The Shoemaker Debuts at Plymouth - Plymouth Congregational ...

ARTS AND WORSHIP
The Shoemaker Debuts at Plymouth
By PHILIP BRuNeLLe
At Plymouth Church, the arts are
expressions of the sacred and, in
that spirit, our community offers
the world premiere of a new church
opera The Shoemaker. Based on a
Leo Tolstoy version of the story of
the Good Samaritan, The Shoemaker
was composed by Stephen Paulus
with a libretto written by poet
Michael Dennis Browne.
Paulus has composed more than
450 works, his first opera being The
Postman Always Rings Twice. He
has received commissions from the
New York Philharmonic, Cleveland
Orchestra, Opera Theater of St. Louis
and VocalEssence, among many.
Paulus’s first church opera, The Three
Hermits, also a was collaboration
with Michael Dennis Browne.
Browne is the author of several
collections of poetry, including Things
I Can’t Tell You (2005), a Minnesota
Book Award winner and a University
of Minnesota professor emeritus.
Gary Gisselman, noted Twin Cities
stage director, returns to stage this
second Paulus church opera. He will
use the architecture of the church,
the choir and, in this opera, Plymouth
Church soloists Dan Dressen,
James Bohn, and Maria Jette. Singer
Krista Palmquist also will join Philip
Brunelle conducting the soloists,
chorus and 15-piece orchestra.
LEARN MORE
At the Sunday Forum, 9 a.m., Sept.
9, composer Stephen Paulus and
librettist Michael Dennis Browne will
illuminate the new church opera.
Vol. XLIII No. 9
September 2012
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS
The public is invited to enjoy this
new church opera in its world
premiere. At 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept.
29, The Shoemaker will be performed
in the Plymouth Church sanctuary.
At 10:30 a.m., on Sunday, Sept. 30, the
opera will be the worship experience.
A Northfield performance follows
7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Boe
Memorial Chapel, St. Olaf College.
A JUNE SING-THROUGH OF THE OPERA WITH JOHN SINGERS, MARTY PHILIP BRUNELLE (AT PIANO),
AND COMPOSER STEPHEN PAULUS (AT CENTER RIGHT).
plymouth.org

I am writing this in mid-August
on a foggy afternoon in Maine,
but in my mind’s eye it is 10:30 on
Rally Sunday morning at Plymouth
. . . the annual ingathering of our
church community after various
sorts of summer vacation. I can see
and hear it all. Philip Brunelle, as
is his custom on this day, sets his
hands and feet in motion to give
us the opening flourishes of Bach’s
Photo: Chris Bohnoff
“Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” music so triumphant that
it might be a prelude to Creation itself and not simply a
service of worship. Now the choir’s whispers in the Narthex
are turning to vigorous song . . . “Rejoice, ye pure in heart .
. .” and they begin streaming down the central aisle of the
Sanctuary. I look at my dear colleagues—Jeff, Paula, Cathie,
Tara—and realize, for the thousandth time, how fortunate
I am to be among them. As we follow the choir and I look
to the right and then the left, pews full on either side, I see
faces that I have come to love, and I have a sense of being
folded into a batter that will rise and become a loaf of
exceeding richness. The moment, in fact, smells like bread.
It feels like home.
Recently I read a series of blog posts in which the question
being argued was this: Is it appropriate to refer to a
church congregation as a family? Some were saying that
the experience of family isn’t positive for everyone, so
ministers should be careful in using that image to describe
Another Rally Sunday approaches and this one marks
the beginning of my 44th year as your Organist-
Choirmaster. What a joy and delight it has been to serve
such a wonderful church with people who understand the
importance of the arts in worship and celebrate this fact in
so many ways—not the least in hymn singing!
September promises to be an especially exciting time as
we look forward to the world premiere of Stephen Paulus’s
opera The Shoemaker. This church opera will feature our
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MINISTeR’S MeSSAGe
A familiar feeling, a family feeling
By JAMeS GeRTMeNIAN
GRACe NOTeS
Rejoicing together for 44 years
By PHILIP BRuNeLLe
a congregation. Others, as I recall, suggested that the
homogeneity of most families makes a poor model for
congregations which ought, by rights, be more diverse. I
get all of that. I really do. And just the other day my wife
pointed out to me that one of my shortcomings (happily she
wasn’t trying to list them all) is that I can tend toward the
sentimental, and perhaps “family” is a sentimentalized way
of thinking about the people who gather in a church.
But I think I’ll stand my ground on this one. “Family” is not
the only way to describe a congregation, but it’s a good one.
Families—at least most of the families I know about—love
and fight, run the gamut of opinion on all manner of issues,
scatter and come together, harbor secrets and lay everything
bare, have long memories, practice various traditions (some
serious and some frivolous), and, most of all, embody a
bond that goes deeper than today’s feelings, or mood, or
disposition. Religious traditions in which members refer to
one another as “sister” and “brother” have hold of something
powerful, I think, and even if we do not adopt that parlance,
we might do well to understand the idea behind it. Not
everyone at Plymouth (or at any church) may feel a familial
connection, but it’s a good thing for us to hope for, to work
for, to live into.
Our theme at Plymouth this year—in preaching, worship,
programming—is taken from our Covenant: “Walking
together in all God’s ways.” I cannot imagine a congregation
—a church family—that I would be more pleased to walk
together with . . . wherever we are led.
own Plymouth Choir, our
soloists and a chamber orchestra
and will be presented during
the morning service on Sept. 30.
There will also be a performance
on the day before, Saturday at
2 p.m.— please tell your friends
about both performances (which
are free, of course).
Photo: Ann Marsden

Serving our wider community
By SHANNON KeARNS
“Third Sunday Meal is an
Plymouth Church Neighborhood
opportunity for me to live out my Foundation would like volunteers to
faith. It provides a place for me help out at Nicollet Square two hours
to meet and get to know people a month, and an onsite coordinator
I might not ordinarily see and it for A Night on the Street.
personalizes the social justice issues
we talk about at Plymouth. Time
with Third Sunday guests challenges
me to humanize my theoretical and
academic ideas about homelessness,
poverty, addiction and mental illness
and it connects me with God in a
new way.” –a Plymouth member
There are some really exciting
volunteer opportunities available
this coming year. Serving is a
wonderful way to live out your
faith and connect justice issues
with spirituality. If you’d like more
information or to volunteer, please
contact Shannon Kearns: shannonk@
plymouth.org or 612.977.1288
Downtown Congregations to End
Homelessness seeks one to two
people to be on the Interfaith Action
Team, as well as people to be on the
Advocacy Team.
NICOLLET SqUARE RESIDENT MEETS WITH
COACH HENRY JIMENEz
Dignity Center Benefit Concert,
Sept. 24, needs several ushers.
Families Moving Forward would
like coordinators for activities, food
and child care.
Third Sunday Meal needs about 25
people to serve each month.
Food Closet seeks someone willing
to restock our emergency food closet
once every three months.
The Plymouth Choir will celebrate Rally Sunday on Sept.
9 with two beloved anthems: Brahms’s “How lovely is
Thy dwelling place” and “Laudamus te” of Poulenc. Of
course, the prelude that morning will be Bach’s “Toccata
and Fugue in D minor”—a Rally Sunday tradition! On
Sept. 16 we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of John
Ireland’s death with another favorite anthem, “Greater
love hath no man” (which I remember as one of Howard
Conn’s favorites). And, on the 23rd, a sneak preview of
the Paulus church opera will be the opening chorus from
that work, “To you, O Lord, I hide myself.” For those of you
who have been away during the summer, you will notice
OuTReACH
GRACe NOTeS
Habitat for Humanity: Continuing
the now 20-year partnership of
Plymouth with Twin Cities Habitat
for Humanity, we will be once again
scraping, painting and doing minor
Serving is a wonderful
way to live out your
faith and connect
justice issues
with spirituality.
structural repairs under the Brush
with Kindness program. The project
will be in Minneapolis the week of
Oct. 2-6, Tuesday-Saturday. Come to
Guild Hall after Sunday services, Sept.
9-30, to learn more or sign up. It’s a
great opportunity for good fellowship
and community service. If you want to
work, contact Bonnie Herr at 612/345-
4872, bherr3@msn.com or John
Davenport 612/926.8290, jdav0743@
gmail.com. To help feed volunteers,
contact Ann Cole, 763/546-7483,
jwcole1536@aol.com.
a marvelous addition to our sanctuary, the beautiful new
Steinway piano that arrived in June thanks to a memorial
bequest from Tom Gunkelman as well as some additional
contributions. It was a delight to hear this piano on many
of the summer Sundays and I want to thank Plymouth’s
assistant organist, Sonja Thompson, for her help in
selecting the perfect piano for our sanctuary.
I look forward to seeing and hearing all of you on Rally
Day as, together, we sing “Rejoice, ye pure in heart!”
plymouth.org
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Dignity For All Benefit
Concert, Sept. 24
A cabaret-style evening gala to celebrate the Dignity
Center’s 10th anniversary features Philip Brunelle
presenting musical stars Jevetta Steele, Sanford Moore,
Ginger Commodore, Yolande Bruce, Maria Jette, Bradley
Greenwald, Simone Perrin and Molly Sue McDonald.
The performers are generously donating their talent.
Join in the gala “Dignity for All,” 7:30-9:00 p.m., Monday,
Sept. 24, 2012, here at Plymouth. The Dignity Center, a
ministry of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church,
offers support, opportunity and resources to persons
in need on their path to self-sufficiency. Tickets for this
benefit concert are $35 or 10 or more for $30 each ticket;
purchase online at thedignitycenter.org or call 612-871-
5303. Come support our partners!
Catch The Music Man:
closes Sept. 14
Eat Street Players offers The Music Man, running through
September 14th. This production features a host of Plymouth
members, including Chris Deutsch as the indomitable
Harold Hill, along with Eat Street Players regulars Annette
Cummings, Doug Freeman, Nina Jonson, Mary Laymon,
along with newcomers Theresa Voss and Karen Hartz. A
Staff a Desk, Drive a Bus—
Serve Our Community
Become more involved in Plymouth by
volunteering. We seek people to staff fourhour
shifts at the front desk on Tuesday
afternoons or every other Friday morning.
Or, drive the Plymouth Church bus to and
from Walker Place on Sunday mornings
(9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.) to transport
Plymouth members to church. (Training
required.) For more information, contact
emily Venell (612/977-1281, emilyv@
plymouth.org).
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uPCOMING eVeNTS
fabulous show for young and old, tickets can be secured at
www.eatstreetplayers.org.
Healing Minnesota
service, Sept. 23
Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, James
Lenfestey and the Plymouth Choir lead the Healing
Minnesota service, 5 p.m., Sept. 23. Since beginning
one year ago, these monthly services have inspired
love, respect and healing in a time of division about the
proposed constitutional amendment on marriage rights.
Home Stretch House
Party, Oct. 7
Join Plymouth Church United for All Families after
services on Oct. 7 to celebrate and recognize all we have
done to oppose the marriage amendment: conversations,
phone banking, training, canvassing. We’ll also energize
each other to accelerate efforts up to the amendment vote
on Nov. 6. You are the campaign—be the celebration too!
Watch for details in weekly announcements!
CAROL POLITIS (LEFT) AND VICkIE FRASER ARE TWO JONES
COMMONS VOLUNTEERS WHO GREET GUESTS, OFFER
ASSISTANCE AND DO LIGHT OFFICE WORk AT THEIR REGULAR
SHIFTS AT THE FRONT DESk.

Working Together in
Nurturing the Youngest
By ALLISON CAMPBeLL JeNSeN
Learning to share is a basic skill,
taught early—and as the church year
begins in September, our Church
School and tenant Early Learning
Center will be moving into new
sharing arrangements. “We’re happy
to make it work,” says Jo Holcomb,
Director of Children’s Programs. She
does not expect weekly changeovers
to be onerous. The age groups of
children match well, she says, and the
two entities are “of the same mind” in
nurturing children.
Not simply a day care but rather an
accredited center for early childhood
care and education, the Children’s
Home Society Early Learning
Center moved in June 18. The
space is beautiful and calming, says
Center Director Kris Kroll. Sharing
rooms will be beneficial, she adds,
because “we’ll be thinking beyond
just our classroom—thinking about
Meet Kris Kroll and other early Learning
Center staff on Sunday morning, Sept. 9
DAKOTA 38: PLYMOUTH FILM CLUB, OCT. 7
LeARNING
the community more.” The Early
Learning Center, a nonprofit that
accepts children from 6 weeks to
5 years, is working on increasing
enrollment this fall. She’d like to have
more children. Still, says Kroll, “we’re
really happy and it’s going well.”
TONYA JENkINS, EARLY LEARNING
CENTER STAFF MEMBER, CARRIES OUT
A HANDS-ON LEARNING PROJECT WITH
CHILDREN IN HER CLASSROOM
See Dakota 38 (2011, 77 min.), a powerfully moving film about the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 in this
150th commemorative year. In spring 2005, Jim Miller, Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran,
dreamed he was riding horseback across the plains of South Dakota into Minnesota where he saw 38
of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing about the largest mass execution in
American history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln after the 1862 war. Unable to forget the dream, Miller
eventually embraced its message and with other riders retraced the 330-mile route on horseback
from Lower Brule, S.D., to Mankato, arriving at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution.
For Miller and the others, the ride was ultimately the beginning of “healing” from the 1862 war. The
film tells the story of their journey and the dark history they have begun to wipe away.
Join us at 12:15 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, in the Baltins room. Buy lunch in the lunchroom or bring your
own. Tables and chairs are available. Q&A follows with filmmakers. Adults and teenagers welcome.
plymouth.org
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LeARNING
Explore Your Faith, Enrich Your Spirituality
By PAuLA NORTHWOOD
This fall, a variety of offerings open
new possibilities for learning and
growth in faith and spirituality. Also
see peacemaker Elias Chacour, p. 12.
Spiritual Enrichment—
Drawing as Spiritual Practice, Sally
Nystrom and Paula Northwood.
Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Oct. 27–
Nov. 24; room 205; $100; limited to
12. Please register. This workshop
utilizes drawing exercises to quiet
the mind as the language of the left
hemisphere of the brain surrenders to
the visual concentration of the right
hemisphere. Artist Sally Nystrom
teaches drawing; Minister for
Education Paula Northwood sets the
context.
Men’s Spirituality, Jeffrey Sartain.
Thursdays 7:30-8:30 p.m., Sept. 20-
Nov. 1; off-site; no fee; limited to 20.
Please register. Join other men in a
lively and free-flowing discussion led
by Executive Minister Jeffrey Sartain
on the intersection of theology and
the arts based on the book A God in
the House: Poets Talk About Faith by
Kaminsky and Towler.
Women’s Spirituality, Carol Burling
and Paula Northwood. Saturday, Nov.
10; 9 a.m.-noon; Fireside Room; $30;
limited to 12. Please register. To make
spiritual practice your way of life, you
need to choose activities that you
will actually do, day after day, even if
your combination of them turns out
to be totally unique to you. In this
workshop we will explore a variety of
spiritual experiences and practices.
Carol Burling and Paula Northwood
are certified spiritual directors.
The Power of Creating: Interplay
with CathyAnn Beaty (pictured).
Saturday, Nov. 17; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; room
to be determined; $35. Please register.
When we create, we are active
participants in what Buddha called
the great function—life being created
in each moment. Creating in the
moment, making it up on the spot,
playing, awakens us to our place in
the great function. InterPlay is easy,
fun and life changing. CathyAnn
Beaty is a master InterPlay leader,
dancer and visual artist.
Centering Prayer, Diane Boruff and
Jan Mattox. Ongoing, Sundays, 9:30
a.m., Fireside Room. No registration;
no fee. Centering prayer is a discipline
that promotes contemplative prayer.
Helpful instruction is followed by
silent prayer, then time for discussion.
Diane Boruff is commissioned
by Contemplative Outreach
International.
Spiritual Yoga, Ben Lee. Ongoing,
Wednesdays (except holidays), 6:45-
8:00 p.m.; $10. No pre-registration.
Ever wonder what yoga is all about?
This fun and exciting class will leave
you feeling stronger, calmer and more
flexible. Ben Lee has been studying
and practicing yoga since 1994 and
teaching since 2001.
Religious Exploration—
Sunday Morning Bible Study: It’s
Our Sacred Text, Mary Kay Sauter.
Sundays, 9:30 a.m.; begins Sept. 9 and
continues through May; room 207. No
registration; no fee. We will start with
Genesis to explore the entire Bible
this year, asking questions informed
by the recent scholarship of the Jesus
Seminar, Process, Liberation and
Feminist Theology. Mary Kay Sauter
is a semi-retired UCC pastor.
Book Study: The Book of Revelation,
Paula Northwood. Mondays, 7:00–8:30
p.m.; Oct. 1–29; Room 207. Please
register; no fee. Filled with angels
For more information, see the flyers at church or go online to www.plymouth.org/learning/spiritual.php or
www.plymouth.org/learning/religious_exploration.php . Some events require registration and, a few, payment
in advance to secure a spot. Register either by e-mail to the church office (dougf@plymouth.org), online at
www.plymouth.org (point to “Learning & Involvement” and click on “Spiritual Enrichment”) or at the Spiritual
Enrichment table in Guild Hall after worship. Scholarships may be available for some programs.

Explore...
CONTINueD
battling demons in heaven, the Beast
with the number 666, the Antichrist
and the end times, Revelation has
captured the imagination of every
generation. The group will use Elaine
Pagels’ new book, Revelations: Visions,
Prophecy, and Politics in the Book
of Revelation and other sources to
examine this controversial text.
Walter Wink Study Group, Deborah
“Sam” King. Four Tuesdays, starting
Oct. 16, 7:15– 9:15 p.m., Fireside Room.
$20; please register. Participants
in this study group led by writer
and teacher Sam King will bring
their personal lives and the lives of
Interested in traveling to Cuba for
the first time or returning there?
Plymouth’s Cuba Connect group
is planning a 2013 trip, tentatively
scheduled for February.
Members of Plymouth
Congregational Church have
traveled to Ciego de Avila, Cuba,
seven times since 2005. They have
formed an important partnership
communities and the world to works
by the late theologian Wink: The Bible
in Human Transformation, The Human
Being and The Powers that Be.
Compassionate Communication,
Yvette Erasmus. Saturday, Oct. 6; 9
a.m.–4 p.m.; Fireside Room; $75, partial
scholarships available. Please register.
Compassionate Communication
promotes the well-being of ourselves
and other people. It enables us
to replace the use of domination
language—labeling people, blaming
and shaming—with a more heartbased
language. Workshop facilitator
Yvette Erasmus, M.Ed., has experience
Cuba Trip Scheduled for 2013
By NANCy ALBReCHT
DeCeASeD
Janet Beggs Helgen, wife of Lon
Helgen
BeReAVeD
Joe Davis, death of his brother,
eddie Davis
Cynthia and Richard Haakana,
death of Cynthia’s brother, Dan
Steffen; Rachel and Katie Haakana,
death of uncle
Ken High, death of his brother,
Roger High
with the minister at Iglesia Bautista
Enmanuel, Eduardo Gonzalez, and
church member and journalist
Jose Aurelio Paz. Both men have
travelled to Minneapolis and have
been guests of members of Plymouth
Congregational Church.
All are welcome! For more
information, call Nancy Albrecht at
612/377-8030.
Claire Kolmodin and John
Carstens, death of Claire’s mother
Tom and Sandi Mooney, death
of Tom’s lifelong friend Debby
Baumgartner
MARRIeD
Lynn Copes and Steven Tommasisi,
on July 8
Michelle Heckes and Daniel Henry,
on June 22
Anna Johnson and Andrew
Wallenkamp, on July 7
PARISH ReGISTeR
BIRTHS
evan Victor Dahl, son of Peter and
Sarah Dahl, grandson of Stephen
Dahl and MJ McGregor
Isla Ren Gerber, daughter of
Courtney Gerber and Chad
Freeburg, granddaughter of Dick
and Jane Gerber
BAPTIzeD
Jade Lager George, daughter
of Jeannette Lager George and
Jonathan Roulette George,
teaching Compassionate
Communication at the Aslan
Institute and with diverse groups.
Compassionate Communication
for Parents and Teachers, Yvette
Erasmus. Saturday, Oct. 20,
9 a.m.-noon; Fireside Room; $20.
Please register. Participants will
learn simple, yet powerful tools to
deepen their connection with their
children using empathic listening;
understand the needs behind
all behavior, especially behavior
we do not enjoy; clearly express
observations, feelings, needs and
requests so their child will hear
them; and more.
PICTURED ARE THE kNITTERS WHO ARE
MEMBERS OF BAUTISTA ENMANUEL WITH
THEIR FINISHED PROJECTS MADE FROM
YARN BROUGHT FROM MINNESOTA.
granddaughter of Bill and Penny
George
Stella Alexandra George, daughter
of Jeffrey Pilgram George and
Renee Will George, granddaughter
of Bill and Penny George
Henry Charles Hipsher, son of
Andrea Hipsher and Brent Hipsher
Katherine Ann Nepp, daughter of
Daniel and Lisa Nepp
plymouth.org
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Sunday Forum: Gather on Sundays at 9 a.m.
Formerly known as Adult Forums, Sunday Forums provide thoughtful and
welcoming learning environments for members and friends of Plymouth
Congregational Church. Join in this month for:
Sept. 9: Composer Stephen Paulus and librettist Michael Dennis
Browne introducing their new church opera The Shoemaker.
Sept. 16: Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie speaking about
keeping Minnesota number one in elections.
Sept. 23: Recovery Sunday focuses on seniors and substance abuse.
Sept. 30: Can food policy drive food quality in Minneapolis?
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
(OLLI), at the University of
Minnesota, offers these courses
at Plymouth this fall. Up to
10 members of Plymouth may
participate at no charge. For
registration or questions, please
contact: olliregb@umn.edu.
Tales from Hollywood
Lights! Camera! Aktion! Where did
German writers and other artists
go when they escaped the rise of
the Third Reich? To Hollywood.
Playwright Christopher Hampton
mines the oddness of German
intellectuals in Tinseltown for both
humor and humanity. Featuring
theater pioneer Bertolt Brecht, Nobel
laureate Thomas Mann and his
brother Heinrich Mann, Tales from
Hollywood is narrated by Ödön von
Horváth, a real-life Eastern European
playwright. Jo Holcomb, production
dramaturg, presents Wednesdays,
Sept. 19 and Oct. 17; 10:00–11:30 a.m.
The Guthrie Theater play runs Sept.
15–Oct. 27. For tickets, call the Guthrie
box office, 612-377-2224.
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OLLI PROGRAMS
fesTival of nine lessons
and carols
This course explores the worldrenowned
service from the Chapel
of King’s College at Cambridge
University and heard every Christmas
Eve on Minnesota Public Radio since
1979. We’ll dig into the history of
the service, dating back to 1880 and
acknowledge the role radio has played
in making it a worldwide tradition.
Nicholas Nash, 651-653-3979, nnash@
mac.com, presents Tuesdays, Sept 18-
Nov 6, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Her-sTory(ies)
Women in Public Life: 40 years ago
a Star Tribune headline screamed:
“Women Take Over the Legislature”
(all six of them!). What progress
have four decades brought? Hear
from well-known retired and current
leaders who have served at city, state,
county and national levels in policymaking
positions. Has sexism left the
public sector? What’s the outlook for
women in 2012 and beyond? Join the
conversation, led by Karen Bowen
and Judy Schuck, Thursdays, Sept 27-
Nov 7, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
COMPOSER STEPHEN PAULUS
icons of norway
We will explore 300 years of Viking
domination of the known world and
Viking voyages and settlements in
the New World; the importance of the
Norwegian monarchy; the German
occupation of Norway and the
resistance during WWII; Norwegian
artists such as Edvard Munch, Edvard
Grieg, and various folk artists; and
the Church of Norway. Presented by
Odell Bjerkness, Tuesdays, Sept. 18-
Nov. 6, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
vocalessence: romance
in e minor
Join Philip Brunelle, artistic director
of VocalEssence, talking about
the music that Mendelssohn and
Bruckner composed for singers and
why it is so glorious and monumental.
Not to be missed! Philip Brunelle
presents Wednesday, Oct. 10, 10:00-
11:30 a.m. Tickets to the 8 p.m., Oct.
19 concert at the Cathedral of St. Paul
may be purchased at
651-224-4222 or www.vocalessence.
org. Use the code OSHER to receive a
discount.
Photo: Sharolyn Hagen Photography

CHuRCH MATTeRS
New Commissioning for Ministries
By JIM LeSLIe, FORMeR CHAIR OF DeACONS, AND PAuL PRICe, WIDeR CHuRCH ReLATIONS COMMITTee CHAIR
During the past year, the Wider
Church Relations Committee of
the Board of Deacons devoted
considerable time and effort to the
creation of a member commissioning
program to recognize and support
the very significant ministries made
by Plymouth members both within
and outside our beloved church.
We also hope to foster new and still
unknown lay ministries.
The Wider Church’s draft of
the purposes of commissioning
ceremonies, the criteria for
commissioning ceremony
consideration, and the elements
of an actual ceremony were
wholeheartedly endorsed by a vote
of Plymouth’s Board of Deacons at
the Board’s April meeting.
These ministries may range from
a variety of commitments within
the congregation to commitments
that go far beyond Plymouth’s
walls. The ministries may appear
Update on the Governance Committee
of public importance or of quiet,
discreet significance; neither is
more important than the other in
sustaining our church community. A
wholly new ministry may arise.
inTeresTed?
Those Plymouth members who are
interested in seeking a commission
should go to the Volunteering &
Commissioning section of the
Plymouth website via the Learning &
Involvement dropdown menu. That
section has a complete description
of the Commissioning Ceremony
program, including commissioning
purposes, criteria and ceremony
elements. For those Plymouth
members who do not have computer
access but are interested in applying
for a commission, print copies of
the commissioning process may
be obtained from the church office.
If there are questions about the
process, those questions should be
directed to the chairperson of the
Wider Church Relations Committee.
PEG BIRk WAS THE FIRST PERSON
COMMISSIONED, AT THE 10:30
SERVICE SUNDAY, JULY 1. SHE WAS
COMMISSIONED FOR THE WORk THAT
SHE WOULD BEGIN THE NExT DAY AS
THE NEWLY ELECTED TRANSITIONAL
GENERAL SECRETARY FOR THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.
WE WISH PEG GREAT SUCCESS IN HER
NCC WORk AND LOOk FORWARD TO
HEARING FROM HER ABOUT THAT WORk.
Watch for 2013 Giving Campaign
In mid-September, watch your mailbox for an appeal to the 2013 Giving Campaign. Help “Fuel the Flame that Feeds
the World” and support our progressive faith community. Early pledgers are invited to a Nov. 4 celebration.
You might ask “What’s happening with the governance work? I haven’t heard anything about it for a while.”
Rest assured. The work on rethinking our governance structure has continued. The Governance Committee
has been working diligently to create a clear description of our governance philosophy and a revised
governance structure. Early conversations with people outside the committee showed us that, in order to
have a truly productive dialogue, we needed to describe how the structure could operate in a fair amount
of detail. Developing that additional detail has been our late spring and summer’s work. Early this fall, we
will be bringing forward the proposed structure for discussion, beginning with the Church Council. We look
forward to the dialogue with the Church Council and with many of you. –Claire Kolmodin
plymouth.org
flame 9

September 2012
01 SATURDAY
02 sunday
9:30 Centering Prayer
10:00 –11:45 Childcare
10:30 Sanctuary Service
03 MoNDAY
Labor Day—Building closed.
04 TUESDAY
9:45 Knit A Bit
10:00 Archives Committee
12:30 Traumatic Brain Injury Support
Group
6:30 Spirituality and Healing Group
05 WEDNESDAY
9:30 Groveland Food Shelf
2:00-6:30 Farmers market
6:00 Church Council
6:45 Spiritual Enrichment-Yoga
7:00 Plymouth Choir
06 THURSDAY
10:30 Meals on Wheels
5:30 Global Connections
7:00 Cuban Rueda Salsa Dance
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
07 FRIDAY
9:30 Compassionate Communications
Practice Session
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
08 SATURDAY
9:00 Plymouth Choir retreat
(off-site)
9:30 Confirmation Parent Retreat
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
09 rally sunday
8:30 Board of Stewards
8:45 –11:45 Childcare
9:00 Adult Bells Rehearsal
9:00 Sunday Forum
9:30 Centering Prayer
9:30 Bible Study: It’s our Sacred Text
9:50 First Service
10:30 Sanctuary Service
10:30 Church School & Confirmation
10 flame plymouth.org
11:45 Artist reception
11:50 Katy’s Cafe
12:00 Caring for Creation
1:00 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
1:30 Plymouth Church United for All
Families conversation training
10 MoNDAY
7:00 Great Books Group
11 TUESDAY
9:45 Knit A Bit
4:30 American Indian Initiative
5:30 Buildings and Grounds Meeting
6:30 BeFrienders
12 WEDNESDAY
9:30 Groveland Food Shelf
1:00 Drop-In
2:00-6:30 Farmers market
5:15 Katy’s Cafe
5:30 Board of Fine Arts
6:00 Young Voices
6:00 Early Bells
6:15 Cherub Choir
6:00 Board of Children, Youth, & Families
6:30 Coventry Bells
6:30 Board of Deacons
6:30 Board of Membership
6:30 Board of Trustees
6:45 Chorister Choir
6:45 Genesis Dancers
6:45 Spiritual Enrichment-Yoga
7:00 Family Gathering Time
7:00 Plymouth Choir
7:30 Alleluia Dancers
7:30 Youth Choir
7:30 Bells Jubilee
13 THURSDAY
10:30 Meals on Wheels
6:00 Drop-In
7:00 Keyboard Music Club
7:00 Cuban Rueda Salsa Dance
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
14 FRIDAY
9:30 Compassionate Communications
Practice Session
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
15 SATURDAY
7:30 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
16 sunday
8:45 –11:45 Childcare
9:00 Adult Bells Rehearsal
9:00 Sunday Forum
9:30 Centering Prayer
9:30 Bible Study: It’s our Sacred Text
9:50 First Service
10:30 Sanctuary Service
10:30 Church School & Confirmation
11:50 Katy’s Cafe
1:00 The Music Man, Eat Street Players
5:00 Third Sunday Meal
17 MoNDAY
6:30 Network of Spiritual Progressives
7:00 Book club: Blood Brothers by Elias
Chacour
18 TUESDAY
9:45 Knit A Bit
12:30 Traumatic Brain Injury Support
Group
19 WEDNESDAY
9:30 Groveland Food Shelf
1:00 Drop-In
2:00-6:30 Farmers market
4:00 BeFrienders
5:00 Trustees Personnel Committee
5:15 Katy’s Cafe
6:00 Young Voices
6:00 Early Bells
6:15 Cherub Choir
6:30 Coventry Bells
6:30 Religious Exploration Comm.
6:30 Board of Member Care
6:45 Spiritual Enrichment-Yoga
6:45 Chorister Choir
6:45 Genesis Dancers
7:00 Family Gathering Time
7:00 Plymouth Choir
7:30 Alleluia Dancers
7:30 Youth Choir
7:30 Bells Jubilee
20 THURSDAY
10:30 Meals on Wheels
6:00 Drop-In
7:00 Cuban Rueda Salsa Dance
7:30 Man Salon, off-site; please register
in advance (seven sessions)

21 FRIDAY
9:30 Compassionate Communications
Practice Session
22 SATURDAY
23 recovery sunday
8:45–11:45 Childcare
9:00 Adult Bells Rehearsal
9:00 Sunday Forum
9:30 Centering Prayer
9:30 Bible Study: It’s our Sacred
Text
9:50 First Service
10:30 Sanctuary Service
10:30 Church School
11:50 Katy’s Cafe
1:30 Plymouth Church United for All
Families conversation training
5:00 Healing Minnesota service
24 MoNDAY
7:30 Dignity Center Gala
7:30 Peacemaker Elias Chacour speaks
25 TUESDAY
9:45 Knit A Bit
1:30 Photo Directory
26 WEDNESDAY
9:30 Groveland Food Shelf
1:00 Drop-In
1:30 Photo Directory
2:00-6:30 Farmers market
5:15 Katy’s Cafe
5:30 Spiritual Enrichment Committee
6:00 Young Voices
6:00 Early Bells
6:15 Cherub Choir
6:30 Coventry Bells
6:30 Board of outreach (off-site)
6:45 Chorister Choir
6:45 Genesis Dancers
6:45 Spiritual Enrichment-Yoga
7:00 Family Gathering Time
7:00 Plymouth Choir
7:30 Alleluia Dancers
7:30 Youth Choir
7:30 Bells Jubilee
27 THURSDAY
10:30 Meals on Wheels
1:30 Photo Directory
6:00 Drop-In
6:30 Young Adult Dinner
7:00 Cuban Rueda Salsa Dance
7:30 Man Salon, off-site; please register
in advance (seven sessions)
28 FRIDAY
9:30 Compassionate Communications
Practice Session
1:30 Photo Directory
29 SATURDAY
2:00 World premiere: The Shoemaker,
a church opera by Stephen Paulus
and Michael Dennis Browne
30 sunday
8:45–11:45 Childcare
9:00 Adult Bells Rehearsal
9:00 Sunday Forum
9:30 Centering Prayer
9:30 Bible Study: It’s our Sacred
Text
9:50 First Service
10:30 Sanctuary Service—The Shoemaker,
a church opera by Stephen Paulus
and Michael Dennis Browne
(no Church School)
11:50 Katy’s Cafe
GALLeRy SHOW
arTisTs’ work on view:
recepTion sepT. 9
One of Al’s larger pieces, Golf Warrior II, is currently on
The Gallery Committee is excited to begin another year display in the courtyard and was discussed in the August
of art shows at Plymouth. On Rally Sunday, Sept. 9, we 2012 edition of The Flame. You can Google Al and learn
will kick off the year with a show of prints by Cecilia more about him.
Lieder of Duluth and sculptures by Al Wadzinski of
Minneapolis. Please join us in welcoming them at a Cecilia is an artist/printmaker and the owner of Northern
reception after service.
Prints Gallery in Duluth. Please go to
www.cecilialieder.com to learn more about Cecilia and
her art.
—Gregg Daubert
SCULPTURES BY AL WADzINSkI
plymouth.org
flame 11

VOL. XLIII, NO. 9
SePTeMBeR 2012
IN THIS ISSue
Church Opera Debuts ..........1
Minister’s Message ............2
Grace Notes ..................2
Outreach .....................3
upcoming events .............4
Learning ...................5-8
Parish Register ................7
Church Matters ...............9
September 2012 Calendar .....10
Gallery Show ................11
editor: Allison Campbell Jensen
Director of Communication
612/871-7400
e-mail: publications@plymouth.org
Published monthly for members and friends
of Plymouth Congregational Church,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Tel: 612/871-7400; Fax: 612/871-0014
Submit items for publication no later than
9/17 for October, 10/15 for November, 11/9
for December. We reserve the right to edit or
delay the publication of any article.
SuNDAy WORSHIP
9:50 First Service in the Chapel
begins again Sept. 9. Especially
for young families, this 30-minute
service moves body, mind and spirit.
Service ends at 10:20.
10:30 Service in the Sanctuary
Preaching:
Sept. 2 James Gertmenian
Sept. 9 James Gertmenian
Sept. 16 James Gertmenian
Sept. 23 Jeffrey Sartain
Sept. 30 No sermon—The Shoemaker
opera; see page 1
Healing Minnesota Service
Sept. 23., 5 p.m., Sharon Sayles
Belton, former Minneapolis mayor,
speaks; James Lenfestey reads;
Plymouth Church choir sings.
Plymouth Congregational Church
1900 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403-3789
Address Service Requested
Learn about
Peacemaking
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIzATION
u.S. POSTAGe
PAID
TWIN CITIeS MN
PeRMIT NO. 93038
Elias Chacour, an Arab Palestinian
Christian who is a citizen of Israel,
grew up walking the hillsides where
Jesus lived, where Jesus taught
“Blessed are the Peacemakers.”
Elias and his family lived in peace
with their Jewish neighbors until
1948, when their idyllic lifestyle
was swept away. In Blood Brothers,
Chacour blends his riveting life story
with historical research to reveal
the little-known side of the Arab- ELIAS CHACOUR
Israeli conflict and the birth of modern Israel. Elias is now the archbishop of
the ancient Melkite Church and founder of a successful school for Christian,
Jewish and Muslim children in Galilee. Read his book and hear him speak this
month at Plymouth.
• Monday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m., Discuss Blood Brothers (it’s widely available).
• Monday, Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., Archbishop Chacour speaks about building
peace in the Middle East. A freewill offering will support the school he
founded in Galilee.