ATTENTION! Do you have a recurring online donation to Plymouth set up with your bank account or credit card? Because Plymouth is moving to a new giving platform, these automatic payments will end by December 31. If you wish to continue with automatic payments, you will need to enter your bank/credit card info on the new platform by following this link. If you wish the payment to be posted to your 2023 pledge, please choose the Operations 23 fund and a start date of 1/1/2023 or later.

Thank you for your patience with this transition. This new giving platform provides you as a donor greater access and control over your giving and streamlines the recordkeeping for the church staff, so it's a win-win! If you have questions or need assistance, please call the office at (260) 423-9424 and ask for Tina Puitz, Office Manager or Stephen Cook, Financial Administrator.

For all those who have pledged for 2023, thank you! For those who have yet to pledge or fill out the time and talent form, there is still time. Just visit this link to set up your pledge. Every bit helps as we prepare the 2023 budget and look forward to a new year of community-building, service, and sharing the good news!

Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. For Sunday worship, folks are invited to wear Christmas sweaters or any other appropriate Christmas attire, and we will have an extended time of carol singing as part of the worship experience along with poems and reflections.

On Sunday, January 8, chapel class resumes as Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals continues her series on the prophetic message of the mystics for two more weeks. These two weeks will focus on modern-day mystics who have been influential in the world of contemporary social justice issues. Join us at 9:00 am, either in person or on Zoom. The password to attend via Zoom is 063060.

Wednesday night book study resumes on January 11, 2023 with the book Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace, by Osheta Moore. Written in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Dear White Peacemakers draws on the Sermon on the Mount, Spirituals, and personal stories from author Osheta Moore’s work as a pastor in St. Paul, Minnesota. Rooted in the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus, this book is a challenging call to transform white shame, fragility, saviorism, and privilege, in order to work together to build the Beloved Community as anti-racism peacemakers. Wednesday night book study is part of Wednesday Night Live activities, and meets from 6:45 pm to 7:30 pm, following Wednesday Night Live dinner. All are welcome!

Young Adult Film and Faith (ages 24-39) will have its next film viewing and discussion on Saturday, January 14 at 2:30 pm. We will be watching the 1997 classic Princess Mononoke. It is a Japanese fantasy adventure film focused around the themes of the environment, feminism, non-violence, and modernity. Rated PG-13. Running time: 127 minutes. We will be using the English dub. Please enter through the Folsom Room side entrance. Folks are encouraged to RSVP to Rev. Murphy at tcm@plymouthfw.org.

Plymouth's Women's Book Study will not be meeting in December, but it's never too soon to start reading for January! Our next book will be Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann and we will meet on Tuesday, January 17 from 12:00 pm to 1:15pm in the Amistad Room. It describes how In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off and virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery.  

As always, anyone who self-identifies as a woman is welcome to drop in for one or more of our sessions if the chosen book interests them. We meet on the third Tuesday of most months from 12:00 pm to 1:15pm in the Amistad Room.

Beginning on Sunday, January 22, Rev. Murphy will be teaching a four-week series on Christian perspectives on war and violence. We will examine a variety of traditions including holy war, just war and just revolution, pacifism, Christian realism, and just peacemaking. For week one, we will focus our discussion on understanding and defining violence. Join us at 9:00 am in person or on Zoom. The passcode to attend via Zoom is 063060.

Registration is now open for two classes of Our Whole Lives - the UCC’s comprehensive sexuality education program. A class for 1st and 2nd graders will meet after worship on Sundays from February 5 to March 26. A class for 8th and 9th graders will meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 8:00 pm, from January 11 until May 3. These classes are free and open to kids at Plymouth and in our wider community. Students are expected to attend all classes. Please contact Katie Watson with any questions or to register your student.

Thank you in advance for being the church!

Now – January 1

During this season, we will be collecting unopened canned/boxed food items. From what is collected, we will work to help keep the community pantry in the parking lot stocked during the winter. Please ensure cans have “pop tops” so they can be opened without a can opener if necessary. Canned meats and beans, hearty soups and pastas, and potatoes are treasures! Peanut butter, shelf-stable microwave meals, and instant oatmeal are easy for kids to prepare! Canned fruit, canned veggies, and condiments really complete a meal! Shelf-stable milk is a miracle!

The pantry gets used quite a bit. Any time you are here and notice that it could use some restocking, feel free to grab a few things from the collection bin and put them out for people to use.

The Indiana Kentucky conference of the UCC is hosting General Synod in June 2023, and it has been a tradition for the hosting conference to provide prayer shawls for delegates and others in attendance. Would you be willing to help by knitting or crocheting one or two shawls? Let Rev. Sara (smo@plymouthfw.org) know if you would like to commit to making one (or three!).

The following links can be found on our Linktree:

• Donate
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Sign Up
• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Medias