Rev. Murphy would like to notify you that this week’s sermon will not be appropriate for young children. It is focused on the topic of sex. There is no age floor, but parents or guardians should be aware that it will have explicit content. While there is no Children’s Fellowship Time during the summer, the childcare room is available for any young person to stay in for the duration of the sermon. The rest of the service will be age inclusive.

The Environmental Action Team will be meeting in the Amistad Room after worship on Sunday, June 18. All who are interested are welcome and encouraged to attend.

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.

Info: 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 12:30 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 Homeby10, and then feel the love and joyful celebration at the closing all-ages, family-friendly drag show featuring local drag performers!

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.

It all sounds pretty fantastic, right? Don’t you want to be a part of it all? Well, good news – we’re accepting volunteers and other help!

Volunteering: 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! See the link in the description of our volunteer signup to switch to decorating signup. Friday and Saturday will both be available by clicking the button below!

Help Needed: If you have a pop-up canopy that provides shade on sunny days, would you be willing to share? Shade for the eating area outside would be wonderful. Canopies should be dropped at the church no later than Thursday, June 22. Please email plymoutheandm@gmail.com if you have a canopy to offer!

Finally: We will be collecting donations of food and hygiene supplies for the Positive Resource Connection’s pantry during our event. If you can’t make the event but would like to chip in, the Folsom Room donation bins are at your service!

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. Childcare will be available.

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.

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