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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| March 7, 2013
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Prayer RequestsMarch 10, 2013
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We pray for Judy Kolwicz who was the Executive Presbyter for the PTCA from 1998-2006. She was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A Caring Bridge site has been set up to share Judy's story: www.caringbridge.org/visit/judykolwicz - We pray for Ruling Elder Karen Gasche of Westminster-Minneapolis who is recovering from the shingles.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Tammy Rider who is dealing with health issues.
- We pray for Ruling Elder Bob Cross of Valley Community Presbyterian in Golden Valley who is recovering from surgery.
- We pray for Teaching Elder James Sanders as he struggles with a neuro-muscular disorder called Pompe Disease.
- 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 they share the good news of Christ in their respective contexts.
We now have a new weekly prayer email that arrives in your inbox on Tuesdays. Click here to find out this week's prayer concerns or go to Presbytery website to get a monthly printable version of the prayer calendar.
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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March 2013 Presbytery MeetingThis Saturday, March 9 at North Como Presbyterian in Roseville.
 The March 2013 Presbytery Meeting will take place on Saturday, March 9 at North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville, MN starting at 9AM. Business for the day will include voting on overtures coming from the 2012 General Assembly, including the new translation of the Heidelberg Catechism, and proposed amendments to the Book of Order. Daniel Vigilante will be presented for candidacy, and we will again offer several simultaneous topics for discussion, allowing commissioners to decide what topic they wish to learn about during a portion of the meeting.
The Smart Presbytery Packet
The Guidebook App Allows You to Read the Presbytery Packet from the Convenience of your Smartphone or Tablet. If you've noticed, more and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to read material during Presbytery meetings. In order to make it easier for these folks to read the Presbytery Packet on their mobile devices, we have started using an app called Guidebook. The app was used during the 220th General Assembly in Pittsburgh and we have decided to use it as well.
The app includes a map to the Presbytery meeting and the Presbytery Packet. To see it in action, go to the Guidebook website: www.guidebook.com.The app is available for mobile devices using iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry.
For instructions on how to access and download the guide for the March Meeting, please go to: http://guidebook.com/g/qsfi78j4.
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A Call to Reduce Gun Violence
Calls for Common-Sense Federal Legislation
The following is from the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
During this Lenten Season we are joining other faith groups in prayerful engagement and direct action to reduce our culture of violence and to bring peace to our homes, streets, and public venues. Our role as Christians is to be peacemakers.
This petition, calling for common-sense federal measures to reduce gun violence, is one small piece of a larger strategy to address the culture of violence that pervades our nation.
We will gather signatures for this petition throughout Lent and will deliver the completed petition to Members of Congress in the Easter season.
As you move through your Lenten discipline, make this petition - signing it, circulating it, inviting your friends and congregation-members to sign it - one of your personal commitments.
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Healthy Boundaries Training
April 4 at Church of the Apostles in Burnsville.
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will host a Level One Boundaries Training Event on Thursday, April 4 at Presbyterian Church of the Apostles
in Burnsville from 8:30am 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.
1. All youth leaders who wish to attend Triennium are required to take this training.
2. All participants are required to attend the entire day of training, from opening welcome and worship through closing, or no credit will be given.
You must sign-up for the event online before the close of business on Tuesday, April 2.
If you have any questions, please contact the Sandra Stuart Gray or Peter Soulen, co-chairs of the Advocates for Integrity Committee at aim@ptcaweb.org.
Click here to register for the event.
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Fiscal Fitness Forum for Seminarians April 19 at Westminster-Minneapolis.
How fiscally fit are you? Join us for a first call seminar designed to get you on the path to financial well-being.
This seminar is for: 
- Seminary students, candidates, and inquirers
- Recent graduates and area early-career clergy
- A guest (covered partner, spouse, fiance/e, etc.)
Sponsored by the Presbyterian Board of Pensions.
Click here to register.
PTCA Church Educators Gathering
March 15 at the Resource Center for Churches.
The March Educator Gathering will be on Thursday March 14, 2013 from 11:30am-1:00pm.Church Educators and Youth Leaders will be meeting at the Resource Center for Churches (RCC) which is located at 122 W Franklin Av, Ste 2, Mpls, MN 55404-2435 you can find directions at the RCC website http://rcc-mn.org/about/. Rescource Center Director Lizabeth Bougie will be the host. Please bring $5.00 to help cover the cost of lunch. Please RSVP to Martha Rockenstein by Tuesday March 12th via email: martha.rockenstein@gmail.com.
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One Great Hour of Sharing Offering
Thank you for your continued dedication to the important work of the church done through the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Self-Development of People ministries which are supported by your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing which collected during Lent and Easter.
Below is information to help you in promoting the offering in your congregation:
- Standing orders for the One Great Hour of Sharing have been shipped. If you have not received your order please call 800-524-2612 or e-mail mpds@pcusa.org to inquire about your order.
- Access the One Great Hour of Sharing website's Art page for reproducible ads and fun facts about the Offering for your newsletter.
- Last year we introduced the ability to give via text messaging. This option still remains for those unable to give when the offering is received at your church. Individual $10 gifts can be made by texting OGHS to 20222.
Thank you. Your support of One Great Hour of Sharing continues to make a difference in the lives others!!
SDOP 2012 Grants
SDOP Committee Offers $17K in Grants to Two Minneapolis Organizations.
The Self Development of People Committee of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area awarded grants in 2012 to an organization that provides food to persons living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases and a local co-op that aims to provide culturally specific products and lift people from generational poverty.
The two organizations chosen to receive grants were: Bountiful Growers, Minneapolis, MN, $6,209 and The Aliveness Project, Minneapolis, MN, $11,209.
Bountiful Growers, located in North Minneapolis, is a grass roots organization of a core group of 5 multi-generational women who own and control this co-op. They specialize in growing and harvesting cultural specific and celebrated produce. The harvested products are used to produce natural, organic skin care that includes lip balm, body butter and soap .
Bountiful was established in order to create safe and natural products for the community, to celebrate and utilize cultural knowledge, and to educate the community on best business practices and break cycles of generational poverty.
Located in South Minneapolis, the Aliveness Project was founded in 1985 as an alternative source of support and services for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Aliveness offersa Food Services Program to supplement daily nutrition, Meetings & Speakers services to provide creative ways of helping people cope with issues concerning HIV/AIDS, as well as Complimentary Therapies to augment current modes of AIDS drug therapies.
The Self Development of People Committee receives funding from the One Great Hour of Sharing special offering. The funds are granted to grass roots organizations that work to empower the economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged people seeking to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression and justice.
Self Development of People grants are for any grass roots organization within the boundaries of this presbytery. PTCA churches and individuals are asked to encourage grass roots organizations to apply for funding. The application and criteria for funding are on the presbytery website.
March is Minnesota Foodshare Month
Helping Local Foodshelves.
 During the month of March, congregations in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities will join people of good will from across the state of Minnesota to help alleviate hunger. Minnesota FoodShare's March Campaign is the largest food drive in the state, and faith communities, including PTCA churches are the heart of the campaign. Last year the campaign raised a record 9.1 million pounds and dollars for Minnesota's food shelves. In 2013, it is hoped that $1million will be raised to support foodshelves in Minnesota. Participating PTCA congregations will be collecting both food and cash contributions throughout the month of March for your local food shelf. If your congregation has not participated, you can do so by getting materials from Minnesota FoodShare: Is your church taking part? If so, drop us a line at communications@ptcaweb.org. We'd like to know what your doing to "Be a Hero" in the fight against hunger in Minnesota.
Spring Forward-THIS WEEK
Set Your Clocks Forward on Saturday Night.
Daylight Savings time begins on March 10, so set your clocks FORWARD before going to bed on Saturday night.
Critical Conversations
PTCA Forum on Sex Trafficking in April.
 The Kwanzaa Task Force of the Mission and Witness Committee will host Critical Conversations: the local mission effort to deal with sex trafficking and the prostitution of children in the Twin Cities on Tuesday April 2, 6-8PM at Valley Community Presbyterian Church in Golden Valley. Speakers will include Rev. Alika Galloway of the Northside Women's Project and Dr. Lauren Martin from the University of Minnesota. For more information, please read this article by Teaching Elder Bebe Baldwin.
"God's People Crying Out for Justice"
Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering in Rochester. 
The Spring Gathering of the Presbyterian Women of the Greater Twin Cities Area will be held on April 13 in Rochester, MN at the First Presbyterian Church. The event starts at 9:00 a.m. with check-in, coffee and conversation. Registration forms will be available in the next
Connections publication.
The speaker this year will be Linda Hora, a Synod Representative from Boone, IA. She participated in the 2011 Global Exchange to India and will reflect on projects, people and experiences she had while there.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend this special event which has been prepared just for you as women of faith. It is a great experience to meet people from other churches in our presbytery and share with them the missions we support, the accomplishments we have made, and the impact we have had on our own community in the name of Jesus Christ.
The cost for the event is $15. For more information and also to register for the event, download the Spring 2013 issue of Connections, the Newsletter of Presbyterian Women in the PTCA.
The Wired Church
Communication and Technology Forum on April 13.
 Are you in charge of the audio/video for Sunday morning service? Or maybe you put together the church newsletter or website? Do you have questions on how to do your job better or do you have tips to share with others. If you are involved in either technology or communication in your church, we hope you will take time to come to the Wired Church, a forum on the role of technology and communication in congregations. It's a time to come with questions or tips on how to improve your ministry. Join us April 13 at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis from 9AM-Noon. Registration for the event will begin the week of March 11.
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Next Week at Augsburg College.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum March 8-10 in Minneapolis is bringing two remarkable Nobel Peace Prize winners to the Twin Cities: Mohammad Yunus, who developed the concept of microcredit that has lifted millions of people out of extreme poverty, and Tawakkol Karman, who has advanced civil rights and is known as the Mother of the Arab Spring. In addition to these two Laureates, there are six keynoters (including Dr. Paul Farmer and local hip-hop artist Brother Ali) and dozens of breakouts lead by regional and local experts. It's a unique not-to-be-missed opportunity. Register here: nobelpeaceprizeforum.org
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.
Conference for Mainline Christian Educators Set for October ( more)
Two PTCA Congregations Granted "Green" Seal of Approval ( more)
Lenten Art Exhibit at First-South St. Paul ( more) Kwanzaa Task Force to Host Conference on Sex Trafficking in April ( more) Board of Pensions Postpones Medical Care Dues Recommendation to June ( 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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