congregation for its generosity. Instead of a church filled with intergenerational buzz and the aromas of harvest home cooking, we were almost the only ones
Sometimes it takes a season in the wilderness to recognize the true gift of home.
This year, we’re celebrating homecoming. Plymouth Church, we are planning a feast to celebrate the goodness of God’s abundant blessings in our lives and the gift of a faith home filled with generous, grateful people. Mark your calendars for November 20! It will be so good to gather around the table together again. I will never take it for granted.
Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday to Plymouth with its Congregationalist roots. It’s a time to kick off the holiday season together in worship and fellowship with our first Thanksgiving Feast since the fall of 2019! We are blessed to be a part of this beautiful faith community. So come, join us, and give thanks during a combined service featuring the musical talent of the Gathering of Grace Band, the Plymouth Brass ensemble, and Chancel Choir. We will honor our 50+ year members and then gather for a massive and delicious Thanksgiving feast.
Plymouth’s Thanksgiving Sunday, outside of the Christmas Eve services and Easter, marks one of the biggest days of our church calendar. Our annual Thanksgiving Dinner feeds nearly 400 members of our community, and it would not be possible without donations of side dishes, pies, money, and the efforts of a team of volunteers. Sign up to donate food and money, or help set up and clean up by stopping by the Featured Ministry Table on Sundays between now and November 13, or sign up in one of the church’s weekly emails between now and then.
We Need Volunteers!
Before we can feast, we need plenty of people to help get the church in order, clean, and set up for our Thanksgiving celebration as we set things up on Saturday, November 19, at 9 am. Then we will need help to clean up after the meal on Sunday, November 20. Sign up on Sundays in the Narthex or by emailing Kathy Funk at kfunk1264@gmail.com.
Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to provide food, money, or a hand in setting up and cleaning up. And we can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday, November 20, for our combined service and feast!
Family Promise of Lawrence, Kansas, is an organization that helps house families experiencing homelessness. Plymouth has been a long term partner of Family Promise and will host families the week of January 8, 2023, for the first time in three years due to the pandemic.
Please attend a Fellowship Forum between services on Sunday, November 13, to learn more about Family Promise and how you can help with our next rotation.
Each year during the Christmas season, we decorate our sanctuary with beautiful poinsettias. Plymouth members and friends purchase the poinsettias, often in memory or in honor of loved ones. Others give directly to the Pastors' Emergency Fund. Likewise, our pastors use the Pastors' Emergency Fund to assist Plymouth members, friends, and community members in need. During this time, the Pastors Emergency Fund has become more critical than ever.
You may order your poinsettias using the QR Code to the left, by filling out an order form at Plymouth on Sundays, or using a link in the church emails.
The Gingerbread House Extravaganza is happening on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at 4 pm in the Mayflower Room! This event is an afternoon of fellowship - making gingerbread houses, singing carols, and eating a light meal together as we begin Advent. Here’s the scoop:
Create your gingerbread house masterpieces beginning at 4 in the Mayflower Room.
Move to the sanctuary for Christmas caroling.
Return to the Mayflower Room for a light meal.
Cost: $15 per gingerbread house
Meal: Free! (but we do need some soup makers!)
Bring the family and enjoy the fun! Sign up online using the QR code to the right, in our weekly
emails, or at plymouthlawrence.com on our News & Events Page. (deadline for reservations is November 27). Wear festive garb or ugly sweaters! Everyone is invited: single people, parents, children, grandparents, and retirees. Enjoy the fun!
This event is sponsored by the Board of Christian Education, the Music and Fine Arts Board, and the Fellowship Board.
On Sunday, December 11, the Chancel Choir will sing “Gloria” by Antonio Vivaldi (1678 1741). “Gloria” is the most familiar and popular piece of sacred music by Vivaldi. Unfortunately, most of his compositions were forgotten by the public, even though his style was influential. The first modern performance of “Gloria” occurred in 1939. According to David Crawford, “Vivaldi, a sickly man since his birth, surely saw enough of life’s tragedies . . . , but no trace of anguish can be found in music like this . . . the ethos of playful optimism prevails.
This quality – perhaps a spiritual peacefulness and an aesthetic stance was surely the most priceless gift the Italian school left to Mozart and us.”
The music, composed for choir with soprano and alto soloists is accompanied by strings, oboe, trumpet, and organ. What a wonderful Sunday to invite friends and family to experience beautiful music at Plymouth.
By Susan McCarthy, Plymouth Historian
About how many “regular” people can you say, that their church is the core of their existence? For Kay Bradt, Plymouth Congregational Church was the heart and soul of her life. She was baptized in the Congregational Church in Denver, Colorado, but her family moved to Lawrence when she was four years old, and her love affair with Plymouth began.
Kay did have a life outside the church. She had two grown children and was married to George Wiley. For many years Kay worked as the Director of Libraries at Baker University. After she retired, all the projects she had put on hold swept her up in a whirlwind of energy, much of that work directed toward numerous tasks at Plymouth.
Her involvement at Plymouth followed structured courses. Involved in choir from an early age, she contributed musical talents by playing the cello with the strings orchestra. A talented knitter, Kay was involved with the Prayer Shawl group for many years. In addition, she served on numerous boards and committees, such as the Sesquicentennial Committee and the Senior Pastor Search Committee in 2018. And, of course, she took command of the Plymouth library and reorganized it.
But perhaps above all, Kay was the go to person for
any questions of a historical nature at Plymouth. What she didn’t know gave her an excuse to do what she loved best look for the answers by digging through records at the Spencer Research Library or in old newspapers. Kay wrote articles about the historic fires in our current building, the Andover Band, the Head Start program, the history of the organ, and on and on. On the Plymouth History Committee, she impressed us with her organizational skills by spending countless hours bringing order to our scattered records. Kay was always ready to work or help out with tasks that needed to be tackled.
Kay was diagnosed with ALS in 2019, and gradually this most capable, energetic, and dedicated woman was quieted by her disease. To honor Kay for a lifetime of commitment to Plymouth and especially to the history of this church, the History Committee asked for council approval to name our history room in her honor. We recently installed a sign above the door to the history room in the basement. On Sunday, October 23, the History Committee members and many members of Kay’s family welcomed Kay back home to see her sign. Kay passed away on Friday, October 28, 2022.
Paula Aiken has been leading the Cherub Choir at Plymouth Church for almost 30 years. She helped with it for several years before she took over as Director. Cherub Choir started because Plymouth member Elin Stein firmly believed that any child could learn to sing. At that time, Plymouth children's choirs began in 4th grade. However, Elin wanted to start a younger choir. So Cherub Choir began with just Kindergarteners and 1st graders participating. Later, preschoolers who were four years or older also joined the Cherub Choir.
Mrs. Stein needed a helper, and Paula's mother volunteered her. Paula continued to help with the choir until she became the Director during the 1993 1994 school year. She co-directed with Jennifer Brown, Jane Johnson, and Doni Mooberry Slough for a few years. After Paula became the sole Director, she recruited older kids to help, drawing many of them from Four Leaf Clover 4 H Club, where Paula still serves as Community Leader.
During Cherub Choir, Paula sits down with the kids each Sunday morning in a big circle on the carpet. First, they practice a song they will be singing in wor-
ship, and then the children pick church songs to sing. Some of the favorite songs the kids sing year after year are "This Little Light of Mine" and "Give Me Oil in My Lamp." At the end of class, Paula often lets the kids play instruments she passes around the circle. The kids love this, also. In addition, Paula worked hard during the pandemic to lead kids in online singing, and the pre recorded Christmas Pageant Plymouth had that year. Year after year, her dedication to the kids is truly outstanding.
Paula's favorite thing about Cherub Choir is hearing the little voices trying their best. Sometimes they are not on the pitch, and sometimes the kids are a little mischievous, but they all tug on her heart. The Cherub Choir has been a great gift to the congregation, the kids, and their families.
Kids also have great memories of participating in Cherub Choir each week and being lambs for the Plymouth Christmas Pageant. As the kids call her, Miss Paula is often their first introduction to singing in a group. Many former Cherub Choir kids have continued to sing in other church choirs, their high school choirs, and in college.
Do you love to sing? Did you sing in choir in high school and have not sung since? Come sing in the Chancel Choir! We are always look for more voices to add to this welcoming and friendly ensemble.
The choir sings a wide variety of music from the Renaissance through contemporary newly published works. Each year the choir sings two major choral works with orchestral accompaniment. The next major work will be on Sunday, December 11.
Don’t worry if you can’t make a strict weekly commitment. We still want you, AND we have at least two parties each year! Rehearsals are in the Mayflower Room on Thursday evenings from 7 8:30 p.m. Come lift your voice up to God in song!
In 1974 the first three octave set of handbells was presented to Plymouth Church as a living memorial to Brad Fisher, who had passed away at the age of 11. That wonderful memorial started the tradition of a large and successful handbell program. Plymouth purchased additional handbells to accommodate the growing number of ringers. In addition to the original three -octave set, Plymouth owns a fiveoctave set and five octaves of handchimes.
Handbell ringing is a fun, collaborative ensemble where each person rings two bells. You don’t need to read music or have any previous experience, as we will teach you everything you need to know. Ringing is a hands on team building social musical ensemble. New ringers are always welcome.
Please contact Kim Manz for more information at music@plymouthlawrence.com.
If you do not sing with the Chancel Choir on a regular basis but would like to sing on Christmas Eve, please contact Kim Manz at music@plymouthlawrence.com for music and a rehearsal schedule. The choir sings at both the 6 and 8 pm services. Additional singers are welcome to sing at either or both services.
The Plymouth String ensemble rehearses Wednesday evenings from 7-8 p.m. in the Althaus Chapel. All string players playing at the high school level or above are invited. Plymouth Strings plays for worship several times throughout the year. Please contact Kim Manz at music@plymouthlawrence.com for more information.
Plymouth's 2023 High School Youth Service Learning Trip destination has been set. This year we will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to work with the Reach Beyond organization focusing on indigenous studies, cultures, and communities. Registration and a $100 deposit are due by November 15, 2022 (Make a check out to "Plymouth Church" with "Service Trip" in the memo line).
The total cost of this student trip is $500, but full and partial scholarships are available. Contact Rev. Caroline Lawson Dean (associatepastor@plymouthlawrence.com) for more information. The full cost for the trip is due by February 1, 2023. You can register by scanning the QR Code to the right.
