“We should become people in whom others can see new life, and people who introduce that new life wherever the world is stultifying and life-denying” —Paula Gooder, The Risen Existence: The Spirit of Easter

Life as Easter People 

After the Easter holy day is over, many of us turn our focus immediately to other things, such as graduation season, holidays like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, and summer plans and vacations. It’s hard to view Easter as a season rather than just a one-day event. However, more so than any other Christian feast day, Easter is filled with messages, proclamations, and images that offer us a meaningful opportunity to shape our lives and witness to the world to keep the spirit of Easter alive throughout the year.

What does it look like to live in a way that transmits and embodies Easter hope in our daily experiences? What does it look like to live in a way that death is not a preoccupying feature of our existence? How do we reveal what it means to live hopefully and abundantly in those places that feel closed, dying, or like dry bones? The theologian Paula Gooder invites us to consider a risen existence for a world filled with people unable to imagine new life because of the persistent hold of death and the stubborn injustices that prevail in the world. We sing and celebrate that Jesus’ resurrection means that death has lost its sting and its hold over us. Does the way we live reflect that understanding?

I pray we embrace our identity as Easter people, in which we bear witness to the resurrection as God’s alternative ordering of the world where love is stronger than hate; where all God’s children can trust that God will answer injustice; where peace and justice are not buzzwords or the wishes of a utopian dream. Easter people embrace the resurrection as a liberation moment for all, reminding us that God is not satisfied to let death be the final word. Resurrection becomes an ongoing experience for us because we know that life will defiantly find a way. It tells us that when God raised Jesus from the grave, Jesus ushered in a new age of uprising against all that binds us; against the sin that has a hold over us; against death, which steals life and murders our calm; against the systems and structures that tried to silence him and seek to silence us; against a world that wants to stamp out all that is good, loving, and forgiving; against anything that opposes what makes all God’s children whole. I pray we let the world in on this way of living, in which our embodied testimony is that love, grace, and justice will always prevail over fear, violence, and death.

May it be so.

Masking is strongly recommended.

There is a "Mask Only" Section available and marked for those wishing for extra security.

It will feature music from The Jazz Trio and the Cherub and Chorister Choirs

Sing (To Change the World), Steve Heitzeg

in Jones Commons

Education Wing

Chapel

One Word: Plastics

Conn Gallery

Saving Mother Earth: Treasured and Endangered Opening

Fireside Room

It will feature music from Philip Brunelle and the Solo Quintet.

Easter Anthem, William Billings

I Am Earth, Steve Heitzeg

I have been informed that more than one individual who was present at church on Easter, April 17, 2022, have tested positive for Covid-19. If you attended church on Easter, April 17, at either the 9 or 11 a.m. services or any of the activities between services, your risk was most likely low; however, please pay attention to how you are feeling. If you feel at all unwell, please take a Covid test. You may also want to test before joining any large group gathering, even if you have no symptoms. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me: bethf@plymouth.org or 612-977-1286. And if you do test positive for Covid and have been at church for any reason, please alert me. Your name will remain confidential.

Thursdays at 9 a.m. - online

Calvin Gerber, Brother of Dick and Jane Gerber

Don Hegelson, Husband of Sue Shepard

Many of you contributed to the Plymouth Green Fund last year, and because our “Carbon Footprints” never sleep, we are continuing the fundraising effort this year. Like last year, this year's contribution will go towards a Community Solar Garden subscription that will lower Plymouth’s electric bill, provide local jobs and reduce our campus carbon footprint. Unlike many other carbon offset programs, your contributions to Plymouth are fully tax-deductible. Volunteers from our Climate and Environmental Justice Committee will be handing out brochures to determine your footprint and provide instructions on how to donate.

Uniting in prayer, action, and giving, we stand as a people of faith in love and compassion with the people of Ukraine and all who are affected, and with our global partners who are welcoming those driven from their homes. We are partnering with the United Church of Christ, which has established a Ukraine Relief Fund. Gifts made to the UCC Ukraine Relief Fund will provide shelter, food, and other care to war refugees and internally displaced people. It also will help refugees and asylum seekers from African, Middle Eastern, and other countries who had sought refuge in Ukraine and now are twice displaced, as well as other citizens of more than 125 countries living in Ukraine.

To support the Ukraine Relief Fund, please make checks payable to “Plymouth Church” and include “Ukraine Relief” in the memo line. You can learn more about this special emergency fund here:

Contact: Carrie Bassett carolinebassett7@gmail.com or 612-229-1937

Share your skills for our Life Skills Fair on May 21!

Here are some updated requests from our teens:

Email Nina to get involved in any of these opportunities!    

Members who wish to have items on the annual meeting agenda should submit the required information (resolution and signatures) by May 13, 2022, to either the Deacons (deacons@plymouth.org) or Annette Atkins, Clerk (aatkins@csbsju.edu).

There will be an information session Sunday, May 1, 12:30-1:30 in Jackman to discuss a February 2023 immersion/volunteer opportunity. We’ll share highlights from our 2020 trip and tentative plans for our next trip. Contact Nancy Siska at npsiska@gmail.com or Maureen Tanis at Tanis.maureen@gmail.com with questions.

Books will be available for Plymouth members to purchase Wednesday evening (May 11) and Sunday mornings (May 8 & May 15). You may also order any of the over 2000 titles (180 also in Spanish) online now through May 15 at www.NancyLovesBooks.com - Click on Academia Elze when shopping to credit the school. 50% of purchase price will go towards purchasing books for Academia Elze.

Do you have some experience with marketing? Are you excited by telling the story of who Plymouth is and the impact we've had on the lives of people you know and in the community? Do you want to see Plymouth grow? The Marketing Task Force has wrapped up our recommendation and is in the process of building a committee. We start meeting soon. Please email Elizabethb@plymouth.org or jthennesen@comcast.net if you are interested.

Sign up at: http://Plymouthcongregational.tchabitat.volunteerhub.com/

Or contact Jim Christenson at christensonjim@msn.com/651-895-0644.

Peter and Jane Eichten’s daughter Katie and her husband Jared are working tirelessly for the refugees coming into Bulgaria. Click here to read a letter from Katie that explains what is going on and their involvement. Peter and Jane are collecting monetary donations through checks or Venmo to support Katie and Jared and their community as they shelter refugees and help them re-establish life in Bulgaria. 100% of the money will be going to the Ukrainian refugees. For more information on to how to offer your support, please contact Peter pjeichten@hotmail.com (612-708-7134) or Jane jeichten24@gmail.com (612-813-1831).

We hand out a lot of bags—more than 100 each Sunday! We need more large paper grocery bags with handles, and we hope you can help. Please bring your bags to the collection bin outside Plymouth’s Jones Commons each Sunday through Thursday from 8:45 a.m. to noon.

The clergy and staff at Plymouth are continuing to work to care for and support you—our congregation—and, as mentioned above, our essential building tenants. Our need for your support continues. Please consider making a gift online (click here), texting your gift to 612/999-2874 or sending in a check (1900 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis 55403). Mail is being collected securely and safely each day. We are so grateful for you!