In This Week's E-Pistle You'll Find:
Jesus's words in Sunday's Gospel are shocking. The Prince of Peace actually says, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!" What did Jesus mean by these words? During this Sunday's online video worship service, we will explore the spiritual understandings of vision and di-vision.
Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Stan Greene. Tune in on Sunday at 10 AM via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, or here on our website. The Kin-dom of Heaven is Here!
At last Sunday's service, Pastor Sal examined what Jesus really said to his apostles about carrying the message out into the world. We also shared our call to work against gun violence in our world, and news of the afternoon's Black Lives Matter solidarity march from Douglas to Saugatuck, including an address from our own church member, Stan Greene. Our musical Director Peter Black, along with Mark Reiman and Nancy Plantinga, provided inspirational music for the service, and Greg Sherman gave the week's reading. If you missed the service, you can watch it here.
Congregational Meeting
Please watch your email for an invitation to join us for our annual Congregational Meeting via Zoom on June 28 at 11:30a.m. We will hear from Pastor Sal and our leadership teams, who will give a state-of-the-church update. And we will vote on changes to our Church Constitution and approve our Budget. If you would like to review the constitution and budget in advance of the meeting, write to us at [email protected] for copies. And here is a copy of the minutes from the 2019 meeting, which we will vote to approve as our first order of business:
Black Lives Matter March
Last Sunday, our Douglas UCC family and community came out in full-force for a Black Lives Matter march in Saugatuck/Douglas. Our church member, Stan Greene, inspired and challenged us all with his prophetic and powerful words. Thank you to all who took part and to our own Mark Reiman for the photos. Here is Stan's address, with transcript below.
Heard at Friendship Hall
With more than 30 households on the Friendship Hall Zoom call this past Sunday, there was much news to share. Here's a rundown:
We all celebrated that Peter Black and Robert Trenary are moving to Douglas! They will be settled soon, tired and happy! Lynne Snyder let us all know that Saugatuck Drug Store holds a credit account you may wish to donate to at any time to help local residents pay for their prescription drugs. When you are there making purchases or picking up prescriptions, just ask to donate any amount to that account to help our neighbors. Are you having trouble connecting on Zoom? We'd like to help. Just write to [email protected], and we will make an appointment to troubleshoot it with you! Many kudos to Greg Plowe and Karen Clark for all their work they have done to update our church's constitution document over the past two years! And more kudos to our dear neighbors and members Claudina Johnston and David Geen for planting the beautiful Zinnias out in front of the church. It looks amazing! We shared loads of kudos for Mike VerMerris, who does so much for our church, including doing the work of reaching out to members old and new to update our directory information. If you see his email, do let him know if you would like to add yourself to the directory or change or update your information or photo. Or write to [email protected] with your new information. So Easy. So Fast. Text-to-Give via Give+
Looking for the quickest, simplest way to donate to the Douglas UCC? We've worked with our friends at Vanco Give+ to add Text-to-Give to our capabilities. Setup is easy! Follow Steps 1–4 the first time you give, and after that, just follow step 4 to make new gifts or adjust your recurring gift. We're so thankful for your continued support!
Step 1 Get Started Text the amount you wish to donate (10, 20, or 30, etc) to 844-931-2849, then press send. Step 2 Register You will receive a return text with a registration link. Click that link, and enter your contact and payment information. Tap the “Process” button. Step 3 Give After registration is complete, you will receive a donation verification text with an option to make the donation recurring, and a receipt by email. Step 4 Repeat For future giving, simply send a text to the same number with the amount you wish to give, and it will process automatically. If you need help remembering these commands, text "Assist" to that number to get help. Birthdays & Anniversaries
June 24- Katy Lemanski Loster, 26- El Clough, 27- Stephen Lewis,
28- Jodi Berault & Chris Maitner 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. Prayers
Jeff Spangler; Myron Freund; Jack Ridl; Freddy Bell (Wendy Hamlin's grandson, Fred Hamilin's great-grandson); Terry Stough (Catz Dienes' son); Bob Donohue (Jack and Peg Donohue's brother); The family of Jim Lemons; Philip Raywood; Ted Sommer; Molly Gaspar (Mike Valdez' sister); Phyllis Wallis (Kathy Austin's mother); Kristen Molitor (Ann Hopkins' daughter); John Willming; Drew Carter; Ferman Sims (father of Duce Sims); Howard McLauchlan (brother-in-law of Dale and Ted); Jeff Cooley (Jo Cooley's brother); Marcia Sullivan (Jo Cooley's friend), Len Lynch (Kathleen Mueller's brother); Curtis Coffin (Marty Coffin's brother).
Ruth VandenBosch is asking for special prayers for her transgender clients and for all the transgender folk whose lives are being disrupted by threats to their healthcare and coverage for their reassignment surgeries. Please hold them in your prayers. Prayers for the residents of mid-Michigan, recovering from flooding. Prayers for 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. May 2020 Church Council Meeting Minutes
Financial Stewardship
June 14
Attendance for Online Services: 474 Collection Plate by Mail: $4,775 Weekly Online Giving: $1,739.18 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 |
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