Weekly E-Pistle: Second Sunday in Advent

12/4/2020

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

This Sunday's Service Notes - "Peace: 2nd Sunday of Advent"
Last Week's Service Video --"Hope: 1st Sunday of Advent"
Join Us in the Online Friendship Hall to bid Mike Boston and Kathy Austin Happy Trails
All the Ways Your Church is Here for You
Three Sisters Virtual Potluck!
Advent Devotionals Available at Retreat House or Online
Douglas UCC Holiday Ornaments for Sale!
Holiday Family Album -- Send us your photos by December 15
Centering Prayer with Pastor Sal
Christian Neighbors -- The Gift of Love, Deadline December 7
Wings of Hope Grief Support -- National Hospice Month
Amazon Smile -- Giving While Shopping
Friendship Hall News
Birthdays & Anniversaries, Prayer Requests, and Financial Stewardship

This Sunday: "Peace - 2nd Sunday of Advent"

Our Gospel reading for this Sunday (the 2nd Sunday of Advent) has John the Baptist proclaiming: "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord!" Advent is a time for us to prepare the way for the coming of the Light. Please join us this Sunday at 10 AM for our "Video Worship Service," as we explore what it means to "Prepare the Way." Message by Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Elizabeth Estes. We will also be lighting our 2nd Advent wreath candle for "Peace."

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

Last Week's Service Video --"Hope: 1st Sunday of Advent"

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, preparing us with great expectation for the birth of the Christ Light within us. At last Sunday's "Video Worship Service," we focused on the theme of the first Advent candle: HOPE. Pastor Sal gave an inspiring message on "The Power of Hope." And we enjoyed uplifting music by Peter Black and Jeff Spangler. Click on the video link above to watch the service or click here to read and share the homily text.

Join Us in the Online Friendship Hall to bid Mike Boston and Kathy Austin Happy Trails

Please join us in the Online Friendship Hall (link is in Friday's Online Church email) this Sunday at 11a.m. to celebrate our church members Mike Boston and Kathy Austin as they make their move to North Carolina. Both of them have contributed so much to the love, care and growth of Douglas UCC over the years, and we will look forward to wishing them well in their new home.

All the Ways Your Church is Here for You

This is a tough time for all of us, and we can sometimes forget to reach out when we need connection. So here is your helpful reminder that your church is here for you in so many ways. As always, Pastor Sal wants to connect. Email him for an appointment. Last week we introduced and met Rev. Marty Rienstra in the Online Friendship Hall (another great way to connect with your church friends!). Rev. Marty is available for spiritual support and coaching, an Emmaus walk, a socially distanced chat. Email Rev. Marty here. Our Stephen Ministry team is growing, and ministers are available for weekly meetings. Email Paul Burdick to connect with a Stephen Minister. And of course our Congregation is very good at offering helping hands, cooks, drivers, etc. Email the team's facilitator Lynn Snyder to report your needs. If you are hurting, don't wait to reach out. Help is just an email or a call away!

Three Sisters Virtual Potluck!

KUDOS to our DUCC cooks and to Chris Clark for gathering all of their submissions into this beautiful post for the Creation Justice Team. Take a look at this mini cookbook/virtual potluck of Corn, squash, and bean recipies, celebrating the tradition of Three Sisters gatherings, now a DUCC tradition!

Advent Devotionals Available at Retreat House or Online

A few Advent Devotionals from Pilgrim Press are still available for $5 each. Find them on the foyer table of the Retreat House with a box for your donation. 5 copies are available on a 'First Come, First Served' basis. Or you may wish to order the devotional online here:
https://www.thepilgrimpress.com/collections/advent-resources/products/draw-near-2020-advent-christmastide-devotional

Douglas UCC Holiday Ornaments for Sale!

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 in winter. This lovely ornament makes the perfect holiday gift. The cost is $25. To place an order, please email us at [email protected]. We can arrange for you to pick up your ornament at the church, or we can send it to you. Shipping is $5 more.

Holiday Family Album -- Send us your photos by December 15

We would like to build and share a DUCC Holiday Family Album, and to do that we need your help! Could you please take a selfie, in your favorite holiday clothes (or costumes!), by yourself or in groupings, and email it to [email protected]. Your deadline for this mission, should you choose to accept it, is December 15. We long to see one another, and we believe this will be a great way to pull our family together safely this year!

Centering Prayer with Pastor Sal

During the months of November and December, Pastor Sal will be leading a "Centering Prayer" meditation via Zoom each Wednesday night from 5:30 PM to 6 PM. Each session will begin with a short talk, followed by a 15-minute silent prayer practice. If you are interested in taking part in these sessions, please email Pastor Sal.

Christian Neighbors -- The Gift of Love,
Deadline December 7

Thanks so much to all of our church members who have been contributing to our Giving Tree project! We received a batch of new gift tags for area teenagers. Good gifts for these kids includes cards for Subway, gas cards, manicure sets and nail polish, makeup, slippers, warm socks, pajamas, cologne -- gifts that cost around $20.00. Gift cards should be for no more than $25. Instructions are included on the tags. Gather your gifts and drop them, unwrapped please, in the big gift box or deliver them to Christian Neighbors at the Community Church of Douglas by December 7. We need volunteers to help families select gifts for children too. Call Christian Neighbors at 269-857-1050 for work dates and times. And as always, thank you so much for giving your time and treasure in this way. Special KUDOS to Ruth VandenBosch for coordinating this project for Christian Neighbors!

Wings of Hope Hospice and Grief Support

Wings of Hope Hospice serves individuals in their last six months of life, along with grief support, available to anyone in the community regardless of whether their loved one who died was a hospice patient. Professionals and specially trained volunteers provide a listening ear. During Covid time, bereaved people are especially alone, isolated, and incredibly sad. It can be hard to put words to the pain we feel at the death of a loved one, but that's exactly what grief counseling is designed for. To help people process their pain, help bereaved people adjust to life without their loved ones, ease the loneliness. Wings of Hope has continued to provide both its hospice program and grief support services throughout the pandemic. For more information on becoming a grief support volunteer, or for help with your grief, call the Wings of Hope office at (269) 686-8659. Also please keep Wings of Hope in your prayers, that their patients will know comfort and not suffer and have the opportunity to say goodbye to the people who love them. That they will continue to have the strength and the courage to keep walking this path with the people who need them despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Amazon Smile -- Giving While Shopping

Thanks to Bev Hawkes for this hint! Did you know about Amazon Smile, a program you can opt into to generate donations from Amazon to your favorite non-profit organization? And those organizations include the Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ! When you shop from your desktop from smile.amazon.com, or activate Amazon Smile from the Settings menu on your Amazon phone app (not yet available on iPads or tablets), you can choose a non-profit to receive a small income based on your purchases. Let your shopping trigger giving from Amazon! (Hint: On Amazon Smile, DUCC is listed as Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ.)

Friendship Hall News

At last Sunday's Online Friendship Hall, Pastor Sal thanked the many donors and volunteers who helped with the Christian Neighbors Thanksgiving food drive. More than 400 local families were served by Christian Neighbors during the drive! We met and welcomed Rev. Marty -- Marchiene Rienstra, and learned about her rich background, her connection with Pastor Sal and her interfaith ministry. You can reach out to Rev. Marty for support and spiritual exploration by emailing her at this address. Pam Chappel found a wonderful resource for "Three Sisters" (corn, beans, squash) recipes on Pinterest here. We learned of Denny Bales' transition, and shared his husband, Bubba Beaudreaux's mailing address: P.O. Box 955, Douglas, MI 49406. Dan Mack may have overdone his knee replacement exercises. He has to slow down now, and gives thanks for all the support he has received from his church family. Thanks, too, for prayers from Debra Carr, whose sister, Tish is watching walls go up on her new home after a fire destroyed everything. Jo Cooley's friend Marsha is doing very well after receiving experimental treatment for her cancer. The prayers are working! Curtis Coffin, Marty Coffin and Annie Hotwagner's brother, is home after his stem cell treatment and and doing well. And Pete and Kathleen Mueller shared a great joy, that their third grandson would arrive very soon. And here he is, pictured above! Introducing Paul Everett!

Birthdays & Anniversaries,

December 6- David Bazany, Chris Maitner, 7-Dan Sutherland, 9-Carol Jaworowicz,
10- Linda Charvat, Chris Clark, Derek Hoehn, 11-Anita Halcyon & Spouse, Stephen Townsend

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

Jimmy Hotwagner; Tish Swinehart and Diane Carr (Debra Carr's sisters); Char Clausing (Nancy Plantinga's cousin); Jerry Ferguson; Brent Havens; Ruth VandenBosch; Catz Dienes; the family and friends of Chris Cook, especially Larry Fuerst and Sue Scott; Pamela Chappell; Bubba Beaudreaux; Sarah Weaver (Ed Korson's family); Marilyn Ondersma (the Reimans' friend); Chris Robinson (Peter and Kathleen Mueller's nephew); Dan Mack; Leith Letcher and Jim Shewell; Warren Plantinga (Nancy Plantinga's father); 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); Vivian Libby (Sheryll Van Portfleet's Mom); Hannah Sherman; Gary Plantinga (Nancy Plantinga's brother); Myron Freund; Terry Stough (Catz Dienes' son); Ted Sommer; Phyllis Wallis (Kathy Austin's mother); 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

November 29

Viewers for November 29 Online Service Videos: 1,182
November Podcast downloads: 527
Online Giving: 11/23-11/27/20: $4,896.98
Collection plate (mailed in)…   $2,380.00
Advent Devotionals…   $20.00
Memorials…   $1,000.00
Retreat House Use…   $200.00

Total: $8,496.98

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.