Rev. Timothy Murphy and January Simpson will be offering a forum on drag after worship on June 11 in the Folsom Room. This workshop will cover some of the history of drag and its significance for the queer community, as well as an examination of drag through the lens of theology. This will be a fun and interesting way to learn about drag. You’ll walk away knowing drag is far more than just lip syncing in bold makeup!

All are invited to McMillen Park for the Juneteenth Macknificent Freedom Fest on Saturday, June 17 from 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm The event will feature music, games, vendors, education, bounce houses, and more! For more information, click the button below.

Congregational Life invites you to join Plymouth for an evening with the TinCaps on Saturday, June 17! First pitch is at 7:00 pm and there will be fireworks following the game. For this annual outing for Plymouth we have reserved a section for seating. Purchased tickets are now available to pick up in the Folsom Room. LETS GO TINCAPS!

You are invited to join the Women's Book Study as we discuss Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead by Cecile Richards on Tuesday, June 20 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. We welcome anyone who self-identifies as a woman.

"From Cecile Richards—the president of Planned Parenthood, daughter of the late Governor Ann Richards, featured speaker at the Women’s March on Washington, and 'the heroine of the resistance' (Vogue)—comes a story about learning to lead and make change, based on a lifetime of fighting for women’s rights and social justice. Richards’ memoir will inspire readers to hope and action."

We are providing the opportunity to join us by Zoom this month. If you would like the link, please email jrbeineke@yahoo.co.uk

Other books coming up are Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.

Perhaps you have already seen the Facebook posts, but the E&M Board is hard at work putting together our second annual Pride at Plymouth event for this month! The fun is happening on Saturday, June 24, with the opening workshop at 11:00 am, and the food, activities, resource tables, and entertainment going from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Last year’s event was an absolute delight, and this year promises to deliver another fantastic day of exercising our Open and Affirming welcome!

Our workshop this year will be led by Kris Wise, of the BRAVE Alliance. Kris is a licensed social worker and counselor in Fort Wayne, as well as an out trans man. He will be offering a workshop dealing with gender and the trans experience, and we hope you can make it. Details will be announced as available.

During the afternoon, enjoy live music from Wolf Young (drumming), Sugar Creek Lane, and Home by Ten, and then feel the love and joyful celebration at the closing all-ages, family-friendly drag show featuring local drag performers! Questions about drag in a church? Come to the forum after worship on June 11!

We will once again be hosting several local organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community in our area. Food trucks are confirmed, and ice cream is currently a distinct possibility awaiting confirmation. Kids’ activities are new and improved and sound really fun! Also featured will be the work of a queer local artist on the Folsom Room art wall. Finally, we'll be collecting donations of food and hygiene items for the Positive Resource Connections pantry.

It all sounds pretty fantastic, right? Don’t you want to be a part of it all? Well, good news – we’re accepting volunteers! We need help decorating the Folsom Room and Sanctuary on Friday, June 23 (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm) and will need some extra folks to help keep things organized and moving smoothly on Saturday.

Please visit our SignUp Genius to sign up for a volunteer shift by clicking the button below! Also please make note of which “Tab” you are looking at when signing up – Friday and Saturday will both be available at this link.

The Plymouth Reproductive Rights Action Team is pleased to welcome Dr. Alison Case, a Family Medicine physician from Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Case provides full spectrum care to her patients, including obstetrics, and works part time as an abortion provider for Planned Parenthood and Whole Woman's health. 

Dr. Case will speak with us and share her expertise about medication abortion, self-management, and how advocates can support abortion care, patients, and providers.

Mark your calendars and join us on Sunday, June 25 at 2:00 pm in the Folsom Room at Plymouth Church.

A huge shout out to all the knitters, crocheters, and crafters who made prayer shawls these past few months. We collected 39 prayer shawls to donate to the Indiana-Kentucky Conference for the United Church of Christ General Synod in Indianapolis later this summer. The shawls were blessed at the IKC Annual Gathering on June 2-3 and will surely be a blessing for General Synod delegates and attendees. Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this effort!

Plymouth’s Benevolence Committee has awarded a $2,000 grant to Blue Jacket, Inc. 

Blue Jacket is 1 of 20 organizations receiving a benevolence grant for 2023. Most people know the Blue Jacket name from their sponsorship of the annual light display held each Christmas season at Franke Park. The Blue Jacket organization was launched in 2005 to assist individuals who were recently released from prison, by easing their way back into society through gainful employment. Since that time, the Blue Jacket organization has evolved to assist any individual who faces a barrier to employment by teaching the skills and providing the necessary clothing needed to enter the workforce. Your benevolence dollars have supported Blue Jacket for a number of years in this worthwhile mission. 

For more information on Blue Jacket go to www.bluejacketinc.org/

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:

• 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