A Bible-Centered Congregation on Georgia Street
Plymouth Congregational Church stands on the corner of Georgia Street in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a few blocks west of the Fox River. The congregation describes itself as an evangelical body of believers whose motto is simply "Love God, love others," and the building at 1325 Georgia St. houses a Sunday morning worship service, Sunday school classes for every age, an evening service, midweek programs for children and students, and a steady calendar of outreach that spills into the wider Oshkosh community. With an archive stretching across dozens of sermon pages, Plymouth is a long-running church whose teaching walks systematically through books of the Bible and whose life is organized around two big rhythms: the gathered worship of the Lord's Day and the formation of every age group under the Word.
What Plymouth Believes
The church's statement of faith holds that the Bible, made up of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the only inspired, inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. Plymouth teaches one true and living God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the creator and sustainer of all things. The congregation confesses the deity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father, and personal return in power and glory.
Because of the sinfulness of mankind and the holiness of God, Plymouth teaches that Jesus Christ alone is the provided way and sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit (being born again) is described as absolutely essential for salvation and is received as a gift. The present ministry of the Holy Spirit is affirmed, by whose filling, indwelling, power, teaching, and illumination of Scripture the Christian is enabled to live a godly life in this present evil world. Plymouth also confesses the resurrection and judgment of both the saved and the lost, the spiritual oneness of all true believers in Jesus Christ, and that marriage, as defined in Genesis 2 and reaffirmed by Jesus in Mark 10, is only between one man and one woman as naturally born.
Purpose, Mission, and Vision
The stated purpose of Plymouth is to worship God together in love, to meet people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever they are in their walk with God and in their relationships with others, and to equip believers for a purposeful and productive Christian life and ministry. The mission is to reach out to the community in the name of Jesus Christ as a unique body of believers who love one another as they are, with an evangelistic concern and initiative; to offer counsel, encouragement, benevolence, and assistance to those struggling in family or interpersonal relationships; and to equip Christians to be reproducing disciples through sound Biblical teaching and by identifying, developing, and using their spiritual gifts in fulfillment of the Great Commission in the community, the country, and the world.
The vision statement sums it up: Plymouth longs to be a safe haven that loves God, loves others, welcomes all, ministers to all, and equips all for a life of service to Jesus Christ, to the Oshkosh community, and to the world, anchoring itself in Matthew 22:34-40 and Matthew 28:17-20.
Sunday in Three Movements
Sunday at Plymouth has three parts. Sunday Morning Worship begins at 9:00 a.m. Discipleship classes for all ages follow at 10:30 a.m. The day closes with Sunday Evening Worship at 6:00 p.m., giving the congregation three distinct gatherings in which to praise, learn, and pray. The morning service is also livestreamed to a conference room for families who prefer to stay with nursery-age children during the message.
A Blended Approach to Worship
Plymouth pursues worship that is focused on God and his character and that is both reverent and joyful. The church's stated philosophy of music blends contemporary songs and traditional hymns, recognizing that historical hymns of the faith provide a rich source of inspiration and a sense of the heritage of the church, while contemporary biblical choruses often point worshipers to powerful scriptural truths. The goal, the church says, is that worshipers will sense God's presence and be moved to worship, grow in their knowledge of God and their walk with him, and find encouragement through fellowship. The worship life also includes special Hymn Services and seasonal gatherings tied to Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Reformation Day, baptism, and communion.
Children: From the Nursery through Sixth Grade
Plymouth's children's ministries are organized by age and run across the week. The nursery is staffed for newborns through age three during the morning service, and the sermon is also streamed into the conference room for families who would rather stay with their little ones. Sunday School is available for children age three and up, and Children's Church runs during the message portion of the morning service for children from age three through second grade, with a separate Toddler Room for ages three through preschool and a back-of-the-sanctuary gathering for kindergarten through second grade.
AWANA meets Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. during the school year for ages three through sixth grade. The night includes Council Time, where children sing and learn about Jesus from a leader's Bible lesson, and Handbook Time, where smaller groups recite the Scripture verses they have worked on at home and earn awards displayed on their club uniforms. Registration for the coming school year is handled through the church center.
Wings and Visions: Middle and High School
Wings is Plymouth's middle school ministry, meeting Wednesday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 124 during the school year. The evening opens with announcements and prayer, moves into games, then a time of worship, and ends with a lesson from the youth pastor or a youth leader. Visions, the high school group, gathers Sunday nights from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 124 during the school year, following a similar rhythm with announcements, prayer, games, an occasional student-led devotional, worship, and a teaching time. Most weeks the high school students and leaders head out to eat together after youth group.
Adults: Bible Studies, Small Groups, Women's Ministry, and College & Career
The stated goal of Plymouth's adult ministries is to provide biblical instruction that leads to spiritual growth within the context of true fellowship, meeting together not only to hear the Word but to encourage, challenge, and pray for one another. Sunday morning Discipleship classes offer multiple classes and a variety of topics for all ages.
Small groups and Bible studies meet at various times and locations during the week. Senior Pastor Rick Hopkins leads a study each Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Women's Bible studies are woven through the week: Suzy Wasmuth leads one every Tuesday at 9 a.m.; Lisa Woller leads one every other Tuesday at 7 p.m.; and Kendra Arthur leads one every other Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., with childcare provided. The Women's Ministry gathers on a bi-monthly basis, with details posted on the church calendar. A College & Career group meets every other Friday at 6 p.m. at Plymouth, beginning with an hour of fellowship and hanging out before moving into an hour-long Bible study and prayer time.
Reaching Out: VBS, Mission Trips, and the Community
Plymouth takes seriously the Lord's command to preach the gospel where its people live as well as overseas. The church hosts Vacation Bible School each year, supports a Community Committee, partners with EAA/MASA mission efforts, packs shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, sends youth and adult teams on mission trips, and supports individual missionaries and mission organizations. Membership is required for participation in some volunteer roles, and child protection training, which includes a background check, is mandatory for anyone who serves with children.
Knowing Christ for the First Time
Plymouth keeps an open door for anyone exploring faith. The church teaches that the Bible says God loves us and has a plan for our lives, both now and for eternity, and that every person has fallen short of God's standard. Because Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and took the punishment for our sins on the cross, salvation comes through believing in him as Lord and Savior. Those ready to begin a relationship with God are invited to pray a simple prayer of confession and commitment, then to be plugged in with other believers who can encourage them and help with questions and struggles along the way. A prayer model is printed on the church's How to Know Christ page for anyone who wants a starting point.
The Pastoral Team
Rick Hopkins serves as Senior Pastor. A graduate of Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music and Calvin College, where he earned degrees in Pastoral Studies and History, Rick and his wife Lynne have two daughters. His favorite verses are John 3:16 and II Corinthians 5:21, and his favorite part of the role is the Sunday morning worship service.
Brian Bradley is the Associate Pastor. A graduate of the University of Northwestern St. Paul (Biblical Studies) and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Theology), Brian joined Plymouth in 2013 as Youth Pastor and has since transitioned to the Associate Pastor role. He plays guitar, enjoys hard rock music, and is a Green Bay Packers fan; his favorite verse is Isaiah 40:31.
Pastor Daniel Alexander serves as Youth Pastor and teaches in the Wings and Visions ministries. Office Assistants Adeline Anklam and Kendra Arthur support the ministry of the church from the office, and Bob Malliett serves as Custodian.
Sermons, Giving, and Finding Plymouth
Sermons from Plymouth are posted with audio and video and can be watched on the church's YouTube channel, and bulletins are saved as PDFs each week. Past series have walked verse by verse through books of the Bible, including recent journeys through the Psalms, Galatians, II Corinthians, and Jonah, with earlier series on Genesis, Colossians, I and II Corinthians, Philippians, Romans, John, the Ten Commandments, the Gospels, and hymn services. Online giving is available through the church's giving page. The church office can be reached at (920) 231-8231 or info@plymouthchurchoshkosh.com, and visitors are invited to come as they are to 1325 Georgia St., Oshkosh, WI 54902, with Sunday morning worship beginning at 9:00 a.m.