Believe it or not, we only have a handful of Chapel Class sessions left before the end of the year! Here is what you can look forward to as we close out the year:

December 3, 10 & 17 – “O Little Town of Bethlehem” – We sing the carol every year, but how much do we really know about the little town of Bethlehem? Rev. Sara will be teaching this three-week series, delving into the history of this Palestinian city, its status as part of the occupied West Bank, and what’s happening there right now as war rages less than two hours away. We’ll also discuss ways we can be in solidarity with Palestinian Christians living in the city.

December 24 & 31 – no class due to Christmas Eve and New Years Eve holidays

Chapel Class begins at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings and is open to all adults in person or on Zoom. The password for Zoom is 063060.

For the third year in a row, Plymouth is organizing a Las Posadas processional, inspired by the Mexican Christian tradition. The one big difference is we have heard your suggestions, and we are going to do it right after the worship service instead of the usual mid-afternoon time. Folks should plan on gathering in the Folsom Room to begin around 11:30 am on Sunday, December 3. After a quick overview of the tradition, we will begin the procession throughout the building as we re-enact the Holy Family’s search for lodging and shelter before finally being welcomed. This is a great event for families and children, though all ages are welcome. We conclude with a celebration in the Folsom Room with traditional Christmas tamales (Shh! It’s a surprise!) There’s a sign-up sheet in the Folsom Room. Capacity is limited to 50 people processing but others are encouraged to assist in the responsive singing at the different stations throughout the building or helping set up in the Folsom Room while everyone is away during the procession.

The Centering Prayer group at Plymouth meets every Monday evening at 5:30 pm, in the Chapel. Centering Prayer is an ancient form of Christian meditation that dates back as far as the 14th century and is practiced by Christians all over the world. The main idea behind Centering Prayer is to let go of all thoughts in order to open oneself to the healing presence of God within. Plymouth’s Centering Prayer group is open to anyone, regardless of one’s level of experience. Beginners are encouraged to drop in anytime. Whether you can come once a week or once a month, or just once in a while, we’d love to see you there! Join us Monday, December 4 at 5:30 pm!

Wednesday Night Live programming will resume Wednesday, December 6. At 5:15 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal, children’s choir rehearsal, and Bible Study with Rev. Timothy, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. The Bible Study with Rev. Timothy 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!

Our annual Luminous Night service will be held on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 pm. This is a quiet, contemplative service for those who are grieving, experiencing feelings of sadness, or otherwise feeling a need to lament during the holiday season. We will offer prayers and sing songs that speak of our need to grieve, but also speak of God’s promises of comfort to those who mourn. All are welcome to this service of lament and hope.

As 2023 comes to a close, it is time to start thinking about the Annual Report. For those with a required piece, the deadline for submissions for the 2023 Annual Report is Friday, December 8 at 11:59 pm. Submissions must be sent to [email protected] in the form of a Word Document using size 11 Times New Roman font with single spacing. Submissions must be no longer than 2 pages. A submission over 2 pages will be returned to you with a request for revisions.

Click the button below for a list of those required to write an article.

Young adults are invited to sign up for the next Film and Faith for December 10. We will be watching the 1966 classic Battle of Algiers. It is in Arabic and French and is one of the most influential war films of all time. Running time is 2 hours. Please RSVP to Rev. Murphy at [email protected] if interested. Folks are invited to enter through the Folsom Room with the film shown in the choir room at 2:30 pm. We will offer another screening on January 21 for those ages 40 and over.

The Indiana Center for Middle East Peace invites you to Plymouth Church on Sunday, December 10 at 6:30 pm to hear Krystal Two Bulls and Tareq Abuhalima speak on the 75th Anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Krystal Two Bulls, Co-Executive Director of Honor the Earth, is an Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne; former Director of NDN Collective’s Landback Campaign. She is a grassroots organizer working for environmental, social, and racial justice. A veteran, she embodies the essential quality of a warrior: a commitment to the well-being of all Peoples, understanding the intersection of all liberation struggles. Krystal is a passionate spokesperson for the rights of the Palestinian people.

Gaza native, Tareq Abuhalima, is a Graduate Assistant at Bluffton University’s The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center, in the Organizational Management Masters program. He grew up in Gaza City, previously taught at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and most recently was an executive manager for Youth Vision Society. In the last month, Tareq has had three of his sisters killed by Israeli forces in their assault on Gaza. Tareq has been in the US since January 2023.

The 47th Annual Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival will be Friday, December 29 and Saturday, December 30, with services at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm each night. The festival is free, but tickets are required.

Tickets for Plymouth's members and the Boar's Head cast, choir, and orchestra will be distributed on these Sundays: December 3, 10, and 17. Our Public Box Office day will be Thursday, December 14 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

Call the Boar's Head Ticket Line at (260) 423-9424 ext. 325 (or ask for the Boar's Head line) with any questions, and someone from our ticket team will return your call in 24-48 hours.

The city of Fort Wayne is seeking volunteers for the annual Point in Time Homeless Count. This is an important count that determines the amount of funding that Allen County receives from the state and federal government for dealing with homelessness in the region. The count will be held during the day and throughout the evening of January 24, 2024. For those wishing to volunteer, there is a mandatory online training on Monday, December 11 at 11:00 am. To register for the online training, please click the link below. Register by clicking the button below. More details, including shift times and locations, will be provided at the training.

During our first meeting with our new Global Mission partners at the Wi’am Center in Bethlehem, we asked what they were most in need of right now. Their executive director, Zoughbi Zoughbi, responded that Christians in Bethlehem are feeling isolated and alone and could really use spiritual support and solidarity from their siblings in Christ around the world. To that end, we are soliciting members of Plymouth Church to write short messages of hope and solidarity to their Christian siblings in Bethlehem. These are not political messages, rather, they are messages to strengthen our Palestinian siblings in their faith during these very difficult times. Please send your completed message to Rev. Sara at [email protected], who will compile all the messages into a single document and send directly to Zoughbi, to be shared with the wider Bethlehem faith community. Please contact Rev. Sara if you have questions about the content of the message.

In order expedite a functional directory, Plymouth will be switching from an opt in system to and opt out system. What does this mean for you? What steps will you need to take to ensure your place in the directory? Nothing! We’ll do all the work. Starting December 5, all Plymouth members will be automatically included in the online directory! Now, if you do not wish to be a part of this undertaking, you may email Jake Slone no later than December 4 at [email protected]. After that you will be automatically added to the online directory. You may request to be removed from the directory at any time.

In the coming months, Plymouth staff will be working on getting all members online access in preparation for the switch to the online directory. If you receive an email stating that your password and username has been changed, don’t worry. It is not a scam. It is an automatically generated e-mail that we can’t change when you are being assigned a randomly generated password.

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:

• 2024 Stewardship Campaign Website
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Plymouth Directory Login
• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Donate
• Past Chapel Class Series
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Sign Up
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Media