“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”
—2 Corinthians 4:8-9
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We Do Not Lose Heart
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis
I recently told a friend that I was wrestling with how to remain steady and hopeful amid consistently bad news about the justice issues I care about. With recent Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade and weakening the separation between church and state, persistent state and community violence cutting short young Black and brown lives, and democratic institutions and elected officials unable to protect the right to vote or respond to urgent human needs, it’s hard to be hopeful about the future. We seem to be moving further away from realizing a multi-racial democracy, generous social safety, environmental sustainability, and reproductive justice even as our society gets more unequal, less safe, and more polarized. A panelist of commentators on a podcast I listen to recently concluded that the electoral prospects of candidates who can overturn these setbacks remain dismal. How do you not fall into resignation? What do you rely upon to keep on keeping on?
But I take comfort in knowing that change happens. And as the writer Rebecca Solnit reminds us, “We can play a role in that change if we act.” The scary things we are witnessing, the losses we are experiencing, and the setbacks we are confronting require our action. We can’t lose heart. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul declares twice with confidence, “We do not lose heart.” He would have had every reason to lose heart, considering the criticism he was getting from church folks and the persecution he had undergone. He had been arrested and jailed too many times to count. He wasn’t performing spectacular miracles that could draw in the people and the money. He was afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, but he could testify confidently that he is never crushed, driven to despair, forsaken, or destroyed. In Paul’s ministry, we get a window into the internal contradiction inherent in embracing our faith, church, and discipleship in pursuit of justice: what we do is filled with both glory and suffering. But we do not lose heart.
The biblical witness portrays Jesus, Paul, and other exemplary figures of the faith as meeting the moment, confronting destructive and oppressive empires and principalities with faithfulness and determination. In our history, vulnerable people met their respective moments with courage and persistence, whether it was the segregation and discrimination of Jim Crow, the sexism of a patriarchal nation, or the neglect and homophobia of a government content to sacrifice sexual minorities to the ravages of AIDS. They did not succumb to self-defeating despair. And they made change happen. So, we do not lose heart. Love, justice, and reason are calling out for us to keep on keeping on. May God bless us to be agents of change. Amen.
DeWayne L. Davis
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July 10, 2022
"Under the Big Top"
Outdoor Worship at 9 a.m.
Masking is not required outdoors.
11 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary
Masking in the church building is strongly recommended.
There is a "Mask Only" Section available in the Sanctuary and marked for those wishing for extra security.
Schedule
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9 a.m. Worship
"Under the Big Top"
Outdoor Worship
9 a.m. worship will not be offered virtually
Masking is not required outdoors.
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Features music from the Jazz Trio
Musical Response
WADE IN THE WATER
African American Spiritual
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No church school this Sunday.
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Coffee and Social Time
in Jones Commons
Young Voices Sample Class
Meet Marie after the service
Chapel
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In the sanctuary
and online
Masking in the church building is strongly recommended.
There is a "Mask Only" Section available in the Sanctuary and marked for those wishing for extra security.
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Features music from the Solo Quintet with guest organist Shari Albrecht.
Anthems
I THANK YOU, JESUS
Negro spiritual
THE EARTH ADORNED
Waldemar Åhlén
The prelude will begin at 10:45
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Sundays at 5 services are on hiatus. We plan for it to return on Rally Sunday, September 11. And stay tuned for special summer worship opportunities! |
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Worship in the Sanctuary this Sunday; the congregation is welcome in person or to watch via Livestream on Facebook, YouTube, or Plymouth.org/worship.
Chancel Flowers celebrate Beth Hoffman Faeth as she gets ready to embark on her sabbatical.
In-Depth with Beth and Seth is on hiatus until October.
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Upcoming Memorial Services |
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A service for Ruth Steimle will be held at Plymouth Saturday, July 9, at 1 p.m. In-person attendance is welcome, and the service will be livestreamed (available here). |
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Covid Update
July 8, 2022
Dear Beloved Community,
It has been some time since I have offered you a Covid update, and on the eve of my sabbatical, it felt important to do so. The Covid Advisory Group continues to stay alert to the state of Covid-19 in our community. While numbers of reported positive cases have been on the rise, we are encouraged that hospitalizations and death rates have been extremely low and unchanged for some time. The Covid Advisory Group will watch these metrics diligently.
You are encouraged to practice measures that provide you a sense of security and safety. At this time, we are making no changes to the church’s current protocol: masking is recommended but not required in the church building; masking is not required for worship in the tent. I would ask that if you attend a church event—worship, meeting, other activity—and test positive in the seven days following that, you alert Anne Gustafson, Director of Operations (anneg@plymouth.org). Your information will remain confidential, yet we do want to inform others if there has been close contact. Anne will be your source of information regarding Covid concerns while I am away, so do not hesitate to contact her with questions. If there are any changes to church safety practices in the months to come, Anne will communicate those with the congregation.
My sabbatical begins on Monday, July 11, and I am so very grateful for this gift of time away. I will miss you, yet we have learned during this time of pandemic that our gathered community extends far beyond the walls of the church. We continue to love and care for one another even when scattered. I will hold you all, beloved community, in prayer and with thanksgiving during the next three months. Upon my return in October, may we know better health as a nation and an even stronger bond as a church.
As always, may we be people of hope, may we be kind and caring, may we remain faithful in community.
Blessings and love,
Beth Hoffman Faeth
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Contemplative Prayer is offered:
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Sunday Forum
July 10, 2022
Why Care about Our History?
We will hear from our archivists and the value of the work they do in our July Forum. Learn varied perspectives on the importance of preserving and learning from Plymouth’s history. Dorene Bruns, Hal Schneebeck, and Mary Welfling will summarize the resources available in the Archives, identify who uses these resources, and explain the growing challenges faced in our digital age. They will share a few stories they have discovered during their work in the Archives.
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Young Voices Sample Class
July 10, children ages 0-5 are invited to join Marie for a sample Young Voices music class. During the 10 a.m. hour, children will play instruments, sing, and move. Please meet Marie following the 9 a.m. service.
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Dr. Cedric Alexander,
Nominee Commissioner of Community Safety
Meet & Greet
Sunday, 2 p.m.
Dr. Cedric Alexander, the newly nominated Commissioner of Community Safety for the City of Minneapolis, will visit Plymouth Congregational Church on Sunday, July 10, at 2 p.m. for a “meet and greet” opportunity with members of our church, friends, and family.
This will be held in Guild Hall with Rev. Dr. DeWayne Davis facilitating the event. Everyone is encouraged to participate.
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Sabbatical Minister Rev. Cynthia Riggin
We are pleased to introduce Sabbatical Minister Cynthia Riggin, who will be filling in for Beth Hoffman Faeth July–September.
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Rebuild Ukraine
July 19 at 7 p.m.
The humanitarian crisis created by the Russian War of 2022 in Ukraine is immense and will last for decades. To contribute to the resolution of this crisis, REBUILD UKRAINE was established. Its mission is to work directly with partners in Eastern Europe to provide immediate humanitarian aid to Ukraine, its refugees, residents, and children.
Dr. Paul Gavrilyuk will speak to the ways in which REBUILD UKRAINE is responding to the urgent needs of Ukrainians—the day-to-day crises for those still in Ukraine, the crushing exodus of refugees into neighboring countries, and the plight of traumatized children.
Pianist Ora Itkin, University of Saint Thomas Music Faculty member, will perform works of Bach, Schubert, Silvestrov, and others.
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Would You Help Our Children & Youth Programs?
We need volunteers! Please take a moment to complete this survey and see how you can help support our children and youth programming throughout the summer and fall. Our events and programs cannot continue to grow, expand, and welcome in new families without widespread support!
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Community Safety Work Group Report
Plymouth’s Racial Justice Initiative and the Reimagining Community Safety Committee urge you to review the report of the group DeWayne has been co-chairing for several months. Mayor Frey’s Community Safety Work Group’s set of recommendations to the Mayor will be of interest to all of our members who live and work in or near Minneapolis.
This 22-member Work Group was truly grassroots, a virtual “team of rivals” drawn from many diverse communities in our City. At his press conference on Monday, June 27,
Mayor Frey called their report "robust" and said that he fully supports their recommendations and in fact already is working on some of the recommendations.
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CALL TO ACTION: WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GROW
Two types of volunteers are needed to help advance Plymouth’s marketing efforts:
Committee Members
As the committee is formalized, we’ll need help from members experienced in marketing, design, advertising, and data sciences to help bring campaigns to fruition and educate leadership and the congregation about how our goals and how our campaigns are functioning.
Ambassadors
We will need 10–15 people willing to participate in a new training curriculum and serve as a physical manifestation of our campaign—noticing, welcoming, coaching, and nurturing connections with church prospects. We'll provide training beginning this summer.
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Children, Youth, & Families
and Church School
Did you know CAMP Plymouth is a weekend away for any and everyone at Plymouth? We have adults, seniors, children, folx coming solo, and everything in between, and ALL are welcome at Camp Plymouth. We have a few more open spaces, so please reserve a spot today!
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Minnesota Impressions - Conn Gallery Art Exhibition
July 17-September 30
Reception July 17, 10 a.m.
We are privileged to be hosting Minnesota Impressions, an exhibition by Gabe Jewell, whose paintings also serve as contemplative companions in support of meditation in collaboration with his father Richard Jewell, www.Meditationary.org.
Gabriel Jewell is a Minnesota artist based in Rochester, Minnesota, who grew up as a member of Plymouth Congregational Church, attending Sunday school in the 1980s-90s.
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This weekend, July 8-10, will be the last weekend that Saving Mother Earth: Treasured and Endangered will be viewable in the Conn Gallery. |
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Meaning, a Podcast
How do you think about the study of history? Many of us were conditioned to think of history as a set of dates and names to memorize: a static set of facts that suggest the story of the past. But according to longtime Plymouth member Annette Atkins, one studies history to bring today into contact with other times and populations. In the process, new questions emerge that lead to new understandings of both the past and the present.
A retired professor of history at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, as well as the author of “Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out,” Annette reflected with me about how she has made meaning out of the study of Minnesota’s past, as well as her search for meaning and self-identity in a post-teaching time of life.
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Building a City for All of Us
Come together using our collective voices for change in support of affordable housing. No one should have to choose between food or rent and risk becoming homeless. Join us for this important event on July 28, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. at
Bethlehem Lutheran Church 4100 Lyndale Ave South Mpls, MN. 55409
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Donations for Third Wednesday Drop-in Bingo
Plymouth Drop-in for low-income adults who live with mental illness happens every Wednesday and Thursday, but third Wednesday is always bingo. Donations of practical prizes like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, and soap are much appreciated and can be left in the Bingo Box in Jones Commons. Adult coloring and puzzle books are also great, as is almost anything "gently used" as they say at the thrift stores.
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We Need More Bags!
We continue to offer hearty, warm to-go meals each Sunday at Plymouth Congregational Church. With our partners from other downtown churches, each Sunday of the month is covered, with all of the distribution occurring at Plymouth.
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.
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Ongoing Tuesday Vigils for Justice
Racial Justice Initiative justice vigils are now being held from noon to 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday. Please join us when you are able. We always meet by Door 1 near Jones Commons.
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Plymouth Church Building COVID-19 Updates
Wearing a mask is strongly recommended for everyone.
The health, safety, and wellbeing of all who use Plymouth Congregational Church is our top priority.
Thank You For Your Support
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!
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and ask to be removed from this distribution list.
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Plymouth Congregational Church
1900 Nicollet Avenue (at Franklin)
Minneapolis, MN 55403
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