“I believe with a steadfast faith that there can be never be a situation that is utterly, totally hopeless . . . To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one’s chest to the elements, knowing that in time, the storm will pass.”
—Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Book of Joy
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Choosing Hope
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who served as the Bishop of Johannesburg and the Archbishop of Cape Town during the oppressive years of Apartheid in South Africa, died the day after Christmas. I mourn him. When I was a teenager, I remember planting myself before the television news and scouring the newspapers to hear his wisdom and take on the government’s violent repression of black South Africans. I was blown away by how he spoke forcefully and prophetically against violence and injustice during the worst atrocities without ever shedding his loving, peaceful countenance. I would learn years later, from his conversations with His Holiness the Dalai Lama published in The Book of Joy, that his faith and his deep, unshakeable hope steadied him in those moments of death and despair.
This faith and hope were not theoretical for Archbishop Tutu. Bishop Peter Storey, who served alongside Tutu in leading the South African Council of Churches during Apartheid, tells of the time when the security police menaced him and Archbishop Tutu after they attempted to visit a group of detained Lutheran priests. The security police ran them down as they drove through the bush toward Johannesburg, pulling them over, yelling at them, pointing guns, and threatening to kill them. Storey says Archbishop Tutu never stopped praying. Eventually, the police released them. As Tutu was driving away, Storey could hear him praying still. Looking over at him, Storey noticed that Tutu was driving down the national road with his eyes closed. Storey grabbed the steering wheel while Tutu was praying, concluding, “I drove the car as he talked to God.” I suspect that was Archbishop Tutu’s usual comportment when confronting violence and oppression: choosing hope and talking to God.
Recently, the theologian Miguel De La Torre wrote a book lamenting the abuse of hope that invites the oppressed into inaction. Specifically, he worried about a hope that is illusory and serves to divert people from the task of resisting oppression. Real hope should not lull the vulnerable into justifying injustice and atrocities now, believing that justice awaits them in the afterlife. De La Torre posits that, without the comforting dream that it will all work out in the end, people would respond to injustice with liberating imagination and action rather than a vain, inactive hope. Tutu did not live, serve, or fight with illusory, unimaginative hope. He did not shrink from the prophetic challenge to the violence and injustice of Apartheid. He never allowed resignation and cynicism to extinguish hope. He stepped firmly into the vortex. He chose hope because he knew the storm would pass. Choose hope.
DeWayne L. Davis
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January 23, 2022
Online Worship Only
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No 9 a.m.
Worship Service this week
Sundays at 10
Church School
Online Only
Sunday Forum
Your Powerful Plate: The Positive Benefits of Plant-based Eating
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The prelude begins prior to the service.
Music from the Jazz Trio
Carols arranged by Laura Caviani
THE HOLLY AND THE IVY
SILENT NIGHT
IT CAME UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR
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Sundays at 5 is on hiatus for the month of January.
Contemplative Prayer is offered:
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In Memoriam
Peter Heegaard (January 15, 2022), husband of Anne Heegaard
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Update on Worship and COVID-19 as of January 21, 2022 |
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Dear Beloved Community,
Thank you for the outpouring of prayerful support I have felt as my daughters and I have endured COVID-19. I tested positive on January 10, following Hannah’s positive result on January 5. (Ellie tested positive on December 23, is now in good health, and has returned to her home in Boston.) Hannah and I both became severely ill, with Hannah having to spend a night in the ER. We are all vaccinated, and I am also boosted, and I am humbled by thinking of how even more dangerous or deadly our illness could have been had we not been immunized. Hannah has mostly recovered and is back in school, and I am making progress, but it has been slow and debilitating. I share our story with you because we are exceptions to the narrative that the Omicron variant is mild and “no big deal.” So many others are also grappling with the severity of this illness. Please continue the safe practices of vaccination, caution in large gatherings, masking, and social distancing. And again, thank you for your love and prayers. They have been essential to our healing.
We continue with our month of virtual worship, meetings via Zoom, and church staff working remotely. The Covid Advisory Group is paying close attention to the state data, particularly Hennepin County. Our concern right now is the increase in hospital admissions due to Covid, which has doubled since the beginning of January. All major hospitals in the metro area are reporting ICU capacities of greater than 95%. I invite you to join the Covid Advisory Group in prayer for our beleaguered health care workers as they continue to care for us in difficult and sometimes desperate conditions. Next week the Covid Advisory Group will offer recommendations to the Deacons regarding church events beginning February 1.
I write this on a cold Minnesota day when the high temperature is subzero. In weather like this, most of us prefer to stay cozy at home. Yet I know so many of you are longing to be together with your church community and are battling loneliness in this renewed time of isolation. I am holding you in prayer, trusting in the gift of grace and comfort that comes from the Divine, God binding us together as covenanted family. Lean into this understanding, my friends, especially when we cannot be together. Light a candle and pray for your friends at Plymouth and beyond, offering strength and consolation through thought and spirit. And open yourself to the love that is sure to be returned to you.
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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Retirement Announcement
Emily Venell, long-time staff member, has announced her retirement effective January 31, 2022.
Emily has shared her gifts and talents with the Plymouth congregation, staff, and community for over 22 years. As Ministry Assistant for Hospitality, Emily has been a dedicated and enthusiastic member of the team and will be deeply missed. We are grateful for Emily’s welcoming presence and her willingness to go above and beyond in her work to keep Plymouth running smoothly.
Thank you, Emily, for your valuable contributions as an employee. We wish you all the best as you embark on this new beginning. Congratulations on your retirement!
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Children, Youth, & Families
and Church School
Hi friends!
We are taking a break from in-person Sunday programs to help keep all of you healthy. Just because we are going back to virtual church school for a few weeks doesn't mean we can't do lots of fun things together. Check out the latest news from CCYF to find out about Zoom game days, Nighttime with Nina, and we are planning an outdoor fun day for the end of the month!
Please keep washing your hands and wearing your mask, and we will see each other soon!
Love, Nina
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Sunday Forum
January 23
10 a.m.
Your Powerful Plate: The Positive Benefits of Plant-based Eating
Learn more and gather tips & tools to plan simple, balanced vegan meals. We will touch on the environmental, health, and compassionate benefits of plant-based eating and discuss how to get the fuel you need to feel your best without breaking the bank.
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New Member Introduction
On December 12, 2021, Plymouth Congregational was blessed with 10 new members. Each week we'll highlight a new member to introduce you to.
This week please welcome:
Pat & Dana Chabot
Dana (on right in photo) writes: Pat and I moved back to Minneapolis one year ago from Madison, WI, where we spent the past 20 years of our lives. I’m now retired (as is Pat) after working as a financial manager for 15 or so land trusts and other, small not-for-profit organizations in south-central Wisconsin. Pat and I lived in the Twin Cities until 1992, so this is a long-delayed home coming for us.
Pat (on left) writes: A year ago, my husband Dana and I moved back to Minneapolis from Madison, WI. We were members of a Congregational Church in Madison and wanted to join a church here. We were warmly welcomed when attending outdoor church services at Plymouth this summer, and after participating in some of the One More Chair activities, we’ve decided to become members. A church that is inclusive, strives for social justice, and set in the Christian tradition is important to me.
I am retired from a career of environmental protection work at the MN Pollution Agency (when we lived here in the past) and the WI Department of Natural Resources in Madison.
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As Seen on Plymouth.org
Plymouth is a vibrant, active faith community, full of many passions and many opportunities. This is reflected in all the activities, groups, and offerings at Plymouth Congregational Church and is visible in the depth of the content on our website, Plymouth.org.
Each week, we’ll highlight one thing you can find on Plymouth.org.
The Flame Online publishes information from the This Week at Plymouth email, advertises upcoming opportunities, has links to Along the Way articles and print Flames, and more.
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Downtown Grief Coalition: Meeting on Zoom
We have transitioned back to Zoom for our Saturday morning meetings due to the uptick in COVID cases in our state and winter weather.
Meetings are every Saturday from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and include a speaker and small group time. Please visit www.mplsgriefsupport.com for more information, schedule updates, and resources to help you grieve during these uncertain days.
Use the contact form on the homepage to use to inquire about Zoom credentials.
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Ongoing Tuesday Vigils for Justice
**** Note New Time: 12 Noon****
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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