Happy to Be Here

Brett Younger

“Moving Day” has all the initial appeal of “Income Tax Day,” “Root Canal Day,” or “Commitment Sunday.”  We should admire the people at Mayflower, because it’s honest to name your moving company after a long, miserable trip on which everyone got sick.

While a few of our boxes were accurately labeled “Towels, linens,” I was surprised to find boxes marked “miscellaneous,” “leftovers,” and “under the bed.”  Seven boxes of “Christmas stuff” seems excessive.

I am still wondering: “Where did we get all this stuff?  Why do we have a tripod?  Do we need high school annuals?  Is this our chair?”

But by the grace of God and the goodness of the people of Plymouth, moving day/week has been a gift.  We walked in the door to find two big, beautiful cards from the children welcoming us to Plymouth.  Good people came on Sunday and waited with us for the moving van that showed up nine hours late and took out several garbage cans on Hicks Street.  Saints spent their Memorial Day unpacking boxes.  They taught us how to bag recycling, critique every restaurant in Brooklyn, and, by the end of the day, sit on a stoop exhausted.

The parade of food has been amazing.  We recognize that most people do not know the joy of moving into a house where the refrigerator is filled.  People have been bringing meals and goodies.  New York Bagels are not over-rated.  Everything with Brooklyn in the name works—Chocolate Brooklyn Babka, Brooklyn Lager.  We are eating well.

Moving reminds me how wonderfully fortunate I am and how incredibly dependent we all are.  I depend on friends, family, and friends who become family.  The church is made up of those who recognize that they do not have the ability, need, or desire to make it on their own, because we are in this together.

Henri Nouwen said that he lived with the fantasy that every time he landed at an airport he would be met by someone he knew shouting, “Hey, Henri.”

Predictably, Nouwen knew a lot of disappointments.  Each time that he got off a plane and no familiar figure was there to meet him, Nouwen thought to himself: “It’s all right.  When I get home my friends will be there.”

Out of that consolation, Nouwen came to a wonderful conclusion about the nature of eternity: “Heaven is going to be like that.  God will be there and will say, ‘Hey, Henri, how was it?  Let’s see your pictures.’”

That’s how God’s people greet one another.  From the moment we arrived, friends have been shouting: “Hey, Brett.  Come on in.  Welcome home.”

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Free is Better Than Half Price

Jacque Jones

A couple of years ago, I purchased a membership to a local arts organization.  It was a modest membership but it bought me some small graces.  I get advance notice of events and I can purchase movie tickets for half-price.  I suppose I know that a few dollars of my membership goes to support the work of that organization, but that was not my motive in joining.  I joined for the benefits I receive.

The Kingdom of God runs on a different operating principal.  As Christians, we believe that the grace of God is freely given – it can never be bought and it can never be sold.  To loosely quote Philip Yancy – there is nothing we can do that will make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less.  Isn’t that amazing?  Doesn’t that take your breath away?

But that extravagant grace comes with an invitation.  God has invited us to continue Christ’s work on earth and that is what Plymouth Church exists to do.  How can we not gratefully support the work of the church as an act of our God-given free will?  We can never match the extravagance of God, and we shouldn’t try, but we can give generously from our personal resources to support the faithful work of this community of Christians.

The Plymouth Stewardship Ministry is inviting you to go on record with your commitment for 2016-2017, and to do this prior to May 1. You can go online to make your commitment or use a commitment card available at the Stewardship table in Fellowship Hour. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of the Stewardship Ministry or staff who will be happy to assist you.

Please be generous in your support of the work of Plymouth Church.  Click Here to Make Your Commitment.

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What Good is History?

Beth Fleisher

Abolitionist
[ab-uh-lish-uh-nist]
noun
1. (especially prior to the Civil War) a person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery in the U.S.

I’m a member of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights. After “church shopping” I joined Plymouth because of its stand on social justice issues. Plymouth is proud of its history. Founded in 1854, the congregation called as its first minister Henry Ward Beecher. They gave the famed abolitionist, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, a platform – literally – to speak on.

In those turbulent years leading up to the Civil War and through the Emancipation Proclamation Plymouth would be packed on Sundays with close to 3,000 people, come to hear Beecher preach against slavery. Famous anti-slavery advocates spoke at Plymouth, including William Lloyd Garrison, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. Plymouth held deep philosophical connections with the Underground Railroad — the secretive network of people who helped slaves escape to the North and Canada. Documentary evidence lends support to the belief that Plymouth was also a site of active participation, known as Brooklyn’s “Grand Central Depot.” Plymouth brought Abraham Lincoln to New York for his famous speech at Cooper Union, that launched Lincoln’s presidential campaign. Here, in Brooklyn Heights, is a place where people gathered who changed history, affecting the lives of millions.

But what benefit is this history?

Fours years ago Plymouth hosted a discussion on human trafficking. I went, hardly knowing what the term meant. Two years ago we revisited the topic. In partnership with the Brooklyn Historical Society we sponsored a round-table discussion moderated by now attorney general, Loretta Lynch. The more I educated myself on human trafficking – on modern day slavery – the more I unearthed facts, metrics, and numbers: There are more slaves in the world today than at the time of the Civil War. Slavery does not happen only overseas, but in the United States. Not just the United States, but all fifty states. In New York. In New York City. In Brooklyn. In my backyard.

The famous historian Marc Bloch, a Jew who joined the French resistance and was killed in Paris by the Gestapo, wrote that the purpose of history is to draw lines of connection from the present to the past, to better understand the impact of our actions, today. Historian George Santayana famously wrote “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

So how accurate is the definition of abolitionist (above)? Is being an abolitionist, working to abolish slavery, a thing of the past? No. Too much work needs to be done. The New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition launched a campaign in 2013, New York’s New Abolitionists, to raise awareness around human trafficking and modern-day slavery. It’s a brilliant campaign, drawing lines of connection from abolitionists past to abolitionists working hard to end slavery today: doctors, lawyers, survivors, people from every walk of life. What I’ve learned is that we can all be new abolitionists. Let us not be condemned to repeat history, but to effect change, today.

I invite you to come to Plymouth this Sunday: listen to Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson, meet and speak with folks from Restore, ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) and Sanctuary for Families. See and hear the testimony of trafficking survivors given by the activist teen theater group Girl Be Heard. If you already know the story of human trafficking in New York City, come to learn what you can do to to end trafficking. And if you already volunteer, come to meet us, other like-minded folks. Join the crowd. Be an abolitionist. A new abolitionist. Because We Are the New Abolitionists. No one else. Us.

Beth Fleisher, chair
We Are the New Abolitionists
The Anti-trafficking Ministry of
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn

AHTevent_Plymouth_NEW DATE

 

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Its a Cause, not a Career…

jeannette King

Serving as a volunteer at our Underground Thrift Store isn’t a career – it’s a CAUSE.
Here are some inspiriting reasons why our current volunteers got involved…. And why you could too.

CAROLINE KOSTER: “ I enjoy being an Underground Thrift “shop girl”…I love seeing people’s faces when they find a great bargain, and how it brightens even more when you remind them what a good cause they are shopping for. It’s fun to work in the shop and represent the Church to the neighborhood in a direct and different way. And, when you have an office job, it’s a good reminder of what hard work it is to work in a store or any retail position…it makes me more sympathetic when I do my own shopping now. And, I love that the Thrift store truly represents an example of Plymouth putting its money and its energy where its mouth is by fighting a real world problem with a real world solution. I think Reverend Beecher and his congregation would be proud of us and I am so thrilled that we can continue to fight for social justice like so many brave Plymouth pilgrims did before us…”

LAUREN CHAPIN: “As a new member at Plymouth three years ago, I was looking for a way to connect with the congregation. Friendly faces at coffee hour were nice but I knew that I needed something more personal. When considering all the options to volunteer at Plymouth, getting involved with music or study groups and with my background in fashion design and costumes, helping at the thrift store was a clear fit. I made good friends the first year of sorting clothes on Fridays and those friendships grew over the years. The few hours a week always flew by and it was with real satisfaction that I knew I was, in the smallest way, helping move Plymouth’s legacy of fighting against slavery, forward into this century also supporting the church itself. For anyone considering it, please do volunteer. It’s easy to get up to speed on the sales floor and our work together is always done with a light heart.”

LEE SCOTT: “I like spending an afternoon with another Plymouth member, sometimes one I don’t know too well, chatting, meeting customers, helping them find what they want, and whether or not they buy, having a chance to tell them how the Underground Thrift benefits our anti-human trafficking program. You also get to see a lot of really cute kids, babies, and sometimes even a dog or two, not to mention sometimes finding your mathematical abilities in question! Fortunately, two heads are better than one, and it always works out in the end!”

JACQUE JONES: “I enjoy greeting the customers who are regulars, those who come in just about every week. I like being able to say that a portion of the proceeds goes to an anti-human trafficking organization – and watching customer’s interest “perk up” when I say that. Clearly it touches a chord with many customers. I enjoy spending quality time with one member of Plymouth Church. So often we gather in groups and it is hard to have an in-depth conversation. During the down time at the Thrift, you can get to know your co-volunteer pretty well. I enjoy having the time to shop for myself. I almost always find something I cannot live without. “

Inspired to work with these amazing Thrift Store volunteers yet?! Get involved today with our Sunday afternoon sales team or our Friday morning sorting crew. It’s super easy, just CLICK HERE!

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In the Kingdom God Envisions

Jacque Jones

In the Kingdom God Envisions

In the kingdom God envisions everyone is free.
People formed in God’s own image live with dignity.
All are safe and all have voices,
all have hope and all have choices.
When we pray “your kingdom come” this is the world we see.

Darkened corners harbor victims hidden from our sight,
fragile people held as objects – lives devoid of light;
robbed of freedom, robbed of voices,
robbed of hope and robbed of choices,
trust betrayed and lives exploited, in this human blight.

Holy Spirit, guide your church to action and rebirth;
help us work for those forgotten – show their lives have worth.
We have freedom, we have voices,
we have hope and we have choices.
We are called to work for justice as your hands on earth.

Scripture: Luke 4:18
Topic: Human Trafficking

Copyright © 2013, 2014, GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Click here to view the Human Trafficking Awareness 2014 Panel and Concert program

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Hope Tomorrow is Better – A Post Shelter Reflection

John Leighton

Late in the evening after some church meeting or work when I get on the subway, I often look around and inspect my fellow passengers. Where are they coming from? What goes through their minds as they stare into the middle distance tiredly? They’re all people in the middle of struggling with living life as hard as life can be.

The guests at our homeless shelter are similar in their way. They live in a constant state of anxiety and will hardly remember us or any real detail about Plymouth, except vaguely. I have no idea what being homeless is like but from the behavior of the men, you can discern a little: they guard their things, ask permission for nearly every act, retire to the bunks immediately after dinner. Their days are one long, I hope this isn’t too awful and Just let me get through this and Today was bad, hope tomorrow is better. They have their own business and we are merely caretakers of them. CAMBA, the professionals, knows what it’s doing and most of them will get back on their feet soon.

Every so often I’ll wonder why the world simply doesn’t call a halt to everything and solve every problem it has. What is more important than securing safety and comfort for suffering humans, or than providing care for the ill, needy, or lonely? Why do we hold elections, Super Bowls, and 4ths of July when these problems exist?  What will the world lose if we take time to pause and bolster the weakest among us?  Nothing, that’s what. I think of Wordsworth’s sonnet, “The world is too much with us.” There is such a thing as a National Day of Service but it is sadly underpromoted, and it doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. It should be, International Stop Day.

However, slogans will not solve homelessness nor the shocking poverty that is easy to see here in this city if you’ll only look. Life is complex and social problems require wise adults and effort, neither of which are as glamorous as slogans. Human evil won’t be solved until we enter the next world; until then Jesus has granted us forgiveness for our sinful, wicked natures.

 

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Wonderful Chaos – Bible, Building and Baking

Julia Rassmann

Bible Building and Baking is celebrating its seventh year. For all that time Sunday School children ranging in age from two to ten have been gathering weekly after school, most recently on Mondays. Theoretically we meet to build and bake; what actually happens though during this hour and a half- two if the oven is not cooperating- is much less tangible and far more magical. What happens has also changed a bit over the years as the participants have.

In the early days, we focused on the task and the product- the baking and of course, the eating. Yeast dough was transformed into everything from pizza to stollen. There were field trips to a local bakery and chocolate factory. We learned about ingredients, measurements and baking tools. We created a small cookbook and my mother complained that I had gained too much weight.

Gradually, as the class got bigger and the children younger, things loosened up. They just had to. Sometimes there were over twenty children. Older kids started bringing their younger sibling or two. The field trips were to the bathroom to wash hands, the ingredients became fewer and the knives plastic . I lost some of the weight because there were no longer any leftovers.

Sometimes, I feel guilty that the yeast dough we now use is made by Trader Joe’s; then, I remind myself that the class is about so much more. It’s about learning to love Plymouth as part of our daily lives. It’s about wanting to come to church, befriending other church kids. It’s about making memories.

Here are just some recent highlights: Two weeks ago a child lost his first tooth while eating an apple he had sliced and dipped in caramel. At the same time, one of the lovely caregivers who stays in class because of a younger sibling was photographing the younger sibling’s first steps to send to her mother, away on a business trip. That day, our weekly Bible story was read by a nine year old and a five year old said the closing prayer.

This week, the older kids were eager to help out in any way that they could. They were bathroom- runners, they supervised the hot glue gun, they drew hearts for the younger kids to fill in and they tirelessly filled the water pitcher. The rewards? Admiration, hugs and a long pink beaded necklace from the younger ones.

So, please, if you are ever available on a Monday afternoon, feel free to join us for some of the wonderful chaos!

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Reflection on “Not Just Talk” – Taking Action on Human Trafficking in NYC

Beth Fleisher

Saturday morning was a beautiful day — Not only was the weather perfect, but we launched this year’s initiatives for Plymouth’s Anti-Trafficking Ministry. We’ll be partnering with three well-know organizations: ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), who we already have a relationship with through Christian Help and the Underground Thrift. Sanctuary For Families, leaders in the field for over 20 years, working with domestic violence and trafficking victims right here in New York City. Restore, a smaller, new agency that gives counseling services and runs a safe house for trafficking victims, again right here in New York.

Monday morning I found in my in-box an email from Dorchen Leidholdt, a lawyer who is the director of the Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services for Sanctuary for Families. Dorchen has literally written the book that judges read to learn more about trafficking, and how to treat its victims when they enter our legal system.

“It was so great to meet with you, your fellow congregants, and the other anti-trafficking activists in that extraordinarily inspiring space. We need to be as bold, strategic, and effective as Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe in order to abolish contemporary forms of slavery. I’m so excited to think about how we can leverage their legacy in the service of 21st Century victims and survivors.”

That hits the sweet spot. It took me a year to find the right partners for Plymouth as we begin this new work. ECPAT, Sanctuary For Families and Restore are a great fit for us, as we will work hands-on in our own city to help those who have been so grievously hurt.

There’s a phrase that sticks in my head from a Sunday School song that we sang when I was a kid: “Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” This morning I may search for the gender-neutral translation of that bible passage, but I think you get the idea: when we work with our hands to reach out to women and children so badly treated by our own neighbors, in our own community we reach out and touch the divine.

Beth Fleisher

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Yankee Fair – Lora Churcher Q&A

John Scibilia

With Yankee Fair only weeks away, Lora Churcher, a leader of Yankee Fair, took a few minutes from her busy schedule to share with me how the planning is going.

Yankee Fair takes place Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Q: How is this year’s fair different or the same?

LC: It’s our hope that this year’s Yankee Fair evokes the same warm feelings of a community gathering as it did when it first started so many years ago. We’re also trying to mix it up by adding some fun new elements, but want to keep that retro feel of an old fashioned fair.

Q: Any special/new features not previously offered? 

LC: We have a dress-up photo booth that should be fun for everyone, a local children’s band (Niko’s Kids) is playing a family folk concert, and our booths inside selling homemade items, (gently used) children’s clothing, books and collectibles are going to have must-have items as well. Country Kitchen is also selling frozen entrees and meals, and Luke’s Lobster has donated lobster stew meals.

Q: How many hours have you put into the planning? 

LC: Too many to count … in a good way,

Q: Tell me about the committee.

LC: We have a wonderful group of people helping this year. It includes a mix of church members, school parents and staff members. There are people who’ve been to 15 Yankee Fairs and those who will be coming for the first time. Everyone who has been asked has jumped into the project with both feet and is happy to go above and beyond to make it a successful day.

Q: How will the money raised be used?

LC: Monies raised by Yankee Fair 2014 will go to the restoration and maintenance of our historic buildings, playground improvements (first purchase: new picnic tables), and to St. John’s Bread and Life, the Brooklyn-based initiative that fights hunger and poverty right here in our community.

Q: What’s for lunch?

LC: Chili is making a return appearance with cornbread. We’re also going to have sandwiches, children’s meals and fresh fruit.

Q: If Henry Ward Beecher could attend, what would he say?

LC: “I love that the tradition of Yankee Fair is still being continued.”

Q: Any way to quantify how many skeins of yard have gone into 

the knitted projects? 

LC: We have a craft group that meets once a week to cut/sew/assemble all items, plus many people have taken home kits to cut. I’d guess at least 100.

Q: Any new or unique homemade items this year? 

LC: We have an amazing collection of handmade pillows (holiday and year round decor), retro felt ornaments, aprons, and gift tags. We have young children making some special gifts as well.  Everything looks like it belongs on Etsy.

Q: Anything else you want to say or people need to know?

LC: Our church historian told us that Plymouth Church actually had — and was involved with Fairs dating back to the Civil War — to raise funds for the war effort. There was a Country Kitchen, which was called the New England Kitchen back then. On display will be Mrs. Beecher’s apron from one of those fairs.

Thank you, Lora, and the committee, for all the work that went into making Yankee Fair a dream come true.

Get more Yankee Fair details here

 

 

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