Bending Toward Justice

​“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ― Howard Thurman

Welcome back to Plymouth after a summer of travel and fun. Welcome back, even in the midst of the uncertainty of Delta variant viruses and continued social distancing and masks! Welcome back, whether you can meet with us in person to worship, or whether you are joining us through livestream! 

As our bridge pastor, Rev. Ron Patterson, challenged us on August 22nd: we are the church, God’s gathered and beloved community, whether we are in the meeting house and sanctuary building or not. We are the church of Jesus, the liberator and redeemer, our model for inclusion and justice, wherever we find ourselves in the world. We meet in worship for sustenance and inspiration to be the church in the world. Our faith awakens and enlivens us in good times and tough times. As Christian theologian and minister, educator and mystic, Howard Thurman, wrote, “the world needs … people who have come alive!” 

Christian Formation is alive and well at Plymouth as we begin fall programming. There will be outside, intergenerational Sunday School activities for children, teens and families starting at 10 am on September 12 on the Plymouth lawn. (And running into October as the weather allows.) We will explore together through activities and crafts Bible stories that prompt us to ask “Who Are Our Neighbors?”  At 10 am adults can join the Adult Forum sessions that will be in the Forum Room. We are hoping to live stream the Forums in some way (maybe on Zoom), and possibly link them to the Fireside Room for overflow seating, so we can remain socially distanced.

To join in being alive in the world with God’s justice and love, I hope you will consider joining one of our two adult book studies that begin in September. 

• Wednesday evening book study (7 pm September 8-29 on Zoom) Charnley Marsden (Rev. Ron Patterson’s spouse and grandmother of Heath and Quinn Eccelston) will lead a study of Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be An Antiracist, a New York Times bestseller and a groundbreaking approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves.  Charnley has led this study with great success in the UCC church she and Ron are members of in Tacoma, WA.  (Register Here) Ibram X. Kendi reminds us that “the opposite of “racist” is not “not racist.” It is anti-racist. From the book’s website "In his memoir, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science--including the story of his own awakening to antiracism--bringing it all together in a cogent, accessible form. He begins by helping us rethink our most deeply held, if implicit, beliefs and our most intimate personal relationships (including beliefs about race and IQ and interracial social relations) and reexamines the policies and larger social arrangements we support." Once again I hope you will join Charnley and other in this important conversation. Register Here​

• Tuesday evening book study (7 pm September 14 – October 5 on Zoom) for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, mentors -- all those nurturing the next generation will look at essays addressing the “Isms” in The Sandbox Revolution: Raising Kids for a Just World, edited by Lydia Wylie-Kellermann. Led by Rev. Laura Nelson, (Interfaith Council president and the mother of 5-year-old twins). (Register Here) From the book’s website, "It is a complex time to be a parent. Our climate is in crisis, and economic inequality is deepening. Racialized violence is spreading, and school shootings are escalating. How do we, as parents, cultivate in our children a love of the earth, a cry for justice, and a commitment to nonviolence? Where do we place our bodies so we teach our kids that resistance is crucial and change is possible? What practices do we hold as a family to encourage them to work with their hands, honor their hearts, and nurture their spirits? The Sandbox Revolution calls upon our collective wisdom to wrestle with the questions, navigate the challenges, offer concrete practices, and remind parents of the sacredness of the work. Written by parents who are also writers, pastors, teachers, organizers, artists, gardeners, and activists, this anthology offers a diversity of voices and experiences on topics that include education, money, anti-racism, resistance, spirituality, disability justice, and earth care." Join Laura in discerning and discussing the complexities of parenthood as a progressive person of faith. Register Here

Author

The Rev. Jane Anne Ferguson, Associate Minister, is a writer, storyteller, and contributor to Feasting on the Word, a popular biblical commentary. She is also the writer of sermon-stories.com, a lectionary-based story-commentary series.