Adult chapel class resumes on Sunday, September 7, with a special, intergenerational session! All adults are invited to go upstairs to the Sunday School classroom where Sunday School director Katie Watson will lead children AND adults in an exploration on the theme of the Good Shepherd. There will be no Zoom option for this first session but will be available in future weeks.

Chapel class is open to all adults at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings. 

Please note that this Sunday, September 7, Children's Choir will resume during the regular Children's Fellowship Time in worship. After the Peace Candle is lit and the Peace Prayer is recited, children are invited to head up to the choir room with Associate Music Director Brandon Porter for a short time of singing and learning music together. All are welcome, regardless of experience.

On September 7, we will have our annual resource faire after worship in the Folsom Room. There will be tables set up on the different ministries and programs that occur in the life of the church. This faire gives the members and friends the opportunity to see what all is going on, find where they might want to plug in, and ask volunteers from that ministry any questions. There is a sign-up sheet in the Folsom Room that we’re asking the various ministries, committees, etc. to fill out to indicate they will be present and need to reserve a table. We look forward to seeing you there!

Every now and then, it's good to take the pulse of the community, to find out what things are going well as well as areas for growth and improvement. To that end, the executive council, along with church boards, have developed a congregational survey that covers different elements of church life, including music and worship, fellowship opportunities, faith formation programming, and more. The survey will go live on Sunday, September 7. Keep a look out for the link in your digital bulletin that Sunday, as well as in your email. We thank you in advance for your participation!

After a short summer break, our Centering Prayer Group is resuming this coming Monday, September 8, at 5:30 pm in the Plymouth Chapel. All are welcome to attend, regardless of your level of knowledge or experience. If you've ever been curious about Centering Prayer, which is a form of Christian silent meditation, now is the perfect time to come check it out! We are a small but friendly group and are always open to newcomers. We meet every Monday, so feel free to drop in as often or as sporadically as you like!

Dr. Michael Spath begins the ninth year of his Tuesday morning Religion and Culture Class in Plymouth Chapel, 9:30 - 11:00 am. The class discusses deep meaning in various cultural and religious expressions. Topics in the last nine years have included Critical Race Theory, Jim Henson and the Muppets, Joseph Campbell and The Hero’s Journey, Christian Nationalism, Buddhism’s Heart and Lotus Sutras, Adventure Playgrounds, Greenwich Village and 60’s folk music, Georgia O’Keeffe, and more. All welcome.  

It's time for Plymouth's annual Pepper Jelly Project! We will gather in the kitchen Tuesday, September 9th and Thursday the 11th from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. It may be necessary to work on the 12th for a few hours. 

If you are interested in helping for a few (or several) hours, please contact Joyce Augspurger at jema7749@comcast.net or call/text 260-466-5376. No experience is necessary! Lots of sampling! We generally make about 200 jars--interesting and fun days.

Also, you may place an order for this popular and delicious sweet pepper jelly. A favorite size is a half-pint, $6. In limited quantities, there are pints, $10 each and also a 4 ounce size, $3. There will be a Sunday morning, later this Fall, when we will sell it in the Folsom room.

We also accept any size canning jars. We will sort, clean and use the ones we need and find homes for the rest.

As always, thank you for your continued support of this annual project. The profits from this and the Christmas wreath sales are distributed to local charities which support families and children.

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday. At 5:00 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal and children's choir rehearsal. Bible Study with Rev. Timothy will begin at 5:15 pm, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. Handbells will meet at 6:30 pm.

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 will be 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!

Click the button below to join Bible Study via Zoom. The passcode to join is 773232.

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac is pastor of Lutheran Church in Ramallah. His sermon, “Christ in the Rubble,” (December 23, 2023) went viral during Israel’s war on Gaza. He is a leading voice for Palestinian Christians globally and a leader of Kairos Palestine. ICMEP’s Michael Spath works with Munther in Global Kairos for Justice.

During Plymouth’s Chapel Class at 9:00 am, Michael Spath will begin the class interviewing Rev. Isaac, and 

then open it up for Q & A.

Rev. Isaac will be preaching at Plymouth during the 10:00 am worship service. At 6:30 pm, ICMEP hosts Munther for its September program in the Folsom Room.

The events are free and open to the public.

The next book for Plymouth's Women's Book Group (WBG) will be Girl Braiding Her Hair by Marta Molnar.

"By the time Suzanne Valadon was 15 years old, she had been a horse walker, a milliner’s assistant, a funeral wreath maker, and a circus acrobat (among other adventures). Then she became a sought-after model, painted by the greatest of the great. Paris celebrated her - until she decided to take up the brush herself ..."

We meet on the third Tuesday of each month in the Amistad room at noon. Any self-identifying woman is welcome to join us on a drop-in basis or for a longer term.

Other upcoming books are Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein and The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers.

Plymouth's Green Team invites all members and friends to the 4th annual Fall Fest at Eagle Marsh on Saturday, September 20 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. We’ll gather at 5:30 pm for a Seed to Marsh service project with Eagle Marsh staff, followed by a short hike. Then we’ll gather around a bonfire for s’mores, hot apple cider, and campfire songs. We’ll end the evening with a short vespers service as the sun begins to set. 

Things to bring include: long pants, walking shoes, a jacket, bug spray, hand wipes, a stick for roasting marshmallows, a mug for cider, and a folding chair. If you have any questions, please contact Jan Gibson at JSgibson443@gmail.com. Eagle Marsh is located at 6801 Engle Rd., Fort Wayne. Hope to see you there!

Are you considering adding some fun events to your Fall calendar? "Food 'n' Fun" could be just what you need to meet new Plymouth people while enjoying food and activities in a group of couples and singles of all ages. Each group of eight will plan meeting dates and activities among themselves. They could be as simple as pitch-ins or as creative as the group desires. Groups will begin meeting in October and end in May, so fun events may be held up to eight times.

Since days are becoming shorter, you may prefer attending a lunchtime group. If so, just write "lunch" at the top of the sign-up card (located in the Folsom Room), or check the box on the online form (link below).

Sign-ups may be made in the Folsom Room or at the sign-up link until September 21. Group assignments will be distributed Sunday, September 28 in the Folsom Room following worship.

Preorder your decorative holiday wreaths made from fresh Douglas Fir boughs! Wreaths are very full and medium green in color.

Payment in full is due by check or cash at the time of ordering. Checks should be made payable to Plymouth Church with a notation in the memo line stating, “Standish wreaths.”

*Orders must be received by the Church Office no later than 12:00 PM Sunday, September 28. Mailed order forms and online order forms should be in by Thursday, September 25.

I am collecting photos for the online directory! Last time I came to you hat in hand I asked for folks to upload personally. This time I'm just going to make this as simple as I can for you. All you have to do is drag and drop a photo from your computer to the upload section of this handy form in the link below and hit submit. It's that easy. I'll upload them to your account as they come in. 

If you have any questions, see me in my office. Still too confusing? No worries! Set up a time with me and we will take a photo together. 

- Jake 

We are seeking adult volunteers to help out with Children's Fellowship Time and to assist in the nursery on Sunday mornings. If you like working with kids, this job is for you! Volunteers help once a month or less, either in the nursery or with Children's Fellowship Time, during the Sunday morning service. To volunteer with children, you must have been attending Plymouth services for at least six months, but you do not have to be an official member. Volunteers are also required to submit to a background check. If you are interested, please email Rev. Ofner-Seals at smo@plymouth.org.