Starting on Sunday, March 5, 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 three-week series will cover what it looks like to use social media responsibly and safely in this digital age. In the first session we will explore the “what, where, how, and why’” of social media and digital technology use. We will discuss our digital footprints and what is done with the data connected with our technology use. Attendees will learn more about new emerging platforms, how platforms use data, and resources available to support parents and children. 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.  

Building Maintenance Manager John Hoelderle will be leading a training on the proper use of kitchen equipment on Sunday, March 5, immediately following worship. This training is required for anyone wishing to use the Plymouth kitchen, and all are welcome to attend. No RSVP is needed.

Plymouth’s next week to provide dinner at the Just Neighbors Shelter is coming up, starting on Sunday, March 5. Plymouth members are responsible for providing the dinner meal for shelter guests each night that week. You can sign up to bring the whole meal, or simply a component of the meal. Typically, there are around 20-30 guests staying at the shelter on any given night. If you are interested in providing a meal, or part of a meal, please click the link below to sign up.

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). For March 8, participants are invited to read chapters 4 and 5. 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 8, 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.

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace welcomes Palestinian surgeon Dr. Shawki Harb, Thursday, March 9, 6:30 pm at Plymouth Church.

In his memoir, A Surgeon Under Israeli Occupation, Dr. Shawki Harb shares his experiences about Palestine and life as a Palestinian surgeon practicing medicine under Israeli occupation from 1975 to 2003, at the Ramallah Hospital and teaching at Al Quds Medical School in Jerusalem. He also describes his medical school training in Germany and specialty training in the US from 1967 to 1975, including his fellowship with internationally acclaimed Houston Methodist Hospital cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey.

In Palestine, for example, he tells how, under Israeli military occupation, he endured harassment and overcame challenges like performing heart surgery with flashlights during blackouts and gunfire. Dr. Harb will share his unique insights into Israeli apartheid and oppression, practicing medicine, and reflect on the social and political context in Palestine. Free, open to the public. Masks strongly encouraged.

For more information and to RSVP, click the button below to check out the event page on ICEMP's Facebook.

Congregational Life (CL) Board is hosting our monthly family game night this Friday, March 10 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. CL Board will supply decaf coffee, water, some starter games like standard playing cards, Sorry, Jenga, dice for Yahtzee and other dice games, tables set up for puzzles and brain teasers, and a space for toddlers to come and play on their own when not joining in the table games.

Please bring:

• Your favorite family game to share and be ready to host that game to teach others how to play
• Snacks to share
• Your friends and family

Prepare to have a fun evening of games and fellowship!

This year's General Assembly session has been particularly harmful for the LGBTQ community, with what has been dubbed by many as the "slate of hate." There are over two dozen bills that would do everything from banning books with LGBTQ characters to banning gender affirming care for transgender youth. 

Join others in the Fort Wayne community on Saturday, March 11 to say "no hate in our state" and to voice our opposition to these bills. We will gather from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm outside the Allen County Courthouse. Please join us if you can!

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.

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.

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!).

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:

• Grant and Scholarship Opportunities
• Donate
• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Sign Up
• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Medias