EMerge Newsletter: September 6, 2012

The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area

September 6, 2012

In This Issue

Prayer Requests

Focus: Defining Evangelism

September Presbytery Meeting

Presbybriefs

News of the Kirks

Prayer Requests
For the Week of September 2, 2012

Each week we pray for a ministry or ministers in the PTCA. Click the link 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 Teaching Elder Barbara Anne Keeley, who continues to heal from a broken arm.
We pray for the family of Teaching Elder Hank Andersen, father of Teaching Elder Tim Hart-Andersen. Hank died earlier this week. Minneapolis Star-Tribune Columnist Gail Rosenblum wrote an appreciation about Hank which you can read here.
We pray for Teaching Elder David Grachek and the congregation of Knox Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis as they begin their ministry together. David started at Knox on September 1.
We pray for Teaching Elder Cader Howard and the congregation of First Presbyterian in Stillwater as they begin their ministry together. Cader started at First-Stillwater on September 1.
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).

Pray for the PTCA: Find out what church, person or ministry we are lifting up in prayer this week by clicking here.

If you have a prayer concern you'd like to share with the wider Presbytery, please contact us by email at communications@ptcaweb.org .

Focus: Go Get Them and Send Them Out!
Defining Evangelism in the 21st Century.

The E-word.

Say the word, "evangelism" and you start seeing people start to sweat and stammer. Some feel that they need to have a Masters of Divinity to tell someone about the good news of Jesus. Others have images of Christians pointing their fingers at people and condemning them to hell.

But evangelism is simply telling people the evangel or "good news." The good news is Jesus Christ and the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is certainly good news for all of God's creation.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) sets aside one Sunday a year to celebrate evangelism. In 2012, that is September 30. The PCUSA has several evangelism resources to help your congregation to start spreadin' the news. Click here to download resources.

The cover story for the September issue of CPC Life, the magazine of Christ Presbyterian Church is titled "The Power of Invitation: Answering God's Invitation to Get Off the Sidelines." Members of Christ share how inviting someone or being invited to church made a difference in their lives. Read the stories by clicking here.

During the summer, PTCA Candidate Jeff Foels, who is also the Director of Youth Ministries at House of Hope Presbyterian in St. Paul, preached on evangelism based on Mark 6. Read his sermon, "Sending Out," by clicking here.

Finally, you might want to read two related stories from 2011 about Kwanzaa Community Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Jeff Foels notes in his sermon that evangelism is a communal practice and Kwanzaa is a living example of this. You can read a story where leaders from accross the Presbytery came to see what Kwanzaa was doing in North Minneapolis. Also in 2011, Ruling Elder John Ivers shared his story and passion for evangelism, which led to the planting of Kwanzaa and Chain of Lakes Churches. Read his story.

September 2012 Presbytery Meeting
A Resolution on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment and Three Candidates for Ordination are among the topics that will be discussed in Shakopee.

The next Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will take place on September 11, 2012 at First Presbyterian Church in Shakopee from 4-8PM.

Among the items to be considered at this meeting include three persons will be presented to Presbytery for examination for ordination, calls to two pastors will be presented for Presbytery's approval, and the Committee on Ministry will present a motion concerning delegation of certain authorities to that Committee between Presbytery meetings.

Bills and Overtures Committee will report on the resolution concerning the amendment to the Minnesota Constitution on the definition of marriage referred to it at the July Stated Meeting. General Assembly commissioners will report on their experiences in Pittsburgh.

To read the official call and directions to First Presbyterian-Shakopee, please click here. To access the September 2012 Presbytery Packet, please click here. Please note, a full Presbytery Packet will be available for download on Friday, September 7.

Presbybriefs
News Taking Place in the Presbytery and the wider Church.

Session Minutes Review

The coming of the fall brings with it the time for the gathering of the clerks of session for annual continuing education, and submitting the minutes of session for review. The new Form of Government, G-3.0107 and G-3.0108, state the requirement that all minutes and official records of a council shall be reviewed annually by the next higher council. This means that the Presbytery shall review the minutes of the session.

The dates in 2012 for these events are:

Saturday, October 6, at Community Presbyterian Church, 505 West Broadway, Plainview, Minnesota

Saturday, October 20, at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2125 Tower Drive, Woodbury, Minnesota.

The meetings will begin at 9:30 a.m. with coffee and a snack. The business will start at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be served.

Please make sure your Clerk of Session attends! Click here for more information.

Healthy Boundaries Training Takes Place October 27

stop sign The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will host a Level One Boundaries Training Event on Saturday, October 27 at North Presbyterian Church in North St. Paul from 9am to 2pm. Lunch will be provided and the cost for the event is $30 which will cover materials and lunch.

This training is presented two times a year, April and October, by Advocates for Integrity in Ministry Committee (AIM). All clergy are required to take the training. New incoming pastors have a year from their reception to fulfill the requirement. Churches are encouraged to send elders, deacons, all staff, lay and clergy, and any other persons engaged in any form of ministry in or on behalf of the church.

You can sign up for the event by filling out the registration form and new this year, you can now pay online as well! To register, please click here.

Ordination and Installation of Sara Berry Hein

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area and the Presbyterian Church of Le Sueur in Le Sueur, Minnesota invites you to a Service of Ordination and Installation of Sara Berry Hein. The service will take place on Sunday, September 9 at 3PM at the Presbyterian Church of Le Sueur, 404 Turril St., Le Sueur, MN 56058. Refreshments will follow the service. Ordinations of pastors are events of the whole presbytery. You are welcome and encouraged to attend this event. Such times answers to much prayer and a cause for great celebration. Come share the joy!

Order the 2013 Mission Yearbook

The 2013 Mission Yearbook of Prayer will be available for purchase through the Presbytery office at a substantial discount off the full individual retail price. Unfortunately, the Children's Mission Yearbook of Prayer is no longer available.

The enclosed form(s) is for your convenience in ordering. Please fill it out, listing the exact number you wish to order, and the name and location of your church. Please include your e-mail address, so we can notify you when they arrive. The price will be about $15.50 per book.

Please send in your order as soon as possible. No orders will be accepted after October 5, 2012. When the books arrive, those ordering will be notified, by e-mail. Please note: the books will need to be picked up at the Presbytery office - sorry, no exceptions.

The Mission Yearbook of Prayer offers a wealth of information, which may be used in a number of ways, such as, personal or corporate devotion, Minute for Mission, and stewardship interpretation. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Risa Anderson, Office Manager

Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area

Order the 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook

You can order two ways, online and by mail. Click on the method you best prefer.

Online Order Form

Mail Order Form: Download the order form and mail or email it to the Presbytery office.

Find out what's going on in the larger world of the Presbyterian Church (USA) by reading the latest stories from Presbyterian News Service. Click here to read new and recent articles.

News of the Kirks
What's Happening in PTCA Churches.

A Night of Cuban Music at Westminster-Minneapolis (more)

Kwanzaa Pastor Receives Bush Fellowship (more)

Scottish Heritage Festival at First-Hudson (more )

Fall 2012 Adult Classes at St. Luke (more)

Looking for a job or open pulpit? Visit our employment page to see our job listings.

Find out what events are taking place in our presbytery by going to the Presbytery Calendar.

Quick Links	Presbytery Packets \| Presbytery Meeting Dates \| Mission \| Pulpit Supply \| Parish Paper \| Synod of Lakes and Prairies \| Presbyterian Church (USA)

EMerge is a weekly publication from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (PTCA). Recipients include congregations, teaching elders, ruling elders, church members, committees, and friends. Please send submissions and e-mail corrections to Dennis Sanders, editor, at communications@ptcaweb.org . Usual distribution: Thursdays. You can find out more at the PTCA website: www.presbyterytwincities.org

122 W. Franklin Ave.

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404

Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area