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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| October 12, 2012
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Editor's Note: In the prayer concerns Dan Johnson's wife was mistakenly named. The correct name is Brenda Alexander and not Barbara. I apologize for the error.
Sincerely,
Dennis Sanders
Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area |
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Prayer Requests
For the Week of October 7, 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 Elder Ward Sessing (Ruling Elder, Presbyterian Church of the Way, Shoreview) who is dealing with serious health issues.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Gwin Pratt (pastor, St. Luke Presbyterian, Wayzata) and his wife A.J. as she deals with serious health issues.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Brenda Alexander and her family as they mourn the death of Teaching Elder Dan Johnson, Brenda's husband. A memorial service will take place on October 13.
- We pray for those attending the Presbyterian Women Fall Gathering at First Presbyterian in Stillwater, MN.
- We pray for Teaching Elder David Grachek and the congregation of Knox Presbyterian in Minneapolis. David will be installed as pastor on Sunday, October 14.
- We lift up Christian Educators in the PTCA as they take part in a Retreat October 14-16.
- We pray for our New Church Developments, Chain of Lakes in Blaine and Familia de Fe in Minneapolis as well as their pastors, Paul Moore and Walter Chuquimia, as the share the good news of Christ in their respective contexts.
Beginning this month, we will start praying for teaching elders who are celebrating the anniversary of their ordination. Click here to see the list for October 2012. Pray for the PTCA: This week we are praying for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. To learn more about the congregation, please click 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: Immanuel at Death's Door
Two Presbyterians Share Insights on how to respond to tragedies in our midst. Plus we remember a teaching elder that passed into the greater life this week.
Two weeks have passed since the deadly workplace shooting at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis. As was noted in an email alert, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian is located near Accent and became a hub of activity in the hours following the crime.
Jamie Schulz, the Teaching Elder at Bryn Mawr talked about the event in her September 30 sermon. Weaving in the appointed Gospel for that Sunday, she talked about how to actions and words reflect who we are as the people of God. Jamie opens the sermon reliving the events of that day:
I was at Punch Pizza with my family when I received a text message from our office administrator, Donna, saying she hoped all of the Bryn Mawr Church folks were safe. I texted back "why?" thinking the weather was too nice for a tornado to have struck the neighborhood , oddly that was the first thing that came to mind, then fire. When she wrote back about the violence I created my own scenario in my head, which was of course inaccurate. When I got home I began to see facebook postings and soon I received a phone call about what had happened. Was there something for the church to do? Be a gathering place it appeared, for the mayor to speak to the neighborhood, for neighbors to gather with candles. A place where silence could be observed, details could be conveyed, stories shared, emotions could begin to flow as the reality sank in. Violence, with great force, had come to the neighborhood. It had come without warning on an otherwise beautiful afternoon. Lives were cut short, a business was abruptly halted, one lone individual cried out "pay attention to me" and he used the great equalizer to make his point, then silenced himself so we could learn no more directly from his lips.
Read the rest to find out more.
Most of the time, the tragedies in our lives are not like the Accent Signage shootings, but instead take place on a smaller, but not insignificant scale. Sarah Bigwood, the Children and Youth Director at Valley Community Presbyterian in Golden Valley, shares the insights she learned in the aftermath of losing her father at a young age and how she came to a new understanding of God.
As we close out this week, we are also reminded of the recent death of Teaching Elder Dan Johnson after a long illness. While we mourn his death, we are thankful of the work he did in the name Jesus Christ, such as providing leadership to Knox Presbyterian in St. Paul. Let's remember to give thanks for this faithful servant and the impact he had on countless lives.
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Resources on the Voter ID Amendment
Mission and Witness Committee offer Resources.
 The Mission and Witness Committee is offering resources to help congregations as they discern the proposed Voter ID Amendment in Minnesota. Be informed. You can get the resources by clicking here.
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Presbybriefs
News Taking Place in the Presbytery and the wider Church.
Aging presents us with new challenges and new decisions. But we can also discover new strengths, new wisdom, and new gifts. Can we live creatively? Yes, we can!
But is the church ready for the "gray tsunomi"? Do we have the resources to offer persons making the decisions that come with aging? Can we discover ways to value and include the new gifts of aging?
Please join members of the Presbytery Disability Concerns Ministry on Tuesday, November 13, 2:15-3:30, at Presbyterian Church of the Apostles in Burnsville, MN. We shall tell stories, explore ideas, and offer resources for our own personal growth and for our congregations.
The Rev. Bob and Carolyn Cuthill, Pat Milloy, and Roxanne Ezell will join members of the Disability Concerns Ministry as presenters. The Cuthills will share a story of personal decision-making; Pat will show a painting by a gifted artist; Roxanne will tell a moving story of a gift to her son who lives with a disability. To learn more about the event, click here.
Adult Leaders Needed for Presbyterian Youth Triennium
The Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2013 is coming!! Currently the Presbytery is in the process of putting together the adult leadership team for the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area delegation. It's time to start building excitement and putting these dates on calendars for youth and adults wishing to join us. The dates for the 2013 Triennium are July 16-20. In preparation for this event there will be pre-Triennium events to help the delegation get to know each other.
Are you interested in helping to shape the faith of young disciples? Please download the Adult Volunteer Letter and Application today! Click here to access the files.
David Grachek Installation
 The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area and Knox Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis invite you to a Service of Worship and Installation of David Grachek. The service will take place Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church, 4747 Lyndale Ave So, Minneapolis, 55419. Refreshments will follow the service. Installations of pastors are events of the whole presbytery. Your participation as Knox celebrates this joyful event in the life of our Church would be appreciated.
Boundaries Training Event 
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 (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. If you are an adult interested in volunteering for the Presbyterian Youth Triennium, you must take this training. To register, please click here.
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.
| 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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