This Is My Hope
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis
Last Sunday in worship, during the pastoral prayer, our minister invited us to reflect on where we are finding hope. With the world beset on all sides with a pandemic, economic distress, and rumors of war, with the coldness of winter relentlessly foreboding and long-lasting, kindling hope may feel like an arduous task. However, I took the invitation to heart and began looking. I haven’t quite figured out a satisfying way to nurture hope such that it chases away feelings of despair or disillusionment. The invitation to reflect on hope got more complicated when I selected my star word (optimism) for the year. While trying to sort out the difference between faith, hope, and optimism and embrace hope as a practice, I decided to write out my thoughts.
This is my hope:
I hope we remain committed to being the beloved community concerned with the common good above all else when there is pressure to go inward and erect barriers to strangers and seekers.
I hope we remember who and whose we are so that we will never feel alone, insecure, or rejected.
I hope we keep an open heart and open mind so that we neither dismiss nor disregard those different from us and give space for alternative ways of thinking, living, and believing.
I hope we embrace the movement for justice so entirely that we never adjust to or accommodate what is wrong, unjust, or oppressive.
I hope we will cultivate an atmosphere of radical hospitality, so we never see our church as a personal possession but a place of refuge and an outpost of the reign of God for all God’s children, no matter who they are or what they have done.
I hope we commit to a ministry of radical dignity for all God’s children such that no person will ever feel that they are not a part of God’s beloved community.
I hope we choose joy and love over and over and over and leave no room for hate.
I hope we always reject fear and resentment during times of doubt and anxiety.
I hope we cultivate generosity and faithful stewardship, not because we like or agree with everything, but because we celebrate that God’s abundance is a gift given freely to us and revealed in this place for all God’s children.
I hope we reach out to those with whom we disagree before we complain about them with others so that we can repair any breach before it becomes a chasm of mistrust.
I hope we see salvation and discipleship not as private, individualist enterprises but as part of a journey toward liberation from oppression, domination, and exploitation for every living soul.
I hope we see our neighbor, not as a competitor to be beaten and conquered, but as a partner in ministry and a co-creator with God and us in a revival of faith, hope, and love. May it be so.
DeWayne L. Davis
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February 20, 2022
Worship will be held in-person and available online.
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Musical Response
AMAZING GRACE
arr. Laura Caviani
Sundays at 10
Coffee and Social Time
Church School
Sunday Forum
Salon Conversations
Hearing From the Heart
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The prelude begins prior to the service.
Music from Philip Brunelle, Sanna Walker (piano), and the Adult Choir.
Peace Candle Response
DEO DICAMUS GRATIAS
Gottfried A. Homilius
Anthems
THE SON OF GOD IS COME TO EARTH
Johannes Brahms
THE BEST OF ROOMS
Randall Thompson
Noon
Coffee and Social Time
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Worship returns to the Sanctuary this Sunday; the congregation is welcome in-person or to watch via Livestream on Facebook, YouTube, or Plymouth.org/worship.
Chancel Flowers are given in loving memory of Fern C. Lee by Lindsay and Neil Johnson.
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Sundays at 5 Returns March 6!
Contemplative Prayer is offered:
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A Brief COVID-19 Update as of February 18, 2022
Dear friends,
With great anticipation we look forward to welcoming you back to the church building this Sunday, February 20. It will be a morning filled with opportunity: worship at 9 and 11 a.m., four offerings for our Sundays at 10 programming, details here. and coffee fellowship in Jones Commons following each worship service.
Here are a few reminders regarding our life together in community:
- Face masks must be worn at all times in the building. The only exception to this is when someone is speaking from the pulpit in the sanctuary.
- Only Door #1 will be open on Sunday mornings, and we ask that you sign in when you enter the building.
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If you receive a positive Covid-19 test result (even if you are asymptomatic!) within 7 days of participating in a church activity: worship—small group, meeting, etc.—please contact me: BethF@plymouth.org or 612-977-1286. Your name will be held in confidence, but we must alert others of a possible exposure.
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While we are taking seriously all precautions to prevent spread of infection, we cannot eliminate all risk. If you are feeling at all unwell, please stay home and take good care.
Many of you are eager to return to in-person church life, and others of you are practicing caution regarding gathering in a group. Both worship services will continue to be livestreamed, and our Sunday Forum offers an opportunity to participate via Zoom. There will always be a variety of ways to participate in community remotely.
I hold you all in prayer as we persevere through this unprecedented time. May we be people of hope, may we be kind and caring, may we remain faithful in community.
Blessings,
Rev. Beth Hoffman Faeth
Minister for Congregational Care and Worship
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Sundays at 10
Beginning February 20
The Board of Spiritual Formation and its committees will again be offering a variety of activities between the 9 and 11 a.m. services. This time is referred to as “Sundays at 10” and offers an opportunity for folks to learn and engage with one another outside of worship.
This February, Sundays at 10 will provide options organized around 5 primary categories. The offerings within these categories may vary, but you can expect to see something offered in each category each week. Weekly topics, meeting locations, and information about virtual participation options will be published in the church calendar.
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Request for Lenten Meditations
Once again, we are seeking your help to create Plymouth’s Lenten Meditations collection, provided as an offering for the past 14 years. We know these reflections help connect us as a community of faith, and we hope the time you take to write and share one or two meditations is a blessing of its own for you.
We also enthusiastically encourage you to forward this request to other members of Plymouth who might want to contribute to the book this year.
The format we follow is simple.
1) a quote from scripture or another source
2) your reflection
3) a prayer
Sincerely,
Plymouth Board of Spiritual Formation
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Subscribe to Meditations
Meditations are sent out via email daily through the season of Lent. To receive these meditations, please email DougF@plymouth.org.
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Lenten Spiritual Enrichment Opportunity:
Seeking significant conversation and the building of relationships? Let’s talk about “Meaning”!
“Meaning” is a new podcast offering from Plymouth. In each 10–15-minute episode, host Chris Bohnhoff engages members of the Plymouth community in a conversation about the deeper significance of the things they do. A series of questions end each episode, helping listeners reflect on each guest’s unique wisdom and how it may illuminate one’s own spiritual path.
Join Chris Bohnhoff and Beth Hoffman Faeth for a Lenten small group study during which we will listen to an episode of “Meaning” together and then engage in important conversation and reflection. We will meet via Zoom for six consecutive Wednesdays beginning March 9 at 10:00 a.m. Register here:
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Sunday Forum
February 20
10 a.m.
Habitat for Humanity and Plymouth, a 30-year Partnership
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Plymouth Community Invited to Give Input on Police Reform
First Meeting: March 3, 7:00–8:30 p.m.
Plymouth Congregational Church is joining about 30 other faith communities in Minnesota to offer a series of meetings, all designed to seek input on police reform from a broad spectrum of faith traditions in our state. The first of Plymouth’s meetings will be held via Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, and the entire Plymouth community is encouraged to participate.
Registration is required:
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Family to Family Class Offering
Plymouth is proud to have 50 years of sponsoring the Drop-in Center as support for low-income adults experiencing mental illness. Still, the reality is that mental illness, like cancer or any other disease, can happen to anybody. Everyone experiencing mental health challenges needs support, and NAMI recommends their FAMILY TO FAMILY class. The class is offered several times a year, with details and registration on the NAMI website.
Family to Family 8-Week Class
Learn about mental illnesses, the brain, treatment, and resources to help a loved one living with a mental illness. This workshop meets weekly for two and a half hours for 8 weeks and is for the family and friends of an adult living with a mental illness.
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Children, Youth, & Families
and Church School
This Sunday, Nina is out, but kids and families can join Dylan for a walk/run around Lake of the Isles! Meet outside Jones Commons at 10 a.m. and caravan with Dylan (families must provide their own transportation) to Lake of Isles.
Rather meet at the Lake? Dylan and the group will start their walk at 2500 Lake of the Isles Parkway E. Join them at 10:10ish. They will walk counterclockwise around the Lake (so from their starting point, heading towards Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church) and end back where they started around 10:50.
No other church school programming will happen this Sunday.
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As Seen On Plymouth.org
Looking for something but not sure where to start? You can access the search feature from every page on Plymouth.org.
Click the magnifying glass on the top right next to "Give", then enter your topic in the text box and select the page you're looking for!
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Afghan Refugee Family Co-Sponsorship Update
The Afghan family the Immigration Welcoming Working Group is co-sponsoring with the Minnesota Council of Churches has settled into a house. The children old enough for school are enrolled and enjoying it. The family welcomed a new baby in January. Thank you to all Plymouth members and friends who have donated to the IWWG fund to help the family, as well as to all volunteers who have donated time, household goods, and gift cards to assist the family.
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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. Plans are to continue the vigils through the winter, weather permitting. 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
With growing rates of COVID-19 due to the Delta Variant, the number of breakthrough cases, and the extreme contagiousness of the variant; the PCC COVID Advisory Group has decided to re-implement the masking policy in the building.
As of Thursday, July 29, 2021: All Plymouth congregation members, staff, and guests, vaccinated and unvaccinated, will need to wear a mask inside the Plymouth building.
Our goal is to be proactive and preventative while our country gets a handle on the Delta Variant. Our COVID Advisory Group will continue to closely monitor the Delta Variant / COVID-19 and respond accordingly. 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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