The next meeting of the Plymouth's Women's Book Study will be on Tuesday, July 18 at 12:00 pm to discuss Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. The author weaves together a cast of dreamers and outsiders from widely differing backgrounds in past, present and future to suggest ways to survive against the odds in "a tale of hope and of profound human connection."

As always, we invite anyone to join us who self-identifies as a woman. If you would like to join us by Zoom, please email Laura McCoy.

Other books coming up are A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama.

There are several ways to participate in Fort Wayne Pride with your Plymouth community next weekend:

• Help set up/tear down the booth – Plymouth will once again have a booth at the non-profit fair on Saturday. We could use help with set-up and tear-down, especially from folks with pick-up trucks! There is a sign-up sheet in the Folsom room with times listed for those who can assist.
• Staff the booth – We need friendly faces to staff the booth during the day on Saturday, to tell folks how awesome Plymouth Church is, and to hand out our amazing swag. Again, please see the sign-up sheet in the Folsom room for specific times available.
• March in the parade—The parade is at 2:00 pm on Saturday, and we need as many people as possible to represent Plymouth Church. Anyone who is interested in marching together should meet at the Headwaters Park Fountain at 1:45pm—look for the Plymouth Banner!

Each volunteer shift at the booth will be only two hours long, so you’ll have a chance to enjoy the festival as well!

The 2023 Fort Wayne Pride Festival will be held this July 21 and July 22 at Headwaters Park! Below is the schedule of events for the fun-filled weekend!

Friday, July 21

• 7:00 pm to 12:00 am - Kickoff Party
• Music from local bands, dance party, vendors, beer and food vendors

Saturday, July 22

• 12:00 pm to 12:00 am - Fort Wayne Pride Festival
• Vendor market, nonprofit resource fair, beer and food vendors, workshops, cornhole tournament, live entertainment from local/regional/national artists on two entertainment stages
• 2:00 pm - Pride March
• Kickoff to the north of the Headwaters East Festival Plaza near Headwaters Fountain
• Open to all Pride supporters
• 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Vendor Market
• Over 150 retailers and businesses throughout the festival
• Pride Food Plaza
• 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Nonprofit Resource Fair presented by Gilead
• Located at Headwaters Park West
• Community stage, workshops, yard games
• 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm - KidSpace
• Free for children under 12 w/ adult admission.
• Games, prizes, crafts, drag story time, character appearances, and a moonwalk.
• Located at Headwaters Park West
• Adult supervision required
• 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm - Cornhole Tournament
• Enter by 1:30 pm or until bracket is full
• Free to enter
• $50 First Prize
• Email director@fwpride.org for early registration (check-in by 1:30 pm still required)

Congregational Life Board presents an all church event to tour our city from a different perspective aboard the Sweet Breeze Canal Boat on Wednesday, July 26! This will be a 90 minute guided tour with a docent. Please dress appropriately for the weather, and bottled water will be offered to each of you. No other food or drinks are allowed. 

The cost is $30 per person, cash or check, which includes the tip for the docent. Please make checks out to Plymouth Church with "Sweet Breeze" in the memo line. Sign up in the Folsom Room on Sundays! Children under 2 years old that can sit on your lap are free of charge. We will depart at 6:30 pm, but please arrive by 6:15 pm at the river dock to get everyone checked in.

Sweet Breeze Canal Boat is located at Promenade Park, 202 Superior St. Parking is available at either the new Harrison St building underground or just west of the park on Superior St. All parking meters are free after 5:00 pm. The park and the Sweet Breeze Canal Boat are accessible to all abilities. The Canal Boat seats a maximum of 38 passengers, so this will be a first come first serve event.

Volunteers for the 11th year of Study Connection at Plymouth Church are needed! You can be a tutor or a substitute to fill in on the few days when a tutor must be away. Contact Lucy Hess for more information on what is expected of a tutor and sub at lrh22@frontier.com or (260) 484-4430. Study Connection is offered at Plymouth every Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm starting early October to mid-May. To sign up for the background check, click here. The Study Connection sign up sheet is always linked in the Plymouth LinkTree, linked in the bulletin each week.

If any of your friends or family are interested in a custodian position, they can apply at Indeed.com, key word Custodian.

Some duties would include vacuuming, dusting, mopping floors, cleaning restrooms, set up and tear down for scheduled events and snow removal. This is a full-time position of 35 hours with benefits. For more information, please contact John Hoelderle at 260-423-9424.

Thanks to a generous donation from Cammy and Matt Sutter, the E&M Board is delighted to report that there are 50 new yard signs available in the Narthex! These went more quickly than we anticipated the first time around, so we’re grateful for the chance to let more of you have one.

PLEASE WAIT to grab a sign if you already have one in your yard, so that folks who didn’t get one, or who had theirs stolen, can get one if they would like to. A note to those whose HOA’s don’t allow yard signs—some folks have gotten creative and put them in their front porch windows, or other prominent places.

Our thanks to the Sutter family for covering a majority of the expense!

You might notice a collection of safety orange reusable shopping bags in the Folsom Room. These Bags of Prevention are a great way to make a donation to the PRC’s Gregory L. Manifold Pantry and give real help to people in our area who are enrolled in the PRC’s PrEP program, receiving care through Hep C case management, and their non-medical case management program as well.

Donations, along with helpful prevention resources, are distributed to high-risk individuals through the Street Outreach program, which works to prevent new cases of HIV/AIDS, Hep C, and other STI’s.

The fact is simple: When folks don’t have to worry so much about meeting the basic needs for survival, they are in a better position to make good choices.

Each bag has a laminated list of suggested donation items and instructions attached, so you don’t have to worry about remembering. Check it out and decide if you’d like to participate in their good work (or take a few for office mates!).

Plymouth’s directory is going digital! You can now sign up for account access on the Plymouth Website. This will allow you to see your own personal information, see your giving and contributions for the year, and access the new Plymouth Church Directory. By moving to a digital directory, we keep our commitment to protect the environment by being an Earthwise congregation, while also guaranteeing that we have up to date information right at your fingertips. Once the request is processed, you will receive an e-mail from the office with your unique username and password allowing you to log in via the "Member Login" button on our website.

At the same time that we are providing this fantastic service, we are also collecting emergency contact information that will be kept on file in case you were to become seriously injured or ill at a church service or event. Such information will be kept private and only used in emergency situations by staff.

To sign up for either please visit here or see Jake Slone, Church Receptionist, in the office for a paper form.

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:

• 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