Prayer List - To see prayer concerns, please visit our prayer board here.
Important Dates
Nov. 24 Newsletter Folding
Dec. 5 Choir Rehearsal - Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 12 Choir Rehearsal - Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 13 Christmas Musical 10 am
Nursery Volunteer Schedule
Dec. 6 - Chana W
Dec. 13 - Maya I
Dec. 20 - Carlos O
Dec. 27 - Hillary P
Jan. 3- Chana W
Jan. 10 - Maya I
Jan. 17 - Carlos O
Jan. 24 - Hillary P
Jan. 31 - LeAnn V
We had another successful Sleep Out this year!
Thank you to our “sleepers”:
Maya I, Carsten I, Hillary P, Tasha S, Kara S, Kimberly W, LeAnn V, Kim T, Laurie L, Tabitha I, and Shane I.
Special thanks to:
Laurie L for all of her work organizing
Barb B for providing breakfast
Everyone who gave in support of The Sleep Out 2009
You can still give to the Sleep Out Campaign. Contact one of our “sleep outers” or, if you would like to make an online donation, visit iocp.ejoinme.org/140 or go to the announcements section at www.plymouthcreek.org
First Light: Jesus and the Kingdom of God
The Adult Sunday School class wants to invite everyone to its newest series; a DVD-based discussion about Jesus and the historical life he lived. These videos travel through the Jewish countryside where Jesus grew up and ministered, and describe that very different world with the best information that modern scholarship has to offer.
Taught by two of America’s leading Biblical Scholars, John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg, men with over 20 books published between them (some of which are on many best-sellers lists), these sessions aim to get behind the written words of the Gospel, and into the social reality that Jesus and his followers navigated. The end result, well, that’s up to you; rest assured, it’s a different Jesus than is popularly discussed, more mature and realistic, perhaps, certainly challenging and empowering. Come be inspired! No previous Sunday School experience required...
SHARING THE BOUNTY----------
Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners will distribute 100,000 pounds of food during the holiday season. We can meet the challenge with your help. Please consider donating early in November or December ---several thousand bags will be prepared for each of the holiday distributions!
Appetizers, potatoes, cheese, sausage, crackers, cake mix, nuts, bread, butter or margarine, rolls, stuffing mix, frosting mix, canned or fresh fruit, aluminum foil,
canned or fresh vegetables, plastic wrap, canned soup, foil, turkey pan, whipped cream mix, holiday napkins, pie crust mix, gift certificates for turkeys
This list can be found online at pccc.pbworks.com/Holiday-needs
A Table Before Me: God's Open-Armed Adventure
Come Join the Adventure!
2009 Adventure in Mission– TABLE HOSPITALITY
Every month will include a different focus; every quarter will bring a new activity; every season will provide more challenge to increase your understanding of Mission, deepen your commitment to Mission, develop your capacity for Mission stewardship.
November Mission Focus: The Sleep Out
December Mission Focus: Toys for Tots
Sharing Our Stories. . .
Waiting for your story!
Based on the NPR “This I Believe” series
Check out thisibelieve.org if you want to learn more
We invite every person at Plymouth Creek to write a "This I Believe" essay regarding one aspect of your faith.
1)350-500 words,
2)Tell a story; make it personal,
3)Describe one thing about your faith, i.e. don't try to include everything.
4)Email them to pastor@plymouthcreek.org, or hand it to Pastor Shane, or send it via snail mail, or slide it under the office door.
Each week for the next year, we will put one or two of these in the weekly bulletin insert, so that we can learn from each other what's important about faith, and how to put that into words.
Every essay will be anonymous- so no one needs to feel self-conscious, competitive or worried about judgment. Only Pastor Shane will know who wrote the essay (or not, if you just slip it under his door!).
Giving thanks in lean timesWednesday, November 18, 2009
Thanksgiving is a time not only to give thanks to God for our bounty, but also a time to remind ourselves of life's essentials.
Thanksgiving is a time not only to give thanks to God for our bounty, but also a time to remind ourselves of life's essentials.
In some homes and communities this season, both in the U.S. and around the world, there is precious little bounty. A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released this week reveals that the number of U.S. households struggling with hunger is at a 14-year high. Perhaps you or someone you know is among those for whom daily bread cannot be taken for granted.
In a recent address, the Rev. John L. McCullough, Church World Service's executive director and CEO, affirmed the spirit of hope cited in the Apostle Paul's first letter to the congregation at Thessalonica.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances… 1 Thessalonians 5:16
McCullough found that Paul's words contain welcome truths for Church World Service's work as we celebrate Thanksgiving and the bounty of harvest, even in these lean times. God calls us to be faithful, to trust and to dream big dreams.
"We are called to be guardians of the dreams,” said McCullough, “and to resist the temptation to turn away from the hurts and pains… If we can only decide to work together…” said McCullough.
That vision calls for working together to protect and nurture God's creation so that there is enough for all – a theme championed by Church World Service as it looks to meet the challenges posed by hunger, poverty and climate change, and ways to promote just and ecologically sustainable development.
In adapting the theme "Enough for All" as a way to look at our relief and development efforts, Church World Service is taking a holistic approach, believing that rich countries in particular need to reconsider their policies and lifestyles so that, together, we can create a more abundant world for all, minimizing the prevalence of hunger, poverty and disease.
In his recent address, McCullough noted that in a nation of plenty, there are still questions about how to define "what is enough." While Americans are among the top 20 percent of the richest people in the world, he said, the United States has the widest gap of personal wealth, between rich and poor, of any industrialized nation.
McCullough says we should give thanks for the bounty of harvests and for what we have, but we should also heed the urgent challenge of poverty in the midst of plenty, for "there is enough food that no one should go hungry, enough water that no one should thirst, and enough love that all children should reach their potential."
We approach Thanksgiving, then, with reverence and appreciation for your help, your unflagging partnership throughout the year. And this year, your prayers and support are more important than ever.
Through your support of our ministry and your participation in CROP Hunger Walks, U.S. pantries and soup kitchens--though stretched--have more than they would otherwise, and are offering a helping hand to families during tough times. And around the world, your support for emergency relief and grassroots development is helping families and communities become stronger and more self-sufficient.
We give thanks for you, for your generosity of spirit, and for your continuing prayers and support. God bless you for the difference you're making in the lives of neighbors in need at home and around the world!
Thanksgiving Greetings!Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Amy is on her way back from the Congo and has asked me to pass her love and gratitude on to everyone.
I will be very brief, because I don't want you to ignore your pumpkin pie for the sake of this email.
I do want you all to know, however, that we at Week of Compassion have much to be thankful for.
In a year of financial struggles all over the world, we have the support of faithful people from across (and beyond) our denomination.
From Amy's leadership to Stephen's creativity to Elaine's ability to keep everything together, we have an exceptional team.
We have the privilege of being able to contribute to a unique ministry, working for justice, peacemaking, safety, security, and renewed hope all over the world.
At the heart of what we do are the beautiful relationships we build -- with partners on the ground, colleagues across the ecumenical world, and with the churches who support Week of Compassion in so many ways.
On this day - and every day - we give great thanks for you all.
Be well, pray for peace, and practice justice this Thanksgiving,
Brandon
Holiday Schedule
Dec. 5 Choir Rehearsal
- Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 12 Choir Rehearsal
- Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 13 Christmas Musical 10 am
Dec. 19 Toys for Tots Distribution
-8 am - 4 pm
Dec. 24 Candlelight Service 5 pm
THIS I BELIEVE
I believe man was not meant to judge one another. The first time I served on a jury, the lawyer dwelt heavily on the personality of the man on trial. Other jury members agreed with me that his guilt depended on what he did--not who or what he was! He was, incidentally, another lawyer who specialized in defending addicts who had committed a crime to support their addiction. The lawyer's "crime" was supporting medical care to relieve the addiction, not punishment for an admitted law infringement.
A number of churches require current members to vote on whether or not to accept new members. I'm proud that we don't--"no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible." Yet, we occasionally make it evident that a member or even a minister is not all that we would like him/her to be.
Thomas Jefferson once said "It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." Jefferson was skeptical of religion, yet revered Jesus as a great moral philosopher. He even assembled a personal edition of the New Testament with scissors and a glue pot, retaining the ethical teachings of Christ, while editing out the miracles. (The Jefferson Bible is available today at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.) As Christians, do we sit in judgment of Thomas Jefferson?
The Saturday Evening Post said "The challenge is to reaffirm our commitment to religious freedom in a way that allows us to address our differences. It will take a real engagement, as individuals and communities, to find a way to protect the rights of people of all faith and no faith." I hope we do.
Pastor's Pen - Click here to read Pastor Shane's latest letter
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