Change and new life seem to be everywhere this time of year, as we celebrate Easter and as the long Colorado winter finally gives way to spring. Plymouth is also entering a period of transformation!
 
Some of these changes involve our physical infrastructure. In the coming weeks, you’ll see crews at work installing a new sloped roof above the Fellowship Hall and Fireside Room. Leaks and standing water on our current flat roof have been a problem for decades, so I’m thrilled that we’re finally able to address this critical need. Your Leadership Council anticipates funding this project by drawing on our reserves, with no need to take out a loan. Over the coming weeks, a small team of members will also be working to identify other areas where our facility could better support our community—and embody our values—with the goal of launching a capital campaign later this year to fund priority improvements and replenish our reserves. Stay tuned! 
 
Accompanying these physical changes, ministry at Plymouth is also entering a period of transition, as Hal prepares to retire after 21 years as Plymouth’s senior minister. Like many others, I find myself experiencing a range of emotions, including sadness at the loss Hal’s departure will be for Plymouth, as well as hope for new beginnings in the years to come. Leadership Council’s first step in navigating this process will be to meet with acting Rocky Mountain Conference minister Erin Gilmore to learn about what other congregations in our region have been doing and what resources are available to us. I don’t yet know what this process will look like beyond that, but I do know that we are committed to being transparent and intentional, so expect to hear lots more as we move forward. 
 
I’m excited to see how Plymouth grows and changes in the months and years ahead!

Adam

COVID has changed how we think about so much, including the church. In a post-COVID world, faith communities have been invited to think anew about their building and land. What is the role of the building and the land in the church’s mission to its surrounding community? What does the church and its land/building owe to the surrounding community, if anything?

Post-COVID, churches are invited to consider their land and buildings as shared assets of the community to maximize their mission. Even mature and thriving congregations have relatively low space usage. This reality is becoming more apparent. Some congregations are rethinking how they use their physical space.

As you may know, I have a podcast with Reverend Doctor Mandy Todd called Jesus Has Left the Building. In this season of the podcast, we hear the stories of several local Fort Collins congregations that re-imagined how they live in relationship to their physical space and land.  

Many of you have already heard the story of Heart of the Rockies Christian Church (DOC) and how they shared their land to create affordable housing.  They are getting brand new neighbors who eat, sleep, work, and live near the church, indeed on its land.

Listen to this inspiring story by Pastor Melissa and Pastor Wendy.
Season 8, Altered States, Episode 1 Faith is Built on Three Legs.

Marta

This past weekend, I got to spend time in Sunday School. We read a beautiful Easter story and then the kids practiced their parade for Palm Sunday. While we were talking about our wondering questions, one of our six-year-olds was wondering about the cross. And she said, “I think when Jesus died, God took everyone’s faithfulness and gathered it all up and Jesus came with love.” So I got to thinking about the cross – it was part of our Easter story, it was a focus in worship, and this six-year-old just gave one of the best sermons I’ve heard on it. And then I was reflecting on my own cross-generational approach to ministry. 

Cross-generational is a little different from our usual buzzwords like intergenerational or multi-generational. We can have different generations in the same room, which we do every Sunday, and call ourselves “intergenerational.” But are we reaching across the generations? Friends over 60, do you have friends who are 6? Or friends who are 16? Do you know their names? Research tells us that students who grow up with ten adults in church who know their name are exponentially more likely to stay in church when they become adults themselves. 

I also like using “cross-generational” because it throws in a little reminder of Jesus’ work - specifically the work of the cross. As we draw nearer to Easter, we have some special plans for cross-generational formation. Our Palm Sunday worship will feature moments our young friends lead us. And during the 10 o’clock hour, we will have a Stations of the Cross ritual waiting for you, so you can also reflect on Jesus’ work of the cross. 

Brooklyn

**Cross-generational Formation: all ages are intentionally engaged in ways that are appropriate for their faith development and spiritual formation. The perspectives with the least amount of power – generally our youngest – are centered so that all perspectives are equal.

Different things have shaped and informed our spiritual journeys as we walk through life. It’s unlikely that you are in exactly the same spiritual place that you were ten or twenty (or sixty…) years ago. Are there things that have brought freshness into your spiritual life along the way?
 
A deep influence on my journey has been Celtic Christian spirituality. Back in 2007, I was given a Lilly Clergy Renewal grant that helped Plymouth support my sabbatical and also helped bring parts of my experience back to Plymouth. The Lilly grant helped fund the first visits of John Philip Newell and John Bell, Scottish ministers involved with the Iona Community, which provided the initial impetus for the Visiting Scholar program.
 
There are other enduring reminders of Celtic spirituality at Plymouth that include our Living Celtic Christianity group that has been meeting for 16 years, the lovely Celtic cross in our memorial garden that mirrors a slab cross in Glendalough, Ireland. And I know that the influence of Celtic spirituality stays with those who traveled on pilgrimages with Jane Anne and me to Ireland and Scotland and with others as well.
 
What drew me to Celtic spirituality was its authenticity and breadth. Concern for the created world and for humanity is an essential element of the tradition that carries over from the indigenous traditions of the early Celtic world. The inherent goodness of creation is seen through prayers that reflect everyday experience. You may hear that in the benediction I often use: “Deep peace of the running wave to you…”
 
Here is a prayer I use each morning:

Christ as a light, illumine and guide me.
Christ as a shield overshadow me.
Christ over me, Christ under me,
Christ beside me on my left and on my right.
This day, be within and without me.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak
And in the heart of each who speaks unto me
Christ as a light, Christ as a shield,
Christ beside me on my left and on my right.
 
The inclusion of women in leadership, while not universal, is solidly within the tradition. St. Brigid of Kildare led a monastery that included both women and men. And her legacy continues in Kildare at Solas Bhride, a community of eco-feminist nuns we visited on our pilgrimage.
 
There is obviously a lot more of the tradition to explore! Happily, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, and we will be celebrating on March 17 with worship in the Celtic style. I hope you’ll join us at Plymouth for worship.
 
Blessings to you!

P.S. Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time begins Saturday night: Spring Forward!