 Our Share the Plate partner for August is the STUDENT HOUSING SECURITY INITIATIVE developed a few 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. 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 $678.50 to this program in August.  One Sunday in late fall 2022, a Palestinian man named Darwish Darwish came to Plymouth’s door. He had little money and was cold, hungry and without a place to stay, as CSU offices were closed for winter break. He had approached other nearby Faith Communities, but was turned away as none had the resources or capacity to be of help to him. Plymouth’s response was different…. Emergency supplies, King Sooper’s gift cards, warm clothing and funding to gain access to a CSU apartment and begin initial English classes were provided. An informal team was assembled to support him during his initial months in Fort Collins. Since, his family has joined him, he has applied for asylum, and is awaiting Work Authorization. “Team Darwish” - a sub-group of Plymouth’s Immigration Team - has been supporting the family in a variety of ways, including transportation, rent support, childcare during appointments, and applying for community resources available to them. Through Plymouth’s partnership with ISAAC, they have had excellent guidance and support, including access to an immigration attorney who is handling Darwish’s application for asylum, which is slowly making its way through the lengthy review process. Darwish and Aseel are both professionals, having trained and worked as engineers. They came to the U.S. with Student and Student Spouse Visas – but few other resources apart from their deep desire to live their lives free of violence and injustice. They long to raise their family in peace. They yearn to become contributing citizens of the U.S. They live in hope of becoming Americans! We are blessed to be part of making that possible. Darwish, Aseel and their children have no family in this country. Their families in Palestine and Jordan are unable to help. Their own funds were exhausted in getting here. They have, however, become beloved members of our extended Plymouth family. A dinner on July 11 will let Plymouth members and friends become better acquainted with the family and raise funds to help Plymouth continue such support. [To attend or donate in support of the dinner, visit our Immigration page] Funds raised through our July Share The Plate donations will provide additional resources to help the family through these final months as we await Darwish’s Work Authorization and access to sustainable income. Thank you! Plymouth donated $532.00 to the Immigrant Support Fund via Share the Plate, as well as additional money from the dinner and other specifi donations.  Formerly Out Boulder County, Rocky Mountain Equality's mission is to work collaboratively to create connection and provide advocacy, education, research, cultural events, and responsive programs and services that ensure LGBTQ+ people, families, and communities thrive.
The newly launched Rocky Mountain Equality will aggressively defend freedom, dignity, and opportunity while providing life-saving services for LGBTQ people and communities across the state of Colorado. “This is a natural evolution for us,” says Executive Director Mardi Moore, who took the helm in 2013. “The needs of the LGBTQ community don’t stop at the borders of Boulder County, so why should our work? Over the last decade, we have prided ourselves on meeting LGBTQ+ people and communities where they are, along the Front Range and beyond. Rocky Mountain Equality accurately shows the breadth and depth of our commitment.” Learn more at their new website, rmequality.org. Plymouth gave $1,155.12 to Rocky Mountain Equality.  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 gave $969.50 to ISAAC through Share the Plate.  The UCC's Strengthen the Church Offering is our Share the Plate recipient Sunday 5/19. The offering supports leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and congregational innovation in the UCC. To donate, mark your check "Strengthen the Church;" cash and unmarked checks are split as Share the Plate: 50% for UCC offering, 50% for Plymouth general support.
For UCC offerings only, you may put STC on the memo line to donate 100% to the offering or use the Give Now form (check YES at Annual UCC Fund Donations and pick Strengthen the Church in the fund dropdown). Plymouth donated $465.50 to Strengthen the Church.  Hispanic Women’s Farming Proyecto was conceptualized by MaryLou Smith, as a way for her farm west of Windsor to use its land and water to produce high-quality vegetables for local benefit while providing opportunities for immigrant and refugee women to learn about agriculture and business by growing and selling our own vegetables in Northern Colorado.
Proyecto trains immigrant women in the development of sustainable farming and marketing skills. It also supports women in establishing their own plots and is expanding to include other women in nearby communities. Members of Proyecto joined us on Apr. 21 at our Earth Sunday celebration. Visit their website to learn more. Plymouth donated $1273.37 to Hispanic Women's Farming Projecto.  UCC Global H.O.P.E. Middle East Support Fund
The war in Israel/Palestine has claimed thousands of lives, injured tens of thousands of people and displaced approximately one million Palestinians in Gaza. Half are in emergency shelters set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) while it is increasingly difficult for Gazan Palestinians to find safe space, as even hospitals and a church have sustained damage. Food, water, fuel, and electricity have been cut off, and supplies are running out. Convoys of trucks from Egypt carrying humanitarian relief await the opportunity to pass through the damaged Rafah border crossing while other entrances to Gaza remain closed. Along with ecumenical partners, the UCC is calling for:
More details can be found at https://support.ucc.org/middleeast Plymouth donated $2,746.72 to the UCC Global HOPE Middle East Support Fund. Partner for March 10 only: UCC Annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering  Share the Light
One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special mission offering of the United Church of Christ involves you in disaster, refugee/immigration, and development ministries throughout the world. When a disaster strikes or people are displaced or made refugees by violence or extreme poverty, you are part of the immediate response and of the long-term recovery. Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment. Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief, accompaniment and recovery of the most vulnerable. You meet immediate needs and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place. View Share the Light video here. Plymouth donated $1119 to OGHS this year.  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, contact leaders with questions, or to volunteer. Plymouth donated $1228 to FFH.  Partner for January
Neighbor to Neighbor Homelessness Prevention Neighbor to Neighbor is the primary housing resource for Larimer County residents, offering homelessness prevention, home buyer education, and more. Housing is the best investment we can make in our community because it supports everything else a family needs to be successful. When an individual or a family is struggling to meet basic housing needs, virtually every other area in life is impacted – from their ability to secure sufficient groceries, to consistent school attendance and participation, to maintaining employment and staying on top of medical needs. Community support drives the success of N2N. Last year, they were able to prevent homelessness for over 4,500 households, while also preventing foreclosure for 90% of cases, educating over 1,000 households working toward home ownership annually, maintaining affordable apartment homes for over 300 adults and children, and offering supportive and enriching programs for youth and residents. Plymouth gave $824.32 to N2N in January. Partner for 12.3, 10, 17, and 31: |
|
RSS Feed