Everyone who is interested in some artsy fun is invited to join in the sketching and coloring of Plymouth’s square for the Chalk Walk during Three Rivers Festival. We are keeping it simple and using the covenant graphic as our main focal point. The goal isn’t artistic perfection, but sharing some fun time together and participating in our wider community. We will begin at 8:00am on Saturday, June 9, and plan to finish up by noon. With any luck, we can avoid the worst of the heat and you’ll still have time to stop by the farmer’s market if you want to! We hope to see you there.

Sunday, July 10, we will have a special offering in support of the UCC Christmas Fund. This fund serves retired clergy, and their surviving spouses, by providing supplemental income and assistance with insurance premiums for those who served smaller churches unable to provide adequate retirement benefits. Clergy may also receive emergency funding for unforeseen health crises or similar difficulties.

You may contribute to the offering in service using the special envelopes (be sure to write UCC Christmas Fund in the memo line of your check) or any time online by clicking the button below, or visiting our website at www.plymouthfw.org/donate.

We thank you in advance for supporting those who answered their call to serve where needed, regardless of the pay grade.

Plymouth’s families with kids are gathering once a month this summer to socialize, serve, and explore our community! If there are babies, kids, teens or graduates in your home, please join us!

Our July gathering will be on Sunday, July 10, at Cedar Creek Produce at 3:00 pm. Join us to pick all the blueberries your family can eat, and stick around afterwards to cool off with a snack in the shade. Blueberries are priced by the pound. Slushies are available for purchase, or you can bring your own snack.

We’ll meet at Cedar Creek Produce, 11709 Clay Street, Leo, IN. If you don’t see us in the parking lot come on out into the blueberry field to find our group.

Join us in the north parking lot of Plymouth Church on Saturday, July 16 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm for an evening of fun and music leading up to Three Rivers Festival’s fireworks finale. Music includes the Jim Steele Jazz Trio, Kara Jaurigue, Robert Nance, and open mic opportunities*. We'll end the evening with New Orleans style jazz. Bring your own chair and plan on a great evening of fellowship and fun! (Rain location: Plymouth Church Sanctuary). Same City Food Truck will be onsite for this event. They serve Peruvian fusion and all of prices are suggested donations. Donations go directly to supporting and feeding unsheltered and unhoused individuals in our community.

 *If you want to participate in the open mic opportunity, please contact director of music Robert Nance via email ([email protected]) by July 12.

The next meeting of Plymouth Women's Book Study (open to any reader who self-identifies as a woman) will be on Tuesday July 19 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. We shall be talking about the books we'd like to discuss over the coming few months. Feel free to bring a favorite book or two you'd like to share. We'll select the top choices during the following week with on line voting. As always, there will be a warm welcome at the table. For further information contact Judith at [email protected]

On Saturday, July 23, we will have our Plymouth booth set up at Fort Wayne Pride 2022, and we will need volunteers to be the friendly face of Plymouth to our neighbors. If you are interested, we will do this signup the old-fashioned way, with a signup sheet on the board in the Folsom Room, beginning July 3. Pick a time slot or two and join us for a great day sharing the love!

On Saturday, July 30, we will have a supply drive to support the backpack program at the Wayne Township Trustee Office. Any family can request a backpack for their student(s), fully stocked with the required supplies for their grade level. The program organizer is compiling a list of most-needed supplies as of this writing, so if you’d like to participate, keep your eyes out for an updated announcement with a list, and set aside some time for July 30, 9:00 am to 11:00 am to help kids get ready for the school year.

We are seeking a few volunteers to assist with teaching OWL classes this fall. OWL stands for ‘Our Whole Lives,’ and is a sexuality education program for children and youth. Our Whole Lives helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. OWL was developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ.

If interested in volunteering, please contact Katie Watson at [email protected].

Volunteers for the Study Connection 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 [email protected] or (260) 484-4430. Study Connection is offered at Plymouth every Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 4:15 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.

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.

Masks are currently optional during worship. This is not a prohibition on masks but only an announcement that they are now optional for individuals. A high-quality mask provides good protection against infection even if others around you are not wearing one, so please continue to wear a mask if you find it necessary or beneficial. We will continue to offer livestreamed and recorded worship services if you find yourself at risk of being around groups or otherwise unable to attend services in-person.

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