Prayer List - To see prayer concerns, please visit our prayer board here.
Important Dates
Nov. 17 Board Meeting 7 pm
Nov 21 Change Lights in Sanctuary, Hanging of Greens Preparation 9:30 am
Nov. 22 Foodshelf offering for IOCP during worship service
Nov. 29 Hanging of the Greens Service
Dec. 5 Choir Rehearsal - Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 12 Choir Rehearsal - Sanctuary 9 am - 12 pm
Dec. 13 Christmas Cantata 10 am
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----------
This November 22nd, we invite you to bring your food items to church. We will have a special offering during the service during which you will have the chance to bring your items forward and add to our cornucopia. As you know, with the current economic conditions, the demand at food shelves is greater than ever. For a list of holiday specific items, read below:
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!).
Oct 08, 2009Associate General Minister and Vice President: Tough Times Are An Opportunity To Live Out What Christians Say They Believe
Embracing the spiritual discipline of stewardship in tough times means that Christians must live out what they say they believe, according to Associate General Minister and Vice President Todd Adams. Adams recently took part in an event for judicatory leaders as part of the Leadership Education program at Duke Divinity School. In an interview with “Faith & Leadership,” the program’s online magazine, Adams said the Church needs to monitor expenses, making sure to maximize every dollar that is entrusted to it. At the same time it must clearly relay the message that we serve an abundant God who has provided us with more than enough for what we need.
As part of his job, Adams is responsible for promotion and interpretation of the church’s common fund – Disciples Mission Fund - which involves the receipt and distribution of DMF with 72 ministry partners. He is also responsible for fundraising and promotion, which he sees as an opportunity. “We really need to articulate the message of hope, the good news that the church has to offer in the midst of all of this bad news that is going on around us,” said Adams. To view his interview, entitled “We serve a God of abundance,” visit:
www.faithandleadership.duke.edu/multimedia/todd-adams-we-serve-god-abundance
WAYZATA WOMEN’S CHORUS TO PERFORM
The Wayzata Women’s Chorus will be celebrating the holidays with two lively musical events.
On Saturday, December 12th, the 24th Annual Holiday concert to be presented at St Edward the Confessor Episcopal Church, 865 Ferndale Rd N, Wayzata at 3:00 p.m. will feature Vivaldi’s “Gloria.” In addition they will sing many holiday favorites such as “The Christmas Song”, “White Christmas” and “Celebrate Joy.”
On Sunday, December 13th, there will be a repeat performance of the concert at Faith United Methodist Church, 2708 33rd Ave NE in St Anthony, MN at 3:00 p.m. Childcare will be available at this concert only.
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi composed the “Gloria” in Venice, probably in 1715, for the choir of the Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage for girls (or more probably a home, generously endowed by the girls’ “anonymous” fathers, for the illegitimate daughters of Venetian noblemen and their mistresses). The Ospedale prided itself on the quality of its musical education and the excellence of its choir and orchestra.. Vivaldi, a priest, music teacher and virtuoso violinist, composed many sacred works for the Ospedale, where he spent most of his career, as well as hundreds of instrumental concertos to be played by the girls’ orchestra. This, his most famous choral piece, presents the traditional “Gloria” from the Latin Mass.
Tickets are $15.00 adults 18-61; $10.00 for seniors 62+ and youth 8-17. Children seven and under are free. Childcare will be available at the Faith UMC concert only. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or by calling Carla at 612-788-6862. The chorus is directed by Carole Birch and accompanied by Mary Fadden.
Founded in 1985, this award-winning chorus is composed of women of many ages who share a love of music and enjoy performing in a variety of venues. The chorus is well respected for the depth of their repertoire. They attained the Bronze Level at the Salzburg, Austria Choral Competition in 1995; participated in the North Carolina Music Festival in 1997; and, participated in the Southern New England Music Festival in 2006.
PROPINQUITY WITH GOD
I have always been one of those people who tends to envision what can be rather than what is at a particular moment in time. This trait has been helpful and humorous in my life. When Amy and I were preparing to be married I convinced her that we should buy this cute house out in the country for only $12,000. Despite its cuteness the house had a few things that needed to be fixed or remolded to make it a home. We simply needed to refinish the old wood floors, repair 3 of the ceilings, redo the bathroom, replace the kitchen counters, completely remodel the upstairs loft, replace or fix the ancient floor furnace, creatively deal with the dingy looking paneling throughout the house and paint everything. However, true to my nature I saw this place for what it could be and not what it was at the time. For 3 months leading up to our wedding I spent every evening and weekend working to bring the actual house to a condition that looked like the home I had envisioned and more importantly promised Amy it would become.
I recently spent a Sunday up in Estherville, IA and received advice and vision from an elder of that church. The advice was really a conversation in which we both learned from the other. Just the same, what I heard reminded me of the experience of that first house of ours. With great wisdom he retold the Estherville church story in such a way that it was clear that throughout its history there have been times when the people have gathered together and other times when they have drifted apart. He expressed that it was not so much that we all stopped coming to church necessarily but the drifting apart was more about not having a common purpose or challenge. The drifting apart started when what we saw was what was and not what could be!
May we continue to experience what can be and what will be in this house we call the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Upper Midwest.
Blessings BSD
Pastor's Pen - Click here to read Pastor Shane's latest letter
