The Music and Faith Series concludes this Sunday during Chapel Class. We have shared and discussed songs that are meaningful to us in some way. We will connect our songs with scripture and explore how music complements our faith. While we will not be able to listen to everyone’s song, all attendees are asked to pick a song that fits with the weekly theme in advance for group conversation. The final theme is :

Tomorrow, after worship, there will be an organizational meeting for all who are interested in assisting with Afghan refugee resettlement efforts. The meeting will take place in the Folsom room at 11:15 am.

Come join us on Tuesday, March 1 at 5:00 pm for our annual pancake and sausage supper and celebration the night before Lent begins. Please sign up in the Folsom room so that Congregational Life knows how much food to prepare. Hope to see you there!

Lent is just around the corner, and it begins with Ash Wednesday, which will be on Wednesday, March 2 with a 7:00 pm evening service in the sanctuary. Ash Wednesday worship offers a ritual for the Imposition of ashes on the foreheads or hands of individuals who wish to receive them. There will be reading of sacred story followed by a homily. The service concludes with the sacrament of Holy Communion. The season of Lent places special emphasis upon acts of charity, prayer, and fasting. Through devotion and the practices of our faith, we respond to the call of Jesus to embrace more fully the love of God and neighbor.

During Lent, the weekly Wednesday Bible Study with Rev. Murphy switches to studying a book. This year, we will be examining the 1949 classic Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. Please purchase a copy online ahead of time. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, March 2 for an introduction, with weekly chapter discussions beginning March 9. While RSVPs are not required, feel free to contact Rev. Murphy at [email protected] for any questions.

Beginning March 6, and throughout all of March, Licensed Pastor David Grim returns to lead our studies. All are welcome and encouraged to attend in person; attending via Zoom is available as well. Watch for the link in the Sunday online Bulletin. Each Sunday will bring an examination of mystical and holistic spirituality approaches. How did the Jesus Method of soulful healing bring comfort for hurting people? He will explore a deeper sense of self and ways inward soul work can aid and strengthen the ways we practice social justice and liberation work. David is an insightful teacher and really engages the class.

As the UCC moves from its current headquarters in Cleveland to a leased space nearby, one casualty is the closing of its Amistad Chapel at the UCC Church House, which has been in place since 2000. There will be a final online worship service at the Amistad Chapel on Sunday, March 13 at 2:30 pm. To register to attend, please use the following link: Webinar Registration - Zoom. Those who would like to read more about this farewell celebration can do so here: Details of last Amistad Chapel service coming together around movement, inclusiveness, collaboration - United Church of Christ (ucc.org).

The next meeting of Plymouth’s Women's Book Study will be on Tuesday, March 15 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. This month, honoring the justice basic to peace-making, we shall be discussing Tattoos on the Heart by Greg Boyle

"No matter where people live or what their circumstances may be, everyone needs boundless, restorative love. Working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables..." Good Reads

Popular author, pastor and blogger John Pavlovitz will be in Fort Wayne next month on March 19 and 20. He will be leading a workshop entitled “Building a Bigger Table” on Saturday, March 19 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at First Presbyterian Church, and will be giving a public talk on Saturday evening at 6:30 pm at Plymouth Church. Registration is required for both events. John will also be the guest preacher at Plymouth Church during our worship service on Sunday, March 20. No registration is required for the Sunday morning worship service. For more information or to register for events, please visit Eventbrite.

During the season of Lent, Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals and Maestro Bob Nance will be leading a Celtic inspired evening prayer service on Wednesday nights, following Wednesday Night Live dinner. Services will be held in the chapel and will include Celtic prayers, music, and liturgy, as well as music from the Taizé tradition. Please join us for these contemplative, candlelit services as a way to deepen your Lenten experience.

The E&M Board invites you to participate in our supply drive this month, benefitting Fairfield Elementary. They are “in dire need” of Kleenex, Clorox/sanitizing wipes, sandwich bags, gallon zippy bags, hand sanitizer, and paper towels.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not be sitting outside on a cold February morning to collect items, so please bring donations to the bins in the Folsom Room through the end of the month, any time the church is open. How convenient is that?! Very convenient indeed!

For a time of personal prayer, the sanctuary will be available Tuesday through Thursday during office hours. 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