Standish holiday wreath pick up is this Sunday, November 24. If you’ve ordered a wreath, please come to the Folsom Room between 9 AM until 11:15 AM to pick up your wreath.

We are excited to welcome nine new members to our faith community this Sunday. Their names are:

Jessica Conner

Lilly Conner

Rylan Conner

Joy Grow

Tina Grow

Sue Hiatt

Raymond Ledo-Blunt

Nancy Messinger

Melissa Richard

You can read a little more about each of our new members by clicking the link below for their bios. Please be sure to greet them this Sunday and welcome them officially into our community!

The Benevolence Committee is pleased to announce that they have selected Miss Virginia’s Food Pantry as the recipient of the 2024 Thanksgiving offering.

Miss Virginia Schrantz believed in serving everyone in need. As a result, over 40 years ago she begin her mission of opening her home to those in need. Today, the legacy of “Miss Virginia” lives on in the food pantry that is operated out of her former residence. With its Balanced Nutritional Food Program (BNFP) it has grown to serve over 1000 guests per week. The goal of the BNFP is to provide each client's household with a food package containing meat, eggs, fruit or vegetables, and bread. Providing the BNFP means that in 2023 Miss Virginia’s made purchases in excess of $159,000 to feed 110,164 households. Noteworthy is that Miss Virginia’s is 100% supported by the donations of organizations, businesses, and individuals. For additional information please visit: www.missvirginiafoodpantry.com.

The Thanksgiving offering will be collected this Sunday, November 24. Contributions may be giving using the special offering envelops found in the pew pockets and dropping them in the collection plate, mailing them to the church, or online at www.plmouthfw.org. Click the donate button and use the drop down menu to click on “Thanksgiving.” In this season of counting our blessings, the Benevolence Committee thanks you for your consideration and support of this local mission program.

All are invited to stick around after church this Sunday, November 24 for our annual Hanging of the Greens. This is when we pull out all the holiday decorations and prepare the church building for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Congregational Life is sponsoring a pizza lunch for everyone who stays to help-- hope to see you there!

This year's annual Interfaith Thanksgiving service will be held on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:00 pm, at Congregation Achduth Vesholom, 5200 Old Mill Road, 46807, with participation from Plymouth ministerial staff as well as many other Fort Wayne faith communities. Please join us as we give thanks for the diversity within the wider community of faith in Fort Wayne.

There will be no Wednesday Night Live programming on Wednesday, November 27. Programming will resume next week on Wednesday, December 4.

This year for Advent, Rev. Sara Ofner-Seals will be leading a book study on The First Advent in Palestine by Kelley Nikondeha. The book takes the reader through the birth narratives in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, detailing the struggles of the various characters and how they moved from despair to hope during the very first Advent in the land of Palestine. Throughout her explorations, Nikondeha features the stories of modern-day Palestinians, centering their voices to help us meet an Advent recognizable for today. This thought-provoking examination invites us into a season of discovery, one that is realistic and honest, and that still wonders at the goodness of God's grace.

The Advent book study will take place during the regular Wednesday Night Live Bible study time at 5:15pm, and will be held December 4, 11 and 18, in person or on zoom. You can purchase the book at Bookshop.org, or wherever you buy your books. If you need assistance with the purchase of a book, please let Rev. Sara know and one will be purchased for you. 

Join us at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, December 4 for our annual Luminous Night Service. This is a service for those who may be grieving or feeling lonely or sad during the holiday season. It is a quiet, contemplative service with readings of scripture and poetry, along with reflective music and a chance to light candles in honor of loved ones lost. It is also a time to reflect on our hopes for the year ahead and center ourselves in God’s abiding presence during all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. All are welcome to attend this service of lament and promise.

Many thanks to everyone who stepped up to volunteer for our winter shelter effort, especially our winter shelter taskforce. We have heard back that our space is no longer needed, as the city has found a space large enough to use as an overflow space for the whole winter. We are so grateful that so many people were willing to step up to assist unhoused families in Fort Wayne-- thank you!!

Fort Wayne Pride is once again partnering with Plymouth members as well as other community donors to provide gifts to local LGBTQ families in need. Each year 12-15 families are selected to receive items from their needs and wants list. On average, around 50 people are helped each year. It would be impossible to support families without the support of generous community members!

If you are interested in supporting these families, we are still in great need of gift cards for groceries or gas. We try to provide each family with some gift cards to help out with filling the pantry and/or their tanks. This is an item that we cannot purchase as a nonprofit, so we rely solely on donations.

There is a donation bin set up for gift drop off, but if you're more comfortable giving directly to someone or have questions about the program, please contact Nikki Fultz at 260-602-6860. We have been able to help hundreds of people over the last several years, and we are grateful for Plymouth's support!

The Disciples Peace Fellowship (DPF) has opened its annual application process for its 2025 Peace Interns. Peace Interns are young adults who provide educational and program support at church camps and other church-related assemblies and events about peace and justice issues, serving as counselors and resource people, and modeling the lifestyle of peacemakers for youth and adults alike. In recent years, Peace Interns have also partnered with Disciples Justice Ministries groups to work on specific projects in the name of living out the gospel imperative for peace and justice. Folks 21 and older can apply and learn more at https://www.disciplespeace.org/apply.

Applications are due January 31. Please share with any young adults who may be interested. Rev. Timothy is the co-moderator of the DPF Executive Committee (and a 2004 Peace Intern) and is happy to answer any questions you may have!

The 2025 Stewardship Campaign has formally ended, but we will continue to accept pledge, time, and talent forms if you have not already submitted one. Forms have been mailed but you can also go online to fill out your 2025 pledge and indicate ways you wish to volunteer in the new year. Extra forms are available in the receptionist's office.

Who’s ready for some trivia about the Parry Lecture series? Check out the library display in the Folsom Room to learn some fun facts about the Plymouth Parry Lectures. Plymouth was fortunate to be able to bring these pioneering thinkers of Christian faith and practice to Fort Wayne. The Louise Folsom Library has a section devoted to the Parry Lectures where you can find books by more of these scholars. Many great reads!