The Herald Newsletter
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Issue 1 I January 2025
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An update on JustNeighbors Ministry from Pastor Juan Carlos
On December 14, FP teams did 861 loads of our neighbors laundry for FREE.
Almost three years ago we began a new way of practicing justice at First-Plymouth. Since then, our justNeighbors has continued to take First-Plymouth volunteers into the community, providing encounter, connection and learning about our neighbors and about our neighborhood.
Sara and Charlie Bills organize monthly opportunities to be with people in helpful ways. This year we have been at the laundromat, the gas station, Antelope Park, the Community Action Head Start parking lot, and at a block off north 27th St.
justNeighbors is modeled after Jesus in Luke 10, verses 8 and 9, Huertas explained.
“Whenever you enter a town, and its people welcome you, eat what is before you, cure the sick who are there and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near.”
“We want to encounter the Kingdom of God,” said Pastor Huertas. “When you are among the least of these, you are with Him. We have an opportunity to meet Jesus. This is not about white saviorism, but rather being together to have this encounter that transforms and surprises us. That is what it means to be church together--the body of Christ.”
From 2022-2023 we took our encounters and met our neighbors in the midst of their medical debt need. We responded with much generosity and made a significant difference in their life. Now in 2025 we begin another neighborhood initiative that continues our witness. The Hope House at First-Plymouth Church will provide a hub for our neighbors to find the resources that they need within the social service sector. Volunteer navigators will help connect those who stop by, call, or email find answers to their need. In the fall of 2025 we will add a financial support component through a mutual aid fund that will help with benevolences and a micro-loan program that will allow our neighbors to avoid paycheck cashing places, having to pawn items, and can even help them get a inexpenseive use car to provide for their transportation needs.
This is a continuation to provide Jesus like encounters, the type that “are not to be transactional but rather to prioritize a human-to-human, face-to-face encounter; to experience the kingdom of God,” said Huertas.
I hope this year that you join us in our justNeighbors efforts, through one of our monthly encounter events, through volunteering at the Hope House or through your financial gift towards our mutual aid fund and/or our micro-financing.
Get involved/Get more information
Email justneighbors@firstplymouth.org and ask to be added to the email list to get information about upcoming events and how to sign up.
Abendmusik Concert Series continues in February
My Funny Valentine: an Abendmusik fundraiser
Friday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. - Online only - tickets required
Enjoy Valentine’s Day in the comfort of your own home with entertainment from Tom Trenney and the Great American Songbook and with a gourmet meal from Chef au Chef delivered right to your door.
The Crossing: Three-time Grammy
Award-winning chamber choir, conducted by Donald Nally
Sunday, February 16 at 4:00 p.m.
The Crossing is committed to working with creative teams to make and record new, substantial works for choir that explore and expand ways of writing for choir, singing in choir, and listening to music for choir.
I Believe: Choral Music by Black composers
Sunday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Honoring Black History Month, The Plymouth Choir, Nebraska Wesleyan University Choir, and St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Choir join together with guest conductor Anton Armstrong in Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, Margaret Bonds’ Credo, and a collection of spirituals.
Learn about Composer Margaret Bonds and the Rediscover Her Credo
Pamela Starr, Professor Emerita of Music History at UNL, will teach us about the remarkable life and work of Margaret Bonds-- one of many female and black composers whose works were ignored until recently. Learn about her Credo-- a setting of W. E. Dubois profound and challenging “I believe” litany which will be sung in our February 23 Abendmusik concert.
Sun, January 26- choir room, 11:30am-12:30pm, 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Sun, February 23- chapel, 6:00-6:30pm before the concert
Youth Masterworks Festival
Requiem by Gabriel Fauré
Monday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
More than two hundred high school singers and instrumentalists from across Lincoln collaborate to perform one of the most cherished choral/orchestral masterpieces of all time. Led by Anton Armstrong, conductor of the renowned St. Olaf Choir.
Congratulations to Tom Trenney, First-Plymouth’s Minister of Music and the Director of Choral Activities at Nebraska Wesleyan University, who was recently awarded the “Music Educator of the Year Award” from the Nebraska Music Education Association.
Annual Meeting
Sun, January 26, 9:45am Sanctuary
First-Plymouth’s 2025 budget will be presented to the congregation and voted on at our annual meeting. All members are invited to attend. Electronic copies of the report will be available on January 20 by contacting lana@firstplymouth.org
2025 Budget Review
Zoom Meeting Wed January 15, 7:00pm
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88250493681
Join Dr. Jim Keck and Jennifer Lesoing, church treasurer, for a brief update on the church’s 2025 budget. Ask questions and learn more about the financial plans for the year.
Note: It’s not too late to make your pledge commitment in support of the 2025 budget by completing your pledge card. Visit online at firstplymouth.org/giving or email finance@firstplymouth.org.
We are Here to Listen
With the holidays over, we slow down, and silence sets in which could bring out feelings of sadness, grief, or depression. If you are struggling, please do not do it alone. We have Stephen Ministers available to offer non-judgmental, confidential support for anyone going through life challenges or changes. Often having someone to just listen, can lift your spirits clearing away the heaviness. Reach out to Pastor KJ at kj@firstplymouth.org to connect with a Stephen Minister.
First-Plymouth Presents
Trends In Religion
Jim Keck and Juan Carlos Huertas will share the latest trends of religion. What has changed? What’s disappeared? and Why do I Need to Know?
Sun January 19, 6:00pm (doors open at 5:00pm)
Screamers Family Restaurant (803 Q St). Grab a soda, beer, or dinner (available for purchase). Parking garage located directly across the street.
Compline
Sunday, January 12, 7:00-7:30pm, Sanctuary.
Ancient Worship for the modern soul.
Worship with us at 8:15am
A special gathering with donuts, learning, conversation and spirit! Hosted by Jim Keck and Juan Carlos Huertas. Held in Pilgrim Hall.
Daniel Martinez Concert, Sun Feb 2 at First-Plymouth
Join us for an unforgettable performance by flamenco guitar virtuoso, composer, and teacher, Daniel Martinez. This concert is a fundraiser for First-Plymouth’s JustNeighbors ministry.
Bible Study Opportunities
Between Services Book Group
Sundays, 9:45-10:30am, Tower room. Resumes January 12. Group led. New book: Days of Awe and Wonder by Marcus Borg. Discuss chapter 1. Contact person: pennylarsen66@gmail.com
Academic Bible Study
Biblical Hebrew, simplified: Language Insights to Deepen Your Bible Study
Sunday, Jan 12, 19, & 26, 11:30am-12:30pm. Led by Leah Cech.
Many of us read our Bibles in English and other modern languages. We may be curious about Hebrew and Greek, the languages of the Bible, and how knowledge of those languages could help us understand the Bible in a different way. At the same time, we may not wish to spend a year or more learning a new alphabet and memorizing vocabulary! That’s where this class comes in--to give you some tools and examples to understand just enough Biblical Hebrew to add powerful meaning to your study of the Old Testament.
Theology on Tap
Healing Resistance:
Conversations on Non-Violence, Advocacy, and Solidarity in Urgent Times
Mondays, February 10, March 24, April 28, 7:00-8:00pm. Join Pastor JC this Spring for a series of conversations on the ways that the church can be an effective movement of resistance in the world today. Pastor JC believes that such resistance does not use the tools of the oppressor in thought, word, and deed and yet the tools it uses can be effective if only we commit to this healing way together.
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30am, Calvert Parlor. Led by Carolyn Zeisset. New unit begins Jan. 14: Enigmas in the Apocrypha (books between the Old and New Testaments).
Thursday Bible Study with Jim Keck
Thursdays, Noon-1:00pm, Choir Room. Led by Dr. Jim Keck.
Have you tried FP South yet? We’d love to see you there!
Sundays, 9:30am, located at Roper and Sons South Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Dr (S. 40th & Yankee Hill)
A casual service, but deeply Christian with scripture, prayer, singing and joy. The service is a fusion of our other FP services at the main site but in a smaller setting. There is a Sunday school experience for the kids. PLUS+ there is an accessible entrance and easy parking.
