Weekly E-Pistle: Transfiguration Sunday

2/12/2021

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

This Sunday's Service Notes - "Transfiguration Sunday"
Last Week's Service Video --"Spiritual Healing"
Honor Ash Wednesday at Home with Pastor Sal, Feb 17
Lenten Devotionals Available at Retreat House and Online
Centering Prayer Group during Lent, Wednesday Evenings at 5:30pm, Feb 17 to March 31
A Message from the Stephen Ministry Team
Community Read with Interfaith Action: The Beauty of Your Face
QuartzAir Units Available in February with DUCC Discount
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: "The Transfiguration"

This Sunday is "Transfiguration Sunday." What exactly happened to Jesus on the mountaintop? Sunday's Gospel tells us a change happened in Jesus: his clothes became a dazzling white, and he was transfigured. The word "transfiguration" means "a spiritual change." How have the "mountaintop" experiences in your life impacted your own spiritual transformation? Tune in this Sunday to our "Video Worship Service," as we explore how to spiritually transform our lives and our world. Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Nancy Plantinga.

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 begins his healing ministry, curing many who were sick with various diseases. He said that we, too, have been given the power to heal, and he came to show us the way. Tune in to last Sunday's "Video Worship Service," and explore how to "Awaken the Healer Within." Message: Pastor Sal. Music: Peter Black and Stan Greene. Click here to read, watch, listen to and share last week's homily.

UCC 2021 Lenten Devotional

The Season of Lent begins on Wednesday, and a great way to journey through the Lenten season is by praying each and every day with the UCC's 2021 Lenten Devotional.

The devotional features daily Bible quotes, reflections, and prayers for all 40 Days of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

The devotionals are $5 each, and you can pick one up in the foyer of the Retreat House, or you can order online at The Pilgrim Press.

Ash Wednesday: February 17

The Season of Lent begins this Wednesday, February 17, as we celebrate Ash Wednesday.

Due to the pandemic, we cannot safely distribute ashes this year, but Pastor Sal will be posting a video that day on our church's website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel with the instructions for how to hold an "Ash Wednesday" service at home.

Lenten Centering Prayer with Pastor Sal
Wednesday Evenings at 5:30pm, Feb 17 - Mar 31

During the Lenten season,
Pastor Sal will be leading
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
Zoom link.

A Valentine's Day Message
from the Stephen Ministry Team

February 14 is this Saturday—and many will be facing their first Valentine’s Day without someone dear to them. After this past year especially, with people isolated from other family and friends, it may be particularly painful to go through this day alone. Painful as it is to talk about the person, it’s much less painful and much healthier than acting as if no one is missing.

As one who cares, you can help someone in the midst of this pain. If you know a person who is facing this Valentine’s Day without someone they love, give them a call, offer a caring word, empathize, and let the person know you’re keeping them in your heart. By showing they’re not alone, you’ll be offering genuine comfort.

May God bless you as you reach out to those who are grieving.

SJT Invites You to Read and Discuss:
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.

QuartzAir Units Available in February
with DUCC Discount

Surgically Clean Air February 2021 discount pricing information for DUCC

QUARTZ:
retail price: $1,795
DUCC Feb 2021 price: $1,495
Cubic Ft./min cleaned, 194 cfm on Medium setting
Total sq ft cleaned per unit: 2,100 sq ft

JADE:
retailprice: $2,495
DUCC Feb 2021 price: $1,995
Cubic Ft/min cleaned, 229 cfm on Medium setting
Total sq ft cleaned per unit: 2,730 sq ft

After our last congregational meeting, during which we shared plans for air cleaning when the church returns to in-person services, several DUCC members showed interest in Surgicall Clean Air (SCA) units for their homes. SCA has offered church members a discount for orders placed in the month of February, 2021. Full list and discount prices are shown above along with the home square footage covered per unit. Shipping is approximately $50 with a two-week lead time.
If you would like one of these units at this special price, contact our sales representative, below. Only orders placed with him by phone qualify for the DUCC discount. Also, he is happy to answer any questions regarding home layouts, size of units, etc.

Mr. Dave Lerg, Surgically Clean Air, Inc., 248 761 9923 www.quartzair.com

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!

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

Inspired by a discussion of Pastor Sal's Heal Your Life homily, attendees Ed Korson, Ruth VandenBosch, Mark Reiman, Debra Karr, and more, shared their reading of Louise Hay's book and the books by Bernie Siegal and at Friendship Hall had a spirited discussion of their experiences with the healing writings by Louise Hay and Bernie Siegal and Inna Segal, pictured above. Brenda Marcy shared her wonderful experience with getsetup.io. Here is more about the State of Michigan's partnership with this site, offering free learning experiences for older folks. We shared prayers for Tom Spina's Dad, Gregg and Pastor Sal's family, Foye and Roye McDonald's family, prayers for Sue Fleming's son, and all suffering with substance addictions.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

February 14- Rebecca Klott, 15- Loran Atkinson, 14- Carol & Don Cunningham, 16- Mary Browning, 17- Mark Reiman, 18- Bud Baty, 20- Mary Alice 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

Mike Boston; Myron (Wendy Hamlin's grandson, Fred Hamilin's great-grandson); Chris Stuart (Virginia Stewart's sister-in-law); Kurt McDonald (John McDonald's son); Matt Brazys (Friend of Pete Wehle's); Darren Dixon (Beverly and Orie Hawkes' nephew); Barbara Muller; Mary Elizabeth Loudin (friend of Laurie VandenBeldt); Richard Graham; Char Clausing (Nancy Plantinga's cousin); Chris Robinson (Peter and Kathleen Mueller's nephew); Jim Shewell; 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

February 7, 2021

Viewers for February 7 Online Service Videos: xxx
Online Giving: $4,036.99
Facebook Donations: $160.00

Total: $4,196.99

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.