Join us on Sunday, May 19 for a lively worship service to celebrate both Pentecost and our Covenant Class students. The 10:00 am service will be followed by a reception for our students with cake and ice cream! Be sure to join us for this celebratory occasion and remember to wear red for Pentecost!

Congratulations and welcome to the following students:

• Lucia Leal
• Maya E Koczan-Flory 
• Claire Roney
• Owen Roney

Wednesday Night Live programming conludes Wednesday, May 22. At 5:15 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal, children’s choir rehearsal, and Bible study, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. Bible study can be attended in person or via Zoom using the link below. The passcode to join via Zoom is 648589. All activities are open to anyone in the church, regardless of membership status. Come for activities, or just come for dinner and fellowship! The suggested cost for dinner is $10 per person, though no one is ever turned away due to inability to pay. If you plan to come for dinner, please sign up in the Folsom Room in advance so our caterer knows how much food to prepare. Hope to see you there!

The next meeting of the Women's Book Study (anyone who self-identifies as a woman is welcome) will occur on Tuesday, May 21 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. Instead of a book, we'll consider a mashup of 1) an article and 2) a podcast (with transcript!). We’ll ponder the possible intersections between these key ideas:

1) Key ideas from article: 

“…as a member of the dominant group, one is taught not to see [systemic forms of racism]…I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth. Disapproving of the systems won’t be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes….[but]…Individual acts of racism can only palliate, but not end, racism…we need to learn to see the systems of dominance and make systemic changes together.” 

2) Key ideas from podcast/transcript: 

“The neurophysiological science of awe gives us a new way to talk about meaning…a compass for what matters, and a way to expand our views about something bigger than ourselves…This has huge relevance…to our life together, our collective state of being and possibilities. …Awe is a direct pathway to addressing the social crises of our time…” Consider these ideas: “moral beauty”; “collective effervescence”; and “superorganism”, and “default mode network."

To read transcript while listening to podcast, open another tab on your browser, go to OnBeing.org, open same link below, and scroll down to “transcript”. You can play and read simultaneously.

For further information contact jrbeineke@yahoo.co.uk. Click the buttons below to access the materials.

Friendly reminder that E&M will host Tapping Into Faith at Mad Anthony’s on Monday, May 27 at 7:00 pm. Rev. January Simpson will be this month's facilitator! It’s a wonderful chance to get to know fellow Plymouth folks a little better and sometimes welcome folks from the community into fellowship. Loosely guided conversation and story-sharing, good food & drink, and good people – what more could you want?!

We will provide appetizers for all to share, and you are welcome to buy whatever meal or beverage you’d like. Come on over!

Join Rev. Sara and Rev. January on Saturday, June 8 for a retreat aimed at providing rest and renewal for all who are weary. The retreat will be at Plymouth from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm, with breakfast and lunch provided. There will be restorative activities for mind, body and heart-- including guided meditation, walking the labyrinth, and healing, gentle yoga. This retreat is free to members and non-members-- all are welcome. Please sign up in the Folsom Room.

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. 

Rev. Murphy’s sabbatical runs from April 1 through June 30. During this time of rest and rejuvenation, Rev. Ofner-Seals is serving as the acting Senior Pastor. Rev. Murphy looks forward to communicating with and seeing Plymouth members and friends upon his return!

This Easter and beyond, 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.

Plymouth Church is looking for volunteers to cover the 1:00 pm Staff Meetings on Tuesdays. If you would like to assist, please sign up with Jake in the office or sign up by clicking the button below.

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