- Deacons
and Called to Care
Our Diaconate plays a special role in
the life of our congregation working closely with our
ministers to welcome new members, attending to the spiritual
needs of the congregation, and helping to shape our worship
experience. Deacons are an important point of contact
for all who enter our doors and are available to assist you
at each service and at any time during the year.
- Called to Care:
Our Called to Care
Program exists to help people who are facing life
transitions--birth, illness, death and bereavement.
We assist with prayers, transportation, rides,
childcare, meals and other needed support.
Assistance can be provided on a confidential basis if
needed. Please contact the church office or the
minister if you need assistance.
- Deacon's Fund:
The church takes a
monthly collection for special emergency assistance to
people facing hardship and difficulty with basic
necessities. Confidential assistance is available
by contacting our minister, Rev. Alan Baughcum.
- Still Speaking Initiative: The Still
Speaking Initiative is an outreach effort by the United
Church of Christ and member churches to raise awareness
of the traditions of our faith communities. As
part of this initiative, the Deacons and other church
members are striving to make our church a place that
welcomes everyone who comes to worship with us. If
you have questions about the church, or suggestions for
how we can help you feel more at home in our midst,
please speak with any greeter, deacon, or staff member.
Let us know how we can be of assistance to you.
- Mission and Action
The people of Plymouth
Church feel strongly about sharing our resources with people
less fortunate for the betterment of social conditions
everywhere. We have increased our commitment to
mission from our church budget each year for the last
several years, and now commit 10 percent of our operating
expense to mission activities. Similarly, we tithed 10
percent from our recent Capital Campaign to mission. We offer many opportunities for people to
dedicate resources of time and money to special projects through the
year locally, in the community, state, nation and the world.
Some agencies we support include:
- Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org)
- City Mission Society
- Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries
- Habitat for Humanity (www.habitforhumanity.org)
- Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.org)
- Saturday/Sunday's Bread
- Belmont Food Pantry
- Angel Tree
- Amigos de las Americas
- Heifer International (www.heifer.org)
- Unicef (www.unicef.org)
- Project Bread (www.projectbread.org)
Special Mission:
Refugee Immigration
Ministry
Plymouth Church participates in the
Arlington/Belmont Cluster of the Refugee Immigration
Ministry, a mission to assist people seeking asylum in the
U.S. We are
currently assisting with three people to help with housing,
employment, and support from our community of faith.
From RIM's Website
"People seek asylum when
their own government can no longer protect them from threats
to their lives. Once released into the community, they are
free to begin their lives, but often lack the resources to
effectively do so. It has been reported that there are
asylees moving from shelter to shelter and that there are
teenagers struggling with little support to go to school and
create a life here. With our help, they can become
contributing members of our communities.
- Music
Music stirs the soul and brings a special element to our
worship, sometimes touching people with God's transforming
power in a way that words alone cannot. We draw many
traditional hymns from the Pilgrim Hymnal (1958), and
have introduced a broader array of contemporary and
inclusive-language hymns from other hymnals as well.
Recently, we voted to supplement our Pilgrim Hymnal
with Hymns of Truth and Light. New hymnals will
not arrive until 2009, but we will continue to incorporate
hymns from this hymnal during worship services. Our congregation appreciates a wide range of music.
Recently, Plymouth said farewell
to Helen Thompson Taylor, our spirited minister of music
(choir director, organist and accompanist) for more than 25
years. Plymouth has for many years had a lively adult volunteer choir that averages
15-20 members singing in four parts. Some of our
musicians have professional training as vocalists and
instrumentalists, and we enjoy the company of soloists and
other friends from time to time. The adult choir is
well versed in a wide range of musical styles, from
classical and traditional to spiritual, modern and
innovative. Adult choir meets Thursday evenings at
7:45 pm (except summer) and always welcomes singers!
There are choirs for children and youth that sing on
holidays and as part of other special services through the
church year. Children bring a special joy to our
worship in song and celebration. Children who cannot
attend regular choir practice are still welcome to join in
occasional Sunday rehearsals for special holiday services.
Children's choir rehearsals
are announced in worship and in the newsletter in
advance. All children of the church are welcome to participate.
On special occasions, all choirs join together to form a
Plymouth intergenerational family choir.
Our beautiful hand-built 18-stop Wissinger tracker organ
was installed in 1987-88 and contributes significantly to
the quality of our choral music. We also have a grand
piano in the sanctuary and it enjoys frequent use as well.
Our church has hosted international singing groups from
England, Latvia, Germany and beyond. Our sanctuary has
been filled with music from the Boston Performing Arts
Academy, Celtic instrumentalists and others. We invite you to
make and share music with us.
Plymouth has a long tradition as a
Teaching Parish, assisting in the education and training of
those called to Ministry. Seminarians enrich the life of our
congregation, bringing new energy and ideas, while gaining
valuable experience in many aspects of ministry. Recently
we welcomed Kathleen Kopitsky as a Ministerial Intern
at Plymouth. Past
seminarians from recent years include William Main, Rev. Dr. Marian Williams, Lella Baker, Rev. Patrice Ficken, Rev. Lael Atkinson, and Rev.
Benjamin Davis. We have a special relationship with
Andover Newton Theological School--currently there are several members
at Plymouth who are attending seminary. The Rev. Amanda Howland
Davis was in care and recently ordained at Plymouth, and Diana
Donahue has been recently accepted to be in care at Plymouth.
Plymouth Nursery School was founded in 1946 and continues today
in a sunny space within the church. This is a cooperative school
where parents spend time in the classroom assisting teachers and
spending special days with their children and friends. Children ages 2.9 years up to age 5 (pre-kindergarten) are
welcome. Some spaces are still available for the coming school year. Please
contact the Registrar for more information at 617-484-9992. (Below:
Plymouth Nursery School Playground)
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