The replacement of the Berry Street sidewalk is nearing completion and is at a point that the building is now accessible from the Berry Street parking lot. There are a few things left like the installation of lamp posts and a railing for an accessibility ramp, but the Berry Street doors are now unlocked for programming and Sunday worship. For your safety, please avoid areas where there are any orange traffic drums where work is yet to be finished.

On Sunday, October 1, we will welcome Joshua Gale, executive director of Just Neighbors for a presentation on homelessness in Fort Wayne. He will give an overview of the topic as well as information on the programs Just Neighbors has to offer, including their new eviction prevention program. Chapel class is held every Sunday at 9:00 am in person and on Zoom. The passcode to join via Zoom is 063060. The Zoom link is included below.

As part of our covenantal connection with the United Church of Christ, Plymouth takes up a number of collections over the course of the year. One of those is Neighbors in Need, which supports ministries of justice and compassion in the United States. This year’s focus is on environmental justice. Plastics, electronics, and other non-compostable wastes are being shipped across, and even tossed into, our waterways, launched into space, as well as buried in landfills. As people of faith, we believe these egregious acts are sinful and unholy. One-third of this offering will go to the work of the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM), while the remaining two-thirds will go to Justice and Witness Ministries to provide grants to UCC churches and organizations as well as support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects for environmental justice. 

This Sunday, October 1, members of Plymouth Church who traveled to the Holy Land this summer will be giving a presentation about their experiences after church at 11:30 am, in the Folsom room. Please stick around after worship to learn about life in Bethlehem, current efforts for peace and reconciliation, and the hardships faced by the Palestinian people. There will be time for Q&A, as well as information about the upcoming 2024 Solidarity Tour. This presentation will also be livestreamed and recorded, and available to be viewed on our YouTube Channel.

The Centering Prayer group at Plymouth has began meeting 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, October 2 at 5:30 pm!

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday, October 4. 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!

Plymouth’s Environmental Action Team has adopted a section of the River Greenway Trail. This means that we are responsible for clean-up and maintenance of this section of the trail three times each year. Our next clean up day will be Saturday, October 7 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Parking is available at Towles Intermediate School (420 E. Paulding Rd.) or at Tillman Park Trailhead (600 E. Tillman Rd). An Environmental Action Team member will be waiting at each parking location. Trash bags, gloves, and pick-up sticks will be provided. Bring a grabber if you have one!

All ages are welcome! The distance is approximately two miles. There is a signup sheet in the Folsom Room. Please join us if you can and help us live into our Earthwise covenant!

For three weeks, starting Sunday, October 8 and continuing through Sunday, October 22, Rev. Timothy Murphy will be leading Chapel Class on his theology of church (or as he prefers to call it: churching). This will be based in part on his previous academic work, focusing in particular on the good news we are called to proclaim, the fellowship we are to live out, and the service we are to offer, in light of the vision we hold together for a transformed world. Attendees will have the opportunity to wrestle with their own understanding of church, ask questions, and be in conversation with others!

Have you ever wondered why Plymouth’s fellowship hall is called the Folsom Room, or why the Louise Folsom Memorial Library is located in the Amistad Room? Perhaps you feel comfortable checking out a book from the Folsom Room library display table but have no idea how to navigate the shelves in the library. Answers to these questions and others will put you at ease by attending our open house following worship on Sunday, October 8 in the Folsom Room. There are many thought provoking, inspirational, and informative books just waiting to be explored.

There will also be a book sale with collections from Rev. Carole Green and Rev. Claire Roney Sr. All books will be priced at $1 each, and all the proceeds from the sale will go to our friends at Just Neighbors. We look forward to helping you explore joyfully.

The next meeting of the Plymouth's Women's Book Study will take place on October 17 at 12:00 pm in the Amistad Room. We shall be discussing Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue. This book describes the spiritual world from the viewpoint of the ancient Irish imagination. Its understandings may both enrich and challenge our personal beliefs and should make for a lively discussion. All opinions will be respected, it goes without saying.

As always, we invite anyone to join us who self-identifies as a woman. If you would prefer to attend by Zoom, please email Jan Gibson jsgibson443@gmail.com. Other books coming up are Both/And: A Memoir by Huma Abedin and, in the new year, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddarth Kara.

Each year, we elect our slate of officers and board members who will serve for the upcoming year. We will have a congregational meeting after worship on Sunday, October 22. A proposed bylaws amendment is linked below.

The renovation of the Folsom Room and the two adjacent hallways continues. These spaces will remain available for programming and fellowship, but they will be in transition for a few more weeks. Watch for picture updates on the Plymouth Generations Facebook page. Thank you for your understanding!

The heat is on! Many of us and our outdoor spaces have been parched much of this season. Summer 2023, is going down as the hottest in history and Phoenix has been the hottest city in the US. Scientists and environmentalists have coined a new name for this - Urban Heat Island Effect. Cities tend to be 7 or more degrees hotter than rural areas. What can be done? More planning for green spaces and cooling stations are beginning to be integrated into urban planning. Some climate change advocates have proposed naming these heat waves like they do other disasters like hurricanes.

Plymouth has embraced our Earthwise covenant for many years. We have an Environmental Action Team that has brought in speakers , planned activities and made changes in our church in effort to be more environmentally aware.

The Louise Folsom Memorial Library has some interesting books devoted to the Earthwise topic. These books are located under “Peace & Justice”. The Earthwise materials have a dark green band and a smaller yellow band on the spine. So get out of the heat and venture into our library for some cool readings! Help us to continue making an environmental difference.

Terri Stumpf

Louise Folsom Memorial Library

Committee Member

Volunteers for the 11th year of Study Connection at Plymouth Church are needed! You can be a tutor or a substitute to fill in on the few days when a tutor must be away. Contact Lucy Hess for more information on what is expected of a tutor and sub at lrh22@frontier.com or (260) 484-4430. Study Connection is offered at Plymouth every Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm starting early October to mid-May. To sign up for the background check, click here. The Study Connection sign up sheet is always linked in the Plymouth LinkTree, linked in the bulletin each week.

Plymouth’s directory is going digital! You can now sign up for account access on the Plymouth Website. This will allow you to see your own personal information, see your giving and contributions for the year, and access the new Plymouth Church Directory. By moving to a digital directory, we keep our commitment to protect the environment by being an Earthwise congregation, while also guaranteeing that we have up to date information right at your fingertips. Once the request is processed, you will receive an e-mail from the office with your unique username and password allowing you to log in via the "Member Login" button on our website.

At the same time that we are providing this fantastic service, we are also collecting emergency contact information that will be kept on file in case you were to become seriously injured or ill at a church service or event. Such information will be kept private and only used in emergency situations by staff.

To sign up for either please visit here or see Jake Slone, Church Receptionist, in the office for a paper form.

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:

• 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