May 2015 Plymouth Rock Pastor’s Letter Have you held the door for a dedicated congregation member hauling recyclables from the church kitchen or been caught up in a dishwashing party? Or have you caught a glimpse of our electric lawnmower? The Green Team at Plymouth reconvened on Sunday April 19 to discuss past successes - such as our all-church initiative Mission 4/1 Earth (Spring 2013) - and to talk about the future asking: where do we go from here? Working for environmental justice is not new to Plymouth or the wider United Church of Christ (UCC). In fact, the UCC first embraced the cause almost 30 years ago and sees this shared mission campaign to live out our faith - and our faith, in Planet Earth - as an ongoing ministry and one of vital concern. Today, the Plymouth Green Team is taking that concern seriously as it works closely Rev. Eleanor McCormick with a local movement known as Lawrence Ecology Teams United for Sustainability (LETUS) on environmental advocacy and collaboration. Additionally, the Plymouth Green Team engages in interfaith work through Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) and recommends to you the work of IPL’s founder - Rev. Canon Sally Bingham. But ultimately we take our lead and our inspiration from the work of our own denomination. At the twenty-ninth General Synod of the United Church of Christ (2013) a resolution was passed that emphasized the need of our church to raise its prophetic voice regarding “the urgency of healing the climate of the earth, our home and God’s gift for the future of all life, both human and all other life.” In this resolution - that made its way into the national media - “all Members, Local Churches, Asso- Wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. Lawrence Ecology Teams United for Sustainability ciations, Conferences, Agencies, Associated, Affiliated and Covenanted Ministries (and their successor bodies)” are asked to commit to “using a spectrum of strategies to reduce the use of fossil fuels, our carbon footprint, and our complicity with the fossil fuel industry.” We at Plymouth are taking this call to action from the UCC seriously and continuing our conversation on and work around the areas that this resolution recommends such as: making lifestyle changes to reduce the use of fossil fuels in our lives, our homes, our church, advocating for the creation and enforcement of carbon-reducing laws, publicly witnessing to and creating educational programs in our church, and engaging with the wider church in shareholder actions with companies, up to and including the possibility of divestment from fossil fuels. (Continued on pg. 4) Newsletter Deadline May 31 is the next Rock Newsletter deadline. If you would like to submit something, please e-mail: kaykoch@sunflower.com. At Worship May 3 May 24—Pentecost 9:30 a.m. Traditional Service (Today’s service features 9:30 a.m. Traditional Service the Chancel Choir as they perform Mozart’s Requiem. See pg. 8 for more information.) 9:30 a.m. Reunion Libertad, Heritage Room 9:30 a.m. Reunion Libertad, Heritage Room 11 a.m. Contemporary Gathering of Grace Service 11 a.m. Contemporary Gathering of Grace Service Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 “Thoughts on Ministry” by Rev. Luckey Theme: “What Does it Mean to Trust in the Spirit?” Scripture: John 15:1-8 The lesson speaks of pruning and the relationship of a church to Christ—vine to the vine grower. What would be some of the ways the church is being pruned today? May 10—Mother’s Day 9:30 a.m. Traditional Service (Today’s service features the youth as they perform their annual musical. See pg. 9 for more information.) 9:30 a.m. Reunion Libertad, Heritage Room 11 a.m. Contemporary Gathering of Grace Service Scripture: John 15:9-17 May 17—Graduation Sunday 9:30 a.m. Traditional Service 9:30 a.m. Reunion Libertad, Heritage Room 11 a.m. Contemporary Gathering of Grace Service Scripture: John 17:6-19 Sermon: “Are We Set Apart?” The morning lesson is part of Jesus’ farewell speech to the disciples. The words were written actually much later, around 90 CE when the church was in deep conflict with the outside world. How mush is there a sense of the church being at odds with the world today? May 31 9:30 a.m. Traditional Service 9:30 a.m. Reunion Libertad, Heritage Room 11 a.m. Contemporary Gathering of Grace Service Scripture: John 3:1-17 2 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k Seasons to pray for… to remember… Deron McGee long-time member Betty Strasser who died on March 27. A gravesite service was held April 1. Roy Taylor Nancy Hambleton George Learned Ruth Harwood Bob Cobb Margaret Merrion Verna Davidson Deb Graber Beverly Bronaugh Doris Hockenberger Helen Buhler Dorothy Williams Wiley Mitchell Anne Woodbury on the death of her father, Fred, on April 10. Johannah Cox on the death of her father, William Powell, on April 18. Millie Cooper who died on April 22. Millie was a 62 year member of Plymouth. A service to celebrate Millie’s life was held at Warren McElwain on April 27. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3.1 Katherine Stannard Kathleen Neeley Ruby DeHoff June Preston June Collins Carol Floersch Shirley Kasper Ginny Meserve Jo Scannell Leticia Bryant Cole Tammi Hawk’s mom Annie Neri’s mom Karin Denes Collar’s dad Marvin Voth’s sister Bob Gent’s dad Debby Wedel’s sister Alice Ann’s sister to celebrate… the baptism of Cara Michelle Britton, daughter of Clay & Katy Britton on April 12. the baptism of Oliver Myers, son of Caitlin & Dustin Myers, grandson of Ken & Chris Johnson & great-grandson of Joyce Mullenix & the late Stanley Mullenix on April 19. the confirmation of 8 Plymouth youth on April 26. Andrew Anderson, Olivia Collar, Nickolas Guerrero, Maleena Hatfield*, Mariana Heatwole, Olive Olson, Cole Phillips* and Adelai Spears. The Stephen Ministers will meet on Monday, May 4, at 7 p.m. in the Mayflower room for a program featuring Sherry Warren, former interim associate pastor, to discuss ways to address diversity in caring Christian relationships. Everyone is welcome to join us. Stephen Ministers are members of Plymouth who are specially trained to listen, care, encourage and support people who are going through tough times. To learn more, talk with Peter Luckey at (785) 843-3220 or any Stephen Minister. *baptized Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 3 Pastor’s Letter (Continued from pg. 1) This is a denomination wide and a congregation wide conversation that deserves our hope-filled commitment. Therefore, I encourage you to get more involved in Plymouth's Green Team by contacting sara@happybeetle.com and I leave you with these words from the United Church of Christ’s Minister for Environmental Justice: “When confronted with environmental responsibility, people of faith now face an additional choice: to live in despair or to live with hope. We in the United Church of Christ are called to live with hope. We are called to go beyond lifestyle adjustment. We are called to spiritual and lifestyle transformation based on justice and reverence for all of God's creatures and creation. We are called by Jesus to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. With God's grace, we invite individuals to transform their lives and their communities to become hopeful, restorative, and just.” Fellowship Opportunities Prayer Shawl Group Come join this group that crafts each shawl with prayers and blessings for the recipient. Beginners welcome! The meeting date is every 1st Wednesday at 3 p.m. The next meeting is May 6 in the Heritage Room. Pastor at the Pub! Join Eleanor on Wednesday May 6th and the first Wednesday of each month going forward from 5:30—7:30 p.m. at Merchant’s Pub and Plate, 746 Massachusetts Street. It’s church in the public sphere. It’s church for the mid-week. It’s church for those in love 4th Sunday Potluck Every 4th Sunday of the month has a potluck meal following the 11 a.m. service. Bring some food to share and enjoy the fellowship of your church friends! Next “Gather 4th” is May 24! 4 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k with church. It’s church for those exploring what it means and what it doesn’t mean to be church in the 21st century too. Conversation starters and quotes to contemplate will be posted on Plymouth’s Facebook page the week before each gathering. We hope you will join us! We hope you will invite others! Moderator’s Letter It is with a heavy heart that I inform the congregation that I am moving out of state and must therefore resign as Moderator. I have accepted a faculty position at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, a residential public school for gifted 11th and 12th graders. While I am tremendously excited about the opportunity to advance my professional career, leaving Plymouth will certainly be the hardest part of moving from Lawrence. Neil Oatsvall Moderator neil.oatsvall@gmail.com First off, the nuts and bolts of what this means for the church: very soon the pastoral and lay leadership will meet to select an Interim Moderator. Instead of asking Kim Booth or Julia Gaughn to take on extra duties and leaving the moderator triumvirate shorthanded we feel that bringing on someone else to finish out my term is best for the church. That person will take over Moderator duties on or about June 1 (when I leave town). Drawing from such a talented congregation, I have no doubt the church will be in more than capable hands. While I know that Plymouth will be fine in my absence, I must admit that there will be a hole in my heart. This church has been the first house of worship that truly felt like it was my church. Other churches have felt like home, but none of them have had the impact on my life that Plymouth has. That is funny, because my first experience at Plymouth was not perfect (mainly because I am incredibly imperfect). Peter’s sermon that day made me so mad that I didn’t attend for a year. I was a complete fool. When my wife made me come back I could not remember why I was angry in the first place—sorry Peter!—and immediately loved everything about the church. From the people to the message, the stained glass to the hospitality and social justice, everything was what I had been looking for my whole life. My wife, in dragging me back, was right. Yet again. Plymouth has been a place that nurtured me both spiritually and intellectually. In the spirit of Ecclesiastes 3, it has been a place to weep and to laugh, to mourn and to dance, a place to be silent and to speak, and a place to love each other and hate injustice. Sarah and I have seen our daughter be baptized and join the ranks of the Gathering of Grace’s liturgical dancers. We have seen some of our dearest friends get married as the KS legal system finally starts to catch up to God’s love. We have also seen old friends go and new friends arrive. Now we are some of the old friends leaving. It may be clichéd to say so, but life is a journey. Please know that I will always carry part of Plymouth in my heart wherever that journey takes me. And I will always know that, wherever I am on life’s journey, I will be welcome at Plymouth. God’s love will bind us together even from that other Kansas (the AR-Kansas). Neil P.S. I will write one last Moderator’s Letter for next month. Stay tuned! Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 5 Fundraising We Need You! Plymouth’s biggest fundraiser of the year is the all church Garage Sale which will be held Thursday through Saturday, August 6-8. Mark your calendar now to contribute to this event in two or more of the following ways: ► Donate the best gently used items you can. The success of the sale depends greatly upon the quality of the items available to buy! ► Set aside some hours after church on Setup Sunday, August 2 to carry, sort and distribute donated items. Pizza lunch for all workers! We could really use folks that can comfortably lift and carry heavy loads today. ► Set aside some hours to work the days before the sale—both day and evening shifts are available. ► Volunteer to work during the garage sale itself—both weekday and Saturday shifts available. ► VOLUNTEER TO STAY AFTER THE GARAGE SALE ON SATURDAY (August 8) TO BOX UP ITEMS AND TEAR DOWN TABLES. WE NEED STRONG, ABLE-BODIED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THIS. Rumor has it this is a great item to have your resume when you get to heaven! ► Start telling everyone you know to put the Garage Sale on their calendar! To volunteer contact Toni Dudley: tcndudley6@gmail.com 10 minutes Can Make A Lot of Money for Plymouth! Plymouth can get money every time you swipe your Dillons Plus Card when you shop! Through March, we got $185 from Dillons because 24 families registered their Dillons Plus Cards. Think what we could do if we had 100 families registered! It’s easy to register—you can do it on your phone in less than 10 minutes. Here’s How ► You’ll need a Dillon’s Plus Card, available at any store by asking an associate, a valid email address and a personalized account at Dillon’s website. ► then go to: www.dillons.com/communityrewards ► Sign in OR create an account. 1. Once at the website, click on “Register” at the top of the page. 2. Enter your email address, password, and zip code. 3. Click on “Create Account” at the bottom of the page. 4. You will then receive an email confirmation. To activate your account click on the link in the body of the email and enter your sign in information to confirm. ► Once signed in or registered, enter Plymouth’s Non Profit Organization (NPO) # 36058. ► Then just select “Plymouth” and click “Enroll”. Questions or needed assistance on setting up an online account should be directed to Dillon’s help line at 1-800-576-4377 (option 3). Thanks for your participation in this new program. And of course you can still purchase Grocery Bucks from Hy-Vee, Checkers and the Merc. Prison Ministry I was in prison, and you visited me. Matthew 25:37 Judith Galas judithcgalas@gmail.com If reaching out to a person in prison or jail interests you, but traveling to a facility does not, please consider adopting an inmate as a pen pal. Letters and cards are potent reminders that someone cares. Through the mail, you can help a person think through his or her short-term and long-term goals and prepare for a healthy, sustainable life free of crime and addictions. You can become a pen pal in one of two ways. You can take a one-day training through the Kansas Department of Corrections and be matched to an inmate through its Compassionate Correspondent Program. The KDOC offers trainings throughout the year, and you can find a date and location either by visiting the KDOC’s web site at www.doc.ks.gov/help-out/mentoring/training or you can contact me at judithcgalas@gmail.com. A letter relationship could lead to a face-to-face mentorship, but it doesn’t have to. My own role as a post-release mentor grew from a four-year pen pal relationship I had with an inmate who then released to Lawrence. You can also be matched to an inmate via Plymouth, friends and family of current inmates, or by reaching out to someone you have heard or read about. As long as your letters are correctly addressed to a specific inmate, you do not have to be approved to write letters. However, you do, need to follow the institution’s rules regarding proper address, weight, and permissible content. At Plymouth, Chuck Corbett has been an active pen pal for several years, sometimes corresponding with people long after their release. He would be happy to share his experiences and suggestions, and you can reach him at chucknpia@yahoo.com. If you have questions about Plymouth’s prison ministry, don’t hesitate to contact Dick Stuntz, Mari White, or me. Judith Galas, 842-4958 or judithcgalas@gmail.com Dick Stuntz, 766-6796, or dick.stuntz@gmail.com Mari White, 785-233-7701, or alex72302@gmail.com Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 7 Music & Fine Arts Kim Manz Director of Music & Fine Arts kimmanz@sunflower.com 785-843-3220, ext. 15 Chancel Choir Major Choral Work – May 3 The Chancel Choir will be singing portions of “Requiem” by W.A. Mozart. The Requiem Mass, commissioned anonymously by Count Walsegg to commemorate the anniversary of his wife’s death, was composed in 1791 and left unfinished at Mozart’s death on December 5 of that year. The Mass was completed by Xaver Süssmayr, a talented pupil of Mozart. Adding to the mythology surrounding the “Requiem” is Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play Amadeus, in which a mysterious messenger orders Mozart to write a requiem mass, giving no explanation for the order; Mozart (in the play) then comes to believe that the piece is meant to be the requiem mass for his own funeral. Plan to support the Chancel Choir by worshipping that day and inviting others to experience this powerful and moving music. Practices & Rehearsals Children’s Choirs Sunday Practices Handbell Choirs Sunday Rehearsals Plymouth Strings Cherub Choir (PreK—1st grade) Paula Aiken, director Meets in Room 205S, 10:25 a.m. Youth Handbell Choir (6th—12th gr.) Kim Manz, director Meets in Room 207N, 11 a.m. The youth handbell group is open to all in grades 6-12. Please contact Kim Manz for more information. Rehearsals are each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Althaus Chapel. Please speak to Kim Manz if you have interest in playing in this ensemble or know of someone in the wider Lawrence community that would enjoy participating in this group. Carol Choir (2nd—4th grade) Kathy Bowen, director Meets in Room 204S, 10:25 a.m. Chapel Choir (5th—7th grade) Jeff Morrison, director Meets in Althaus Chapel, 10:25 a.m. 8 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k Adult Handbell Choir Bill Kelly, director Meets in Room 207N, 5:30 p.m. Contact Bill if you would like to join the adult choir at: bkelly@usd497.org. Music & Fine Arts Kim Manz Director of Music & Fine Arts kimmanz@sunflower.com 785-843-3220, ext. 15 Children’s Musical May 10 9:30 a.m. service Come celebrate and support the children in grades 2 through 8 as they present the musical “Rescue in the Night” (the story of Daniel in the lion’s den) on Mother’s Day at Plymouth Church. The musical is full of characters like Taxalot, the keeper of the royal vault; Astrofar, the royal astrologer; Crushafo, the captain of the guard; Heralds, King Darius, and of course Daniel and some lions. This is one Sunday you won’t want to miss! Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 9 Christian Education Heather Coates Confirmation Sunday Dir. of Christian Education Plymouth celebrated Confirmation on Sunday, April 26th at the 9:30am service. We heathercoates@ confirmed eight students and baptized two. It was a wonderful, inspiring morning. A sunflower.com huge thank you to Norine Spears, Doug Eason & Derrick Hurst who taught and walked with these students this year. They were amazing. 785-843-3220, ext. 19 The Plymouth Confirmation class of 2015: Andrew Phillip Anderson Katie Marie Babbit Olivia Grace Collar Alexander French Eason Nickolas Mickel Guerrero Maleena Lea Hatfield Mariana Elizabeth Heatwole Olive Sainte-Hortense Olson Oliver Dale Pepin Cole Alexander Phillips Alyssa Jane Russell Adelai Ann Spears Rose Naramore Winfrey Summer School Teachers Needed! Sunday school for preK/K and grade school children is in session for the summer months. Please consider signing up to teach. Ideally, preK/K teachers will volunteer to teach one Sunday/month, June – August. Grade school teachers will volunteer to teach four Sundays, in either June or July. However, because of summer vacations, if you could make a teaching commitment for just a part of these times, we will take that too! Contact Heather Coates, heathercoates@sunflower.com or 785-843-3220 if you would like to volunteer. 1 0 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k Christian Education Conversations on Race During Lent, Plymouth Academy tried something different. We offered only one class for adults (we usually offer several), Sacred Conversations on Race. We did this because the conversation is so important, and we wanted to invite people in. More than forty people gathered. The class was led by our Conference Minister, Edith Guffey. Heather Coates Dir. of Christian Education heathercoates@ sunflower.com 785-843-3220, ext. 19 The class began with introspective conversation, asking participants to examine their own lives. When did they first realize race exists? What early memories and experiences of race do we still carry? How do these memories and experiences shape our lives? Many stories were shared – funny stories, thoughtful stories, difficult stories. Participants saw that racism, whether consciously or not, is still a pervasive presence in our world. For the next two weeks, two guest speakers joined the class - Rev. DaVita McCallister, Associate Conference Minister for Leadership and Vitality in the Connecticut Conference and Rev. Verdell Taylor, pastor of St. Luke’s AME Church. Rev. McCallister has been a leading voice at the UCC national setting for the Sacred Conversations on Race program. Rev. Taylor has done much work for racial equity and diversity here in Lawrence, KS. Rev. McCallister challenged participants with first person stories of Ferguson, MO. When events such as Ferguson happen, she explained, we fall into something she calls the “cycle of remembering and forgetting.” We remember that race is an issue. We reach out to neighbors. We have classes and conversations. But then time passes and we forget, until something happens again and then we remember again. Rev. McCallister challenged us not to forget, to continue the conversation. And to do some practical things in our community, such as joining a citizen’s council for our local police, to be a voice for racial justice. The following week, Rev. Taylor reminded us of Lawrence’s difficult racial history, as recently as the 1960s and 1970s, including events that happened at his own church in East Lawrence. And though he commended the work that Lawrence has done to be a racially equitable community, he told us we still have work to do. When asked her thoughts on the class, Edith Guffey said that it was clear that there are very few safe places where people can have open and honest dialogue about race, and that she was so pleased that Plymouth could be a place where this can happen. There was a desire in the class to keep the conversation going. Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 1 1 Plymouth Youth Eleanor McCormick Associate Pastor eleanormccormick@ sunflower.com 785-843-3220, ext. 13 We have several more youth group gatherings before school is out! Join us by grabbing a calendar outside the main office or by emailing Eleanor. This summer we will enjoy a trip to Schlitterbahn in Kansas City, a hike at the Konza Prairie and a bonfire or two. Look for updates over email and on Plymouth's Facebook page. 1 2 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k Vacation Bible School Form Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 1 3 1 4 / Pl ym ou t h R o c k Justice Matters Justice Matters is an Interfaith organization made up of twenty-one religious congregations in Lawrence, Kansas. The congregations have come together to move our city toward a City of God where justice rolls down like a mighty river. We work toward this vision as an expression of our faith and values of love, relationship, and justice. We lift up these “neighborly” values in contrast to a culture dominated by the pursuit of material consumption and individualism. The way we work can be described in five steps: (1) collectively listening to the concerns and vision for our city among its many residents, (2) voting to select priorities, (3) researching the underlying problems we face and solutions that work, (4) creating the public will to improve our city at system-wide levels through the power of organized people, and (5) monitoring results to ensure the improvements are realized. May 7th Action Assembly at the Lied Center 2,000 tickets have been distributed for the Nehemiah Action Assembly Thursday, May 7th at 6:45 p.m. at the Lied Center. We have 400 standby seats available. Please come and join us on May 7th with or without a ticket. Doors open at 6 p.m. If you would like a free ticket please contact Plymouth member, Barbara Palmer at bpalmer@wowway.net Upcoming Events for your Calendar April 30 Plymouth Language Program Fiesta! 8 p.m. in the Mayflower Room May 3 Food Collection for Just Food (Collection cart in front of Mayflower Room) Special Music at the 9:30 a.m. service. May 4 Stephen Ministers Program, 7 p.m. in the Mayflower Room May 6 Pastor at the Pub, 5:30 p.m. at Merchants Pub and Plate, 746 Massachusetts Street May 7 Justice Matters Action Assembly, 6:45 p.m. at the Lied Center May 10 Children’s Musical at the 9:30 a.m. service May 17 High School Graduation Recognition Day (Breakfast for graduate families at 8:30 a.m.) May 24 Gather 4th for Food (Pot Luck for all after the Gathering of Grace service, approx. 12:15 p.m.) Pl ym ou t h R o c k / 1 5 Plymouth is A United Church of Christ An Open & Affirming Congregation www.plymouthlawrence.com 925 Vermont Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66044 Plymouth’s Covenant Contact Information In the love of truth and in the spirit of Jesus, we unite for the worship of God and the service of all. We seek to know the will of God and to walk in God’s ways, made known or to be made known to us; to love one another; to proclaim the Gospel to all the world; to work and pray for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of justice, the reign of peace, and the realization of our shared humanity. And we look with faith for the triumph of righteousness and the gift of life eternal. Amen. Associate Pastor, Eleanor McCormick Senior Pastor, Peter Luckey e-mail: peterluckey@sunflower.com e-mail: eleanormccormick@sunflower.com Hispanic Ministries Pastor, Enrique Peñaloza Administrative Assistant, Jeremy Winfrey Bell Choir Director, Bill Kelly e-mail: penalozadesign@gmail.com e-mail: plymouth@sunflower.com e-mail: bkelly@usd497.org Business Administrator, Barbara Holland e-mail: barbholland@sunflower.com Director of Christian Education, Heather Coates e-mail: heathercoates@sunflower.com Director of Plymouth Language Prog., Joshua Spain Director of Music and Fine Arts, Kim Manz Facilities Manager, Rex Russell Financial Clerk, Becky Foster e-mail: jspain90@gmail.com e-mail: kimmanz@sunflower.com e-mail: rexrussell@sunflower.com e-mail: beckyfoster@sunflower.com Gathering of Grace Band Dir., Pam Gibbs Membership Associate, Kay Koch Moderator, Neil Oatsvall 785-843-3220 e-mail: pameladgibbs@yahoo.com e-mail: kaykoch@sunflower.com e-mail: neil.oatsvall@gmail.com Wedding Coordinator, Deb Chaussee e-mail: dabusybee222@yahoo.com Hospitality/Safety Associate, Jesse Rowley
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