Advent is a strange season in the life of the church, one that comes with an invitation. Advent listens backward to the voices of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Micah, even as it anticipates the birth of the Christ child. The words of the prophets echo in our ears as we prepare to welcome an unlikely messiah, one who from a distance of 2,000 years continues to call on us to be the body of Christ in the world. (This is the moment of invitation to you.) How are we Christ to our neighbors? There are so many ways, large and small, that we do this through Plymouth. We offer tangible help through Faith Family Hospitality Network or and help the Jan family from Afghanistan to adjust to life in a new country. For the last 18 years, the youth of our congregation have slept out on our front lawn each December to raise funds and awareness to help prevent people in Fort Collins from becoming homeless. This year was no different, as they and youth from First Presbyterian Church gathered for a vigil and braved the cold during the sleepout last weekend at Plymouth. There are so many ways we extend a hand of friendship, sisterhood, and brotherhood here in Fort Collins. These are ways of being Christ to our neighbors. But what about people in other parts of our nation or world whose help is desperately needed? People whose faces we may never see, whose names we may never learn, who stories we may never hear? They are every bit as important as people assisted in Fort Collins. Your gifts to Plymouth enable us to contribute to Our Church’s Wider Mission, which helps fund all our international mission work, as well as the work of justice and supporting the mission of the UCC. What about the young children in Ethiopia who enjoy early childhood education because of your gifts to Lango Kindergarten started by Bob and Nancy Sturtevant in our congregation? What about the young women who have been educated by schools run by the Congregational Church of Angola and founded by Tom and Paula Dille and the Dille-Dunbar Foundation? What about refugees in Hungary who have fled war-torn Ukraine, supported by your generosity to the UCC? Even if you don’t know their names or see their faces, you are helping! There are so many more examples that I cannot list them all here. Together, we at Plymouth have formed a movement that aims to heal God’s world, a concept our Jewish siblings call “tikkun olam.” How are you hearing the call to follow Christ to spread healing to God’s world? How are you following Jesus and being Christ to your neighbors? What can you do by joining hand-in-hand with your siblings in the faith at Plymouth? (Together, we are mightier than you might imagine!) Advent is a season of contemplation and action. It is a season of anticipation and hope. It is a season of listening to prophets and preparing for God’s reign of peace. It is a season when we remind ourselves that Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are the aim of our faith, and that it is our job to help embody Christ in the world today. Together, may we make straight in the desert a highway for self-giving love and peace. May we lower the hills and level the playing field of God’s world to spread the realm of justice far and wide. And as we approach Christmas together, may we all sense the glory of God as together we live out our faith. Happy Advent! P.S. If you are not able to attend tonight’s sabbatical celebration in person, you can join the presentation via Zoom around 6:45. Just click on this link to register for the Zoom call.
It was great to be back with you in worship on Sunday. I am so grateful to you all for granting sabbaticals for your clergy for a time of rest, regeneration, and learning. (And also home-improvement projects: we now have solar panels on our rooftop at home.) I had a wonderful time, but I missed you who form this incredible community. Even though I watched online services from other churches and worshiped in a few cathedrals in Italy, nothing touched my heart like our service last Sunday. I also want to thank our staff for keeping things going in my absence, and especially to my friend and colleague, Ron Patterson, for another interim gig at Plymouth.
My sabbatical journey led me on a path of healing from my knee replacement, and a week at Ring Lake Ranch in August put it to the test, and it passed with flying colors. Diana Butler Bass was the presenter that week, and it was great. (It was Diana who strongly recommended Brian McLaren’s Do I Stay Christian? to me, and when the Ring Lake Silent Auction offered an online session with Brian, Jane Anne and I made the winning bid for Plymouth. I heard it was a great adult ed. offering!) You can go to Ring Lake Ranch next summer to get some R&R and hear great speakers like Jim Wallis and Otis Moss III. I spent six amazing weeks in Italy searching for insights from the earliest Christian communities in that country, which was home to both Peter and Paul. Looking at art and architecture as indicators of community, I saw some incredible paleo-Christian sites, spanning from Aquileia at the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea to Cimitile in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. We will be having a free Italian dinner and slide talk about the sabbatical (good for all ages!) at Plymouth on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. RSVP here by 12.4. (Many thanks to an anonymous member of our congregation who offered to subsidize this evening!) In the meantime, you can look at my blog at halsabbatical.com to see more. I’ll continue to add to the blog, and you can subscribe and get update notifications. Sabbatical also allowed me to spend time with family, which is so important in the life of clergy serving in the parish. My son, Cameron, spent almost two weeks with me in northern Italy, which was a blast for both of us. (He didn’t even complain about being dragged into many churches.) He is a great traveler, having lived in Ireland and Japan, and his best friend (who lives in London), joined us for a weekend in Venice. And of course, Jane Anne joined me for two weeks at the end of my time in Italy. We visited more churches (surprise!) and paleo-Christian sites, including amazing catacombs in Rome. And we caught up with an Italian friend, took a wonderful cooking class in Tuscany, and experienced the culture we love. Some of the things I learned from our early Christian forebears and the way they practiced their faith (and which might inspire us in the 21st century) are
As we give thanks to God this coming Thursday, I offer gratitude for this congregation and its critical witness and work as an outpost of God’s kingdom in this time and place. Deep peace, In case you missed it -- or want to watch it again -- this video message from Rev. Hal (who is on sabbatical through Nov. 16) was played during worship on Sunday, October 9.
And remember, to keep up with Hal's sabbatical travels, visit his blog at halsabbatical.com. En Route (post from 9.15.22) Travel is nearly always an enriching experience, even though it comes with moments of frustration when things don’t go as smoothly as planned. (Travel writer Cameron Hewitt’s apt phrase is “Jams are fun!”) Back in my undergraduate years, while studying at the University of St. Andrews, I spent some time on European railways to see as much as I could. (One memorable “jam” was spending a cold winter’s night on the floor of the Florence train station.) But there were, of course, enlightening moments as well. One of the great epiphanies of that trip was being in a train compartment with my young, American traveling companions, a compartment we shared with a middle-aged German man who spoke no English. At that point, I’d had a few years of high school German, and so I piped up and offered him an orange. “Möchten Sie ein Apfelsine?” I asked. And I was absolutely gobsmacked when he understood and accepted the orange. I think one of the things Europeans may not understand about Americans is that it isn’t that we don’t want to speak their language, but that we have so little chance to use it. Simply asking a traveler if he’d like an orange in another language and being stunned by the fact that my German worked was a watershed moment for me. It connected me with someone from another nation, and it did so on their terms. (The possible exception to this is studying Spanish and using it both at home and in nearby nations. ) I know that it is a privilege to travel. I’m even more aware of that because I’m sitting in a business class seat. Hurrah for MileagePlus! I’m also aware of the rare privilege of having sabbatical time to decompress, study, travel, and explore. I am grateful to have this opportunity, and I hope to share some interesting insights. I’ve also thought that history is somewhat like foreign translation: one has to try and speak another’s language in order to understand. (Certainly, historical figures, art, architecture, and archaeology are not going to speak our language!) One of the paradigms I’m going to try on Christian art and architecture is one that I learned many years ago from a wise and wonderful professor, Ed Everding. In studying the New Testament, Ed proposed that we use a simple approach in examining a text: read rest of post AuthorRev. Hal Chorpenning is senior minister of Plymouth Church. He is on sabbatical through mid-November, 2022. Learn more about Hal here. Sabbath is one of the key concepts of Judaism and Christianity. Though we don’t do a very good job observing it, when I was a kid growing up in Connecticut, stores were closed on Sunday (except for pharmacies, one of which was open for emergencies) and you certainly couldn't buy alcohol. Now, everything is available if not instantly, then with free two-day delivery. Yet, we all need to rest regularly for the health of our bodies, minds, and spirits. I am grateful that part of my covenant with Plymouth includes a sabbatical every five years. On my first sabbatical, I received a $40,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment, part of which paid our interim staff and brought John Bell and John Philip Newell to Plymouth, laying the ground for our Visiting Scholar program. Our two Celtic Christian spirituality classes and the big Celtic cross in our Memorial Garden are also results of that sabbatical journey. This sabbatical will be a bit different for me. The first phase is going to involve doing some physical rehabilitation. I’m about nine months into a yearlong course of medical treatment for prostate cancer, and it has taken a toll on my body, mostly muscle tone. I’m a month out from knee replacement, and while I’m walking reasonably well, I’m not going very far yet. Physical therapy and exercise are the order of the day. Frankly, the last five years have been trying times for our family with deaths in Jane Anne’s family, two more rounds of cancer treatment, trying to lead Plymouth through the Covid jungle, and a couple of challenging years as head of staff. I’m going to spend some of the time doing some spiritual renewal as well, including a trip to Ring Lake Ranch, where I serve on the board of directors. Sabbatical is also going to entail spending time with my sons, Cam and Chris. Later in the month, we are going to reprise one of the things we loved doing while they were growing up: going to museums in Denver and then going out for Dim Sum. Reconnecting with family has always been a joyful part of my sabbatical. One thing you may not realize about parish clergy is that we spend a lot of evenings away from our families and don’t get three-day weekends…when lots of parents connect with their children. (The photo above is from my 2008 sabbatical when the boys were with me in Scotland.) Jane Anne and I had reservations all ready to go for a trip to Italy in 2020. And you know what happened that year! So, I’ll be heading to Italy in September, starting in the north and working my way southward, visiting and researching paleo-Christian sites. (You’ll be able to follow along on this part of my sabbatical journey by visiting halsabbatical.com — and you can read entries from my past sabbaticals there as well.) Cameron will join me for the first two weeks as we travel from Verona, Padua, and Venice. Then, I’ll visit Aquileia (a major Christian site literally demolished by Attila the Hun) and study early Christian mosaics in Ravenna. Time in Tuscany and then a visit to the earliest churches in Rome will round out my time alone. (We also need some new Christmas Eve bulletin cover photos!) Jane Anne will join me in Rome for visits to Ostia Antica, Rome’s ancient port, Naples, Herculaneum, and the early Christian site at Nola. I can’t wait! I also want to let you know that you are in good hands while I’m away. Jane Anne and JT will be serving full-time through August 15, when Ron Patterson will return as half-time sabbatical interim. At that point, Jane Anne will drop back to part-time. We have the most cohesive staff team we have had in my 20 years at Plymouth. Every member sees their ministry with you not simply as a job but as a calling. I am grateful to all of them for doing phenomenal work. Please support them! As we acknowledged in our litany yesterday, I will keep you in my prayers, and I ask that you keep me in yours as well. Blessings! P.S. Did you know that Milan was founded by the Celts? They were everywhere!
P.P.S. I tested positive for COVID this morning (Tuesday, 7/12). I am doing fine with moderate symptoms. Jane Anne is still testing negative. I feel badly that I was among you at lunch on Sunday - though we were outside which I hope is a gift! And I hope none of you get COVID from being with me! By the way, thanks again for Sunday! What a joyous send-off and celebration of my 20 years with you. I am very blessed to serve among the Beloved Community of Plymouth. Dear Plymouth Family,
None of us is surprised about Supreme Court ruling overturning the constitutional right to an abortion guaranteed by the Court back in 1973 in Roe v. Wade. But to some the ruling probably feels like a gut-punch. There are macro issues at stake in this ruling, some of which are not immediately apparent. In the short term, women in roughly half the states that comprise our union will lose access to safe, legal abortions. But the larger issues will continue to ripple for years into the future. One of those issues is the right of women to determine the course of their own health. No one is challenging a man’s right to choose a vasectomy — even though the Roman Catholic Church opposes it. Pope Paul VI’s encyclical said that vasectomy “is equally to be condemned” as is abortion. Yet, we do not hear many (or any) voices in our nation decrying vasectomy. If we can deny a woman’s right to choose, what other rights is our nation prepared to deny? According to the National Institutes of Health, “Black women have been experiencing induced abortions at a rate nearly 4 times that of White women for at least 3 decades, and likely much longer…. In the current unfolding environment, there may be no better metric for the value of Black lives.” Is it a coincidence that the Supreme Court ruling will affect Black women four times as much as it does White women? Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion, said that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past in codifying rights to contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. I know some of our LGBTQ members are already feeling the rumblings of this opinion. It’s Pride month, and it is probably no coincidence that hate-filled vandals destroyed the rainbow flags on our Prospect Road sign this week. Another implication beyond abortion itself is the brokenness of the national process of judicial confirmation. Has the court become over-politicized? Some would say so. It will be interesting to see how we navigate the course ahead, when Gallup shows that 80% of Americans support legal abortion. Where does the UCC stand? Our denomination has been a standard-bearer for reproductive justice. I encourage you to see our denomination’s web page to learn more. Our Eighth General Synod, in 1971 (two years before Roe v. Wade), approved a resolution affirming choice. “The Eighth General Synod of the United Church of Christ calls for the repeal of all legal prohibitions of physician-performed abortions. This would take abortion out of the realm of penal law and make voluntary and medially safe abortions legally available to all women.” Further resolutions were passed by General Synods in 1973, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1987, 1989, and 1991. Other mainline Protestant denominations have similar stances. Many Evangelical churches were initially mute on the issue of abortion and supportive of birth control. But since the fundamentalist takeover in some denominations and the rise of the Christian Right, even the use of birth control is in question in some quarters. (In a recent survey, 77% of White Evangelicals saw abortion as morally unacceptable. Most American Catholics support legal access to abortion.) Where do you stand? One of the guideposts of our UCC tradition is that matters of conscience are left to the members of our congregations under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There is likely a range of opinion at Plymouth about whether abortion is ethically acceptable. Yet I am certain that only a handful of our members who would disagree that abortion should be safe and legal. Over the years of my ministry among you, two conversations with women stick out on this subject. One discussion was with a member who was a women’s health nurse practitioner who had moved to Colorado from the South. Her perspective was that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” And she remarked that she had patients who, in her view, misused abortion as a primary form of birth control. Her view was that abortion should be a last resort, and that it should be easily accessible to any woman. Another conversation happened years ago with a married woman and her husband who came to speak with me and Sharon Benton. They were over 50 and had been using a dependable form of birth control, which had failed, resulting in an unwanted and dangerous pregnancy. Their concern was the ethical dimension of a decision to end the pregnancy. Both Sharon and I shared our perspective that abortion was ethically acceptable, and we offered to accompany them if they chose to end the pregnancy. Perhaps you’ve had an abortion yourself, or your partner, mom, sister, daughter, or friend has chosen to end a pregnancy. I’ve never known anyone for whom abortion was an easy way out or a simple decision. But during all of my adult years, it has been safe and legal. For some of our sisters, this will no longer be the case. I don’t know where this road will lead, but we will follow Jesus’ commitment to compassion and justice. And we will walk together. Blessings, To my Fellow Members of Plymouth, Within our covenant with Hal is the opportunity for him to take a sabbatical every five years. Hal will be taking advantage of this opportunity as senior pastor and will be away from July 17 – Nov. 16, a period of 4 months. He will be engaging in a variety of enrichment activities, including some travel, as well as taking this period as an opportunity for renewal and refreshment. Ministerial sabbaticals are an important and exciting component in the rhythms of a pastor’s and a congregation’s life in ministry. The Leadership Council is excited for this opportunity both for Hal and for what the Spirit has in store for our congregation as we grow in faith and discipleship with each other. Pastoral coverage during this 4-month sabbatical will be accomplished through a combination of increased time from our current two associate pastors, Jane Anne and JT, and a short-term engagement of the Rev. Ron Patterson, a retired UCC clergyperson who has been our partner in ministry in previous occasions. Both Jane Anne and JT will be increasing their hours to full-time in recognition of their added responsibilities, Jane Anne for the first month (mid-July to mid-August) and JT for the entire sabbatical 4-month period. Ron will be here in a half-time capacity, from mid-August through the end of Hal’s sabbatical, in mid-November. We will not hear directly from Hal during this time. Ruth Billington has offered to be the point of contact if Hal has news he would like to share with us. Please join Leadership Council in wishing Hal a restful, renewing time away from us. Claudia DeMarco Plymouth Moderator AuthorClaudia has been a member since 2006 and involved in the Deacons Board, Celtic Spirituality group, Women's Friendship, Congregational Life Board, Associate Pastor Search Committee. I was reading the most recent issue of National Geographic and was gripped by the cover story on “The Power of Touch.” More than any other sense, touch is what we have been robbed of by the pandemic. Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley studies the science of touch and says, “It’s our earliest and, you could argue, our fundamental language of social connection.” How have you experienced the reduction in physical touch since the onset of the pandemic 28 months ago? I remember being told by an elderly member that the hug I offered in the greeting line on Sunday morning was the only hug she got during the week. Social distance allows for a kindly bow or a nod or flashing a peace sign or Vulcan salute as we pass the peace, but I wonder how many of us long for a handshake with deep eye contact or an embrace that lets us know that we are seen and loved. We have a baptism coming up in a few weeks, and there is no way to baptize someone without touch! One of the most physically intimate moments each year is Ash Wednesday, when ministers apply a smudge of palm ash on the foreheads of worshipers. Think about it: who else would you let touch your face? I am so very grateful for the technology that allows us to livestream our services. It has literally been a lifesaver during the darkest days of the pandemic. I’m glad that it allows members who are traveling (or members living elsewhere) to worship with us. And I am seeing its shortcomings. There is something close, wonderful, and intimate about the experience of worshiping together in one place that gets lost online. You can look a fellow worshiper in the eye and say, “The peace of Christ be with you.” (Sometimes, you can even shake hands or hug them!) You can literally reach out to one of our guests in the pews and offer them a warm Plymouth welcome. You can have eye contact with the liturgist and the preacher. We eat the same bread and drink the same juice or wine at communion, and the minister and deacon can look you in the eye as we offer simple words of invitation. And you get lots of social stimulation at coffee hour, whether you want it or not! (BTW, look for wall-mounted hand gel dispensers!) I know that for some churches, live streaming is being embraced so fully that it may become the primary avenue to worship. Maybe it is because I am of a certain age, but I think online worship is important and second-best, and sometimes it simply can’t compare to being in person and being able to touch, even if it’s just a fist-bump or an elbow-touch. You never know how much your smile or greeting or simply your presence as a neighbor in the pew means to someone. If Woody Allen was correct that 90 percent of life is showing up, then your physical presence in worship is missed. Yes, we are still the body of Christ even when separated. But maybe next Sunday at our Outdoor Service in Rolland Moore Park, you’ll feel safe to come and worship with your Plymouth family. (Sorry…we can’t livestream from the park!) We have been deprived of so much by this accursed pandemic. I invite you to take baby step back to normal life as you are able. Reach out and touch someone (with an alcohol-prepped hand). Hugs! P.S. I’m having knee-replacement surgery on Thursday, so I’ll be away for several weeks as I recover and endure physical therapy torture. Prayers are most welcome!
Have you ever wondered what Celtic Christian spirituality is all about? Maybe you’ve heard snippets from people in our two Celtic groups or heard a sermon or noticed the Celtic cross in our Memorial Garden or perhaps you still wonder what all the fuss is about. Next week you have an incredible opportunity to hear one of the leading scholars in this field, John Philip Newell. But he’s more than a scholar, he has been a guiding light in Celtic spirituality on both sides of the Atlantic for decades. On our Scottish Pilgrimage in 2017, we met with John Philip Newell in Edinburgh, but you don’t need to travel that far to hear him! (And we’ve been waiting to hear him again, as this visit has been delayed by pandemic twice since 2020!) John Philip was first with us at Plymouth in conjunction with my first sabbatical (and generous funding from a Lilly Clergy Renewal grant) about 15 years ago, and some of us still feel the impact of that first visit. John Philip will be talking with us about themes from his new book, Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World. What he captures in this book is rooted in the Celtic tradition of honoring, rather than subjugating, Creation. And with the specter of climate change hanging over us, people of faith need to lean into the best elements of our spiritual traditions to bolster our efforts. We have a new Climate Justice Ministry Team under the Mission & Outreach Board at Plymouth, and they are welcoming new folks who want to be involved. And what you will hear from John Philip may provide spiritual and theological grounding to help our activism keep going. This coming Sunday at 10:00 at our adult forum we'll have a brief introduction to John Philip and his work, and I hope you’ll join me for this introduction. You can also have a look at a video interview if you’d like to get a feel for his presence. (It’s from The Work of the People, and your giving to Plymouth supports our subscription. You’ll need to give them your email address, but they won’t share it.) This is also a great opportunity to bring your friends to Plymouth for an evening with no pressure. We have a gift to share with the community, and I hope you will extend an invitation.
I look forward to seeing you then! Deep peace, P.S. Our Share the Plate partner for May is The Food Bank for Larimer County. Last month, our Share the Plate offering raised $1,472 (in addition to $8,220 in designated giving). Thank you for your generosity!
Two years ago, we taped palm fronds on the ramp leading into Plymouth’s Fellowship Hall, because we couldn’t be together due to Covid. The pandemic foiled our plans for “loud hosannas” last year as well. But this year is different. After yelling “Hosanna!” (Save us!), our cries have been heard (by God and the CDC), and we get to worship in person this Sunday as we begin Holy Week. Holy Week is strange because it leads from triumph to tragedy and then back to triumph. We know the cycle of Palm Sunday’s parade, the intimacy of the Last Supper, Good Friday and the cross, and celebration of resurrection Easter Sunday. But the followers of Jesus had no idea how it would all turn out. For us it may seem like seeing a favorite movie over again, even if we know the ending. (How differently did you see The Wizard of Oz as a kid and how do you see it now?) Maybe you will see, hear, or feel something different when you walk through Holy Week this year. Perhaps the Spirit is saying something new to you after two years of isolation! These Sundays are also great times to invite your friends to Plymouth. We have opportunities for you to worship with us starting this Sunday.
Also this Sunday, we are beginning an experiment in which we will Share the Plate, consciously and joyfully giving away half our undesignated Sunday offering to address a concern in our community or the world. Each month, we will support a new Share the Plate recipient. Beginning this Sunday and extending until the end of the month, we will Share the Plate with the UCC Ukraine Emergency Appeal , an effort that provides shelter, food, and other care to war refugees and internally displaced people. Find out more about this new giving avenue and how the UCC's fund is addressing the crisis in Ukraine at the Share the Plate page on our website. There you will find a link to a dedicated giving form. We encourage you to join our effort by giving in the Sunday offering plate or electronically. If your check on Sunday is intended to help fulfill your pledge or other designated purpose, please note that in the memo (example “Pledge 2022” or “Flowers”). All non-designated Sunday offering donations will be shared 50% with the UCC Ukraine Relief Fund. When giving by text or online, select the “Share the Plate” fund (text keyword SHARE) to participate in this new venture. Thank you for supporting Plymouth and for your generosity in extending our reach! Blessings, AuthorS Rev. Hal Chorpenning is our senior minister and Phil Braudaway-Bauman is our Church Administrator. Read their bios on our staff page. Dear Plymouth Family,
For many, many months, I have been waiting to write this letter containing joyous news from the Pandemic Team: We are taking another great step forward as a congregation in liberalizing pandemic restrictions! This takes effect tomorrow. Covid numbers in Larimer County have fallen precipitously (see above), and the Pandemic Team feels that it is time for us to move to a mask-friendly (or mask optional) stance. CSU also lifted its mask mandate this week. At Plymouth, this means that if you feel comfortable coming to church in a mask, that’s great! If you are alright being unmasked, that’s great! The lovely blue tape that marked off every other pew will also be removed! Many of the things we took for granted two years ago (singing from hymnals, passing friendship pads and offering plates, greeting the ministers after worship, standing within six feet of another human being, hearing our choir and seeing their faces, having potlucks and meals together, welcoming outside groups into the church) will all be resumed with immediate effect. (Note that we will not offer nursery care for the time being.) What have you learned in the past two years not to take for granted? A hug with a dear friend? A glass of wine at FOG? A friendly word offered to a guest at Plymouth? Hearing an entire congregation sing a favorite hymn? Sitting in the pew that you think of as yours? Seeing another worshiper face to face? Receiving communion face to face from a minister and a deacon? Hearing the small voices of our youngest UCCers coming forward for Children’s Time? It's time to reacquaint yourself with those joys! My invitation to you is to come on back! The science is with us, and if you wish to wear a mask, please do so! (The clergy will be masked when not speaking.) And if you really feel more comfortable continuing to livestream, know that we love you and respect that decision: that’s why it’s available! On March 2, 2020, our Pandemic Team had its first meeting. At that time none of us would have guessed that it would be almost exactly two years before we would resume a sense of normalcy because of Covid. I am grateful for the expertise, patience, and wisdom of this group, which has guided us each step of the way. I am part of a CREDO group of four UCC clergy in Colorado, Connecticut, California, and Maryland. Our is the only one of those three churches not to have had members die from Covid-related causes, and our Pandemic Team is part of the reason. If you see any of them at church, a word of appreciation would not go amiss.
I give thanks to God for medical breakthroughs in the past two years. …for the patience of our members and friends. …for the faithfulness of volunteers who continued to go above and beyond. …for staff colleagues who have been through hell together. …for lay leaders who have been willing to make unpopular decisions. …for your faith in God to see us through. As the chancel choir anthem says, “God has work for us to do!” Let’s get at it! See you in church! What does it feel like to be alone? Sometimes it’s a relief and sometimes it’s not. Many of us have known that all too well during the two years of pandemic. None of us asked for this time by ourselves or with a circle of a few other people. For some of us, loneliness has been emotionally devastating. At various points in the past two years, we’ve been deprived of seeing family, worshiping with others at Plymouth, sharing a hug with a friend. At last Sunday’s first face-to-face services the feeling of joy at being back together in worship was palpable. It is so different to celebrate communion together with others in the same room, to have kids come forward for the time with children, to preach to human beings in the pews, rather than the one eye of the video camera. And it was great to catch up with people at coffee hour and in the adult ed. forum! What was it like for you if you joined us in person? See an old friend? Make a new one? Greet some of the visitors we had at each service? Experience the collective voice of singing a hymn? None of us knows what the future holds in terms of the behavior of Covid, but for now, I think we should live and worship with gusto. The musical term “con brio” means with spirit or with vigor, and that’s how I plan to walk through Lent this year, relishing the presence of our congregation in worship. I’m also aware the Lent can be a time for sabbath, for resting in God. I wonder…are there ways of sabbath that can be done “con brio?” We are using a Lenten devotional and worship materials called “Filled to the Brim,” which seems a little counterintuitive for the way most of us observe this season that is meant to help us deepen our faith. Some of us see Lent as a lead-in to Good Friday and Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross, but there is another way to view this 40-day season. Jesus spent 40 days alone in the wilderness on something like a vison quest that prepared him for his brief and incredibly influential ministry. What if we approach Lent as a time in the wilderness when we are challenged to go a bit deeper in our faith than we usually do? Maybe do a few things (or refrain from doing things) that stretch us slightly out of our comfort zones? What might that mean for you? Using the Lenten devotional booklet? Attending worship every Sunday? Finding a few more minutes each day to spend in prayer and contemplation? Stretching to do something for another person, even someone you don’t know? I wonder if as we reflect on Jesus’ forty days of wilderness wandering — alone — if we might find inspiration to work with the images of aloneness and companionship during Lent. How might our intention of spending time intentionally be a form of sabbath? What if we embrace where we are right now with enthusiasm and come back together as a community of faith? What changes might be possible in the way you approach and live your faith? What if we can find sabbath in our togetherness? Lent is a season full of possibility. May it be fruitful for you! Shalom! AuthorThe Rev. Hal Chorpenning has been Plymouth's senior minister since 2002. Before that, he was associate conference minister with the Connecticut Conference of the UCC. A grant from the Lilly Endowment enabled him to study Celtic Christianity in the UK and Ireland. Prior to ordained ministry, Hal had a business in corporate communications. Read more about Hal here. Dear Friends, I’m listening to Max Richter’s wintery musical riffs on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as I write this update to you. Even though this particular season has been relatively mild, it feels as though we’ve endured a very long winter together during the pandemic. I share your feelings of social dislocation and missing normality…whatever that will be. With improving Covid statistics in Larimer County it is time for a shift! Last week, Plymouth’s Pandemic Team met again to address when we should reopen our doors and invite people back into in-person worship. Before I tell you the result of our deliberations, I must tell you how magnificent your fellow members serving on this team are. There is much thoughtful discussion, weighing the scientific and the social-scientific dimensions of our common life, all of it undergirded by a sense of what we are doing together as a people called together by our love of God. I give thanks for each of them and for our work together! We will welcome you back to in-person worship on February 27. (Livestream will of course be available at 9:00 & 11:00, but we’d love to see you in person!) It’s the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany (and the lovely Moravian star will still hang above the organ console). We have a special treat that day: our very own Rev. Laura Nelson will be preaching on this Transfiguration Sunday. (It was great to see so many of you yesterday at our Valentine’s Day drive-thru, and I look forward to seeing many more of you on February 27.) Here are the guidelines we’ll be following: Masks are a must for everyone. We will attempt to follow six-foot social distance guidelines, but our fully-vaccinated choir will be able to stand at a three-foot distance, which means more of our beautiful choir will be able to sing! Brava! Bravo! Communion will be available in the sanctuary every week at 9:00 and the first Sunday of the month at 11:00. We will come forward to receive elements and bring them back to our seats and partake as one body. (People with mobility challenges or who simply prefer to receive communion seated will be accommodated by our deacons with a traveling communion tray.) We think this is even safer than communion served in the West Wing hallway. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 2, and our service (livestreamed and in person) will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary with the traditional imposition of ashes. We also are planning a mid-Lent evening service in the style of Taizé…stay tuned for details! As Lent draws near a close on Maundy Thursday, we are planning our service of Tenebrae in person and streaming. (We will re-evaluate the Covid situation to see whether a soup supper is possible!) I cannot tell you how much your clergy and staff miss seeing you! It will get better as we adapt to living with Covid. Thanks be to God for scientists and medical staff who make vaccines possible and who help our time of trial to become a situation that we live with. Bless you for keeping the faith, proving that church is more than a building, and that together with God, we can make it through the toughest of times. I leave you with these favorite words from A New Creed from the United Church of Canada: We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. God bless you all! P.S. It was great to see so many of you at our Valentine's Day drive-thru yesterday! Special thanks to our Congregational Life Board for their help organizing! If you would like a hard copy of the Lenten Devotional booklet, you may pick one up on February 27 at worship or you may ask Barb Gregory to send you one via US Mail. (Electronic readers: look for a PDF version that Anna Broskie sent late last week!)
Fear. Why do we feel fear? There is certainly a survival impulse in the base of our brain, the amygdala, that compels us to fight, flight, or freeze. There are times when that response can literally be a lifesaver (like jumping back from a speeding car that nearly clips you) and there are times when that “reptilian” brain response gets in our way. Like when you are having a disagreement with someone, and somehow things escalate and get a bit heated or even out of hand. Yet, we can pause and give our neocortex a chance to kick in. This was explored in the 1940s by Viktor Frankl, who saw the best and worst of human fear and response as a prisoner in a Nazi death camp. He wrote, “Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” We truly can use our neocortex to come up with better responses to our fears. One of the prevalent fears of the pandemic time is the fear of the unknown. None of us knows for sure if we’ll get Covid, if our lives will be changed forever, if we’ll be able to take that big trip this summer, if church will be reasonably the same next year, if our jobs are secure, if climate change will despoil the planet for our children and grandchildren, if American democracy will soon come to an end, and ultimately if we will meet our earthly end as a result of the virus. That’s a lot to feel fearful about. The question is how we use the space between the stimulus (the invitation to fear) and our response. I’ve experienced plenty of fear and anxiety over the past two years, and I have found an app that helps to “unwind” anxiety and stress through mindfulness-based stress reduction. Instead of spinning into a mental tangle of thinking how to "fix our worries, the course helps us to identify that we’re feeling scared, worried, or anxious about something. To name that event or that pattern and just experience it, to feel it in our bodies, to breathe into it, and to eventually ride it out. That helps to provide the space that Frankl talks about. When the biblical angel says, “Fear not!” (again and again and again) it might be getting at something: fear is not congruent with faith. That doesn’t mean that we should not experience fear or worry or anxiety, but that we shouldn’t dwell there. We shouldn’t allow fear to dominate our lives because it isn’t life-giving. And sometimes un-dealt-with fear causes us to misidentify problems and to get off track. Marketing guru Seth Godin recently wrote, “When dealing with someone who’s afraid, when they’re objecting to something that’s important, it’s tempting to imagine that more evidence will make a difference–that it’s the objections that matter. But more studies of efficacy or public health or performance aren’t going to address the real objection. Money (“it’s too expensive”) is a common objection, but it’s often not the real reason. Price is simply a useful way to end the conversation. ‘I’m afraid’ is something we don’t want to say, so we search for an objection instead.” We don’t need to stay stuck in fear. We have God-with-us in every moment, a God who sees our fear and helps us to acknowledge it and move forward with courage. Wouldn’t the world be different if we all put a bit more trust in God? One of my favorite John Bell short songs for worship goes like this: “Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger…my love is stronger than your fear. Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger, and I have promised to be always near.” (Here is great recording.) I wish you courage for the journey ahead! AuthorThe Rev. Hal Chorpenning has been Plymouth's senior minister since 2002. Before that, he was associate conference minister with the Connecticut Conference of the UCC. A grant from the Lilly Endowment enabled him to study Celtic Christianity in the UK and Ireland. Prior to ordained ministry, Hal had a business in corporate communications. Read more about Hal here. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage… The game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’ - Shakespeare, Henry V, spoken by Prince Hal as he rallies his troops for battle That is just about the only Shakespeare I have committed to memory (from a high school drama class, no less!). And it seems appropriate as we confront the omicron variant. I know that we are all feeling worn down by the endless pivots and adjustments and regulations, but I am issuing a battle cry and asking you to join in as we work to keep Plymouth safe. Last night our Pandemic Team met and reached the decision that for the safety of our church community, we will do broadcast-only worship on Sundays at 9:00 and 11:00. It is a little heartbreaking for me to let you know this, but I know it is the best decision for the physical health of our church family. We will continue this through the end of January (the next three Sundays) and the Pandemic Team will re-evaluate then. (I’ll include some of the meeting minutes from the Pandemic Team’s gather last evening below if you’d like to see the data they are using to reach decisions.) Fortunately, we have a top-notch livestream system in place. If you are on this email list, you’ll receive a link (as always) on Saturday evening around 7:00, and you can always go to plymouthucc.org on Sunday morning and click to livestream. Your worship bulletin will also be on our website. Our Adult Education Forums on Afghan Refugees will continue via Zoom only, and you’ll find the link to this great series in that same Saturday evening email. Do join in! The Pandemic Team has also asked that all meetings of groups at Plymouth go online only, including youth, men’s coffee, board and committee meetings, and the rest. Thank God we now know how to do this! If your group needs to schedule a new meeting, please click on this link or call Barb Gregory in the church office at 970-482-9212. (Existing Zoom meetings are set…no need to request a new Zoom link.) Thanks to each of you for your support and cooperation. I know it’s difficult, but together with God’s help, we can do this! Blessings and good health to you, from the Pandemic Team minutes, January 11, 2022 |
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