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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| September 20, 2012
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Prayer Requests
For the Week of September 16, 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 pray for Elder Ward Sessing (Ruling Elder, Presbyterian Church of the Way, Shoreview) who is dealing with serious health issues.
- We pray for the congregation of Buffalo Presbyterian, Buffalo and Rev. Sara Vanderpan as they start their ministry together.
- We pray for the congregation of First Presbyterian in Red Wing as they deal with a very stressful transition.
- We pray for the congregations of Hope Presbyterian, Richfield and Eden Prairie Presbyterian, Eden Prairie as they enter a time of discernment on remaining in the PTCA and the PC(USA). We also pray for the Presbytery Response Teams working with each congregation.
- We continue to pray for those who are experiencing illness at this time including Dan Johnson (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired) 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 .
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Focus: Ghana, Columbia and Ghana Again
Peacemakers and Mission Workers visit the PTCA in September and October.
 | | Doug Tilton |
Fall can mean football or apple picking or even taking in the fall color. For Presbyterians, it can also mean mission. During autumn Presbyterian Mission workers visit church in presbyteries around the country, informing them on how they are working to bring God's peace to parts the world that are in need of the healing work of Christ.
On September 23rd at 4PM Doug Tilton, the PC(USA) Regional Liaison for Southern Africa will speak at Presbyterian Church of the Way in Shoreview. Members from Church of the Way will also talk about mission partnerships such as the current partnership between Church of the Way and Trinity Congregation in Dampong, Ghana. Click here to find out more about Doug and about the event.
 | | Germán Zárate-Durier |
Also, Germán Zárate-Durier, a PC (USA) International Peacemaker from Colombia, will be visiting the Twin Cities, September 27-October 4, 2012. He is the Director of the Office of Diaconia (Mission and Service) of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC), which is the oldest Presbyterian Church in Latin America. His Office focuses on church development and the promotion of human rights, working with social justice organizations, especially those devoted to victims of violence, and with the Presbyterian Accompaniment Program for Peace. Germán will speak at several churches in the Presbytery during his stay in Minnesota. Click to get the dates, times and location where Germán will be speaking.
 | | Josh Heikkila |
Many of you know that one of our PTCA Teaching Elders, Josh Heikkila, serves as the Regional Liaison for West Africa. Josh writes occasional letters that are posted on the PC(USA) website. His latest one from July of this year talks about new converts to Christianity and how God in Christ can transform not only individual people, but an entire culture. Here's a snippet of Josh's letter:
Many of these new converts have a natural affinity for Christianity, because Christian faith can take this world of traditional religious belief, with its rituals and practices, and make greater sense of it. It can be revolutionary for people to hear that God is a loving God, who in Jesus Christ is reaching out to help a lost and broken world. This knowledge of God in Jesus Christ can transform both individual people and entire cultures. Over time, as people and cultures learn to embrace practices that are good and loving and life-giving, they alter or even abandon practices that are not. This is something that needs to be done in all cultures-whether in Africa, Europe, the Americas, or anyplace else. Read the rest of the story by clicking here.
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End Hunger. One Step at a Time.
Metro Minneapolis CROP Walk Takes Place October 14.
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A Team from Calvin Presbyterian in Long Lake, MN taking part in the 2011 Minneapolis CROP Walk.
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October 14, 2 p.m., Augsburg College, Oren Gateway Center, Minneapolis
CROP Hunger Walk funds are used for programs which end hunger and empower people to be self-reliant. Twenty-five percent will support local hunger needs in Minneapolis through five metro area programs: Bryan Coyle Food Shelf, Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP), Our Savior's Community Services, St. Stephen's Human Services and Simpson Housing Services.
To sign up, go to www.cropwalk.org or contact Perri Graham, regional director of Church World Service, at 651-295-5240.
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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
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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
 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.
2012 Presbyterian Women Fall Gathering
 Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will gather at First Presbyterian in Stillwater, MN on Saturday, October 13th at 9:00 a.m. for the 2012 Fall Gathering. The theme for the day is Building Bridges, Connecting Generations." Deb DeMeester, adjunct faculty and researcher at the University of St. Thomas, will present and lead a discussion on generational thinking and its impact on congregational life.
A luncheon will be served. The discussion continues in the afternoon with a presentation by Cheryl Klink, First Presbyterian-Stillwater's Director of Children, Family and Youth Ministries.
Tickets are $15. Click here to find out how to register.
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. 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. |
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News of the Kirks
What's Happening in PTCA Churches.
South African Priest and Apartheid Activist Headlines Havel Forum at House of Hope ( more) Karen Larson Ordination, September 30 at St. Luke ( more) Scottish Heritage Festival at First-Hudson September 22 ( more ) Central-St. Paul's VocalPoint Chorus Announces 2012-13 Season ( more) Ask-A-Laywer Day at Church of All Nations October 6 ( more) Westminster-Mpls Hosts Covenant Network Conference in October ( 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. |
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 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
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