Continuing Sunday, March 12 we will be welcoming guest speakers Jessica Pater and Fayika Farhat Nova to our adult Chapel Class to lead a series of talks on digital citizenship and social media concerns. This Sunday, we will explore the mental health issues that are commonly and uncommonly associated with social media use. These include cyberbullying, sexting, overuse, babbling, and self-harm. For each issue we will look at definitions & examples, warning signs, and resources available for families struggling with these issues. Chapel Class is held at 9:00 am every Sunday and is open to all adults. Join us in person or on Zoom! The passcode to attend via Zoom is 063060.  

The Environmental Action Team welcomes guest speaker Doug Kaufman on Sunday, March 12, after worship, to lead an interactive workshop on climate grief. This workshop will help participants wrestle with grief around climate change and how we can work through those healthy feelings to engage in acts of hope. No RSVP is necessary, and childcare and light snacks will be provided.

Each year during Lent, Rev. Murphy’s Wednesday Bible Study is replaced with a book study. For this year, the book is The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium by Walter Wink. We will be discussing the spirituality of systems and institutions, breaking cycles of violence, and Jesus’ third way, among other topics covered in the book. The series has begun and will run though March 29, meeting in the Chapel at 5:15 pm weekly. Participants are encouraged to order their books ahead of time (Note: there is more than one book with that title so doublecheck the author). The study will also be available via Zoom. The passcode to attend via Zoom is 805552.

Rev. Sara’s book study will continue Wednesday, March 15, with a discussion on Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore. Join us at 6:45 pm, after Wednesday Night Live dinner.

It's time to share! On Sunday March 19, we will join UCC congregations across the country and participate in the One Great Hour of Sharing special collection.

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special mission offering of the United Church of Christ involves you in disaster, refugee/immigration, and development ministries throughout the world. 

Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment. Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief, accompaniment and recovery of the most vulnerable. You meet immediate needs, and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place.

You may contribute to the special collection with a check mailed to the Plymouth Church Office (the memo line should note “OGHS”). You also may give online by clicking the button labeled "Donate" below. On the donation page, you will find a list of potential recipients, including One Great Hour of Sharing.

For more information about OGHS and to read about the impact this funding has had in 2021, click the button below.

Plymouth Women's Book Study will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, March 21 from 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm in the Amistad Room. We encourage you to join us as we discuss:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Quoting from the book's cover:

"As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return."

As always, anyone who self-identifies as a woman is welcome to drop in if you're interested in the chosen book. We meet on the third Tuesday of most months from 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm in the Amistad Room. 

At the April 18 meeting we will be taking suggestions for books, both fiction and non-fiction, for the year ahead. A vote will follow on line. Please try to read any book you submit before you propose it.

The Indiana-Kentucky conference has designated a group of leaders to engage the Open and Affirming process at a conference level. Just as individual congregations can go through this process, each conference of the UCC is invited to have this important conversation as well. To that end, our team has put together a few questions that we invite you to answer honestly. Your responses will help us better understand where we are as a conference and discern the best way to move forward. We are grateful for your help as we seek to offer extravagant welcome to our LGBTQIA+ siblings in Christ. The survey can be found at the button below.

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 $9 each.

To order, print off the order form at the button below or pick one up from the receptionist's office, and return it no later than Friday, March 24. We encourage you to take your flowers with you following worship on Easter Sunday.

The Indiana Kentucky conference of the UCC is hosting General Synod in June 2023, and it has been a tradition for the hosting conference to provide prayer shawls for delegates and others in attendance. Would you be willing to help by knitting or crocheting one or two shawls? Let Rev. Sara (smo@plymouthfw.org) know if you would like to commit to making one (or three!).

While masks remain optional in worship, we encourage wearing them whenever possible. 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 if you find yourself at risk of being around groups or otherwise 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:

• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Donate
• Past Chapel Class Series
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Sign Up
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Medias