About Plymouth

Social Action

Plymouth members are drawn into passionate engagement with the social concerns of our times. With support of the Board of Outreach, you might connect with Plymouth’s wider community in two ways: through acts of compassion that address the immediate needs of those vulnerable in our society, and through advocacy for social change that furthers justice as a realization of the Kingdom of God.

Current outreach opportunities and education

Working Groups
To find out more about any of the following committees or program areas, including the possibility of joining one of them, contact Connie Marty, outreach programs director (conniem@plymouth.org, ext. 284).

Advocacy – Advocate for change through the legislative process. This working group works with members to provide education and promote advocacy on social justice issues of hunger, health care, children and education, immigration, peace, environment, homelessness/affordable housing, anti-racism, GLBT rights, criminal justice and poverty. Plymouth members staff the “Take Five” advocacy table in Guild Hall on selected Sundays following worship. This is a great way for the congregation to use their gift of citizenship to advocate for change via the legislative process.

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Caring for Creation – Transforming people and the land that sustains them. This working group focuses on caring for the environment as integral to spiritual life and social justice. Activities vary with the skills and interests of the membership. Recent projects include involving the congregation in the Minnesota Energy Challenge, writing numerous articles for the Flame, organizing an annual sustainable living fair, helping plan and plant a wildflower/rain garden at Plymouth, working on an environmental policy statement, field trips and more. Members are very interested in the environment, alternative energy, wildlife and all things “green”! Join them as they learn, grow and work towards a sustainable future. More on Caring for Creation.

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Drop-In Center – Fellowship for neighbors with disabilities, mental illness or struggles with independent living. Plymouth created the Drop-In Center in 1971 as an expansion of the church’s visitation program to board-and-care homes. Social recreation and the positive benefits of friendship were intended to provide structure and foster well-being in participants’ lives, many of whom had previously been institutionalized. The program has continued with loving support from church people and now includes an annual week at Camp Knutson. The Drop-In Center relies on volunteers to make the program a community experience – to spend time with participants at the church on Wednesdays 1-3 or Thursdays 6-8 p.m., to go together on fieldtrips and to nurture relationships. Contact Larry Johnson, Drop-In coordinator, larryj@plymouth.org, 612/977-1282.

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Friends of the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation – Creating homes for those in need and building a stronger community for us all. Created in 1999 by members of Plymouth, the Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation (PCNF) is a non-profit affordable housing developer. There are many ways to be involved in the Foundation: serving on the Board or a committee, volunteering on hands-on projects at a housing project or participating in “A Night on the Street” youth event. The Foundation currently owns eight properties, including Lydia Apartments for 40 previously homeless individuals, North Haven Apartments for
refugee families and Nicollet Square for homeless youth. For more information, see the Foundation's website.

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Gay-Straight Alliance – Promote inclusiveness at Plymouth and in our neighborhood. This informal group of members works to enhance inclusiveness both in the church and wider community. The Mission Statement is: “We walk together regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression to foster mutual understanding, celebration and respect within our group and in Plymouth as a whole. We seek opportunities for education and action within the broader community to promote an inclusive society.”

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Groveland Emergency Food Shelf – Help distribute more than 25,000 pounds of food to people who need it each month. Groveland Emergency Food Shelf, located in Plymouth’s basement, is part of a five-church effort to feed food-insecure youth and adults. Per month, the Food Shelf sees about 1,000 people and hands out 25,000 pounds of food. It provides three to five days of food at a time, an emergency supply. Plymouth volunteers stock shelves, greet clients, pick up and deliver food or raise funds. Adults are served Mondays-Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (hours subject to change). Groveland Food for Youth serves homeless and transitional youth. The Food Shelf is continually addressing the need for an ongoing supply of fresh vegetables and fruits. To volunteer, contact Dave Enghusen, groveland@visi.com, 612/871-0277. Food Shelf Website

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Habitat for Humanity – Help build someone a new home, work with old and new friends and learn new skills. This working group provides leadership for Plymouth volunteers who contribute time and talents to local projects of Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide. Plymouth currently participates in work weeks each year on local projects. Volunteers are needed for construction work and to provide food for on-site workers. Building experience is not necessary. This is a good opportunity to work with people who can teach you some new skills.

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Lydia Apartments Connections – Help neighbors help themselves. This working group helps to maintain an ongoing relationship between Plymouth and Lydia Apartments. Together with residents and staff, they plan and carry out activities and volunteer opportunities for residents and Plymouth members in order to benefit Lydia and the broader community. The working group also ensures that residents feel supported by the Plymouth community, which is deeply committed to their personal growth and well-being.

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Meals on Wheels – A hot meal for the homebound every Thursday. Deliver hot meals once or more each month on Thursdays to homebound people in the Loring-Nicollet area, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Homebound people might include those with disabilities, the elderly or those otherwise isolated. For each delivery, six Plymouth volunteers, individuals or couples, set out on their own routes. All routes are in the downtown area with about 10 to 13 stops per route. Volunteers provide their own transportation and pick up meals from a central Meals on Wheels kitchen.

Neighborhood Connections – Partner with neighbors to build a better neighborhood. Plymouth is located within the neighborhood known as Stevens Square-Loring Heights and on the boarder of the Whittier Neighborhood. Plymouth partners with these two neighborhood associations on various activities to celebrate and enhance our life together in this place. We support activities, including community gardens, the summer/fall Farmers Market in our parking lot, community celebrations, fairs, clean sweep and block patrol. To learn more about these groups visit their websites: Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO), Whittier Alliance, Whittier Neighbors.

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Plymouth School Volunteers – Help kids improve reading and math or share artistic talent. Registration of school volunteers is held each fall. Volunteers spend one or two hours per week at the school during the September-June school year.
Whittier International School is a unique arts-integrated elementary school in the Whittier neighborhood offering quality education to children of many income levels and nationalities. Many Plymouth volunteers assist as tutors, helping children speak and read English. Some also help with math lessons or play music during the day. For more information visit the school web site.

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Restorative Justice – Help bring just solutions to the causes and consequences of crime. Community members affected by crime meet face-to-face with court- or police-referred offenders to discuss the impacts of their crimes and to negotiate resolutions on how offenders can best give back to the neighborhood. Participants are needed to participate in such conferences, typically held weeknights or weekends for two to three hours. Restorative Justice provides an alternative to our costly corrections system. It provides an opportunity for offenders to provide restitution and healing to the community. More information

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Simpson Partners – Hospitality for the homeless, on a first-name basis. The Simpson men’s homeless shelter was created in the winter of 1981 and is housed in the basement of Simpson United Methodist Church. Simpson Housing Services has expanded to include a women’s shelter, support services and transitional housing for adults and single-parent families. Volunteers from Plymouth can help make sandwiches or work an overnight supervision shift in the men’s shelter, which offers a safe place, clean bed, shower, warm meal and resource referrals. Training for volunteers is provided. Other opportunities for involvement include organizing “Undie Sunday” at Plymouth, housing advocacy, legal counsel, shelter fundraisers and holiday food baskets for Simpson families.

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Third Sunday Meal – Help serve more than 200 meals to neighbors in need each month. Plymouth hosts the Third Sunday meal, which strives to serve fresh, healthy food with dignity. Volunteers serve a free hot meal to more than 200 guests of all ages in Plymouth’s dining hall. Volunteers are needed from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The on-going need is for 25 volunteer servers per month. Plymouth partners with three other downtown churches – Hennepin Ave. United Methodist, Westminster Presbyterian and St. Mark’s Episcopal – to serve dinner every Sunday to those in need.

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To End Homelessness – Transforming our actions from managing to ending homelessness. Join this interfaith effort of the Downtown Minneapolis Congregations to End Homelessness (DCEH) and work together to end homelessness by using our civic voice to educate and push the community from managing homelessness to ending homelessness through our support of Heading Home Hennepin and multiple relationships with the homeless and near homeless, congregations, volunteers and community organizations. At Plymouth there are opportunities to join the Heading Home Plymouth advocates and receive regular e-mail alerts, do advocacy at the Take Five Table on Sunday mornings, participate on the interfaith team of lay leaders and attend trainings and educational sessions to learn more.

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Working Groups

Service Projects	Neighborhood Relationships	Education & Advocacy
Groveland Food Shelf	Lydia Apartment Connections	Advocacy
Third Sunday Meal	Restorative Justice	Gay-Straight Alliance
Meals on Wheels	Drop-In Center	Caring for Creation
Simpson Partners	Neighborhood Connections	To End Homelessness
PCNF Housing Events	A few of the working group leaders
Plymouth School Volunteers
Habitat for Humanity