Music Spectacular & Church School Teachers Needed

Musical Spectacular! Friday, August 4th, 10 a.m. or 3 p.m.
Bring your friends and pack Conn on Friday, August 4 at 10 am or 3 pm for Musical Spectacular 2023: Once Upon a Night! Our 28 actors and stagehands will have pulled together an entire musical in 4 and a half days and nothing is better than supporting people doing what they love!

 

 

 

 

As we prepare for the fall, we are recruiting volunteers for Sunday School. Here is was one volunteer has to say about the opportunity.

“Being a Sunday School teacher for our kids at Plymouth, or classroom helper, is a blast! An eye-opener! A total treat! I am so glad I did this for a few years. I learned firsthand that we have great kids at Plymouth: interesting, smart, caring, aware, funny, and downright terrific human beings. There are many bonuses for the kids: meeting new adults in the church who care about them and support them where they are. For me: I get to know kids and their parents, a whole new group of Plymouth members I would not have known. One former teacher and I have become good friends, and I am her son’s friend too.

Other teachers and I are still acquaintances, as are their kids.
It was one of the best things I did at Plymouth. Plus, and no small thing, I experienced and saw Hope. And still do. With our kids leading the way, good things will happen: in their lives and others. I continue to participate in activities with our kids and enjoy it every time. I am reminded of how special they are, how good and caring their parents and families are, and how being with them lifts my spirits and commitment to Plymouth.”

–Hope Esparolini, former confirmation mentor and classroom friend, a current member of the Committee for Children, Youth and Families, and Plymouth Superhero!

To join our team of Plymouth superheroes–https://forms.gle/WGHj94a4vKSQBMSJ6

Watch Pride with Your Plymouth Community.

Group of adults and youth in jones commons with rainbow flag and Amplify Love t-shirts.

Group of adults and youth in jones commons with rainbow flag and Amplify Love t-shirts.

If you are interested in going to watch the Ashley Rukes Pride Parade this Sunday, meet Nina and Heidi McCallister in Jones Commons immediately following the 9 a.m. service. We will have face paint, some rainbow flags, stickers, and a chance to fill water bottles and take bathroom breaks before heading over to watch the parade. Wear your Plymouth t-shirt, and bring sunblock, water, snacks, and a bag to collect free goodies!

Keep an eye out for Gina and Toño del Corazon, Jon, Ozkar, and Delilah Bauer, and Sara Ohotto Bauer representing Plymouth in the Minnesota Conference UCC float, unit 76!

We will walk over and watch together, after the parade people can peel off and go to the festival or back to the church on their own time.

If you go into Loring Park for the Festival, find the MN Conference UCC booth! Throughout the weekend, Plymouth will be well represented at the booth by Matt, Maggie, and Rosalie Smith, Tim Brunelle, Carrie and Mary Kay Sauter, John and Carole Humphrey, and Steve and Sally Cassellius. Go Plymouth! The UCC booth is located in the Purple Section, right on the lake. If you take the pedestrian bridge from the Sculpture Garden over into Loring Park and stay on the main path until you have to turn, go right and you’ll run into the booth.

Mid-month Mingle

August 16

Our Wednesday evening community meals are such a popular gathering during the year that we didn’t want the fun to end in the summer!

Things will be a little bit different, though, when we meet in June, July, and August.

We will provide the main dish—this month, it will be food from Chipotle. We are asking for a donation of $7 per person.

We are also asking that each household bring a dish to share: pasta salad, brownies, chips and dip, deviled eggs, or whatever you’d like. Please label it, especially if it is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, etc.

We will eat from 5:30 to 6:30, and then we will have activities from 6:30 to 7:30.

Nina will offer an intergenerational activity, and the Deacons will be continuing their in-depth conversations to help our congregation understand the new 6-month budget approved at the annual meeting. Their conversation will run from 6:30 to 7:30 in the Chapel.

Just stay for dinner, or stay for the whole time! We can’t wait to have you!

August 16:

Meal–Grilled Hotdogs and Veggie Dogs. Activity–College Care Packages and Pre-Rally Sunday Church Deep Clean

We look forward to you joining us! Please RSVP to Nina for next week’s event so we order the right amount of food!

Plymouth at PRIDE!

Twin Cities Pride–let’s get involved!

This year there are myriad ways for Plymouth Church members to participate in the Twin Cities Pride celebration–but we need your help!

Teens, attend Pride with the Youth Group: 7th-12th graders can attend the festival in Loring Park as a group on Saturday, June 24th, from 2-5 p.m. Email Nina to participate. We will meet at church and walk as a group to Loring Park. Families and kids will coordinate their own pick-up at or after 5 p.m.

The table in Loring Park: This year, Plymouth, along with other congregations state-wide, will be participating in Twin Cities Pride at the MN Conference UCC Booth. This means that there need to be at least 2 people staffing the UCC booth for the entire duration of the festival. That is a lot of slots to fill, even if we are dividing it up between 15 congregations! At the booth, you will meet people wearing your Amplify Love t-shirt (available at the front desk) and handing out fun buttons, seed packets, and information to help people find an open and affirming church (including Plymouth) where they live! You don’t have to be an expert on all churches; you just need to be willing to talk to people and answer questions! If you are interested in picking up a shift, sign up today! There are MANY open slots. This is a great opportunity to tell people about our church and be the embodiment of an expansively loving, affirming church! Our congregation is larger than all of the others who are staffing the booth, so we should help and fill in some slots! Here is the link to the signup genius.

March in the parade: 6 Plymouth members can also represent us by marching in the parade as part of the MN Conference UCC float. If you are interested in walking in the parade (estimated time commitment 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.), please contact Nina.

Watch the parade: We will also have a group from Plymouth gather after the 9 a.m. service, get decked out in rainbow face paint and stickers, and walk together to go watch the parade. Our spectator organizers are Gina DelCorazon and Sara Ohotto Bauer. No need to sign up. Just wear your rainbow clothes, bring water, a blanket or a portable chair, sunblock, and comfy walking shoes, and meet in Jones Commons immediately following the 9 a.m service on Sunday, June 25th!

Camp Plymouth 2023

Camp Plymouth 2023

Friday, August 18  at 4 p.m. to

Sunday, August 20, 2023 at Noon.

Looking for a great, relaxing place to spend time with your partner, spouse, children, or other members of our church community to celebrate the end of summer? Camp Plymouth (at Luther Crest in Alexandria, MN) offers an amazing opportunity for you to connect with other Plymouthites of all ages in a new way. It’s a great way to wrap up summer and get prepared for the energy and excitement of September. Households can arrive as early as Thursday afternoon, getting extra time to relax and unwind! Programming won’t officially begin until Friday afternoon!

THIS IS AN INTERGENERATIONAL EVENT! You do not need to have children in order to attend! You can attend with your grandchildren, your fellowship group, yourself, your family–whomever!

Camp includes a mix of scheduled activities (worship, service projects, group meals, games, swimming, etc.) and lots of free time to connect with others or unwind on your own!

Come celebrate our 25th year of Camp Plymouth!

Camp Programs

Preschool Peace Camp (ages 2.5-5):

Half-Day Camp (mornings only)

June 26-28

$25

Tall buildings, interesting people, busy sidewalks, zooming busses–cities are such exciting places, and since we are lucky to be smack dab in the middle of one, let’s learn about the bright bustling city we live in, and how to be a good neighbor to those around us!

Join us for this NEW summer offering from Plymouth Church–preschool Peace Camp!

 

Peace Camp (Kindergarten – completed grade 4, FRIENDS welcome!)

July 24-28

$40

Join us for Peace Camp this summer!
While we are still very much in the process of planning our Peace Camp this summer, but based on interests of our current kids, we are planning on a theme of the intersection of faith, science and magic! Sure to be a super fun time!

 

Musical Spectacular (grades 4-12)

July 31-August 4

$75

Musical Spectacular 2023
From Monday, July 31 at 9 a.m. to Friday, August 4, 2023 at 5 p.m.

After the success of last summer’s show, we are doing it again! Over the course of a week, we will create mini-scenes, rewrite song lyrics, perfect our own talent acts, and put together a not to be missed show!

Our goal is to have two shows on the last day–a morning show (around 10:30 a.m.) as well as an afternoon/evening show at 4:30.

This activity is open to kids grade 3 and up, and no prior theater experience is required.

All kids will have opportunities to work on tech (costumes, set, props, etc.) and be onstage in the show.

Breakfast and Board Games!

February 11

9:30-11:30 a.m. in Jones Commons and the Education Wing.

 

People of all ages are invited to come eat some yummy breakfast treats, play some favorite classic board games, or learn some new ones. A great chance to get out of the house in the winter and meet new Plymouth folks! The young and the young at heart are encouraged to attend! For more info or to RSVP, email Ninaj@plymouth.org

Midwinter: Winter Revival (ages 0–adult)

For the next two months, Sandy Spieler, our truly remarkable Children, and Youth Specialist will help us create a liturgy and performance around the importance of water in our lives. This performance, which will include masks, puppetry, music, and movement, is designed to be intergenerational.
There are two options to participate:

Wednesday

January 11, 18, 25,
February 1, 8, 15, 22
7:15-8 p.m.
Room 204
Sandy will be working with a core group of adults, teens, and children to create the performance that happens during the worship service on February 26.
People who sign up for this are committing to attend these 7 sessions with Sandy and will be creating masks of different animals that live by and interact with water, as well as a “liturgy” that will be used on Sunday, February 26.  Register here!
Please note: participating on Wednesdays means you are committing to being part of BOTH the 9 and 11 a.m. worship services on February 26. We will present at both services; participants will be at church from approximately 8:30-noon on that Sunday.

Sundays, as you are able to

January 8, 15, 22, 29
February 5, 12, 19
10-10:50 a.m.
Rooms 205, 204, and 203
All ages are invited to come work on an art installation that will be put together as part of the worship service on February 26.
We will be making art for the worship service, including “box puppets,” where each puppet interacts with a river. All the boxes together will form a long river that will be incorporated into the worship service. Every young person ages three and up through high school who is present on Sundays from 10-10:50 will participate in this art-making, and any and all adults are invited to participate as well. Creating art alongside one another is a wonderful way to make new friends and acquaintances.

 

Wreath Sales

This Sunday, December 4, our senior high class will be selling wreaths and swags in Jones Commons from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Please plan to help support our Youth Program by purchasing holiday greenery from us. If you’ve already bought a wreath, you can purchase one that will be donated to those who utilize Groveland Food Shelf or attendees at the Drop-in Center. Wreaths and garlands can be paid for with check, cash, or credit card.