Weekly Bulletin

Sunday, May 14, 2023

In Our Prayers 


Charlie Belch, Donna Belch, Mary Bir, Clara Bowling, Ruth Bracht, Matthew Carter, Teresa Clingaman, Kris Conner, Janelle Couture, Brad Crowder, Lynda and Mike Eckard, Ann Filler, Ed Gomez, Cheryl Harkenrider, Joseph Harkenrider, Bob Huff, Nancy Jordan, Alli Keith, Tony Kell, Brian Laurenz, Joan Lipscomb, Gerald Lockwood, Sandy Lockwood, Skyler Lockwood, Connie Mabe, Kelly Massey, Jack Meredith, Jane Meredith, Peter Michels, Jim Nelson, Cindy Ottinger, Bonnie Pennock, Noel Resor, Claire Roney, Anne Rowland, Jacqueline Sanders, Max Schilb, Barbara Senn, John Shannon, Erin Shaw, Maureen Shea, Travis Sheets, Shirley Slater, Johanna Smith, The Spitler Family, Terry Springer, Stan Volz, Marian Waltz, Dana Wichern, Maryanne Williams, Sandra Woodruff Cully

The acolyte for today is Evan Miller.

Sunday Service
Join us for our weekly worship service at 10:00 am in-person, or through our livestream on our YouTube Channel.

If you miss out on our live broadcast, the worship service will be available on our YouTube Channel and listed by date on the Sermon Archive.
Join us for online worship!

Our in-person worship services are held on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. We continue to record and livestream our services, with the recorded video available by Sunday evening. Masks are optional but encouraged.

Joys and Concerns


Sundays at 1:00 pm


Our weekly joys and concerns check-in continues Sunday. Please join this Zoom call at 1:00 pm for a time to name something we are grateful for, a concern we have, and to be in prayer together.


Those unable to join by video can call 1-253-215-8782, then enter the code 829-3823-4464#, then # when asked for the password.

Click here to join Joys & Concerns

Order of Worship


Prelude


Welcome & Announcements


Centering Moment


Call to Worship: Psalm 90:1-6, 14


Hymn No. 8 “Praise to the Living God” | DIADEMATA


Invocation & Lord’s Prayer


Passing of the Peace


Response Song: “We’ve Come This Far by Faith”


Peace Prayer


Mission Moment: General Synod


Hymn “Ground and Source of All That Is” vs. 1-3, 5 (insert)


Pastoral Prayer


Anthem: “Be Still My Soul” | Mack Wilberg


Scripture: Acts 17:22-28


Sermon: “Sacred Flow” 


Hymn No. 530 “God Our Author and Creator | JEFFERSON


Benediction


Postlude

This Week

Birthdays

May 14

Roy Gilliom


May 15

Martha Dively

Mariah Grim

Rod Kuhn


May 17

Tod Ramsey

Mike Thomas


May 20

Kara Jaurigue

Judy Madden


Next Week's Birthdays


May 21

Laura Coon

Jordan Dollarhite

Greg Gibson

Patty Meriwether

Michal Miller

Dana Wichern


May 22

Gary Kerr

Carrol Stumpf


May 23

Dick Conklin

Stan Fahl

Wayne Gerard


May 24

Bryce Longenberger


May 26

Jim Sidell


May 27

Jim Nelson

Calendar

Sunday, May 14

Mother's Day

8:30 am Fellowship Hour

9:00 am Education Hour

9:00 am Worship Rehearsal

10:00 am Worship Service

1:00 pm Joys and Concerns (online)


Monday, May 15

Office Closed


Tuesday, May 16

9:30 am Michael Spath Religion and Culture Class

12:00 pm Women's Book Study

1:00 pm Staff Meeting

4:00 pm Moderators' Meeting

5:30 pm Board Meetings


Wednesday, May 17

2:45 pm Study Connection

5:15 pm Wednesday Night Live


Thursday, May 18

1:00 pm Study Group (online)

5:00 pm Peace and Justice Committee Meeting

6:30 pm The Makers Group


Sunday, May 21

8:30 am Fellowship Hour

9:00 am Education Hour

9:00 am Worship Rehearsal

10:00 am Worship Service

11:15 am Ice Cream Social

11:30 am Environmental Action Team Meeting

1:00 pm Joys and Concerns (online)

Sunday, May 14 and 21: Adult Chapel Class - Atonement

Our final chapel class for the program year will be led by Rev. Murphy. It is a two-week series on theories of atonement. How are we reconciled with God? What happened on the cross? We will look at some of the dominant ways Christians have tried to answer these questions, including options including Christ as a ransom, satisfaction, penal substitute, example, victor, and others. Chapel Class begins at 9:00 am on Sunday morning and is available in person or on Zoom. To join via Zoom, the passcode is 063060.

Chapel Class Zoom Link

Tuesday, May 16: Women's Book Study

You are invited to join Plymouth's next Women's Book Study meeting on Tuesday, May 16 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. We will be discussing Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Loorz. You may even see in the book some attitudes reminiscent of those fostered by Celtic spirituality down the ages. We welcome anyone who self-identifies as a woman. 


"With a spiritual and nature-loving lens on biblical narratives and a fresh look at community larger than our own species, Church of the Wild uncovers the wild roots of faith and helps us deepen our commitment to a suffering earth by falling in love with it--and calling it church. Through mystical encounters with wild deer, whispers from a scrubby oak tree, wordless conversation with a cougar, and more, Loorz helps us connect to a love that literally holds the world together--a love that calls us into communion with all creatures."

Wednesday, May 17: Wednesday Night Live and Bible Study

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday, May 17. Those who want to join the Bible study virtually can join via Zoom at 5:15 pm. The passcode to join the Zoom is 805552.

Bible Study Zoom Link

Wednesday, May 17: Wednesday Night Book Study

Wednesday Night Book Study resumes on Wednesday, May 17. We will be discussing chapters 4-5 of Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer, by Richard Rohr. Wednesday night book study is held after Wednesday Night Live dinner, at 6:45 pm in the chapel. Participation in this study will be available in person and through Zoom. The password to join via Zoom is 694847.

Book Study Zoom Link

Sunday, May 21: Ice Cream Social

To celebrate all the volunteers who give of their time to make our programming happen throughout the year, Congregational Life Board will be serving up ice cream with lots of fixings following the worship service on Sunday, May 21.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, May 25: Just Neighbors Purse Bingo

Come to Plymouth on Thursday, May 25 for a rousing night of Purse Bingo to raise money for a great cause. There will be 10 rounds of play, with a designer handbag as the prize for each round! There will also be a silent auction for a Vera Bradley travel package. The Same City food truck will be on hand for food, beverages, and dessert. Admission is $40, with all proceeds going to assist families struggling with homelessness in Fort Wayne. Tickets available at Donate (paypal.com), or at the door. Doors open at 5:30 pm, Bingo starts at 6:00 pm!

Saturday, June 17: An Evening with the TinCaps

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. Sign up in the Folsom Room by May 21 to help us know how many tickets to purchase. Starting Sunday, May 28, purchased tickets will be available to pick up in the Folsom Room. ⚾️ LETS GO TINCAPS! ⚾️

General Announcements

Snack Drive for Wellspring Summer Day Camp

Every summer, Plymouth is one of many locations to host Wellspring’s summer day camp program. To prepare for this year’s group of campers, Wellspring is collecting donations of snacks. The goal is to collect 6,000 individually wrapped snacks such as granola bars, fruit snacks, chips, popcorn, trail mix or crackers. Please no juice boxes or other beverages. Donations can be dropped off at Wellspring, located at 1316 Broadway, from May 15 to May 19, during regular business hours (Monday-Thursday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm and Friday 8:30 am-1:30 pm).

Mother’s Day Supply Drive for Amistad Presbyterian Church Migrant Assistance

If you attended chapel class on March 26, you already know that our neighbors at Amistad, Pastors Martin and Sandy Garcia, do incredibly important work with new migrants settling here in Fort Wayne. These individuals and families, starting new lives in a new country, often arrive with little more than what they can carry. The good people of Amistad Presbyterian offer intentional outreach that helps provide the necessities of setting up house and settling into a new home.


In the tradition of former Mother’s Day Special Offerings, the Evangelism & Marketing Board invites you to participate in a supply/gift-card drive, April 30 – May 14.


Most versatile and helpful items: Gift Cards to Kroger, Wal-Mart, Meijer, $25.00 +


If you’re feeling more shoppy, team up with a few friends and assemble a focused “supply bundle,” such as:


  • A bathroom bundle: bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths, toilet brush, bathmat, wastebasket.
  • A kitchen bundle: skillet(s) & pot(s), maybe a basic stock pot, basic set of kitchen utensils, manual can opener, kitchen towels and hot pads, measuring cups & spoons
  • A dining bundle: basic set of bowls & plates, cutlery, glasses/cups
  • A cleaning bundle: 13 gal trash can, trash bags, bucket, broom, dish soap, toilet cleaner, all-purpose cleaner (Fabulouso, Pine-Sol, etc), glass cleaner, sponges/cleaning cloths/etc.
  • A laundry bundle: laundry basket, laundry bag, detergent, stain remover, softener or those silicone anti-static balls that are neat


Items should be new and unused.


Please place your donations in/around the bins in the Folsom Room. If possible, wait until Sunday, May 14, to bring your “bundle” donations, so the space doesn’t get too chaotic.

Let's Review Recycling

As an Earthwise Church, Plymouth folks have taken on the role of being a recycler both at home and at church. While this is a great thing to be doing, it has come to our attention both from Matt Gratz, Solid Waste Director for the city, and and John Hoelderle, our Maintenance Manager, that often the recycling is unacceptable and therefore contaminates the whole batch. This costs the church, as well as our trash and recycling provider, a lot of money.


As Earth Day 2023 approaches, let’s review the guidelines so we can be successful recyclers at home and church.


  1. Recycle, reuse, or repurpose everything you can.
  2. Know the recycling guidelines wherever you live (in Fort Wayne, outside Fort Wayne in Allen County, or elsewhere) as different companies have different policies.
  3. NEVER place recycling items in plastic bags before tossing them into the recycling bin.
  4. NEVER place containers with liquids in recycling bins. Everything should be empty, dry, and clean.

Donate Greeting Cards in the Folsom Room

If you have extra greeting cards, you can donate them to nursing home residents. You will find a container in the Folsom Room. Thanks for your help with this new mission sponsored by pastoral care.

Calling All Knitters, Crocheters, and Weavers!

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!).

COVID-19 Protocols: Masking Encouraged

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.

Desk Coverage Volunteers Needed During Staff Meetings

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.

Open Prayer in the Sanctuary

For a time of personal prayer, the sanctuary will be available Tuesday through Thursday during office hours. Please enter through the Berry Street office entrance and check in with our receptionist. Contact Jake Slone at (260) 423-9424 or jss@plymouthfw.org with any questions.

Volunteers Needed for UCC General Synod

The General Synod gathering of the United Church of Christ will take place in Indianapolis this summer - June 30th through July 4th. This will be a rare opportunity to gather in our own Indiana-Kentucky Conference with fellow UCC folks from all over the United States, as well as folks from outside of the US. The last time General Synod was hosted in our conference was in the 1970's - and we are honored to be the host conference this year. All UCC church members are encouraged to attend - you can choose to attend for just one day, or more - it's really up to you! 


An event of this size does not happen without the help of hundreds of volunteers and the Indiana-Kentucky Conference would like to ask you to be one of our volunteers. If you volunteer, once you register as a volunteer you will receive a code you can use to register for the conference for a reduced rate of only $65.00. If you wish to be reimbursed for that expense, the Benevolence Committee is willing to do so with a registration receipt. Please see Allen Haynes, co-chair of Benevolence. There are volunteer opportunities for all physical abilities - including sitting!


General Synod includes Keynote Speakers, Guest Preachers during worship, Nationally known authors on matters of justice, Proposed Resolutions, Educational opportunities - and a chance to meet new UCC friends from outside of Fort Wayne! This year's synod also includes the nomination - and hopeful election - of the first woman - and the first woman of African descent - to serve as the new General Minister & President of the UCC - the Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson. Exciting and historic times in the UCC! You can review the schedule and additional information here: https://generalsynod.org/


Interested in volunteering? Use this link to learn more and to register as a volunteer: https://ikcucc.org/volunteer/. Plymouth member Beth Walker serves on the Indiana-Kentucky Conference Board and will be attending and volunteering at the General Synod. You are welcome to direct questions to Beth via email at: bethwalker.fw@gmail.com or you may call 260-437-3942.


We hope to see many Plymouth UCC Fort Wayne faces at General Synod this summer!!

Plymouth Church Linktree

The following links can be found on our Linktree:


  • What is Truth Seminar Registration
  • 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 Media
Linktree

Plymouth Office Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday: By appointment only 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Questions? Contact the office at 260-423-9424 or office@plymouthfw.org
Plymouth Church | plymouthfw.org
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