This Sunday, we welcome a new group of members to Plymouth Church! Click the button below to read each of their bios.

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. The slate of nominees, the agenda, and a proposed bylaws amendment are linked below.

Film and Faith for young adults has its next gathering on Sunday, October 22 at 2:30 pm. We will be watching the 1999 film, The Matrix, but viewing it as a trans allegory. If you’ve never seen it before, or never watched it from that point of view, here’s your chance! Light snacks will be available, with discussion to follow. Please tell Rev. Murphy if you plan to attend. We will meet in the Choir Room and people should enter through the Folsom Room.

Rev. Timothy Murphy's Chapel Class on his theology of church (or as he prefers to call it: churching), will conclude this Sunday, October 22 at 9:00 am. 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! 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.

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 23 at 5:30 pm!

Wednesday Night Live programming continues this Wednesday, October 2. 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!

The Afghan Refugee Taskforce will be presenting information about their work over the past two years during Chapel Class on Sunday, October 29. Come learn about their efforts in resettling Afghan refugee families in Fort Wayne, the current state of resettlement efforts, and find out how you can get involved! Chapel Class is available in-person or on Zoom at 9:00 am. The password for Zoom is 063060.

Friendly reminder that E&M will host Tapping Into Faith at Mad Anthony’s on Monday, October 30 at 7:00 pm. We won’t be getting spooky, but we will lean into the spirit of All Hallows and offer up remembrances of our own saints. As always, this will be a wonderful chance to get to know your fellow Plymouth folks a little better, and to welcome any other community members who might attend. If loosely guided conversation and story-sharing, good food & drink, and good people sound like a pleasant evening, come on in!

We will provide appetizers for all to share, and you are welcome to buy whatever meal or beverage you’d like, of course.

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!

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 Rev. Dr. 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.

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.

The renovation of the Folsom Room and the two adjacent hallways is nearing completion with a few items, such as replacement carpet tiles, awaiting delivery. These spaces will remain available for programming and fellowship, but expect things to be in transition for a while yet. Thank you for your understanding!

On behalf of the Plymouth Afghan Refugee Task Force, the E&M Board has organized a winter clothing and diaper drive for our Afghan neighbors. We don’t have to tell you how cold the winters are here, and these families have zero winter coats, no boots, and so forth. Let’s help keep them warm and dry!

Donations should be left in the Folsom Room by Sunday, November 5!

Because the drive is for specific families, there are specific sizes needed. We have created a SignUp Genius to help ensure that the needs of each person are met, and that we don’t end up with an avalanche of only size 2 boots. The SignUp Genius is accessible by clicking the button below.

If all of the items on the SignUp are already claimed when you visit, these families also have constant need for diapers! Diapers needed in sizes 4-6, as well as adult diapers in sizes small and medium for two older children with disabilities.

A new year of Study Connection began on October 18. A Plymouth tutor and student were honored at the kick-off breakfast as the "Don Wolf Outstanding Student" for last year. This recognition is highly competitive across all of the Study Connection sites in the city. Joann McDonald receives kudos for her wonderful tutoring with her 3rd grade student. It is the second time in the 12 year offering of Study Connection at Plymouth that a Plymouth tutor and child of Study Connection have been so honored. 

The office would like to extend a sincere thanks to the following folks for helping out with the bulk mailing of this years Stewardship Campaign materials:

Katherine Caldwell

Barb Duch

Janet Younger

Laurice Harris

Judy Springer

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].

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:

• 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