Rev. Murphy will be continuing the four-part series on Christian perspectives on war and violence this Sunday. We will examine a variety of traditions including holy war, just war and just revolution, pacifism, Christian realism, and just peacemaking. Join us at 9:00 am on Sunday, February 5 in person or on Zoom. The passcode to attend via Zoom is 063060.

The Environmental Action Team invites you to an after-church program on Sunday, February 5 at 11:15 am to learn more about recycling in Allen County. We will hear from guest speaker Shelby Nichter, Communications and Outreach coordinator for the Allen County Department of Environmental Management, about what can and cannot be recycled, what happens to items after they are processed, and how our program compares to other programs nationally. Bring your questions, as there will be time for Q&A after the presentation. Childcare and light refreshments will be provided. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday, February 8. Those who want to join the Bible study virtually can join via Zoom at 5:15 pm. The passcode to join the Zoom is 805552.

Rev. Sara’s book study will continue Wednesday, February 8, with a discussion on Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore. Join us at 6:45 pm, after Wednesday Night Live dinner.

The Plymouth Environmental Action team is helping to promote the next Tough Talk at First Presbyterian Church entitled, "Environmental Justice: Why It Should Matter to You" on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:00 pm. Dr. Patricia Tull, a leader in the field, will be the guest speaker. The Rev. Dr. Patricia K. Tull is A.B. Rhodes Professor Emerita of Hebrew Bible at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. She is the author of Inhabiting Eden: Christians, the Bible, and the Ecological Crisis and of the 2024-2025 Horizons Bible Study on environmental justice. To register for this Zoom event, click the link below.

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace hosts Baktash Ahadi, "Welcoming our New Afghan Neighbors," on Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 pm in the Folsom Room.

ICMEP is delighted to host Terry Dougherty’s good friend, Baktash Ahadi. Baktash’s most recent documentaries deal with the US exit from Afghanistan (August 2021) and with the life of Afghan refugees as they arrive in the USA. Executive Producer of the National Geographic documentary "Retrograde," he explores the lives of US soldiers and Afghan military and civilians during and after the US exit from Afghanistan. He is currently editing another documentary, “No Place Like Home,” dealing with his own family's history as refugees in America and how their experience led them to help with the arrival of Afghans in the USA since the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. He hosts the chart-topping “Stories of Transformation” podcast, is writing a memoir about his service in Afghanistan, and directing a film about the lives of refugees in America. The recipient of numerous awards, Baktash is particularly drawn to stories around issues of forced migration, refugees, and vulnerable and underrepresented communities. Free, open to the public. Masks encouraged.

Congregational Life (CL) Board is hosting our monthly family game night this Friday, February 10 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. CL Board will supply decaf coffee, water, some starter games like standard playing cards, Sorry, Jenga, dice for Yahtzee and other dice games, tables set up for puzzles and brain teasers, and a space for toddlers to come and play on their own when not joining in the table games.

Please bring:

• Your favorite family game to share and be ready to host that game to teach others how to play
• Snacks to share
• Your friends and family

Prepare to have a fun evening of games and fellowship!

Young adults at Plymouth will be having their next gathering on Sunday, February 12 at 3:00 pm when they meet up to go ice skating at Headwaters Park. Cost is $6 for admission and $3 for skates. Please RSVP to Rev. Murphy at [email protected].

In February, Plymouth's Women's Book Study will be reading The Choice: Embrace the Possible, by acclaimed psychologist Dr. Edith Eger. As a teenager she experienced the horrors of Auschwitz. Now in this book she shares her life's journey, from trauma through healing. In addition, she invites her readers to join her in their own dance of freedom. We will be meeting on Tuesday, February 21 at 12:00 pm.

As always, anyone who self-identifies as a woman is welcome to drop in to join our discussion. We meet on the third Tuesday of most months from 12:00 pm until 1:15 pm in the Amistad Room. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

(In case you are interested in reading ahead, our March book will be Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.)

Each year during Lent, Rev. Murphy’s Wednesday Bible Study is replaced with a book study. For this year, the book is The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium by Walter Wink. We will be discussing the spirituality of systems and institutions, breaking cycles of violence, and Jesus’ third way, among other topics covered in the book. The series begins Wednesday, February 22 and runs through March 29, meeting in the Chapel at 5:15 pm weekly. Participants are encouraged to order their books ahead of time (Note: there is more than one book with that title so doublecheck the author).

Through the month of February, Evangelism & Marketing will be collecting items to help keep our friends at Fairfield Elementary in good shape into the spring. You can place donations in the Folsom Room bins on Sundays during February, or anytime during the week you happen to come to Plymouth!

Our list of requested items is pretty straightforward: Kleenex, Clorox Wipes, Sweatpants/Leggings in kids’ sizes 5-10.5, and, if anyone happens to have some kids’ shoes in good shape but no longer fitting the kiddos in your family, their shoe supply is low and could use a boost (they don’t need snow boots).

The final Sunday for donations will be February 26. Thanks in advance for your love of neighbor!

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:

• ​The Richard Nelson Kent Memorial Fund provides educational grants for tuition and fees for academic credit for members of the United Church of Christ in the Northeast [Indiana] Association and other qualified applicants who are at least 16 years of age and entering into or continuing ecological studies, conservation biology, or other environmentally related studies.

• The Van Gorder Scholarship is awarded annually for tuition and fees for post-secondary education leading to a degree, certificate, or license for a graduating senior who is a member of Plymouth Church.

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

• ​The Richard C. Hess Peace Studies Scholarship provides a $1,000 tuition and fees scholarship for a college student majoring in peace studies or a related program.

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.

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 ([email protected]) know if you would like to commit to making one (or three!).

The following links can be found on our Linktree:

• Grant and Scholarship Opportunities
• 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