Weekly E-Pistle: Second Sunday of Easter

4/17/2020

In the Gospel reading for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, the apostles are in isolation and fear following Jesus's death. But, there in the Upper Room, they experience the Presence of the Risen Christ in their midst. This Sunday during our online video church service, Pastor Sal will be giving an inspiring message about how to more fully experience the Divine Presence, sharing personal stories and photos from his recent sabbatical at Spirit Mountain Retreat. Plus, there will be music from Peter Black and Elizabeth Estes. Tune in on Sunday at 10 AM via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or right here on our church's website.

More than 1,000 people watched our Easter service last Sunday. Thank you!

Thank you to all who watched and commented. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Thank you to Gregg Smith for recording; to Peter Black and Pamela Chappell for such beautiful music; and to Jim Bailey and Greg Harvath for the lovely Easter installation.

Our hearts go out to two of our Douglas UCC church members who are mourning the deaths of loved ones this week. Larry Spencer's mother, Carol Spencer, passed away on Thursday, as did Floyd Fleming's brother, George Fleming. We hold them both in our prayers.

A Video Message from our Council Moderator:

Watch the video above for a brief message from our Church Council Moderator, Peter Mueller.

Zoom "Friendship Hall"

Thank you to all who are participating in our online Zoom "Friendship Hall" gatherings each Sunday at 11 AM. Here's some of what was shared at Sunday's session:

Pastor Sal shared that he will have office hours by phone until it is safe to meet in person. Our Stephen Ministers are also available to speak and pray with you. To schedule an appointment, please email [email protected].

Duce Sims, who works at Walters Gardens in Holland, said there are tons of hostas and day lilies they would love to give out. Contact them for curbside pickup.

Ann Hopkins suggested that we ring bells every night at 7 PM for first-responders.

Pamela Chappell is exploring Pinterest for teaching young children via Zoom.

Gigi Babel and Hannah Huggett started a Change.org petition for truck-drivers.

Stan Greene shared an article on "Zoom Fatigue."

On Friday morning, we'll email the link for this Sunday's Zoom session. If you don't receive it by Friday, email us for the meeting link at [email protected].

Easter Paper Caper

The Easter Bunny paid a visit to Downtown Douglas, giving away free toilet paper!

We heard that our Douglas UCC church members Barb Witt and Louise & Bob Kenny may have lent a helping hand!

Thank you!

Church Podcast is Back!

Listen to our Douglas UCC Church Podcast for all of Pastor Sal's recent messages. You can listen on Google, Apple, Spotify. Even ask Alexa! Thank you to Chris Clark for the updates.

Social Clubs Still Meeting, via Zoom

Needing more connection with your church friends? Both the Men's Group and True North, the women's group, are continuing to hold Zoom meetings to stay connected during this season. Connect with Max Brown for details on Men's Group meetings, and with Kathleen Mueller for True North meeting details.

Electronic Signatures Approved
for Elliot-Larsen Amendment Petition

Here is some good news! The non-partisan Fair and Equal Michigan petitioning group, whose work is to make the Elliot-Larsen Act inclusive for LGBTQ protections, has won the right to gather electronic signatures to their petition!

Click here to be among the first people in history to sign a petition like this. If you haven't signed on yet, add your electronic signature today -- it only takes three minutes!

To sign, you must be registered to vote in Michigan. You'll need your valid Michigan driver's license or state identification card number on hand, as it will be cross-referenced with the state voter file to validate your signature.

If you've already signed the petition, you can still help: Share this link -- fairandequalmichigan.com -- with your fellow Michiganders and encourage them to sign!

If you aren't registered to vote in Michigan or need to update your registration address, you can do that here. You can then sign our petition!

A New Way of Giving

Maybe you've been giving to your favorite churches online for years, but did you know there is an app for that? Yes, the same company we use to process church donations from our website has a phone app, GivePlus. Using it on your phone is so easy:

Download the App by following one of the links below from your phone.
Find Douglas UCC, or any other nearby church using this system, in the app.
If you have already used the website form, just sign in using your username and password.
Or you will be prompted to set up an account.

Easy to use, find, and remember!

Happy Birthdays and Anniversaries:

April 21- Ron Sieracki, 24- Gregg Kurek

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.

Also, thank you to all who have been showing concern for our church member, Richard Graham. He has moved into an assisted living facility in Holland. Graham is doing well, but he is missing his church family. His new address is not in the Church Directory, so if you would like to mail a card to Graham, his address is American House Holland, 11911 James St., Holland, MI 49424.

Prayer List

Kristen Molitor (Ann Hopkins' daughter), John Willming; Drew Carter; Linda Kirby (Jim Hopkins' sister); Ferman Sims (father of Duce Sims); Howard McLauchlan (brother-in-law of Dale and Ted); Jeff Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Len Lynch (Kathleen Mueller's brother); Curtis Coffin (Marty Coffin's brother).

The caregivers and patients at Mary Freebed Hospital and on the U.S.S. Comfort, and in all of our hospitals and care centers during this Covid-19 pandemic. For the leaders and volunteers in every state and city who are stepping up to take care of people every day.

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/remove a name from the Prayer List, please email [email protected].

Financial Stewardship:

April 12
Attendance for April 12 Online Service: 1,014
Online Giving: $3,170.05
Thank you!!

Your generous giving allows us to sustain our church community and our mission of service. Please consider giving online, which is easily done by clicking ONLINE GIVING.

Or you may send checks by mail to:
Douglas Congregational United Church of Christ
56 Wall Street, PO Box 519
Douglas, MI 49406