Plymouth's Annual Church Picnic will be Sunday, August 11 at the David Hefner Pavilion (1903 St. Marys Avenue) from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. Congregational Life Board will be providing pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, iced tea, lemonade, and water. Please bring a dish to share as well as your own picnic tableware, including cups. Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm.

The next session of the Stones Cry Out summer webinar series will be on Wednesday, August 14 at 1:00 pm. Michael Spath will interview Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, activist, and lawyer.

Register for this Zoom session by clicking the button below.

Plymouth’s Green Team has adopted a section of the River Greenway Trail. This means that we are responsible for clean-up and maintenance of this section of the trail three times each year. Our next clean-up day will be Saturday, August 17 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Parking is available at Towles Intermediate School (420 E. Paulding Rd.) or at Tillman Park Trailhead (600 E. Tillman Rd). A Green Team member will be waiting at each parking location. Trash bags, gloves, and pick-up sticks will be provided. All ages are welcome! The distance is approximately two miles. Please join us if you can and help us live into our Earthwise covenant!

The Youth are heading to a TinCaps game on Sunday, August 18, with game time at 1:05 pm. All youth in grades 6-12 are welcome!  

For the month of August, the Women's Book Study will be reading Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov. This story of a writer and his penguin took the Eastern Block by storm a few years after the Berlin Wall fell as many countries, finding themselves struggling with their "freedom", appreciated its surreal setting and dark humor. Kurkov is currently a prominent author and continuing commentator in Ukraine. One reviewer wrote, "I would recommend this book to gain an insight into a very different literary tradition..."

Anyone who self-identifies as a woman is invited to drop in to discuss this book on Tuesday, August 20 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. In September, we will be discussing Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult.

The next session of the Stones Cry Out summer webinar series will be on Wednesday, August 21 at 1:00 pm. Michael Spath will interview Josh Ruebner, political analyst, activist, and Policy Director for Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU).

Register for this Zoom session by clicking the button below.

ICMEP welcomes Steve Sosobee, the founder of HEAL Palestine, on Thursday, August 22 at 6:30 pm in the Folsom Room. HEAL Palestine is a nonpolitical, nonprofit humanitarian organization with leaders with more than three decades of experience -– building hospitals and clinics, providing surgeries, health care, pediatric cancer treatment, and other projects throughout Palestine. Through Health, Education, Aid, and Leadership, HEAL Palestine provides urgent and long-term solutions to Gaza’s youth where they are needed most. 

On Sunday, August 25, we will be welcoming Elaine Zoughbi to share with our adult Chapel Class. Elaine is married to Zoughbi Zoughbi, the director of the Wi'am Center in Bethlehem, one of our global mission partners. Elaine will be sharing with us about the difficulties she faces as an American citizen married to a Palestinian, and how their family copes. All are encouraged to join us at 9:00 am on Sunday, August 25 to hear her powerful and enlightening story.

As part of our fellowship with other siblings in Christ, we have organized a pulpit exchange for Sunday, August 25 with Pilgrim Baptist Church. Rev. Timothy will guest preach at their 10:00 am service, while their pastor, the Rev. Raymond Dix, Jr., will guest preach at Plymouth that same day. We also hope to have several people from each congregation attend the other service to experience a different worship style, so we may have some additional guests here then. If you are interested in going with others to represent Plymouth and attend Pilgrim’s worship service on August 25, please email Rev. Timothy in advance at tcm@plymouthfw.org. We are looking to send 8-12 people if possible.

Wednesday Night Live returns on Wednesday, August 28 at 6:00 pm, with dinner, trivia, and activities for kids. The main dish of pulled pork will be provided by our pitmaster, Barrett Seals, and participants are asked to bring a side, salad, or dessert to share. Please sign up in the Folsom room if you plan to attend.

We are introducing new intergenerational programming starting Wednesday, September 11 from 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm. The program will focus on Christian faith practices, and for this first unit we will be focusing on the practice of hospitality. We explore this theme through storytelling, scripture, free play, and prayer, with activities that all ages can participate in. The first unit of Eat, Pray, Play will run from September 11 to October 2. Families and individuals are welcome to come to as few or as many sessions as they are able. Come check it out!

Starting this Sunday, there will be postcards in the Folsom room, advocating for an end to the war in Gaza. These postcards will be hand-delivered to members of congress in Washington DC in September. Please consider singing a card and making your voice heard for a just peace! 

Volunteers for the 12th year of Study Connection at Plymouth Church are needed! You can be a tutor or a substitute to fill in on the few days when a tutor must be away. Contact Lucy Hess for more information on what is expected of a tutor and sub at lrh22@frontier.com or (260) 484-4430. Study Connection is offered at Plymouth every Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm starting early October to mid-May.

To apply, click the button below to complete the volunteer sign up form. All volunteers must have a background check which is done by the FWCS. Everyone is welcome to be a special friend to an elementary age child. Providing support and encouragement is the main task for each tutor and sub. Being a tutor is a great way to make a difference in a child’s life.

Do you have some time available on Tuesdays and are looking for something to do? Would you like to aid your favorite Plymouth Receptionist in making sure that everyone is greeted with a kind and smiling face? Do we have the opportunity for you! Plymouth staff are looking for volunteers to cover for the receptionist during the staff meetings every Tuesday from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. It’s a quiet time for the church, the most you may have to do is answer a phone or two, maybe complete a small project. 

To sign up as a volunteer, speak with Jake in the office or click the button below.

"The United Church of Christ has had a missional presence in the Middle East for two centuries. Our relationships with partners in the Middle East today are ones of steadfast support, critical presence, and mutual blessing. The voices and experiences of our partners in Palestine and the region today compel us to speak clearly and courageously amid horrific suffering. As people of faith, and as a Just Peace Church, we cannot claim peace as our prayer if we are not willing to boldly name the injustices we see... we cannot be silent, waiting for the years to pass to verify that Israel is perpetrating genocide against Palestinians.

These words come from a statement recently released by the United Church of Christ national leadership team, speaking in reference to what they are naming as genocide in Gaza. To read the full statement, click the link below. 

An account has been set up through Plymouth Church to take donations for the Afghan Refugee Task Force, who assist many Afghan refugee families who settle in Fort Wayne. Anyone who would like to donate to the efforts of the Afghan Refugee Task Force may now do so via Plymouth’s online giving site. Simply select “Refugee Support” from the dropdown menu when making your donation. The Afghan Refugee Family Task Force, which meets regularly, will manage the use of the monies donated to this specific account.

In this horribly turbulent world we live in, it seems there will always be refugee families we need to support. If this is where you would like to donate some of any additional gifts you make throughout a year, we are grateful and thank you. Click the button below or visit plymouthfw.org/donate to make your donation. 

United Church of Christ General Minister and President the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson is inviting the wider church to participate in an interactive season of prayer. The People’s Prayers for Peace initiative is an open invitation to read — and write — prayers, which will be posted daily on the UCC website. “As people of faith, I believe prayers are an important part of our discipleship and spiritual practice,” said Thompson. “The People’s Prayers for Peace is a call to the church to be intentional in praying together for the many places where we seek justice and change in our world. Our actions and advocacy follow on our commitment to pray — time set aside to be in conversation with God and to be present in the world with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” The call for prayers comes amid ongoing war and violence globally as well as continued social issues and injustice in the United States. Click the button below to learn more.

Masks are optional in worship and church programming. If you are feeling under the weather or prefer to wear a mask around others, it is an ongoing option. A high-quality mask provides good protection against infection even if others around you are not wearing one. We will continue to offer livestreamed and recorded worship services for anyone unable to attend services in person.

The following links can be found on our Linktree:

• Plymouth Directory Login
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Donate
• Past Chapel Class Series
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Media