Whether you like it or not, Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, March 10. As the saying goes, “Spring forward, fall back.” So clocks will move ahead one hour, meaning one less hour of sleep on Saturday night. Most digital clocks are updated automatically but be sure to check if you need to set any manually. We hope to see you on time on Sunday!

This Sunday we joyfully welcome new members to the Plymouth community. They are:

Ann Escosa Griffin

Brian Flory

Kimberly Koczan 

Daveana Schieler 

Donald Tulley

Mike Tulley

Jeff Williams

Please click the link below to read more about them and be sure to offer them a Plymouth welcome!

This Sunday, Plymouth along with UCC congregations and partnering denominations around the world will receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Monies received support partners worldwide with ministries that fund health, education, agriculture development, emergency relief, refugee ministries, and both international and domestic disaster response. It is an opportunity to support Plymouth in being a Global Missions Church, striving to be “intensely local, intentionally global” in caring for our neighbors. If you'd like to give online, click the button below and select "One Great Hour of Sharing" from the dropdown menu.

Please see below for the full schedule of adult chapel class sessions from now until Easter. Chapel class begins at 9:00 am every Sunday, in person and via Zoom, and is open to all adults. The Zoom passcode is 063060. Click the link below to join on Sunday morning.

Sunday, March 10-24 – Celtic Christianity – Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals

Back by popular demand, Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals continues her series on Celtic Christianity during the season of Lent.

Easter Sunday, March 31 – No Chapel Class

As always, we know that Plymouth is full of many talented and knowledgeable folks. If you have a topic you would like to teach in Chapel Class, please contact Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals, or a member of the Christian Education board.

The Centering Prayer group at Plymouth will resume Monday, March 11 at 5:30 pm in the Chapel. Centering Prayer is an ancient form of Christian meditation that dates back as far as the 14th century and is practiced by Christians all over the world. The main idea behind Centering Prayer is to let go of all thoughts in order to open oneself to the healing presence of God within. Plymouth’s Centering Prayer group is open to anyone, regardless of one’s level of experience. Beginners are encouraged to drop in anytime. Whether you can come once a week or once a month, or just once in a while, we’d love to see you there! We meet every Monday at 5:30 pm.

Wednesday Night Live programming continues Wednesday, March 13. At 5:15 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal, children’s choir rehearsal, and Lenten Book Study with Rev. Timothy, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. The Lenten Book Study with Rev. Timothy can be attended in person or via Zoom using the link below. The passcode to join via Zoom is 648589. All activities are open to anyone in the church, regardless of membership status. Come for activities, or just come for dinner and fellowship! The suggested cost for dinner is $10 per person, though no one is ever turned away due to inability to pay. If you plan to come for dinner, please sign up in the Folsom Room in advance so our caterer knows how much food to prepare. Hope to see you there!

Our Lenten Book Study will meet Wednesday, March 13 at 5:15 pm. We are studying Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s 2007 book The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem. Borg and Crossan are major popular progressive Christian scholars and should have much to offer for reflection and discussion. This study replaces Rev. Timothy’s weekly Bible study for its duration, which will last through the end of March. The passcode to join via Zoom is 648589.

Plymouth's Green Team has adopted a section of the River Greenway Trail. This means that we are responsible for clean-up and maintenance of the trail three times a year.

Our next clean-up day will be Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

• Parking and a Green Team member will be at one of two locations
• Towles Intermediate School (420 E. Paulding Rd.)
• Tillman Park Trailhead (600 E. Tillman Rd.)
• Head out as a group at 9:10 am.
• Trash bags, gloves, and pick-up sticks will be provided at both locations. Bring grabbers if you have one.
• We'll cover about two miles of trail.
• All ages are welcome!

Please join us if you can and help Plymouth live out our Earthwise Covenant!

The Women's Book Study's next meeting will be held in the Amistad Room on Tuesday, March 19 at 12:00 pm when we'll discuss All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

"Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways a blind French girl and a German boy recruit try to survive the devastation of World War II."

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

In April we'll be choosing what to read in the coming months, so you can be thinking about books you would like to share and discuss. 

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace invites you to join us on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 pm in the Folsom Room for Dr. Ron Caldwell's "Apartheid South Africa! Apartheid Israel!" discussion.

ICMEP Board member, Dr. Ron Caldwell, has traveled to Palestine and Israel three times on Michael’s “Solidarity Tours,” and recently participated in the “In the Footsteps of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela” tour, co-led by Michael Spath and Rev. Edwin Arrison. In addition to studying Tutu and Mandela, tour participants heard from anti-apartheid activist-leader, Rev. Allan Boesak. Ron will review life under apartheid in South Africa, explore apartheid as it is defined under international law, compare apartheid South Africa to the Jim Crow South in the U.S. and examine life in Palestine under Israeli rule. This event is free and open to the public.

The Reproductive Rights Action team invites all to participate in an event to create care packages for people traveling to Ohio clinics for abortion care. All are invited to gather in the Folsom room on Saturday, March 23 to assemble the care packages. Drop in anytime between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm and stay and help for as long as you like. If you can’t make it that Saturday but would like to contribute to the cost of the materials, just head over to the Plymouth website, click the ‘donate’ button, and select ‘Peace and Justice’ from the donation drop-down menu. Our goal is to be able to assemble 500 care packages, which will then be delivered to Faith Choice Ohio for distribution to Ohio clinics. All are welcome and encouraged to bring a friend – hope to see you there!

Plymouth has been approached about the possibility of providing overnight (7:00 pm to 7:00 am) overflow housing of families next winter, when temperatures drop below 20 degrees. Your response to the 1-minute survey linked below will help determine whether there is interest and energy to pursue this endeavor.

Supplies would be provided by Just Neighbors, as well as professional social workers to be on site. Plymouth would need to provide two overnight volunteers, and possibly others, to help.

Click the button below to participate in the survey. Thank you!

It’s time to order Easter flowers! Each year, we offer the opportunity to dedicate flowers on Easter Sunday. You can pick between Easter lilies or daffodils (or feel free to order both). Lilies are $10 each and daffodils are also $10 each.

To order, print off the order form at the button below or pick one up from the receptionist's office or Folsom Room, and return it no later than Monday, March 25. We encourage you to take your flowers with you following worship on Easter Sunday.

The Property Board needs volunteers to pick up trash and pull weeds around the church, parking lot, and the 527 W. Berry property west of the church. Questions? Call or text Gary Kerr at (260) 341-2943 or email [email protected] to find out how you can help!

Plymouth Pride Fest is coming soon! The Evangelism and Marketing Board is forming a task force to help plan and organize this special event. The group will meet several times over the next few months and share responsibilities with E&M members for the festival. You do not need to be a member of Plymouth to serve on a task force.

If you are interested or would like more information please reach out to Vicky Pogue, Trevor Harkenrider, or any other member of E&M!

Completed applications for the Richard C. Hess Peace Studies Scholarship are due in the church office by April 15:

• The Richard C. Hess Peace Studies Scholarship provides a $1,000 tuition and fees scholarship for a college student majoring in peace studies or a related program.

Contact Linda Balthaser at [email protected] with your name, email address, 

and the name of the college/university in which will be enrolled in the 2024 fall semester.

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:

• 2024 Stewardship Campaign Website
• 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