“We cannot continue to live like this. And until we change, far too many of us won’t live at all . . . This normal is intolerable”—Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
|
|
|
Say Their Names
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis
As we approach two years after the murder of George Floyd by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department and seven years after the murder of the Mother Emanuel Nine in Charleston, SC, by an avowed white supremacist, another young white man steeped in white supremacist ideology staked out a supermarket in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, NY, and went on a murderous rampage last week, killing Roberta A. Drury, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackneil, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young, and Ruth Whitfield. Say their names.
As tragic as this violence is and as shocking as it is to see so young a person succumb to the poison of hate, there is something so bizarrely familiar about it all. If we are honest, we knew it was bound to happen again. How did we know? We knew because after all of the previous attacks by white supremacists, from Charleston to Charlottesville to the Tree of Life synagogue, the terror and violence were not enough to make us change. Through silence, denial, or indifference, we have assumed that the cause of white supremacist hatred would not claim any more victims. We were wrong. In postings on social media, Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, the pastor of Middle Church in Manhattan, lamented, “We cannot continue to live like this.” How can we continue to live like this?
The predatory behavior of the killer in Buffalo haunts me. He stalked, planned, and prepared for his crimes, unwilling to abide by the possibility of equality, community, and unity. The progress we have made in racial equality and reconciliation, which has not gone far enough, was too much for him. It’s too much for many citizens who think there has already been too much change. It reminds me that change is costly. Some predators want to shake us loose from the path of repair and equality. Some forces seek to separate us from what is good, just, and loving about confronting the failures of the past and the injustices of our present as a way to move forward.
This week, I gathered with preachers from across the world for the Festival of Homiletics, where we wrestled with how to preach amid the many traumas we live with and have been visited upon us over the last few years. We did so with the fresh trauma of what just happened in Buffalo. Slogans, platitudes, the certainties of familiar doctrines, and offers of thoughts and prayers have long since lost their capacity to help us confront trauma and grieve rightly. What is true is that God claims and loves us through it. I have no answers beyond that, but I know that “this normal is intolerable.” So, I say their names.
DeWayne L. Davis
|
|
There will not be a 9 a.m. worship service. |
|
|
|
Campus Task Force Round Table Discussion
Parsons Room
Sunday Forum
Chapel
American Refugees in Sherburne County, presented in collaboration with the Immigrant Welcoming Group
|
|
|
|
Youth Sunday
Features music from graduating seniors, youth bell and vocal choirs, Laura Caviani and the Jazz Trio, and Philip Brunelle.
|
|
Noon
Youth Sunday Celebration
|
|
Join us for music, lunch, ice cream, and games.
Suggested donation of $6 per person to cover food cost.
|
|
|
|
Testimonies: Transformation through Stories (4th Sundays) – an opportunity to explore the narratives of our lives as pathways for growth or hindrance and the spiritual freedom found in sharing them.
|
|
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 are given in loving memory of Carolyn Wertz
(May 21, 1941–February 2, 2022) by Cathy & Mike Crane.
|
|
Contemplative Prayer is offered:
|
|
Looking for Leadership Nominations
Plymouth’s Nominating Committee is seeking nominees for our Boards, Deacons, and Leadership Council (Chair-Elect). As soon as you can, please nominate yourself and/or others by clicking the button below. Plymouth has six Boards: Community Life, Finance and Administration, Fine Arts, Outreach, Spiritual Formation, and Worship. If you have any questions, contact a Board Chair or Eric Olson, Chair-elect. Thank you for your help.
|
|
Sunday Forum
May 22
American Refugees in Sherburne County, presented in collaboration with the Immigrant Welcoming Group
Inside Sherburne County jail in Elk River, 300 immigrants are caged up to 20 hours a day, and never allowed outside; some are detained by ICE for up to a year. Entire families are destroyed by county jails profiting from a federal system criminalizing immigration. One such immigrant, Gregorio Montejo, after 25 years of working in the United States, was taken to Sherburne County Jail.
|
|
Senior Violin Recital
Spencer Bubula is graduating from St. Paul Academy this spring. Beginning fall 2022, he will attend Berklee College of Music, studying Music Production and Violin.
Spencer has grown up in the Plymouth community and in its loving support. All are welcome to attend and celebrate this milestone with Spencer.
|
|
|
Campus Task Force Round Tables
Please join other members and the Plymouth Campus Task Force at Round Table conversations. We are eager to hear your thoughts and dreams about how we can make our church, property, and land more hospitable to our neighbors and guests and to create a stronger sense of community.
One-hour discussion will be held on Sunday, May 22 at 10 a.m. in the Parsons Room immediately before the 11 a.m. service.
Zoom conversations will be held on Tuesday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. and on Wednesday, May 25 at 10 a.m.
Find the Zoom invitation below.
|
|
Leadership Council Discussion Regarding the Summer Embroidery
Plymouth's Leadership Council and Clergy invite Plymouth members into a conversation about the intention, images, and impact of the summer embroidery, Summer of the First Amendment. We will be together for 90 minutes beginning with a presentation followed by a time for questions and comments.
Please join us
May 23, 2022, at 7 p.m. or
June 5, 2022, at 3 p.m. in Guild Hall
We prefer to be in person, yet we understand that doesn't work for everyone. These two presentations will also be made available as a webinar on the same date and time. A link to join these webinars is below, no registration is required.
Leadership Council hopes by the end of this program year, June 30, 2022, to amend the 2019 Embroidery Action Plan by deciding next steps for the summer embroidery, including whether to exhibit or rest it.
Nancy Gores, Chair, Leadership Council.
|
|
Habitat for Humanity
Join other Plymouth members and friends as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer for one or more days during the week of May 24-27. We will be working on a home at 3921 24th Ave S, Minneapolis.
|
|
Marketing Committee Seeks Members
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.
|
|
|
|
Children, Youth, & Families
and Church School
|
|
|
|
Theater 45° presents
What We Hold: Plays of Black Healing
Theater 45° presents What We Hold: Plays of Black Healing. Commissioned two years ago, these three plays by Antonio Duke, C. Michael Menge, and Atlese Robinson are rooted in an experience of reading My Grandmother's Hands together. Directed by Kymani Kahlil, this performance is free of charge with no registration required. Monday, June 6, at 7 p.m. in Guild Hall at Plymouth Church, Minneapolis.
|
|
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.
|
|
Notes from the Shelf Elf
I have the privilege of conducting an inventory of the books in Plymouth’s library, and I am finding wonderful books, big and small, that have probably escaped your notice. I plucked one out and read it: Progressive with Soul: A Handbook for the Christian Left by Penitent (2011).
Pentitent is not the author’s name. He had been a far-right evangelical Christian for a very long time and believed that this self-published book, if it were under his own name, could be harmful to him, his career, his family, and his friends. Penitent writes about his change from far-right to the Christian left. He plunges into scripture to discuss all sorts of hot-button topics: abortion, homosexuality, and global warming.
I will admit the book needs editing, but Penitent is so thoughtful and earnest in his writing that I can quietly ignore the misuse of an apostrophe.
There are dozens of treasures lurking in the library. Come browse the shelves!
|
|
A Personal Connection to Ukrainian Refugee Relief
and How You Can Help!
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 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.
|
|
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.
|
|
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!
|
|
and ask to be removed from this distribution list.
|
|
Plymouth Congregational Church
1900 Nicollet Avenue (at Franklin)
Minneapolis, MN 55403
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
