's brother).

Financial Stewardship

March 7, 2021

Viewers for March 7 Online Service Videos: 690

Online Donations: $4,124.33

Total: $4,124.33

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.