Here are some resources from Rev. Marta! Check out the video and find additional resources from Marta's Sunday sermon from 12/17/23 and information are the upcoming podcast, Jesus Has Left the Building.
I know that art is perhaps the strongest means we have to recall the moment of God's touch, and to affirm the profound, private message of faith we are given when we touch God. I believe it is the artist's job to make pieces that are vehicles for the "moment of the touch."
- Composer Libby Larsen in her forward to the choral anthem “Lord, Before This Fleeting Season” Last Thursday I presented a program on carols to the First Name Club following their monthly luncheon. It included select examples from both the Advent and Christmas seasons (yes, carols aren’t always about Christmas!) which we engaged in with stories of their creation, listened to, and even sung for good measure. What I came to viscerally be reminded of was the value of ritual for humanity. Specifically, the need of a song for every season. Whether it be carols sung in December, Christmas music delivered through grocery store speakers while shopping, or the often impromptu performance of “Happy Birthday” to an unsuspecting recipient, we not only have a song for just about any season but we tend to insist upon its use. But sometimes, songs with messages that challenge us can be greeted hesitantly. Once we allow them in though, we can be changed. We can gain new perspective. We can even potentially have that "moment of the touch" in the realm of God. I leave you with an encore sharing of the following Advent poem text set by composer Libby Larsen in her sublime anthem “Lord, Before This Fleeting Season.” It reminds us beautifully of perhaps what we don’t especially wish to hear this busy time of the year —the message of Advent. To slow down. To prepare our hearts for transformation in God. To embrace the promise of hope, peace, joy, and love. And perhaps even to have “a leaning to hear carols.” Lord, before this fleeting season is upon us, Let me remember to walk slowly. Lord, bless my heart with Love and with quiet. Give my heart a leaning to hear carols. Grace our family with contentment, And the peace that comes only from You. Lord, help us to do less this busy season; Go less; stay closer to home; kneel more. May our hearts be Your heart. May we simply, peacefully, celebrate You.* -Mark *“Simply Celebrate You — an Advent poem” by Mary Ann Jindra, Permission to print: Christian Copyright Solutions #11133 Advent is a glorious time of year when we anticipate the birth of Christ within us all by celebrating Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. And ironically, it has become a time within our congregation when we seem to get stuck in a December rut each year, trying to create a budget and realizing that we still have a sizable number of members who haven’t pledged. A number of folks in our congregation sense fear, anxiety, and doubt about our finances, and their angst can become contagious.
We need a new advent, a new approach, a new calling, at Plymouth that will help us to appreciate the abundance God has entrusted to us. We need a new pattern for sharing God’s wealth that doesn’t give way to scarcity thinking and scrambling to gather late pledges and cobble a budget together. Advent is a season of spiritual transformation. Two beloved stories of the season involve profound changes of heart that turn into action. After visits from three Christmas ghosts, Ebenezer Scrooge has a miraculous change. Scrooge is reborn as a kind, generous man. “His own heart laughed; and that was quite enough for him.” In a more recent story of December transformation, Dr. Suess writes, “And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.” Both Scrooge and the Grinch become happier in their transformed lives, and everyone around them is warmed by their newfound joy. That can happen for us, too! Transformation is at the heart of the Christian journey. This is metanoia, a Greek word that Marcus Borg says means to “go beyond your own mind and your own heart.” There is so much to celebrate about Plymouth. So many lives are touched every day by the mission and ministries of your church. Your giving means that pastoral visits happen, little kids have an amazing education program, teen programs are growing, worship on Sunday inspires not only those in the sanctuary, but those in our “virtual balcony” as well. It also means that you support UCC seminaries, homelessness prevention, lobbying for LGBTQ rights in Washington. Our church community of faith needs our hands and hearts, and that means giving our time and our gifts. May each of us sense our hearts grow in this season, and may we as a congregation continue to be a blessing not only to ourselves, but to neighbors near and far. Advent blessings! Ministry Highlight for November 2023 Marta's Installation We installed Marta as our associate minister on Sunday, November 12, with a festive service and reception! The Missions Marketplace On November 4 and 5, more than a dozen groups and organizations representing families and communities from Northern Colorado and around the world gathered at Plymouth to share their stories and offer opportunities for you to support their life-sustaining work. More pictures in web Gallery. Plymouth Music Series: NOCO Singers On November 10, the NOCO Singers entertained folks from Plymouth and the larger community. Look for more Music Series events to come. Barb Gregory's Retirement Dinner On November 9, members and friends gathered for a dinner to honor Barb's 15 years of service. In preparation for Christmas Eve, a handbell polishing party ensued on Wednesday, November 15. Food, beverages, and good fellowship were most definitely included. We can't share pictures with you, but did you know about Plymouth's Calling and Caring Ministries?
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Visit plymouthucc.org/shine Dear Plymouth Family, Here we are on the day after Thanksgiving... probably already bombarded by advertising for "Black Friday." Of course, there is more to the season than consumer excess. On December 3, we we begin the season of Advent, a time when we watch and wait and wonder. In many ways, Advent is the curative tonic we need during the holiday mayhem that our culture encourages. Even as some encourage us to "put the Christ back in Christmas," the cool thing is that faith hasn't been extracted from this season that leads us into celebrating the nativity of Christ. We have some offerings for you in this season to help deepen your journey: everything from craft night to short reflective films to worship to hanging the greens to Facebook Advent photos to Longest Night. I hope that you will join us as we celebrate this quieter time of spiritual deepening. It's also a great time to invite friends and family to join you at Plymouth on a Sunday or at another event. With so much turmoil, greed, war, violence, and incivility in the world, it’s good to have a place to recharge your spiritual batteries Rather than a written devotional booklet, this year we are offering you three short films from The Work of the People. You might watch one for each of the three Sundays of Advent (the fourth Sunday is Dec. 24 this year). Watch them with friends or family or your fellowship group at Plymouth. Just click on the video images on the Advent page, and you'll go to the Work of the People website. We've made special arrangements to view these without the need for an individual subscription from 12/1/23 -1/2/24. P.S. See all the events at plymouthucc.org/advent
For 18 years, the Sleepout has been a stalwart event in the life of Plymouth, our youth, and the Fort Collins community. In 2023, the youth have decided to reinvent this great event in hopes of broadening their reach and their impact.
We will still be partnering with Neighbor to Neighbor in hopes to benefit the homelessness prevention program, but with “Youth for Change,” the community will be invited to join us for education and spiritual practices that are intended to affect change in Fort Collins. Instead of hosting a community vigil, the youth will be organizing a fundraising event that will invite voices from our community to teach on the complexities of homelessness in Fort Collins. The youth have also moved the event from the first weekend in December to the MLK weekend in January. We are talking with N2N about how this might impact their end of year financials, and we also know this might shift some of our big donors’ ability to give. If you would prefer to give your donation before the end of 2023, you can do that! We will hold onto it and count it as part of our totals when the event happens in 2024. Our youth have been floating around some amazing ideas – silent auctions, lighting talks, local artists, breakout groups, workshops, and more. I hope you will join us for the brand new version of the 19th annual event on January 13th, 2024. And I hope you will join us for the youth-led worship and Q&A forum the following Sunday. Get Jan. 13th, 2024 on your calendar and stay tuned for details! Brooklyn Many of you have met my friend Queen over the last few weeks. Queen founded New Eyes Village (NEV), a faith-based community focused on gathering and liberating Black folks through fellowship and formation. NEV met at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church for the last five years until HRCC started their construction projects. Now, NEV meets at Plymouth on Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings. NEV is “nesting” in our building, and we are hoping that they can feel fully at home in our space. On Sunday afternoons, Queen and some other NEV members come in to cook lunch for their worship service. Their youth often hang out in the youth room, playing games with us like Hide and Seek tag or Exploding Kittens. On Friday evenings, a small group of women gather for the Hearts & Roots womxn’s group. The Christian Formation Board chartered a ministry team that is focused on walking with NEV during this “nesting” process. Our hope is that in their first year with us, we can build and strengthen our partnership through relationships. My dream is to see NEV feel fully at home in our shared space. We would love you to volunteer your time in getting to know this community! I invite the whole church to introduce yourself to Queen and NEV whenever you see them at Plymouth, but I also invite anyone interested in joining us in this work to reach out to me or the ministry team. As we were forming the team, one of our members who works closely with FFH talked about the importance of trauma-informed care when working with marginalized populations. As a predominantly white congregation in a predominantly white town, it is our job to make ourselves safe people and to make our church a safe space. In the future, the Christian Formation board hopes to offer opportunities for our church to explore together what this can look like. Desmond Tutu wrote, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” Silence - as you know - is violence. And I am so glad to be journeying with a congregation that refuses to be silent. I know that our congregation wants to be engaged in social justice and loving our Fort Collins community and responding to their needs. Partnering with New Eyes Village is an opportunity for us to practice extravagant welcome and radical hospitality. Much love, Brooklyn
This Sunday at Plymouth we will do something we’ve only done three times in the past 20 years: install a settled associate minister. An installation is a big deal, when a minister, a congregation, and the wider UCC come together to make covenant promises to one another, ritually marking the creation of a new relationship. And we rely on God as a full partner in that covenant.
You’ve probably entered other covenants, perhaps a marriage vow, sponsoring a child at baptism, or when you join a church. A covenant forms a new whole…it is far deeper than a contract. And even though the congregation voted to call my colleague, the Rev. Dr. Marta Fioriti, as our associate minister, her installation on Sunday at 11:00 seals the covenant. It’s as if we’ve been living together for eight months, and we’re finally saying, “I do.” Covenants are especially important in our UCC tradition, in fact they are the glue to joins us together as a people of faith. Episcopalians are joined by their liturgy. Methodists have the Book of Discipline. Presbyterians have the Book of Order. Lutherans have Luther’s Small Catechism. In the UCC, we have none of these; instead, we are guided and bound together by covenant. The Salem Church Covenant of 1629 is how that congregation came together in relationship. “We Covenant with the Lord and one with another; and doe bind our selves in the presence of God, to walk together in all his waies, according as he is pleased to reveale himselfe unto us in his Blessed word of truth.” That simple statement of relationship, that covenant, is critical in the development of who we in the Congregational and the United Church of Christ traditions understand ourselves to be as a gathered church. I encourage you to join us on Sunday at 11:00 (one service only) when our congregation will join in covenant with Marta, the UCC, and with God. Worship will be a celebration, and whether you are with us in person or join us online in our “virtual balcony,” your presence will grace us all. May this and all our covenant promises be blessed! It’s Halloween! As a parent of young children, it’s hard to ignore the fun and excitement that comes with this holiday. My kids, in particular, spend most of every day being imaginative, creating their own magical worlds, dressing up in whatever random capes and wings they can find in our costume box, and for this one, incredible day, everyone else also participates. For Halloween this year, for the first time ever, Eric and I were roped into a family costume. Honestly, I’ve loved it! Who wouldn’t want to be the Queen of Hearts?! But no matter how good my kids costumes are it's always relatively easy to see through it and know who is underneath. Transparency is a word I’ve heard a lot in the last few weeks (shout out to Marta’s sermon a few weeks ago!) Transparency is really the opposite of costumes and dress up. It’s having an open book, with accessible information; it's about seeing who we really are, underneath the extra layers. As moderator, in my speeches, conversations, and reflections, I haven’t hidden the fact that times are changing in the church world. As a church, we’ve had a lot of conversations about stewardship and budgeting and all the difficulties we may (or hopefully may not) have to confront with our upcoming budget. In the face of all of these things, I remain very hopeful. The stewardship campaign has been astoundingly successful – but a friendly reminder to anyone who hasn’t pledged, please do so! With the increased early participation in pledging, the Budget and Finance Committee has a much clearer picture going into the budgeting process. Their job will be more transparent, if you will. Boards and Committees are working to submit requests, meetings are being held to crunch numbers, and we will all be gearing up for the annual meeting after the New Year. During that meeting, as a congregation, we will discuss the financial situation of Plymouth for the year to come, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you have not spent time on our website, you may not realize that there is an entire area dedicated to budget information (plymouthucc.org/budget). The Church financial picture is available to review at your leisure. We have wonderful volunteers and staff who have dedicated countless hours to putting this information together and making it easily accessible and transparent. Do you have more questions? As I tell my children, you can never ask too many questions! So, if you do have questions or want more information, please ask! If you want to discuss the budget or the budgeting process, we’re available. Most people abhor discussing finances and being asked for money, but as a thriving church community, it is imperative that we have these conversations. Transparency is a two-way street. It is also important we remember that we are in this together. The people volunteering their time to work on the budget, the church administrator (Phil Braudaway-Bauman) responding to emails on his nights and weekends, those serving as board chairs and on committees - these people all care enormously about this Church. We all care and together we can continue to be a shining light in our community. So when you have questions, I’m always happy to answer them or connect you with someone who can. I’ll be the person in the heart crown, so it won’t be hard to find me. Heather Heather Siegel, Moderator Ministry Highlights for Oct. 2023 Consecration Sunday This past Sunday was Consecration Sunday, when pledges were turned in. We celebrated with a breakfast and raffle between services. Kids Will Sing! sang at both services. Youth Retreat at LaForet. At the Rocky Mountain Conference Fall Youth Retreat last weekend, youth spent time with UCC friends from all over Colorado learning about the cosmos, the Divine, and our place within them. Music Ministry Potluck To celebrate the beginning of a new program year, a Music Ministry Potluck was held on Friday, 9/29 at the home of Anne and Bill Thompson. About 20 ringers & singers gathered for a few hours of good food, good drink, and good company. Blessing of the Animals 10/8 The cookie table at the Diana Butler Bass event, 10/1. A beautiful and delicious offering. Thanks to all who contributed. The Plymouth Talent Showcase on 10/15. We made a joyful noise! (Lots more pictures in the website gallery.) More moments from the past month... Laura Nelson -- and therapy dogs Ollie & Anni -- led a Blessing of the Land and Animals in Sunday School. Do you have a ministry highlight to share?
Be part of the 4th Tuesday email. Visit plymouthucc.org/shine I’ve just returned from visiting two of our elders, one at PVH and another at a rehab facility. It feels wonderful to bring love and light from our congregation into the rooms of people struggling with illness and injury. God’s love is often transmitted by people helping to reflect a little glimmer of divine light into places that some find shadowy. Many of those people, lay and ordained, gather at Plymouth.
There has been a lot in the news lately about the rapid post-pandemic decline of the church and synagogue and the ever-increasing number of “nones,” who have no particular faith, but many of whom believe in God, a higher power, or a force in the universe greater than any of us. But they are scared of church in part because of the way American mainstream media often portrays us is that we are pedophiles, homophobes, hypocrites, anti-intellectual, and very judgmental. (Clearly NOT what we see at Plymouth.) Ironically, we also read a lot about the epidemic proportions of loneliness, especially among elders. Has anyone ever suggested joining a church? One that welcomes and honors the beliefs and perspectives of its members? I see Plymouth volunteers provide a warm, home-cooked meal with a program each month for our seniors. It’s awesome. I also read a lot that people today hunger for community. Churches like ours are about the only place to find intergenerational community in our country today. Community is not unlike a marriage: they both take work. None of us should expect to have ready-made community served to us on a silver platter with no effort. Community takes work and commitment. So, who needs church? Lots of people. Folks who want to find ways to connect with the Holy, who sense a call to put faith into action. People who don’t want to feel isolated. Young adults who want to have fill-in grandparents that their children adore. People who have found that consumerism and self-centeredness are morally vacant. And folks who have discovered that being part of a church community is really rewarding (and sometimes really fun)! Church is not a commodity. It is not bought, traded, or sold. It is possible to come to Plymouth and slip out the door without anyone noticing. It is possible be a member of Plymouth for years without serving on a board or council. It is possible to let the offering plate pass you by and decide not to pledge. Here’s the rub: You are not going to have a fulfilling experience if that is the approach you take. That isn’t how communities are built and thrive. Each of us must shine! We are all in this together. It isn’t my church or Marta’s. It isn’t the UCC’s church. It’s God’s church entrusted to us to love and nurture. We are stewards of a fantastic church, and we should not take it for granted. How are you shining the light of God’s love? If we all share a little glimmer, we can vanquish some of the shadows that fall over the world. I hope you will join me this Sunday — Consecration Sunday — at Plymouth as we dedicate our pledge commitments for 2024 and ask God to bless them and our congregation. You can pledge online anytime at plymouthucc.org/pledge or you can bring your pledge card this Sunday. The Stewardship Board is providing breakfast at 10:00, so if you typically attend the 11:00 service, I encourage you to come an hour early and enjoy great food and fellowship. And if you have pledged (or even if you plan to pledge at 11:00), you will be entered in our raffle, and the winning tickets will be drawn at 10:45. (Prizes include a week in Steamboat Springs, a beer tasting for you and five friends, $100 to spend at Simmer, a great nearby restaurant, tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar.) See you there! In the spirit of God’s abundance, Last Sunday in worship, the Chancel Choir offered the anthem "I Believe" by Mark Miller. The text is an excerpt from an anonymous Jewish poem found scrawled on a cellar wall in Germany near the end of World War II. The music beautifully expresses the author's unwavering faith and radical hope even in the most uncertain of times. I selected this piece in light of our stewardship focus this month and the message that faith and hope can lead us as a church into greater abundance. We just have to listen intently to that still voice within. And believe. And these words became an even more poignant prayer with the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Gaza this week. Below is the full text by this unnamed author who over 75 years ago expressed his or her faith and dreams of hope under the most dire of conditions. May it inspire and remind us that God is always there. I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. Check out Plymouth’s Immigration Ministry Team (below) and listen to my podcast episode called: #peaceisdisruptive
#peaceisdisruptive features Sarah Jackson and Hannah Martin. Sarah is the Executive Director of Casa de Paz and the director of Volleyball Internacional which helps fund Casa de Paz, and she authored the recently published book: The House that Love Built. Hannah Martin coordinates the accompaniment team and trains volunteers for the Accompaniment and Sanctuary Coalition of Colorado Springs. The Sanctuary Coalition is a group of faith communities who advocate for the rights of immigrants in our city and nation. Peace, Marta The Immigration Ministry Team offers education and community outreach opportunities for the congregation, networks with the UCC and national faith-based immigration organizations, and studies and advocates for issues around immigration and refugee resettlement. Presently we're accompanying two families as they resettle in Fort Collins. One is an Afghan refugee family of six members who fled Kabul in August 2021. Their photos and stories are featured on the Immigration Ministry page linked above, and on a bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall. They will be offering hospitality at the World Cafe at The Missions Marketplace on Nov. 4-5 and funds raised will help support their family. Our second family with three members arrived a year later from Palestine. Team members have assisted these families with securing housing, enrollment in school and healthcare systems, English tutoring, employment, financial planning, transportation and community engagement. We could use help with transportation, reading with the children and overseeing middle and high school homework. The children (ages 3, 10, 12 and 17) would appreciate getting together with other kids and getting to know our community's many parks and cultural highlights. Additionally the Team works with faith and community allies, including Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition (ISAAC). We endeavor to:
Recently we participated with ISAAC in the Winter Gear Collection for immigrant youth and appreciate the support of Plymouth with contributions of material items and financial donations. For more information contact ministry team lead, Linda Mahan. Ministry Highlights for Sept. 2023 Gun Violence Prevention Weekend Plymouth hosted a weekend of experiential education and witness to be one part of the puzzle in ending gun violence. Friday night was a community gathering for all ages, featuring a panel including Mike Martin of RAWtools, a blacksmith demonstration of gun dismantling, a labyrinth walk in solidarity with survivors and victims, and ice cream sundaes. Saturday morning was a gun buyback. Photos by Marilu Theodore were then displayed in the gallery space at Plymouth, and can also be seen on our website gallery. CAM Takes Action The Climate Action ministry team collected hard-to-recycle items and delivered them to FoCo Trash Mob. They will continue to collect the following items at the Eco Station in Fellowship Hall and transport them to CHaRM in Boulder each month or so:
Jubilee Sunday Involvement Fair Boards tabled Fellowship Hall with information... and entertainment (as Congregational Life demonstrates) to explain what they do and invite participation. Missed it? Find contact info here. Not sure what ministry would be the best fit for you? Take a 3-min survey here. More moments from the past month...
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Be part of the 4th Tuesday email. Visit plymouthucc.org/shine One of the amazing opportunities I’ve appreciated in our congregation is getting to meet and hear some of the great voices of progressive Christianity, right here at Plymouth. Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, John Bell, John Philip Newell, and others have been Visiting Scholars here. You are about to have the opportunity to hear someone whom author Anne Lamott describes this way: “Diana Butler Bass is one of only a few modern Christian writers who can absolutely blow me away with both spiritual insight and beautiful writing. She is a brilliant scholar and a wonderful storytelling, charming and devout, erudite and deeply human.” (I would also add that she has a great sense of humor.) Diana and I met at Ring Lake Ranch many years ago when we were both attending a session with Marcus Borg and Dom Crossan, and we’ve kept up over the years. She often works with Brian McLaren, and the two of them will be back at Ring Lake Ranch next summer. She also preached a sermon at the Wild Goose Festival that went viral last year. Here is the cool thing: you don’t have to drive seven hours and pay lots of money to hear Diana, because she is going to be with us at Plymouth in less than two weeks! Some of our members are reading Diana’s wonderful book, Grateful, on Sunday mornings with Bruce Ronda. It delves into the roots and benefits of gratitude, which can be a life-changing practice. I encourage you to read it, even if you’re not in the book group. In fact, you can find it as an eBook or and audiobook through the Poudre Library District. Diana will be with us, preaching at our 9:00 and 11:00 services on Sunday, October 1. (This is a great opportunity to invite your friends who might be looking for a progressive church — or who have given up on ever finding a church — to join us!) Later that Sunday, Diana will be offering a workshop (again, invite friends!) on gratitude at 6:30 p.m. in our sanctuary. We are offering this with a freewill offering and suggested donation of $20, which will replenish our Visiting Scholar reserve fund. I think that voices like Diana’s are essential for us to hear and to share. She is an astute commentator on the history of American religion, trends in the American church, and on contemporary theology. We will have copies of Diana’s most recent books, Grateful, Freeing Jesus, and Grounded available for purchase on October 1, when Diana will also sign copies for you. Please be sure to join us on October 1, and invite a friend! Deep peace, |
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