 Our Share the Plate partner for August was the STUDENT HOUSING SECURITY INITIATIVE developed three years ago by Lutheran Campus Ministry (LuMin) at CSU. Its goal is to support, both financially and in many other ways, at least some of the 4 in 10 CSU students who find themselves Housing Insecure in the time it takes them to achieve a four-year degree.
What does being “housing insecure” mean? Sleeping on a friend’s couch, living in your car, working three jobs, dropping out for a semester in order to afford both tuition and a place to live next semester Housing Security means having a consistent roof over your head, a refrigerator with food in it, working one job, being able to focus on finishing your degree, and developing a pathway to work or additional study in your chosen field. Our donations of household items through the Student Welcome Event each August help new SHSI participants outfit their apartments. Our gifts through the SHARE THE PLATE offering help subsidize the monthly rent on those apartments. There are 21 students in the SHSI program this 2023-24 academic year. That’s two students x ten apartments – a lot of rent subsidy. Any amount will help keep a student in school, working toward and achieving their goals. For further information on this program and Plymouth’s participation in supporting its students, go to: plymouthucc.org/studentsupport. Plymouth gave $927.50 from Share the Plate in August. Thank you!  The Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition of Northern Colorado (aka ISAAC) formed in 2017, with Plymouth, its Immigration Team, and its Conference Room playing a huge role in helping that happen. It is now a vibrant coalition of 15 Faith Communities and dozens of Community Partners, who work together to achieve immigration justice in Northern Colorado.
It does this by creating bridges between people of different backgrounds – allies and immigrants – in order to facilitate mutual support and understanding between people who normally would have little contact with one another. Together those partnerships have led to growth in mutuality, joint efforts to meet community needs, and broadly-based advocacy to effect changes in policy and justice-directed legislation at local, state and national levels. ISAAC does this through three broad streams of engagement: 1. One is through hosting educational forums and trainings in order to make sure our community is informed about the barriers to access and equity that many immigrants, seasonal workers, asylum seekers and refugees face. Many have been held here at Plymouth, and we call on ISAAC to resource our own Adult Forums and other events as we seek our way as an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation of the UCC. 2. ISAAC is well-regarded for its direct assistance projects, many of which involve a partnership between immigrant-led organizations and a congregation. For example, it was ISAAC that brought Fuerza Latina and our Immigration Team together to deliver meals to home-bound immigrant families during the COVID pandemic. Other forms of Accompaniment, many of which have engaged Plymouth support, include:
3. ISAAC also provides training and opportunities for members of Faith Community Partners like Plymouth to fulfill a number of other forms of accompaniment:
ISAAC believes that the future of Fort Collins is younger, more diverse and multilingual. It’s vision is that Northern Colorado will continue to thrive and, simultaneously, become more equitable. It believes that everyone in our community, including People of Faith like us, has gifts to offer that can help make that happen. Plymouth’s gifts to ISAAC through our Share The Plate offering this month can help make that vision a reality. We call it “making the reign of God visible.” Plymouth contributed $853.00 to ISAAC. Partner for JUne 11-July 2: |
 | Believing that children, if well nourished, are able to participate more fully in the learning environment, McBackpack provides supplemental food to Poudre School District students and their families who otherwise would not have enough food over the weekend. Each week McBackpack volunteers pack food and deliver it to schools throughout the district. At the schools, the food is then placed in backpacks and given to the children to take home. McBackpack began in 2007 when Ann Randall and Gerry Lake approached the Poudre School District to see how they could help with something that would help the students. McBackpack does not know the names of any of the students who receive the food bags - only the school names where the bags will be delivered. (Learn more here.) Our donation to McBackpack was $617.94. |
Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity, is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry and an affiliate of Habitat International.
Their mission is to build safe, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with hard-working families in need. This grassroots effort is made possible through the generous donations of materials, money, and labor from members of the Fort Collins community.
Our next Plymouth Build Day for Habitat is Saturday, October 28. Mark your calendar now; more info coming as it gets closer.
Learn more about FC Habitat here.
We sent $622.24 to Habitat as a result of Share the Plate.
Their mission is to build safe, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with hard-working families in need. This grassroots effort is made possible through the generous donations of materials, money, and labor from members of the Fort Collins community.
Our next Plymouth Build Day for Habitat is Saturday, October 28. Mark your calendar now; more info coming as it gets closer.
Learn more about FC Habitat here.
We sent $622.24 to Habitat as a result of Share the Plate.
Partner for May 28 only:
The UCC's Annual Strengthen the Church Offering
The Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ.
We send $364.00 to Strengthen the Church.
We send $364.00 to Strengthen the Church.
Our Share the Plate partner for April 9-30, 2023 was the Afghan Family we are supporting as they resettle in Fort Collins.
Plymouth and Heart of the Rockies are cosponsors of a family of 6 who fled Afghanistan in 2021 to resettle in Fort Collins. Our activity involves seeking employment, language classes, schooling, legal assistance, medical services, and community engagement to build skills for self sufficiency. Learn the family's story and how you can become involved:
Plymouth sent $1679 to this ministry from Share the Plate in April.
Plymouth and Heart of the Rockies are cosponsors of a family of 6 who fled Afghanistan in 2021 to resettle in Fort Collins. Our activity involves seeking employment, language classes, schooling, legal assistance, medical services, and community engagement to build skills for self sufficiency. Learn the family's story and how you can become involved:
- Read the background article.
- Read more on our Immigration Ministry Team page
Plymouth sent $1679 to this ministry from Share the Plate in April.
Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) provides free immigration legal services to immigrant children and to adults in immigration detention.
RMIAN is a nonprofit organization that serves low-income adults and children in immigration proceedings. RMIAN promotes knowledge of legal rights, provides effective representation to ensure due process, works to improve detention conditions, and promotes a more humane immigration system, including alternatives to detention.
Values Statement: We believe that justice for immigrants means justice for all. We respect the needs and celebrate the contributions of the individuals and communities that we serve. We believe our clients are equal partners in accessing justice. We value respect for all human beings, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or legal status.
Learn about RMIAN's services
RMIAN is a nonprofit organization that serves low-income adults and children in immigration proceedings. RMIAN promotes knowledge of legal rights, provides effective representation to ensure due process, works to improve detention conditions, and promotes a more humane immigration system, including alternatives to detention.
Values Statement: We believe that justice for immigrants means justice for all. We respect the needs and celebrate the contributions of the individuals and communities that we serve. We believe our clients are equal partners in accessing justice. We value respect for all human beings, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or legal status.
Learn about RMIAN's services
A total of $910 was donated to RMAIN from Share the Plate contributions in March and April 2023.
The mission of the Mobile Laundry Program of Homeward Alliance is to break down barriers to success for low-income families and for adults experiencing homelessness in Larimer County, through free, mobile laundry services.
The Mobile Laundry truck is equipped with six sets of washers and dryers. They identify regular, predictable locations in Loveland and Fort Collins for program participants to drop off their dirty clothes and then pick them up 90 minutes later (or at the end of the day), clean, dry and folded!
Why Laundry? Poudre and Thompson School Districts report, on average, 2,150 students experience homelessness each year. Families who lack a fixed, regular place to live struggle to meet their basic needs-including access to laundry. Larimer County school personnel report that students are negatively impacted by the lack of clean clothing, including school absences, social stigma and self-esteem issues.
The Loveland community lacks sufficient laundry services for people experiencing homelessness and not having access to clean clothes is a proven barrier to success. Primary hygiene needs such as laundry are often overlooked but essential for anyone trying to secure employment, compete for affordable housing and regain their self-sufficiency.
Learn more
The Mobile Laundry truck is equipped with six sets of washers and dryers. They identify regular, predictable locations in Loveland and Fort Collins for program participants to drop off their dirty clothes and then pick them up 90 minutes later (or at the end of the day), clean, dry and folded!
Why Laundry? Poudre and Thompson School Districts report, on average, 2,150 students experience homelessness each year. Families who lack a fixed, regular place to live struggle to meet their basic needs-including access to laundry. Larimer County school personnel report that students are negatively impacted by the lack of clean clothing, including school absences, social stigma and self-esteem issues.
The Loveland community lacks sufficient laundry services for people experiencing homelessness and not having access to clean clothes is a proven barrier to success. Primary hygiene needs such as laundry are often overlooked but essential for anyone trying to secure employment, compete for affordable housing and regain their self-sufficiency.
Learn more
The amount donated to the Mobile Laundry project was $1158.46.
Partner for January 2023:
Faith Family Hospitality
FFH is a project of the Family Housing Network of Fort Collins
In 2009, a group of leaders from different faith communities began discussing the possibility of expanding the work of Loveland’s Angel House, a member of the national Interfaith Hospitality Network/Family Promise program. By 2011, sixteen congregations had been recruited that were willing to host up to four families that were experiencing homelessness for a week at a time, from 5pm to 7am the following day on a rotating basis. In In January 2012, Faith Family Hospitality sheltered its first overnight guest family. Learn more
Overnight Program (Faith Family Hospitality)
Faith Family Hospitality (FFH), our overnight program, accommodates four guest families (up to 22 parents and children) at a time. This interfaith project unites diverse faith communities through a shared mission of service.
Each family receives:
Visit Plymouth's FFH page to learn more or contact leaders with questions or to volunteer.
In 2009, a group of leaders from different faith communities began discussing the possibility of expanding the work of Loveland’s Angel House, a member of the national Interfaith Hospitality Network/Family Promise program. By 2011, sixteen congregations had been recruited that were willing to host up to four families that were experiencing homelessness for a week at a time, from 5pm to 7am the following day on a rotating basis. In In January 2012, Faith Family Hospitality sheltered its first overnight guest family. Learn more
Overnight Program (Faith Family Hospitality)
Faith Family Hospitality (FFH), our overnight program, accommodates four guest families (up to 22 parents and children) at a time. This interfaith project unites diverse faith communities through a shared mission of service.
Each family receives:
- a private family room in which to sleep and keep possessions secure
- warm, nutritious evening meals
- breakfast each morning
- packed snacks and lunch to go if desired
- gracious hospitality and volunteer support from FFH member congregations
Visit Plymouth's FFH page to learn more or contact leaders with questions or to volunteer.
The amount donated to FFH was $493.36.
Helping Our Neighbors Keep Their Homes
Since 2008, Neighbor to Neighbor has successfully prevented foreclosure for over 1200 Larimer County households. Learn more.
Share the Plate contributed $770.75 to this organization.
Note: in addition, youth fundraising (Sleepout, coffee cart) raised $10,821.30 for N2N in 2022!
Since 2008, Neighbor to Neighbor has successfully prevented foreclosure for over 1200 Larimer County households. Learn more.
Share the Plate contributed $770.75 to this organization.
Note: in addition, youth fundraising (Sleepout, coffee cart) raised $10,821.30 for N2N in 2022!
Plymouth World Missions Ministry Team
Through its World Missions Ministry Team, Plymouth supports three significant programs in the Middle East and Africa:
- Lango School in Ethiopia, a program developed by the Mekane Yesus Church, to provide “kindergarten” classes for rural children whose parents could not afford the fees for such classes and often needed their children’s labor at home, thus delaying their education. Through the help of Bob and Nancy Sturtevant, who were in the area as Peace Corps Volunteers, Plymouth, and friends from several other countries, the school has now expanded to several grades and has a building of its own.
- Rawdat El-Zuhur School in East Jerusalem, which was created in 1952 to serve impoverished Palestinian girls whose families had been dislocated following the creation of the State of Israel. It is now a thriving co-ed school, serving over 200 children, both Muslim and Christian.
- Masazane Soup Kitchen and Child Protection Project in Mbekweni Township near Capetown, South Africa, created in 2012 by six Gogos (grandmothers), members of the Rondebosch United Church in Capetown, and Plymouth member, Marilyn Votaw. Concerned that education was the way out of poverty – but that hungry children can’t learn well – the program provides a nutritious meal for up to 500 children a day. The program also serves as a community resource, providing access to medical care and other life-saving support, including foster care in the homes of participating Gogos, for the most vulnerable of these children, some of whom were orphaned by AIDS.
Total shared with World Missions ministries: $1011.50
The United Church of Christ is issuing an appeal to support immediate needs for families and communities affected by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian.
While this year’s hurricane season started slowly, the last two weeks have made it clear just how dangerous and destructive these storms can be. With wind speeds topping out at 130 miles per hour and 155 miles per hour, respectively, Hurricanes Fiona and Ian have left devastation in their wake. More than a week and a half after Fiona’s winds left all of Puerto Rico in the dark, hundreds of thousands of people remain without power. Communities remain in crisis mode as the delivery of food, drinking water, and medical needs is challenged in hard-to-reach places cut off by downed trees, mudslides, and washed away bridges.
Millions have lost power and access to clean drinking water. The need for emergency food support, medical care, and temporary shelter is high.
Rev. Edward Rivera-Santiago, Pastor General of Iglesia Evangélica Unida de Puerto Rico, shared that congregations across the island are reporting damage to the homes of both church and community members, with some people facing total loss. Solidarity grants from Global H.O.P.E. and Global Ministries have been sent to assist with immediate needs while basic infrastructure is repaired and more complete assessments can be made.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian still rages, with widespread damage in Cuba, flooding and wind damage across Florida, and coastal flooding threatening Georgia and the Carolinas. It is way too early to know the full extent of damage in Cuba and in Florida, yet early indications point to a recovery that will take many years – perhaps a decade.
Emergency response personnel are active. Relief agencies are meeting immediate needs where they can gain access to communities hard hit by the storm. United Church of Christ partners through National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster who focus on relief are implementing their plans. Global Ministries Area Executive for Latin America Angel Luis Rivera is in touch with bilateral partners. Conference leaders and Conference Disaster Coordinators are making contact, assessing needs, and communicating with the Global H.O.P.E. team so that help can be channeled, now and for the long term.
Your generous financial support will be used by our partners in the areas of greatest need, for relief and long-term recovery.
Plymouth sent $1513.50 to help.
While this year’s hurricane season started slowly, the last two weeks have made it clear just how dangerous and destructive these storms can be. With wind speeds topping out at 130 miles per hour and 155 miles per hour, respectively, Hurricanes Fiona and Ian have left devastation in their wake. More than a week and a half after Fiona’s winds left all of Puerto Rico in the dark, hundreds of thousands of people remain without power. Communities remain in crisis mode as the delivery of food, drinking water, and medical needs is challenged in hard-to-reach places cut off by downed trees, mudslides, and washed away bridges.
Millions have lost power and access to clean drinking water. The need for emergency food support, medical care, and temporary shelter is high.
Rev. Edward Rivera-Santiago, Pastor General of Iglesia Evangélica Unida de Puerto Rico, shared that congregations across the island are reporting damage to the homes of both church and community members, with some people facing total loss. Solidarity grants from Global H.O.P.E. and Global Ministries have been sent to assist with immediate needs while basic infrastructure is repaired and more complete assessments can be made.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian still rages, with widespread damage in Cuba, flooding and wind damage across Florida, and coastal flooding threatening Georgia and the Carolinas. It is way too early to know the full extent of damage in Cuba and in Florida, yet early indications point to a recovery that will take many years – perhaps a decade.
Emergency response personnel are active. Relief agencies are meeting immediate needs where they can gain access to communities hard hit by the storm. United Church of Christ partners through National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster who focus on relief are implementing their plans. Global Ministries Area Executive for Latin America Angel Luis Rivera is in touch with bilateral partners. Conference leaders and Conference Disaster Coordinators are making contact, assessing needs, and communicating with the Global H.O.P.E. team so that help can be channeled, now and for the long term.
Your generous financial support will be used by our partners in the areas of greatest need, for relief and long-term recovery.
Plymouth sent $1513.50 to help.
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the United Church of Christ that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry (CAIM). Two-thirds of this offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to UCC churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice.
In 2022, Neighbors in Need focuses on economic justice. Plymouth sent $740 to this one-day offering.
FAQ on the NIN offering here.
In 2022, Neighbors in Need focuses on economic justice. Plymouth sent $740 to this one-day offering.
FAQ on the NIN offering here.
La Familia has served working families and the Latinx community in Northern Colorado since 1995, and is one of 33 family resource centers in the state. Their center is seen as a safe and a trusted space, where children and families learn and connect with each other improving social skills, reducing social isolation, developing leadership skills, and gaining access to community resources. Their high-quality Early Childhood Education Program serves more than 75 children whose parents work and attend school.
Mission statement: Working alongside diverse families we provide high quality childcare and supportive services, with an emphasis on cultural attunement with the Latinx community. This work is done with an explicit vision of creating a community in which all families are safe, supported, and thriving.
We sent $896.67 to La Familia for the September Share the Plate.
Housing insecurity is an issue for four in 10 CSU students.
Lutheran Campus Ministry, in collaboration with churches like us, decided to do something about it: Subsidize the cost of housing and provide the opportunity to be safe in community with one another. Your gifts will support 18 students this year.
Learn all about our student support August event and more at their special web page, where you can also see a video of the students! plymouthucc.org/studentsupport
Lutheran Campus Ministry, in collaboration with churches like us, decided to do something about it: Subsidize the cost of housing and provide the opportunity to be safe in community with one another. Your gifts will support 18 students this year.
Learn all about our student support August event and more at their special web page, where you can also see a video of the students! plymouthucc.org/studentsupport
Share the Plate provided $879.28 for this project (this does not include money raised separately by the Welcome Event).
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