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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| April 11, 2013
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Prayer RequestsApril 14, 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 Ward Sessing (Church of the Way, Shoreview). He is home with his family but the cancer has spread to his liver and brain. His caringbridge site is wardsessing if anyone would like to leave a note of comfort to him.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Tammy Rider who is dealing with health issues.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Ron Wilson and the congregation of the Associated Church in Owatonna, MN. Ron will be retiring later this year.
- We pray for Teaching Elder James Sanders as he struggles with a neuro-muscular disorder called Pompe Disease.
- We pray for the faith communities of Grace Trinity Community Church and Aldrich Avenue Presbyterian church both in Minneapolis, as they launch alternative worship experiences called The Garden and Stemwinder Worship respectively.
- 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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Come and Find the Quiet CenterTaize at Pine Ridge, Quiet Worship in Minneapolis.
Monday, April 22, is a Crucial Deadline
for those wanting to go on the Bus to the Taizé Brothers' "Pilgrimage of Trust across the Earth,"
at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Memorial Day Weekend.
Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis has offered to subsidize a 50-passenger bus to take young adults to this very special gathering next May 24-27. In the words of Brother John, "It will be a rare opportunity to discover a culture very different from mainstream America, with its gifts and its problems, to see what we can learn from one another, and to search together for what the Spirit is saying to us as we try to create a more human world."
(A flyer with more information is attached.)
To make the bus happen, Westminster needs to know how many people want to take the bus:
o If there are not at least 40 going, the bus possibility will have to be cancelled.
o If there are more than 50, additional options will have to be explored.
Accordingly, if you intend to go to the Pilgrimage and would like to go/come on the bus, it is essential that you let us know by Monday, April 22.
Keep reading for more information.
There are also other opportunities for contemplation closer to home. Westminster Presbyterian Minneapolis offers a "Quiet Worship" service on the fourth Saturday of every month at 9am. The next opportunity of Saturday, April 27. Also, Westminster publishes Thin Places, an ecumenical journal of contemplative spirituality. If you'd like to start receiving the newsletter, please go to www.ewestminster.org/thin_places. The March-April-May edition features and article by Rev. James Gertmenian, the Senior Pastor of Plymouth Congregational in Minneapolis. For those living in Southeastern Minnesota, Community Presbyterian in Rochester offers the Garden of Life, which includes space for contemplation.
Big Tent 2013Ten Conferences. One Place.
Discover a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that is more exciting, more faithful, and more diverse than you have ever imagined. Big Tent will inspire you and make you proud to be a Presbyterian. The event will be celebratory, diverse, and participatory, with intergenerational activities.
Under one roof, the 2013 Big Tent will combine 10 national Presbyterian conferences and a single theme: "Placing God's First Things First" (Matt. 6:33-34). It will take place August 1-3 at the Kentucky International Convention Center and nearby hotels in downtown Louisville.
For more information or to register, please click here.
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Bringing Hope to Minot
Minot, ND is still recovering from a 2011 flood. Learn you can help.
Pastor Paul Krueger of Hope Village in Minot, ND.
will be in the area from Thursday evening, April 25 to Sunday the 27th and is available to speak about Hope Village at other events anywhere in a 100-mile radius of the Twin Cities.
In conjunction with its many faith-based partners, Hope Village continues to coordinate flood rebuilding efforts following the 2011 Souris River flood in Minot.
Although volunteers have been serving through the winter, the Hope Village "campus" is expected opens up again in mid-April to once again host volunteers.
Since April 2012, when Hope Village opened, it has served 256 volunteer teams consisting of 2,992 volunteers from 26 states and three Canadian provinces. They have worked 92,768 hours of flood recovery.
Thirty-eight of those teams came from Minnesota and 21 groups came from Wisconsin to serve.
In all, Hope Village volunteers were able to supply gutting, mucking, demolition and construction that to date has had an impact on 390 homes. Before operations draw to a close, the goal is for Hope Village volunteers to impact 500 Minot-area homes.
The work continues, and Pastor Krueger would like to make himself available to speak to groups on the evening of April 25, any time the 26th or the evening of April 27.
If you are interested, please contact Linley Wartenberg at 850-322-8212 or linley@hopevillagend.org.
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Dismissal Policy Draft Released
How to allow congregations to be dismissed to other denominations.
A draft policy that explains the process of allowing a congregation to be dismissed to another denomination was released yesterday. We hope you and your congregations will take the time to study the document and also take advantage of the comment period to share your concerns. Stated Clerk Bill Davnie will be accepting your comments between now and April 19. Share your concerns by email: statedclerk@ptcaweb.org.
To download the draft policy and introductory letter, please go to the Gracious Separation page on the Presbytery website.
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The Wired Church
Forum on Communication and Technology April 13 in Minneapolis.
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. The event is free, but we would like you to register.
Registration today! Please click here to register.
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2013-14 Presbyterian Planning Calendars Order them now through the Presbytery Office.
 It's time to order your 2013-2014 Presbyterian Planning Calendars. Each year, the Presbytery offers to consolidate orders in order to give you a better price. We receive a price break with an order of at least 50 calendars then pass the savings on to you.
Calendar features include:
- Monthly calendar pages from June 2013 through December 2014
- Lectionary for the Lord's Day and special liturgical days
- Colors for the liturgical seasons
- Liturgical days, programmatic emphases and secular holidays
- Monthly planning suggestions and resources
- Synod, presbytery and GA staff directories
- Foldout synod/presbytery and world maps in color
The new calendars will be available in May 2013. The price will be about $8.75 per calendar. Your order will need to be picked up at the Presbytery office with payment due at that time. Sorry, no exceptions.
Please let me know how many calendars you wish to order through the Presbytery no later than April 19, 2013. I can be reached by email at office@ptcaweb.org, by phone at 612-871-7281 or you can send a note to me at Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, 122 W. Franklin Ave., Suite 508, Minneapolis, MN 55404.
Thank you,
Risa Anderson
Office Manager
"Let Me Put It On the Calendar"
Get to know the PTCA's Event Calendar.
 Have you checked out the Event Calendar on the PTCA website? If you want to know when the next Presbytery meeting takes place, or when that church rummage sale you always go to, simply go to the menu on the font page of the website. Click on the button that says "Resources." Look for a blue bar that says "Calendar." Below the bar, you will see several links, one that says "Church Events, another that says Presbytery Events and the final one which says Community Events. Click on any of those links to find what you're looking for. Events happening in PTCA congregations are under "Church Events." Presbytery-sponsored events like committee meetings are under "Presbytery Events." Events taking place in the wider Twin Cities and Southeastern Minnesota are under "Community Events." For the more visual folks, please look at the image to your left to get a picture of how to work our new events calendar. If you have any questions, please contact IT/Communications Specialist Dennis Sanders at communications@ptcaweb.org or 612-871-7281.
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News from the Environmental Stewardsip Taskforce
Resources for Earth Day and Beyond.
 Aprill 22 is Earth Day, the day when we remember God's creation and our obligation to be good stewards of all that God has made. The Environmental Stewardship Taskforce of the PTCA has several resources on hand for you to promote in your congregation.
First off, is a resource packet available from the National Council of Churches. This year's resource, Sunday Morning Sustainability, highlights the ways that individuals and congregations can transform their regular Sunday morning activities in order to
better care for
God's Creation and God's people. Next, we go to your congregation's kitchen. It's probably equipped with a pre-rinse spray valve to manually spray off the food waste before the dishes go into a washing machine. Pre-rinse spray valves, also called dishsprayers, are attached to a hose hanging over a sink. Many dishsprayers tend to use about 3 gallons of water in a minute, which is a fair amount of money literally going down the drain. Switching to a more efficient sprayer could save a congregation about $400/year. Clean Energy Resource Teams offer this and other solutions to bring your church's water bill down, which is good for the planet and put more of your church's budget available for missions and not maintenance. To find out more, please click here. You might want to consider spending Earth Day at the Capitol in St. Paul. April 22 is a Day of Action for Clean Energy and Jobs. Spend the day talking to legislators about how we can all take care of the environment. Click here to sign up and to learn more. Finally, consider joining the team. The Environmental Stewardship Taskforce has been on hiatus for a time and is looking to restart. Part of the purpose of the task force is to empower churches and their members to become active stewards of God's Creation and build an environmental network and encourage communication. Interested? Please contact Carole Rust via email at .
Disability Concerns Speaker's Bureau
Invite a Resource Person to Come to Your Church.
Are you interested in learning more about autism or mental illness? is your congregation trying to be more welcoming of persons with disabilities? Who do you talk to?
CPM Summer Gathering
June 24 in South St. Paul.
 The Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) is hosting a Summer Gathering for individuals exploring a sense of call to Teaching Elder in the PC(USA), including Seekers, Inquirers, Candidates, Pastors and Session Liaisons . The event will take place Monday, June 24, 2013 4:00pm to 9:00pm at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul, MN.
If you are a pastor or church member who has been in conversation with a member of your church who has expressed an interest in becoming a Teaching Elder, or if you know of someone in your congregation that you believe may have gifts and skills for ministry as a Teaching Elder, please share this invitation with them and encourage them to register for this event. For more information or to register, please click here.
Splash!
Energize Your Congregation's Children's Ministry.
Featuring speaker Mark Burrows, the theme will be children and family ministry--more specifically, including children in worship. Christian educators as well as pastors are encouraged to attend.
Synod Women's Gathering
This June in Storm Lake Iowa with Theresa Cho.
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The registration booklet, including a list of workshops and the registration form, for the 2013 Gathering of the Presbyterian Women in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, set Wednesday through Saturday, June 12-15, is on the
synod website.
The gathering, featuring the Rev. Theresa Cho, a leader in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who has been active in youth, women's and peacemaking efforts throughout the church, takes place at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Rev. Sara Dingman-Lavigne, interim presbyter of Missouri River Valley, will be the worship leader, and the Rev. Sarah Dickinson, pastor of Mosher-Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Omaha, will lead Bible study.
Are You Called to Plant a Church (or new ministry)? Church Planters Academy in Minneapolis this August.
The Church Planters Academy
August 15-17, 2013
Solomon's Porch
Minneapolis, MN
For anyone in the process of starting a new faith community -- or dreaming of starting one -- there is no better use of time than gathering with others who share those dreams. Join us in Minneapolis, August 15-17, for three days of inspiration, challenge, and coaching. Learn from the successes and failures of experienced church planters:
- Doug Pagitt (free-range)
- Bruce Reyes-Chow (PC(USA))
- Maggie Mraz (Vineyard)
- Debbie Blue (ABC/ELCA)
- Micah Witham (Evangelical Covenant)
- Mike Baughman (UMC)
- Rich McCullen (DOC)
- Tim Conder (free-range)
- Mike Stavlund (free-range)
- Russell Rathbun (ABC/ELCA)
- And more!
Men's Spring Retreat on April 20
University of Minnesota President to Speak.
Men's Spring Retreat
Faith in the Future
Saturday, April 20, 8:00am to Noon
Westminster Presbyterian Church
 All Twin Cities-area men are invited to a half-day gathering for food, fellowship, inspiration, and worship.
Our speaker will be Dr. Eric Kaler, President of the University of Minnesota and Westminster member. Dr. Kaler will reflect on how his Christian faith informs his work as both a scientist and educator.
The morning begins with breakfast and table conversation, followed by Dr. Kaler's presentation and a time for questions. The morning concludes with a brief worship service.
Reservations required:
* Contact Dan Franklin (dfranklin@wpc-mpls.org or 612.332.3421)
* Sign up at Westminster on Sundays March 31, April 7 & 14
Cost is $10 (to cover the cost of breakfast, payable on the day of the retreat)
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.
Building a Movement to End Poverty at United Seminary April 15 ( more) United Seminary to Inaugurate President Barbara Holmes on April 12 ( more) Guys Movie Night at Church of All Nations April 13 ( more) Noted Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to Speak at House of Hope on April 14 ( more) Dialogue and Discussion between the LGBT community and the Church at Christ Presbyterian starting April 14 ( more) Kid Friendly Organ Concert at First-Stillwater on April 14 ( more) Presentation on Mental Illness at Trinity-Woodbury April 15 ( more) Conference for Mainline Christian Educators Set for October ( more)
Michigan-based bell choir to perform at First-Rochester on April 14 ( more)
Looking for a job or open pulpit? Visit our employment page to see our job listings. |
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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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