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Presbytery Meetings
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The next Presbytery Meeting is Saturday, January 14, 2012 from 9AM-3PM at Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, MN. Materials for the meeting will be available in early January at our Presbytery Packets page.
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Go Mobile!
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The website for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area is now optimized to work on iPhone and Android mobile devices. You can get to our mobile site in two ways: one your smartphone, simply go to the www.presbyterytwincites.org web address and you will go straight to the mobile formatted site or simply scan the qr code to your above and you go immediately to the site.
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Parish Paper
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The November and December 2011 editions The Parish Paper, a monthly resource for local churches to which the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area has subscribed on behalf of all PTCA churches, are now online. We encourage you to share The Parish Paper with your session , committees, or teams within your congregation. To download the latest issues as well as archived papers, please click here.
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InPrint Newsmagazine
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InPrint is the newsmagazine detailing the mission and ministry of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. To download the November 2011 issue, please click here.
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We give thanks for the recent birth of Jillian, the first Grandchild for Executive Presbyter Chaz Ruark and Teaching Elder Janet Ruark (First United Presbyterian, Baldwin, WI). We pray for Jill, as well her parents Courtney and Phil.
We pray for Teaching Elder Ron Wilson, pastor of the Associated Church in Owatonna and Teaching Elder Paula Sanders, who are recovering from knee replacement surgeries.
We pray for Ruling Elder Jack Reddan (First Presbyterian, White Bear Lake) as he continues to recover from recent surgical complications.
We pray for Teaching Elder Joan McKenzie and the congregation of Buffalo Presbyterian in Buffalo, MN. Joan has accepted a position on the West Coast. Her last Sunday with the Buffalo church was December 11. Please pray for the congregation as they work through the transition and pray for Joan as she recovers from a spider bite.
Each week we pray for a ministry or ministers in the PTCA. Click on the date below to find who we are praying for this week. Prayer Requests for Week of December 12-18, 2011 If you have a prayer concern you'd like to share with the wider Presbytery, please contact us by email at communications@ptcaweb.org . |
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|  Less than a decade old, Church of All Nations, a church plant out of the Korean immigrant context, has not only taken root but is already bearing fruit. Not only has it helped to launch three worshiping communities, but the multi-ethnic church that is living into its name to be of "all nations" is also in conversation with two struggling local congregations regarding the potential of a partnership "relaunch." The Twin Cities area of Minnesota - home to Church of All Nations - is also home to many new immigrant groups. "One of these groups - from theCôte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) - came to us and asked, 'Are you really a church of all nations?' shared Pastor Jin Kim. The group of French-speaking, Parisian-based, Pentecostal West Africans had been worshipping in a local Lutheran church with free rent but stringent requirements for use of the space. "We said, of course you can worship here and you don't have to pay rent," said Kim. "So they took a Sunday school room and made it into a chapel with their own colors and fabrics."
Read more...
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Does your congregation have an idea for a mission or ministry, but can't do it for lack of money?
The 2012 Mission and Witness Grants are now available to help congregations in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area engage in ministries of justice and care. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2012. Find out more by going the PTCA Mission and Witness website.
Read more...
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Seeker Seminar: The Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) is hosting a one day seminar for individuals exploring a sense of call to Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Seekers Seminar will take place December 28 at North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville, MN. Read more...
Alika Galloway Keynote at Day on the Hill: "And What Does the Lord Require?" is the theme of the 2012 Day on the Hill, sponsored by the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, March 20, 2012 in St. Paul. Join Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims at the State Capitol to publicly speak together to the legislature about key issues before our state. JRLC Day on the Hill is one of the largest lobby days at the Capitol each year - don't miss it. Keynote speaker will be Rev. Alika Galloway, co-pastor of Kwanzaa Community Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Register online at www.jrlc.org.
Read more...
Discount on Alban Institute Books and Courses: Are you interested in purchasing a book or taking a class sponsored by the Alban Institute? The Presbytery has a membership which can offer a discount if the order is placed by the PTCA. For more information, please contact Stated Clerk Nancy Grittman at statedclerk@ptcaweb.org.
Towels and Sheets for Refugees: If you had to move across the world with only 2 bags for your most treasured possessions, would towels and sheets make the list? Probably not. Most refugees arrive without these necessities and MCC Refugee Services has very few on hand at present. Can you help us make an apartment feel like a home for new refugee families arriving in December and January? We are in need of bath towels and neutral colored twin bed sheets. Donations can be brought to MCC Refugee Services at 122 West Franklin Ave Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Questions? Contact Green at 612-230-3249 or at green.bouzard@mnchurches.org.
The Young Clergy Crisis: Carol Howard Merritt, a blogger and Presbyterian pastor, wrote a post at the Christian Century on the crisis facing young clergy. The post had a lot of response including blog post from Presbyterian pastor Jan Edminston and our own Communication Specialist, Dennis Sanders. You can follow the conversation (and put your two cents in) by reading Carol's posts here and here, Jan's posts here and here and Dennis' posts here and here.
2012 Per Capita: At the November 8, 2012 Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, the 2012 Budget was approved, meaning we can now announce the 2012 Per Capita for PTCA Congregations. The 2012 Per Capita is $31.63. For a breakdown please visit our Per Capita Page.
Coming Soon, Tuesday Prayers: Starting in late January 2012, anyone in the Presbytery interested in devotions are invited a time of reflection prayer at the PTCA office. More details to follow.
Don't Forget to File a Report! It's the end of the year, which means it's time to fill out congregational reports. The following forms are due January 31, 2012: the Necrology Form, Members of Session Form, Presbytery Commissioners Form, Current Clerk of Session Form and Terms of Call Form. All the forms can be filled out online and are available at the Presbytery's Form page.
Attention At-Large and Retired Pastors: It's time to fill out the annual Non-Parish Clergy Annual Report. This year, there are two different forms to fill depending on your status: a form for honorably retired teaching elders and one for those teaching elders who are at-large. You can fill out either form online by clicking here. The deadline to file a report is December 31, 2011.
Save the Date: Amy Blumenshine, a nationally recognized speaker and writer on the concerns of returning military personnel and their families, will be the keynote speaker for a morning workshop at Community Presbyterian Church in Rochester on February 25, 2012. Read more...
Recent Social Media Articles: For the second issue of our occasional series on social media, we include articles on Twitter, Facebook and Young Clergy, and just what the heck is that funny-looking square box we see everywhere (including this email). Read more...
A Safe Church, An Inclusive Church: Is your congregation trying to write a sexual misconduct policy? Check out the policy template designed by our Advocates for Intergrity in Ministry Committee. Also, learn about the Presbytery's Policy on Disabilities as well.
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Presbybytes: Other News and Events
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Don't Miss the following events and news taking place in the Presbytery:
December 16: A Peace of My Mind: The Photography of John Noltner, First Presbyterian, South St. Paul
December 18: Advent Lessons and Carols , Central Presbyterian Church, St. Paul
December 20: Blue Christmas Service , First Presbyterian , South St. Paul
December 21: Advent Quiet Wednesdays, Lake Nokomis Presbyterian, Minneapolis
December 22: Longest Night Service, Community Presbyterian, Rochester
December 23-26: Presbytery Office Closed
Find out about other events taking place in our presbytery by going to www.presbyterytwincities.org/events.
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