The Board of Deacons’ Worship is recognizing three individuals as Good and Faithful Servants to Plymouth Congregational Church. This award began in 2005 as a way to honor members of Plymouth Church who demonstrated exemplary and long term service to Plymouth in a variety of capacities with their time and talents.

On Sunday, November 12 and Sunday, November 19, Plymouth members Jan Evrard and Jane Meredith will lead two sessions about the Human Library, which will include bringing in several “books” for people to read. The Human Library is an organization committed to breaking down stereotypes and challenging stigma. Chapel Class begins at 9:00 am on Sunday morning and is open to all adults in person or on Zoom. The password for Zoom is 063060.

Sunday, November 12 and 19 are the dates for this year's annual sale of items made by Plymouth members and friends. With new participants, you won't want to miss the new items; and, of course, the sweet pepper jelly will also be available. The sales in the Folsom Room will occur before and after the worship service. Proceeds from these sales and the wreath sales are donated to nonprofit agencies serving families. Bring your checkbook and get a head start on your holiday shopping!

Our next week to provide dinner at the Just Neighbors family shelter is coming up Sunday, November 12 through Friday, November 17. Each night, we are responsible for providing a main dish, a side dish/vegetable, fruit, and dessert. You can sign up to provide one part of the meal, or the whole meal. If you are interested in helping, please use the link below to sign up.

The Reproductive Rights Action Team invites you to a training on ‘moral messaging’ on Sunday, November 12 at 2:00 pm. The training will be led by Rev. Terry Williams from Faith Choice Ohio. This one-hour, interactive training will equip you to use abortion-positive language rooted in religious values to help lift up abortion as a moral good. Come prepared to dive deep into the words, frameworks, and stories that we use to talk about abortion justice and reproductive freedom. This training is free and open to anyone in the community, so please feel free to invite friends!

The Centering Prayer group at Plymouth meets every Monday evening 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! Join us Monday, November 13 at 5:30 pm!

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday, November 15. At 5:15 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal, children’s choir rehearsal, and Bible Study with Rev. Timothy, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. The Bible 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!

Do you have questions about the current war between Israel and Hamas? Would you like to know more about the historical context of the conflict? Are you confused by competing narratives in the media and wondering where the truth lies? Join us on Wednesday, November 15 at 6:45 pm for an informal discussion with Michael Spath, Rev. Timothy, and Rev. Sara to learn more. This is a safe space to ask your questions and share honestly with one another. The discussion will take place in the Chapel immediately following Wednesday Night Live dinner. RSVPs are appreciated but not required—please email Rev. Sara at [email protected] to let us know if you plan to come. All are welcome.

If you pre-ordered a wreath through the Standish Circle Wreath Sale, they will be available for pickup on Sunday, November 19 at the porte-cochere entrance before and after church. 

On Sunday, November 19, we will hold a special offering benefitting Homebound Meals to celebrate Thanksgiving. Homebound Meals has been serving our community for over 50 years, delivering freshly made, medically tailored meals to folks who aren’t able to get out and about to hunt and gather for themselves. While the price of $5.50/meal is low, many of their clients are unable to pay, and so meal costs are subsidized, or eliminated, allowing all people access to good food prepared well. Your donations will help Homebound Meals continue to serve our neighbors, regardless of their capacity to pay.

Please mark your offering envelope and the memo line of your check for Thanksgiving Offering. You may also donate online by clicking the button below and use the dropdown “Fund” menu to select “Thanksgiving.”

Next month's selection for Plymouth's Women's Book Study is Both/And: A Memoir by Huma Abedin.

"A New York Times bestseller, this extraordinary memoir from Huma Abedin—Hillary Clinton’s famously private top aide and longtime advisor—offers “a gripping testament to the power of a woman finding her voice, owning her ambition, and sharing her truth.” - Glennon Doyle

"The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood—and work."

As always, we invite anyone to join us who self-identifies as a woman. We shall meet in the Amistad Room at 12:00 pm on Tuesday November 21. If you would like to join us by Zoom, please email Laura McCoy. Other books coming up are Cobalt Red by Siddharth Khan in January, and Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver in February. There will be no meeting in December.

Each year Plymouth participates in the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service held at Congregation Achduth Vesholom. This year’s event will be on Tuesday, November 21 at 7:00 pm. The theme is “Giving Thanks for One Another.” Rev. Murphy, Rev. Ofner-Seals, and Maestro Nance will all be participating. We hope to see you there. There will be an offering for Just Neighbors and a reception afterwards.

There will be a Thanksgiving Day devotional service held in the Chapel at 11:30 am on November 23. Afterwards, all those who wish to participate are invited to come to the Thanksgiving Day dinner at 12:00 pm in the Folsom Room. Both activities are a great way to connect with Plymouth folks and be in fellowship with others. Anyone who is willing and able to provide some side food items for the dinner are welcome to sign up with the sign up sheet in the Folsom Room. 

Believe it or not, we only have a handful of Chapel Class sessions left before the end of the year! Here is what you can look forward to as we close out the year:

November 26 – Sunday after Thanksgiving, no class

December 3, 10 & 17 – “O Little Town of Bethlehem” – We sing the carol every year, but how much do we really know about the little town of Bethlehem? Rev. Sara will be teaching this three-week series, delving into the history of this Palestinian city, its status as part of the occupied West Bank, and what’s happening there right now as war rages less than two hours away. We’ll also discuss ways we can be in solidarity with Palestinian Christians living in the city.

December 24 & 31 – no class due to Christmas Eve and New Years Eve holidays

Chapel Class begins at 9:00 am on Sunday mornings and is open to all adults in person or on Zoom. The password for Zoom is 063060.

It’s time to order your Christmas poinsettias! Ordering poinsettias is an easy way to remember, honor, and celebrate loved ones and friends, while helping to decorate our church home for Christmas. To order, please fill out the order form and return it with your check to the church office by Thursday, November 30. Poinsettias are $11.00 each. Plants will be placed in the sanctuary Sunday, December 24. Please take your plant home with you following the 10:00 pm worship service on Christmas Eve.

To place an order, please either click the button below to print off a copy of the order form to fill out and return to the church office, or pick up an order form in the church office on Sunday morning. Please include "poinsettia" in the memo line of your check.

In order expedite a functional directory, Plymouth will be switching from an opt in system to and opt out system. What does this mean for you? What steps will you need to take to ensure your place in the directory? Nothing! We’ll do all the work. Starting December 5, all Plymouth members will be automatically included in the online directory! Now, if you do not wish to be a part of this undertaking, you may email Jake Slone no later than December 4 at [email protected]. After that you will be automatically added to the online directory. You may request to be removed from the directory at any time.

In the coming months, Plymouth staff will be working on getting all members online access in preparation for the switch to the online directory. If you receive an email stating that your password and username has been changed, don’t worry. It is not a scam. It is an automatically generated e-mail that we can’t change when you are being assigned a randomly generated password.

Are you missing something? Our lost and found box is overflowing and it is time for a clean out. You will have until Sunday, November 19 to go through the box located in the closet next to the stairs on the first floor by the Folsom Room. After the 19th, we will be donating all gently used items, recycling what can and should be recycled, and discarding the rest.

Our Stewardship Campaign has formally concluded, but you can still submit a pledge form for 2024 if you have not already done so, either in person or via our website, with a digital link below. Thank you!

Plymouth’s Safety Committee is looking for security and communication volunteers to assist the office Receptionist during the 10:00 am Sunday service by being on standby in the Narthex. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Greeting & welcoming late comers in the Narthex and directing them to the Sanctuary
• Communicating with the Receptionist via radio in the instance of an emergency (inclement weather, medical emergency in the sanctuary, fire, etc.)
• Retrieving medical equipment such as the wheelchairs or first aid kits
• Helping to direct first responders in case of an emergency or assisting others with evacuations.

If you have any interest, please Contact the Safety Committee chair, Patrick Vonderau at [email protected].

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