Please note there will be no Chapel Class on Sunday, December 26.

This is a reminder that our next WELCOMING GROUP will meet tomorrow, Sunday, December 5, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the Amistad Room. A light lunch will be provided. Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals and Rev. Timothy Murphy look forward to meeting with those who have registered and are considering becoming members of Plymouth!

Yes, Virginia, Plymouth members and friends of Knit and Kibitz will have lots of handcrafted items available for their home and holiday gifting. The annual sale, which was paused because of the pandemic, is returning Sunday, December 5. Items can be purchased in the Folsom Room before and after worship that day.

All items and supplies for the sale are donated, thus 100% of the income will be given to nonprofit agencies serving families. The sales of Pepper Jelly, Wreaths, and Knit and Kibitz items are three projects of the Standish Colony Circle.

Only cash and checks are accepted for purchases.

5:15 pm: Children’s Choir (TBD)

6:00 pm: Dinner (Folsom Room)

6:45 pm: Plymouth Bell Ensemble (Sanctuary Balcony)

Sign-up sheets are in the Folsom Room to indicate if you will be there for the weekly dinner. Please write your name, number of members of your household, and mark if you are requesting a vegetarian option. Masks will be required indoors except when eating. Plans are fluid based on local COVID cases so watch for e-blasts on any changes of plans. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals on December 8 and 15 for two sessions on how Ignatian spirituality can help us engage more deeply with the Christmas story. Rev. Sara will lead participants in a deep, imaginative exploration of the birth narrative from the Gospel of Luke, in a practice that is inspired by St. Ignatius. Sessions will be held in the chapel from 6:45 pm to 7:30 pm, as part of Wednesday Night Live activities.

Plymouth children and families are invited to our first Las Posadas celebration on Sunday, December 12. This is a Mexican Christian tradition, focusing on the Holy Family seeking shelter, being denied initially, and finally being welcomed. Participants will process throughout the building and sing the Las Posadas song in English, which will conclude with a celebration in the Folsom Room with refreshments. All ages are invited to experience this event, which runs from 4:30pm to 6:00 pm. Note: while participants will be inside for the vast majority of the time, there will be one section that will involve being briefly outside, so warm coats are encouraged. If you have any questions, please email Rev. Murphy at [email protected].

Join us on Sunday, December 12 at 6:30 pm, to hear from Rep. Andre Carson (7th district, Indianapolis), the keynote speaker at ICMEP’s annual Commemoration for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Leaders from the Muslim community, Christian clergy, as well as community leaders, will be participating. The event will be held in the Plymouth sanctuary, and is free and open to the public. Visit the ICMEP Facebook page at the link below for full information on the event.

The next meeting of Plymouth’s Women's Book Study will be on Tuesday, January 18, from 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm in the Amistad Room. Any reader who self-identifies as a woman is welcome, whether you've attended before or not. We shall be reading This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel.

"This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl...." One family learns and grows with a child who wants to change in a way many people don't understand.

For further information, contact Judith Beineke at [email protected].

There have been some changes made in the Boars Head services this year to address health and safety precautions so that it can be produced. There will be three services offered - one each night starting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 28, Wednesday, December 29, and Thursday, December 30. Everyone involved in the Festival, including cast, choirs, crews, orchestra, and audience members must be able to prove they have been vaccinated. The audience will also be asked to wear masks.

Four tickets are now available to every Plymouth Church member’s household as well as the households in the groups mentioned above. Tickets will be distributed in the Folsom Room before and after church services on the following Sundays: December 5, December 12, December 19, and December 26, if tickets are still available. There is no public box office this year, and we never “sell” tickets.

The size of the audience has also been reduced; therefore, it is important to take only those tickets you know you will use and obtain them as soon as you can. Donations will still be gladly accepted as the continuation of the annual Festival is based on patron support. Tickets will continue to be distributed until we run out, so get your tickets in the Folsom Room before and after church the next three Sundays.

Thank you for your support. Hope to see you at the Boars Head Festival this year!

The E&M Board is delighted to report that we have the results of our RIP Medical Debt campaign, and there is much to celebrate. Plymouth, along with FCUCC Angola and Peace UCC, raised $28,810.19. We were expecting that the amount of debt eliminated would be around $2.8 million, and that was very exciting.

However, now that all of the purchases have been negotiated, the medical debt eliminated totals $3,898,785.54 for 4,481 families across Michigan and Ohio! The families will be notified before the new year (and possibly by Christmas) of their debt being abolished.

We are so grateful for the generosity of our Plymouth family, and our friends at FCUCC and Peace, and the neighbors near and far who contributed without being members of any church. Together we have helped to free those who were shackled, we have reminded people that they are cared for, we have helped to make manifest the jubilee declared by Jesus at the initiation of his ministry. May our giving, and the receiving of the gift, bring thanks and praise to God.

The Grants and Scholarships Committee has the pleasant responsibility of awarding scholarship grants for tuition and fees for academic credit from the earnings generated by several endowed funds.

Applications for the following scholarships are due in the church office by February 15:

Applications for the following scholarship is due in the church office by April 15:

Completed applications for grants/scholarships for tuition and fees for academic credit with all supporting materials must be received in the church office by the respective due dates. Incomplete applications are ineligible for consideration.

To request application packets for these funds or to receive additional information, call the church office (260) 423-9424 and leave your name, phone number, and email address so a member of the Grants and Scholarships Committee can respond to your request.

Advent has begaun and we have several resources & classes to help your family celebrate this season of hope and preparation.

ADVENT MAILINGS went out to all Plymouth families last week! This all-ages packet includes suggestions & supplies for observing Advent at home, and reminders of events here at church. If you know a family who would enjoy receiving a packet, please pass their address along to Katie Watson.

ADVENT JOURNALING DEVOTIONALS are available for free in the Folsom Room. These journals include weekly readings, images to color, and spaces for guided journaling. They are suitable for adults and youth, please take a copy!

Our PRESCHOOL & ELEMENTARY CLASS is working through the Christmas story. We will hear of the prophets’ hopes, Mary & Joseph’s journey, the shepherds’ joy and the wise ones’ gifts. Each week we hear a story and have time for the students to reflect through play and art.

The YOUTH CLASS will be working through the advent journaling devotionals during their Sunday school time. Middle and high schoolers are welcome to join us to color, doodle and discuss.

Sunday school classes run from 9:00 am to 9:50 am each Sunday. New students are always welcome to join us in the classrooms upstairs. There is no Sunday school on December 26 or January 2.

Our centering prayer group is getting a new day and time! Starting in December, anyone interested in coming together for a time of Centering Prayer and fellowship is welcome on the second Tuesday of every month at 5:30 pm, in the chapel. Come every month, or just drop in when you are able—all are welcome regardless of level of experience.

Children ages 5-11 are now eligible to be vaccinated with the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.

Additionally, booster shots are available for all individuals age 18+ after 6 months or more from their initial series.

We are in need of volunteers to assist with children’s fellowship time during the 10:00 am worship service. Volunteers will lead children into the Amistad room after the lighting of the peace candle and supervise them as they engage in activities such as arts and crafts and general fellowship. We would like to have enough volunteers so that no one is required to serve more than once a month, and to have at least two adults in the room at any given time. Volunteers are required to have been attending Plymouth for at least six months and will be required to fill out a background check. To express your interest in volunteering, or to get more information, please contact Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals at [email protected].

For a time of personal prayer, visit the sanctuary on Thursdays from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Please enter through the Berry Street office entrance and check in with our receptionist. Contact Jake Slone at (260) 423-9424 or [email protected] with any questions.

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Friday: By appointment only 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Questions? Contact the office at 260-423-9424 or [email protected]