Do you like food? Do you support anti-racism? Then guess what? We have the perfect event for you!

The Plymouth Youth Group will be preparing a fundraiser luncheon after worship on Sunday, April 19, in which they will serve spaghetti & meatballs, salad, and a cookie. The cost is $5. Following the lunch, the Anti-Racism Team will lead attendees through an interactive board game called “The Disparity Trap” to highlight how racism grants resources and power to some people and takes it away from others. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The luncheon and game with discussion will last no more than 90 minutes.

"I use the term racial caste to denote a stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom. Jim Crow and slavery were caste systems. So is our current system of mass incarceration."

- Michelle Alexander, legal scholar, civil rights lawyer, and author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Shane Claiborne worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Baghdad, Iraq, during the 2003 war. In 1998, he co-founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia, and in 2007 “Red Letter Christians,” for those committed to Christian voluntary simplicity and social justice. He is also an advocate for the homeless, abolition of the death penalty, Palestinian human rights, ending gun violence, and climate justice. 

In 2023, Shane received The King Center’s Beloved Community Award for Social Justice from Dr. Bernice King (daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King).

Shane will present a program entitled "Extreme Loves for Extreme Times" at Plymouth on Sunday, April 19 at 6:30 pm EDT. The program is free, open to the public. The program is also live-streamed, and posted as a video a few days after the event, on the ICMEP YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@inCMEP/videos

On Sunday, April 26, there will be a Global Mission Partner Special Offering for Wi’am Center. Linda Kerr will give a moment for mission on her personal experience with Wi’am. The Benevolence Committee selected Wi’am to receive this offering. Your gift will help Wi’am’s powerful work in challenging conditions continue.

As a grassroots organization established in Bethlehem in 1994, Wi’am aims to improve the quality of relationships and to promote peace, justice, a culture of acceptance, and reconciliation in the community. Wi’am strives alongside other forces in the community to build a society based on active participation, citizenship, democratic norms and values, and separation of the four powers (executive, legislative, judicial, and media).

Their mission is to create a culture of acceptance of others as they are, through engaging in conflict transformation and empowering civil society while attending to critical needs for the social, political, psychological, and economic well-being of the community and its members.

Their vision is to bolster a vibrant diversity-in-unity community that cherishes justice and peacebuilding values, enjoys healthy relationships within an empowered civil society system, improves inter-communal relationships, and fosters transformative means of reconciliation.

This April, Heartland Sings and Plymouth Congregational Church welcome Mexican‑born composer Dr. Jorge Sosa for a special three‑day residency in Fort Wayne, April 24–26.

Across the weekend, Dr. Sosa will share his powerful immigration story, lead a practical music‑business workshop, and take part in "Songs of Immigration | A Journey Begins" — a recital of Dr. Sosa’s compositions celebrating immigrant voices and stories. The concert on Sunday, April 26 at 2 pm at Plymouth Church will feature Heartland Sings’ Alejandra Sandoval‑Montañez (Principal Artist, Mezzo‑Soprano) and Seth Allen (Principal Artist, Tenor), joined by Collaborative Pianist Robert Nance. Dr. Sosa will provide an introduction, and there will be a reception to follow.

More information here.

Our next WELCOMING GROUP will meet Sunday, May 3, 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. If you have been attending Plymouth for six months or longer, and your faith journey is leading you to explore becoming a member, this is a one-time required session. Whether you are confident, confused, or curious, our time together is focused on orientation, conversation, interpretation, and exploration. It is an opportunity for you to ask questions and to meet others who are considering affirming their formal relationship with Plymouth Church, UCC. A light lunch will be provided, and childcare is available upon request. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals at smo@plymouthfw.org.

On Saturday, May 16, 2026, Just Neighbors supporters are hosting a benefit golf outing at Colonial Oaks Golf Course to support the organization's mission.

It’s going to be a fantastic day of fellowship, fresh air, and fun — all for a great cause. We are aiming for a record turnout to support our neighbors in need, and we would love your help in spreading the word!

We are so grateful for our partners who find creative ways to give back. Thank you for helping us make this event a "hole-in-one" for our community!

With gratitude,

Jessica Bleill

Program Assistant - Just Neighbors