Contact Us
Plymouth Congregational Church
3400 Devon Rd,
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305-444-6521
Fax: 305-446-1035
Church Staff Profiles
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Plymouth News
August 2014
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Greetings from Earl
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Dear Friends, 
August 10th is quickly approaching and I know you are looking forward with great anticipation to the opportunity to meet your Search Committee's selection to be the next Senior Pastor of this church, the
Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr and his wife, Lynn. As I shared with you in the last Plymouth News, this is an exciting time in the life of this
congregation as you meet Al and Lynn and consider him to be
the new Senior Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church.
The Reverend Bunis, Jr. will lead the 10:00 a.m. service of worship and preach the sermon on August 10th. If you are a member of this congregation, you have received the official call to the special meeting to be held on August 10th following the service of worship to vote on the Reverend Al Bunis, Jr. to become your Senior Pastor.
Several members have asked if Linda and I will be present for the service of worship and when will we be leaving to return to our home in Cape Coral. August 8th-10th is devoted to you having an opportunity to meet and come to know Al and Lynn. Following the protocol for the role of the Interim Pastor, Linda and I will be away for the weekend. We will return during the week of August 10th and will be present with you until the Senior Pastor you have selected to serve this congregation arrives. During this time, it is important for you to remember that we hold you in our prayers each day and will be holding you especially close to our hearts the weekend of August 8th-10th.
Looking back over the month of July, I take this opportunity to thank Bob Heath and Jenny Carson for being our guest speakers for the services of worship on July 13th and 20th, respectively. We are truly fortunate to have such gifted members of our congregation who can share with us so eloquently the word of God. Looking ahead, the Reverend Dr. Jean Simpson will preach on August 24th and Bob will speak on the last Sunday in August. I also thank Moira, Cindy and Mary for being a part of our staff and their assistance in leading worship regularly each Sunday.
Faithfully,
Earl
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The first Sunday of each month is Youth Sunday. Our youth help us lead worship. They also lend a hand to the deacons getting the sanctuary ready, greeting folks as they arrive, ushering, collecting the offering, and helping the deacons clean the sanctuary after the service of worship.
After all that hard work, we gather for lunch. Thank you to the Gerlachs for providing lunch in July and to the Burts for lunch in August.
At our last lunch, the youth filled around 50 welcome bags for the children arriving at Chapman Partnership for the Homeless. They put the pillows into the handmade pillowcases that folks in the congregation make for us using all sorts of wonderful happy cotton fabric. Then the pillow and fleece blanket go in a little pouch. Every bag gets a brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a soft toy. We also place in each bag, a handwritten note card with wonderfully encouraging messages made by our Outer Room group, (middle school youth).
Our Board of Outreach and Mission (BOOM), has a goal of providing a bag for every child who arrives at the shelter. Last year the shelter took in over 1,000 children, so we have quite a goal for which to strive and we have quite a way to go.
Thank you to Jane Battle and Elise Wood for coordinating this outreach to some of the neediest children in our city. A special thank you to our young people for their enthusiastic help.
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Elise Wood and
Jane Battle (behind the camera)
delivering welcome bags for children to Grace Wolpert at Chapman Partnership.
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Keep an eye out for our youth on the first Sunday of each month. They are bringing faithful energy and a lot of laughter to our ministry!
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Plymouth youth taking a break after a fun session stuffing welcome bags for the children at Chapman Partnership.
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A Letter from the Plymouth
Senior Pastor Search Committee
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July 22, 2014
Dear Member,
Candidacy Sermon Weekend, August 9th -10th,
for the
Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr.
On Saturday, August 9th, from 3pm to 5 pm, a meet and greet reception for Al and Lynn Bunis will be held in Davis Hall. This will be a great opportunity for the members of Plymouth Church to meet Al and Lynn in an informal setting. Light refreshments will be served.
On Sunday, August 10th, the Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr. will preach his candidacy sermon during the 10:00 a.m. service of worship in the Plymouth Church sanctuary.
Immediately following the service of worship, a vote of the members present will be conducted for calling the Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr. as Senior Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church.
Al and Lynn are very excited by the opportunity to come to Plymouth Church. The Search Committee hopes you will make plans to attend these important events in the life of this church.
Sincerely,
Timothy A. Battle
Chair, Plymouth Church Senior Pastor Search Committee
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Notice of Special Meeting
From the Church Clerk
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NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
OF THE
MEMBERS OF PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
TO BE HELD
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2014
Date: July, 2014
To: The Members of Plymouth Congregational Church
From: Robert Coultas, Church Clerk
Dear Fellow Church Members:
In accordance with Section 5(b) of the By-Laws of Plymouth Congregational Church, I have been directed by the Church Council to provide you with this Notice of a Special Meeting of the Members of Plymouth Congregational Church.
The Special Meeting will be held on Sunday, August 10, 2014 in the Plymouth Church Sanctuary immediately following the 10 a.m. Service of Worship.
The sole purpose of the Special Meeting, and the only item of business to be considered, will be whether the Members of Plymouth Congregational Church shall issue a Call to The Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr. to become Senior Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church. Only Members present in person at the Special Meeting shall be entitled to vote.
Reverend Bunis has been invited to deliver his candidacy sermon at the 10 a.m. Service of Worship immediately preceding the Special Meeting.
Respectfully,
Robert Coultas, Church Clerk
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Look What's Happening!!!
Children, Youth and Family Fellowship
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Sunday, September 8th
Plymouth Celebrates
&
Sunday School Teacher Dedication
Rally Day
Have you missed visiting with your friends over the summer? Are you new to Miami and want to see what Plymouth is all about? Then come to our annual Family Day and Rally Day picnic at Carrollton School, directly across the street from Plymouth.
Come dressed casually for church on September 7th and immediately following the worship service we'll walk over (or take a ride on the church's golf cart) to Carrollton's beautiful campus.
Rally Day is a day of fun in the sun, with games, swimming, food, and lots of summer catching up! You may bring your own picnic lunch or purchase a lunch (details to follows).
No reservations are necessary.
Rally Day 2013
Carrollton's beautiful pool
Where the fun is about to begin!
Enjoying the picnic and shade (Bonnie and Len Fenn,
Manny and Diana Joya and
Juli Gerlach)
Rally Day means:
relaxing, talking and
catching up with friends (Tim Battle and Rich Bard)
For others it means:
playing, swimming, tennis, basketball, making new friends and trying to figure out what this game is and how it works. Maybe it is all about making new art!
(Abel, Sebastian Portuondo-Duncan and Friends)
Bible Sunday
On Bible Sunday, Plymouth's 1st and 5th graders will receive a Bible. If you have a child in either the 1st or 5th grade, please email us at inquiries@plymouthmiami.org, or call the church office by Wednesday, September 3, and let us know which grade they are in and how you would like their name to appear on their Bible bookplate.
Sunday School Teacher Dedication
We will also have our Teacher Dedication when, during the service of worship, we covenant with those who will teach in our Sunday School classes each week.
Planning for the 2015 Youth Mission Trip Has Begun!
If you will be entering High School for the 2015 school year and are interested in participating in the youth mission trip to Heifer Ranch (to take place in the summer of 2015), please contact Cindy Smith at 305-773-6210 or at: funmomcs@aol.com
Plymouth Youth and Chaperones on the 2013 Mission Trip
Don't Forget To Sign Up!
October Family Campout at the Cayo Costa State Park
Grab your calendars and pencil to mark the weekend of October 24 - 26th for our next camp out *(there is no public school on the 24th!). We are going to the wonderful Florida Cayo Costa State Park. There are 7 cabins and 8 tent sites reserved and waiting for our outdoor-loving, beachcomber Plymouth Adventurers! To see what Florida's beautiful and accessible-only-by-ferry west coast island offers, go to: www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta.
Children ages: 4 yrs.old - 5th grade begin in church with their parents. After the Children's Moment portion of the service of worship they will leave together and go to Davis Hall.
Children ages: 2 & 3 yrs.old will be in Room #10. Parents may either drop their child at Room 10 before the service of worship or walk their child to Room 10 following the Children's Moment portion of the service of worship.
Children ages: infant - 24 months will be in the nursery for the entire service of worship.
*Youth: grades 6 - 12 may help in Davis Hall or remain in worship.
Contact Cindy at 305-773-6210 if you have any questions.
A Date to Remember
Preschool Sunday - September 28th
More information to follow
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A Day in the Life of
Plymouth Church
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Plymouth Campus
Improvements
 
 The Meade House parking lot, the
Manse driveway and the access road west of the Manse are
all being repaired and completely resurfaced.
Thank You to the
This 'n That Shop for
providing the funds that made this project possible.
Location: Edson Chapel
Rob Bobson, climbing up into the tree tops to get some trimming done - he is waaay up there!
Location: Behind Park House
William Felder (our staff) and Keith Mokker
(our plumber)
dealing with the
consequences of old galvanized pipes at Park House. |
Barnes Circle Says Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
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Plymouth did it again!
400 school uniforms provided to 200 children residing at Chapman Partnership Shelters for Homeless Families.
The children are ready for school to begin!
The Back Story
The Chapman Partnership for the Homeless assists many families through its two Ceners located in Miami and Homestead. Over the past years, Barnes Circle has supplied school uniforms for every school aged child staying in the Chapman Partnership Centers. This year is no exception and with approximately 200 school aged children staying at the Chapman Center and the South Miami-Dade Center in Homestead, there was great need to start early gathering funds, purchasing uniforms and delivering them to the Chapman Partnership Centers before August 18th, the first day of school. In April, Maureen Gragg presented the school uniform project to Barnes Circle and magical things began to happen. Checks started pouring in from our congregation and Barnes Circle was closing in on its goal. By early July, Earl announced that the drive was a just few dollars short of its $13,000.00 goal. Soon thereafter, the final dollars came in. Next, Grace Ugalde-Wolpert received the call that Barnes Circle would gladly underwrite the purchasing of 2 sets of uniforms and socks and underwear for each student in both Centers. With homeless families moving in and out of the Centers, Grace worked her magic. She gathered names, ages and sizes for each child and kept this information current, insuring each school aged child would receive uniforms. On July 21st Grace passed her information on to the Miami Uniform Store in Homestead. Jeanette, owner of the Homestead based Miami Uniform Store, will place 2 shirts and 2 bottoms in the proper school colors in an individual package for each child with his or her name on the bundle, not an easy task. When the uniforms are assembled and ready, Jeanette sees that they are delivered to the Centers a few days before school starts. Her kindness and generosity know no bounds. Jeanette has provided all the uniforms at 2013 prices! As time draws near to the beginning of the school year, the parents at both Centers are gathered together to receive their children's clothing, including uniforms, socks and undergarments. With these packages the children know they have two uniforms for school - new and their very own. The parents know, with peace of mind, that school is possible for their children this year and this year their children are ready to attend. A BIG thank you to all at Plymouth who made this possible. Special thanks to Plymouth's Board of Outreach and Mission (BOOM) for their generous contribution of $3,000.00.
Plymouth IS an amazing place!
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Park House Music Night In August
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Once again, we bring you Musical Nights at Park House.
Yes, its time to kick back, relax and enjoy great music and fun at Park House - 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday nights. Bring something tasty for the buffet...a libation of your choice and enjoy an evening together as our fabulous musicians fill the house with music!
Please join us Friday night, August 15th, for all sorts of music, all sorts of songs and a whole lot of fun!
For more about the music being performed and our performers, please check the Church Bulletin or Plymouth's website at:
Child care is available with notice to the Church Office at least 4 days prior to date of performance. |
BOOM's
Outreach Work With
One Grove Foundation & Footprints Foundation
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The Board of Outreach and Mission (BOOM) continues its partnership with the One Grove Foundation, providing support for their summer program at Armbrister Park, and working with the foundation's officers to complete their 501(c)(3) application to receive not-for-profit status.
Once the application package is complete we hope an attorney will volunteer time to review the documents before submission. If you are interested in helping, please contact Pat Vegnani (305-972-1737) or Lynne Steinfurth.
BOOM's outreach has expanded yet again to include the Footprints Foundation. Lorna Owens, CEO of Footprints Foundation, met with Linda Keirstead and Pat Vegnani and shared her passion to provide adequate medical care to pregnant women and newborn babies in developing nations.
Footprints Foundation has expanded medical care in developing nations by producing and supplying Clean Birthing Kits to mothers in developing countries which greatly help reduce the risk to mother and newborn of infection or disease at time of birth. Lorna Owens will speak at BOOM's next meeting on August 26th in Lower Plymouth Hall to share the full scope of the Footprints mission and initiatives they have underway.
Also, on September 20th Footprints Foundation will be holding a gathering at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church - Clean Birthing Kit Assemble Day - where volunteers will assemble clean birthing kits for use by mothers in Africa. Plymouth is participating through a team from BOOM that will work to assemble kits at the gathering. Trapp Circle will also participate by assembling kits at their November meeting.
For more information on Footprints Foundation, its mission, current projects, and how to get involved, please go to http://footprints-foundation.org.
You will be amazed!
Pat Vegnani
Chair, Boom Committee  |
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Join Friends of Eve
at Captain's Tavern
for Lunch
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 Inviting all Plymouth seniors (55+) to enjoy fun, fellowship and a feast at Captain's Tavern. We will join together for lunch at Captain's Tavern on Wednesday,August 6th, at noon.
Please call your reservation into the church office. Please follow this up by sending a check, made out to Plymouth Church, Memo Line: Friends of Eve, for $7 to the church office. Checks may also be placed in Sunday's collection plate. All checks are due by July 30th.
We will be carpooling to the restaurant. If you need a ride, let the church office know and we will arrange a ride for you. If you will be meeting us there, free parking is available at Captain's Tavern located at 9625 South Dixie Highway, near Dadeland. All Plymouth seniors are welcome.
Hope to see you there!
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For 22 years, the women of Trapp Circle have made unique and colorful place mats from new and used greeting cards. When Trapp Circle undertook this project the members had no idea of the years of fellowship it would offer as they create together a source of outreach to many needy organizations in Miami.
The Trapp Circle women have used their creativity to bring seasonal decorations to the rooms, tables and doors of the Floridian Nursing Home, the Riviera Nursing Facility and the East Ridge Nursing area. Three years ago they also began providing colorful place mats to new owners of homes built by Habitat for Humanity. Trapp Circle's outreach knows no limits!
The members are industrious and always in need of new or used greeting cards to further their creative work. Any cards will do: get well, birthday, anniversary, Christmas cards and more are welcome. Please drop cards off at the Church Office or bring them to church on Sundays and give them directly to Mary Ellis or Louise Friberg.
Thank you for helping Trapp Circle continue its outreach to others with unique and memorable decorations and place mats.
Trapp Circle began at Plymouth Church over 60 years ago. Their unique place mats are created by cutting greeting cards and forming them into decorations and place mats which are then laminated to protect and maintain their beauty.
Louise Friberg
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Opportunities at Plymouth
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The Book Discussion Group - Enjoy a good book!
The Book Discussion Group meets year-round on the third Saturday of each month at 11am in Pilgrim House.
The next meeting will be on August 16th. The book to be discussed is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie.
Book Selections for Upcoming Meetings: September 20, 2014 - Act One by Moss Hart
October 18, 2014 - Swerve:How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt.
Upcoming Opportunities to Serve Dinners at Chapman Partnership's Chapman Center:
"Can-Do" Sundays - Buy One, Give One
Please bring in at least one non-perishable food item for the Can-Do Cart. Our next Communion and "Can-Do" Sunday is August 17th.
To Receive Your Own Plymouth News:
Send your email address to www.website@plymouthmiami.org. Be sure to include your name and request that we add you to the Plymouth News mailing list.
Don't forget to forward a copy of your Plymouth News to friends and family!
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August Preaching Schedule
August 3 - The Reverend Earl W. Keirstead
August 10 - The Reverend Alvin W. Bunis, Jr.
August 17 - The Reverend Moira M. McGuinn
August 24 - The Reverend Dr. Jean M. Simpson
Former Regional Conference Minister for the Gulf
Coast of the Florida Conference of the United
Church of Christ
August 31 - Dr. Robert Heath
The Plymouth Calendar for August, 2014
To view and print a copy of the August Calendar, please go to the link below.
AA and AL-ANON Meeting Schedule To view and print a copy of the schedule, please go to the link below.
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