Weekly Bulletin
Sunday, July 11, 2021
Joys and Concerns

Our weekly joys and concerns check-ins will not meet today. Joys and Concerns will return next Sunday, July 18 at 1:00 pm.
Order of Worship

Prelude

Welcome & Announcements
Invocation & Lord's Prayer
Passing the Peace (wave to neighbors)

Congregational Response: "Draw the Circle Wide"

Mission Moment: Christmas in July

Peace Candle

Pastoral Prayer

Anthem

Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

Sermon: "Transmit, Transfer, Transform"

Closing Hymn: NCH#443 “How Like a Gentle Spirit”

Benediction

Postlude
This Week
July 22
Joe Hildenbrand

July 23
Leslie Frohberg

July 24
Patricia Adsit
Dave Jolliff

July 27
Lucy Brown
Bev McFadden
Stan Pflueger

July 28
Tom Braun

July 31
Sonia Atienzo-Fisher
Brian Beifus
Fraser Coffeen
Sunday, July 11
Christmas in July Special Offering
9:15 am Fellowship Hour
10:00 am Worship Service

Monday, July 12
Office Closed

Tuesday, July 13
1:00 pm Staff Meeting
5:30 pm Benevolence Committee Meeting
6:00 pm Executive Council Meeting

Thursday, July 15
1:00 pm Study Group (online)
5:30 pm Peace and Justice Committee Meeting

Saturday, July 17
10:15 am Nominating Committee Meeting

Sunday, July 18
9:15 am Fellowship Hour
10:00 am Worship Service
1:00 pm Joys and Concerns (online)
Rev. Murphy on Vacation July 5-12
Rev. Murphy will be on vacation until July 12. If you have a general church question that needs answering, please call or email the church office and they will assist you. If you have a pastoral emergency that cannot wait, please call the church line, (260) 423-9424 ext. 398, and leave a message. The message is immediately forwarded to Rev. Murphy’s cell phone and he will call you back.
Upcoming Events
Monday, July 19 | A Music Marathon Fundraiser
Plymouth Music Series proudly supported local musicians during the pandemic by providing paid opportunities for them to perform and earn a living. As a result, the music series depleted its funds for presenting free concerts to the community.

In an effort to replenish the music series fund, Maestro Robert Nance has pledged to play a music marathon from the sanctuary of Plymouth Church.

The Marathon starts at 10:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm on Monday, July 19, and will be livestreamed via YouTube. The Sanctuary will also be open during the marathon and all are welcome to enjoy the music live from the sanctuary (note: please bring a mask, which is required for everyone while moving around the church, though it may be removed when seated).

Everyone is encouraged to register for this event. Tickets are free and help us keep you up to date on this event. Register here.

Supporters are invited to make a donation to the music series to help reach our goal of $10,000.00. To make a donation via the Plymouth Website, click here. Click "Donate" and select "Plymouth Music Series" when making your donation. You can also donate via Eventbrite or in person on the day of the marathon.

If you need assistance with your reservation or making a donation, please call the Plymouth office at (260) 423-9424.
July Supply Drive: July 31
Thank you to everyone who contributed supplies for our collection to stock up the pantries at the Positive Resource Connection! We have one more collection for the month, for a great cause.

Saturday, July 31, 9:00 am – 11:00 am, we will be collecting for the School Supply Closet at the Wayne Township Trustee Office. This is a fantastic service to the community, providing backpacks filled with grade-appropriate school supplies, free of charge, to any student. The only limitation is whether they have what they need, so that’s where we come in!

They are requesting the following school supplies:
  • Book Bags, Pencil Pouches/Cases, Index Cards, Erasers, Highlighters, Markers, Crayons, Colored Pencils, Pens, Pencils, Glue Sticks, Rulers, 2-Pocket Folders, 3-Ring Binders, 1-Subject Notebooks, Composition Notebooks, Kleenex, Hand Sanitizer, and Ear Buds (with auxiliary cord plugin – not wireless – for use in online learning and at study stations).

It’s a blessing to be a blessing, and partnering with great community organizations makes it so easy! Collection will be held rain or shine at the Folsom Room entrance. We hope to see you at the port cochère!
General Announcements
Sanctuary Flower Donation Sign Up
Now that we are back in our sanctuary for worship, we again offer the opportunity to sign up for a Sunday to sponsor the chancel flowers. Members have used this opportunity to remember family and friends, celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations or other events. After the service, members volunteer to divide up the flowers to take to those who are not able to attend church services. Your donation of the flowers serves two purposes: to beautify the sanctuary and bring joy to members who cannot be in church. If you wish to take some of your donated flowers home, go to the kitchen after the service to claim your bunch.

Those who want to sign up can do so by filling out the form, linked here, or they can call/email the office. Payment can be made through the donation link on our website (included in the form) or they can mail cash/a check to the office. Donations for the selected Sunday(s) must be to the office by the prior Tuesday. The cost for one bouquet is $50. If two members sign up for the same Sunday, we will have two bouquets that week.

Contact the church office at (260) 423-9424 or office@plymouthfw.org with any questions.
Retirement of Rev. Carole Green
Dear Plymouth family,

I am writing this to you to announce my retirement as the Associate in Pastoral Care. When I joined Plymouth in 1960, I never imagined the journey I would take and the many different hats I would wear. From singing in the choir, to serving on committees, to being elected the first female moderator, to serving as an interim associate pastor and now serving as your associate in pastoral care. I have learned from and grown from each opportunity I have been given. I cherish the memories and the friends I have made along the way.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you through the word of God. I look forward to the exciting future ahead of us here at Plymouth church! I'll see you in the pews!

Reverend Carole

From the office: Anyone who would like to send Rev. Carole a card indicating their well wishes at her retirement may send it directly to:

Rev. Carole Green
Cedar Ridge Assisted Living
Apt. #107
3320 E. State Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
Pride Festival 2021 - Booth Volunteers Needed
The Evangelism & Marketing Board still needs a couple of volunteers to staff our booth at Pride 2021! Saturday, July 24, is when the magic happens, and we would love to have you join us for the fun. We particularly could use some help for the “closing” shift, from
5:30 pm to about 7:30 pm.

If you’re interested in letting people know the good news that they are beloved just as they are, and that there’s a church in town that knows it, you’ll have a blast! We’ll also give away little goodies and answer questions and just generally enjoy ourselves.

Click here to reserve a spot in the Plymouth Booth! Once you pick your time slot(s), type in your name and email, and choose how many of the four spaces you are reserving (one space per person, per time slot).
Join the Jubilee
Evangelism & Marketing wants to extend a huge thanks to all who have donated so far to our RIP Medical Debt campaign. After online donations reached the $2,000 mark and the Benevolence Committee made their matching donation, we were able to submit $2,000 more from contributions that had been mailed in or given in the offering basket. This brings our total so far to an incredible $12,657! Friends, as of the writing of this announcement, we have raised enough money to eliminate nearly $1.3 million in medical debt. Now that is some good work! Imagine what we can raise by the end of September!

In the expectation that the blessing of our abundance can do good work in the world by liberating those shackled with unpayable debts, we invite you to consider a contribution. Every dollar you donate will be used to purchase $100 in medical debt. Please give what you can and rejoice as it multiplies one hundred times.

The fundraising campaign will run through September 26, and our fundraising goal is $20,000 – or $2,000,000 in medical debt relief – but if we end up raising more than that our joy will increase with our giving. Please feel free to share the link with your friends and family – the more the merrier! Click the button below to visit our fundraising campaign page. There is also a link on our “Contribute” page at plymouthfw.org. Scroll down and click on “Campaign." Information can also be found on Facebook. Thank you!
Seeking CPR/Defibrillator Instructor
The Safety Committee, a sub committee of the Deacons Board, needs a CPR/Defibrillator instructor that has access to the necessary training equipment to provide recertification training for those employees, safety committee members and volunteers who took the course two years ago. We hope to find someone in the congregation with that ability. This event would be available for our new employees as well and any new volunteers. Anyone interested should contact Tom Braun at (260) 403-0384 or tmbraun1@frontier.com.
Seeking New Technology Volunteers
In July, the sanctuary will receive a much-needed upgrade to its audio and video equipment, allowing for a wonderful expansion of Plymouth’s digital ministry. We need some folks to learn to operate the new equipment and to assist with recording the worship services. Ideally, there will be several willing volunteers, so the duty remains light. John Escosa has been faithfully serving in this capacity for quite some time, and it will be good to expand the team!

Advanced tech skills are not required. Possessing these traits will be useful:
  • Technology competent: Having a basic understanding of audio/video equipment operation (such as what happens when one adjusts controls on a stereo, radio, or television)
  • Observant: Capable of anticipating a sequence of events and being prepared to make necessary adjustments to controls
  • Discerning: Able to listen and watch for changes in the appearance of an image or the sound in the room
  • Willing to take direction from participants in worship who are not technologically proficient

Anyone interested in joining or learning more about the specifics of the technology team is encouraged to attend the equipment training session which will be conducted once the equipment installation is complete. Please email either John Escosa at gtrplr2@aol.com or Cammy Sutter at cammysutter@gmail.com by Thursday, July 15 to be notified when the training will occur.
Seeking Ushers
With our worship services returning to mostly normal, we need volunteer ushers to welcome folks and hand out bulletins. There are a few other minor duties involved, like collecting the pew pad attendance sheets, counting people in the sanctuary, etc. As an usher, the amount of energy you expend is minimal and it will help the congregation! If you are interested in serving as an usher, and would be willing to be placed on an usher’s schedule, or if you have any questions, please contact Bill Lambert at (260) 445-6270 or billlmbrt@gmail.com. Thank you!
Seeking Flower Delivery Team Volunteers
Flowers have returned to our Sunday worship service. After the service, bouquets are delivered to grateful members who enjoy a visit and being remembered by their church family. The flower delivery team needs to reassemble. The typical commitment is one Sunday each month. If this is you, or if this sounds like an enjoyable task, please contact Linda Kerr at (260) 341-2796.
Visiting Plymouth: Office Now Open
If you have a need to visit the office, we’d love to see you! Our office is now open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Appointments are no longer necessary to visit the office during these days. On Fridays, our office will be open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm by appointment only. Contact the office at (260) 423-9424 or office@plymouthfw.org with any questions.
Peace & Justice Survey
The Peace and Justice Committee invites you to take a simple survey to help us better understand the justice activities of members and how to help connect members with similar commitments. It only takes a couple minutes to do. Thank you!
COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility
The state of Indiana has opened COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to anyone 12 and older. You can click the button below to schedule an appointment. If you have difficulty registering online, you can dial 211 from any phone for assistance.