Each week we pray for a ministry or ministers in the PTCA.    Click on the button below to find who we are praying for this week.

• We pray for Ruling Elder Cindy Hanson (Edgcumbe Presbyterian, St. Paul) as she battles cancer.    
• We continue to pray for those who are experiencing illness at this time including Dan Johnson (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired), Joy Smith (Teaching Elder, Church of the Apostles) and Tim Held (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired).  

The 2012 Mission and Witness Grants are still  available to help congregations in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area engage in ministries of justice and care.

Questions?  Please call Karen Kennerly at (651) 735-9691 or email the committee at sdop@ptcaweb.org. You can find out more about SDOP and to download the application  by going to www.presbyterytwincities.org/sdop .

In 2011 the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) turned traditional educational lending upside down by re-imagining how the PC(USA) Theological Student Loan program could respond to the mission priorities of the church.

What emerged is a program making forgivable loans to pastors serving in temporary and/or part-time pastoral positions. The loan proceeds are paid to the borrower's student loan servicer to reduce the principal balance of the loans taken when the borrower sought the credentials required for ordained ministry.

To find out more, go to: http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/financialaid/transformational-leadership-debt-assistance/

On October 14-16, 2012 there will be  a Sabbath Retreat at Presbyterian Clearwater Forest for Educators, Youth Directors, and Pastors in educational ministry.  The retreat will be a time for rest, relaxation, fellowship, discussion, and worship.  Activities will not begin until early evening on the 14th so educators don't have to miss a Sunday morning (unless you want to).

For more information, please contact Martha Rockenstein at martha.rockenstein@gmail.com.

Fall 2012 Town Hall Forum Dates Set:  The Westminster Town Hall Forum kicks off its fall season with an examination of the personal and political relationships among America's modern presidents. The season continues with a tour of America's musical heritage, a reflection on the impact of global violence, and an assessment of the 2012 elections. Keep reading to find out dates and times.  

Scholarship Set Up in Honor of Livingston:  A fund has been set up in honor of Ethel Kay Livingston to help those enrolled in the Preparation for Ministry program in the PTCA. Livingston served on the Presbytery's Committee on Preparation for Ministry. If you would like to support this fund, you can mail a check (made out to the PTCA) to the Presbytery office, Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, 122 W. Franklin Avenue, Suite 508, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Please write "Ethel Kay Livingston Fund" on the memo line.

PTCA Youth Initiative Update:  Earlier this year, the Presbytery Council called for youth leaders across the Presbytery to come together to find ways to support each other and stregnthen the presbytery's outreach to youth and young adults. Since that time, presbytery youth leaders have gathered to talk and they plan to present a proposal at the November Presbytery Meeting.  

Sarah Bigwood, the Director of Family Ministries at Valley Community Presbyterian in Golden Valley shared what has gone on since the spring and how you can be a part.  Click here to read her blog post.

Triple Duo Bible Study at Dayton Avenue:   You are invited to attend Triple Duo. This class will be divided into four interrelated parts, each of which can also be enjoyed on its own or with any of the others. The series, led by Candidate for Ministry Jermaine Ross, will take a look at encounters, overlaps and fallouts between duos and trios in the family stories found in the Book of Genesis and one of Paul's Epistles. We will examine and discuss some of the complications that result from these interactions- complications that reveal questions with striking relevance to our contemporary situation. Keep reading for more information about the series. 

Revamped Forms Page:  Looking for Presbytery forms.  Please go to the Presbytery Forms page, which has been recently updated.  You will find forms such as Skill Bank Forms, Expense Forms and forms from the Committee on Ministry, Committee on Preparation for Ministry, Commissioned Ruling Elders Committee, the Stated Clerk and the Board of Trustees. A revamped Presbytery Policies Page is now online. 

• Summer Movies on the Lawn, North Como Presbyterian, Roseville  

• Vacation Bible School (Aug.12-16), Peace Presbyterian, St. Louis Park 

August 14 

• Common Prayer, Presbytery Offices, Minneapolis

• Lunchtime Organ Concert, Dayton Avenue Presbyterian, St. Paul
• Lectionary Bible Study , First Presbyterian, Belle Plaine
• Sundaes on Wednesday, Chain of Lakes, Lino Lakes
• Midweek Bible Study: Exploring Theology Through Dylan and U2, First Presbyterian, South St. Paul
• Triple Duo Bible Study, Dayton Avenue Presbyterian, St. Paul 
• Worship on Wednesdays, First Presbyterian, Hastings  

August 16

• Commissioned Ruling Elders Committee, Hope Presbyterian, Richfield 

Find out about other events taking place in our presbytery by going to www.presbyterytwincities.org/calendar.