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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| April 18, 2013
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Prayer RequestsApril 21, 2013
 - We offer prayer for the family of Ruling Elder Ward Sessing, who died Wednesday after a long bout with cancer. Memorial Service plans are pending.
- We pray for those in Boston and West, Texas as they deal with ongoing tragedies.
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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 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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After BostonPresbyterians Respond to the Boston Marathon bombing.
April truly seems like the cruelest month.
Over the last two decades or so, it seems like April is the month where we expect events that kill or maim the lives of innocents. Oklahoma City. Columbine. Virginia Tech. In the wake of Monday's bombings at the end of the Boston Marathon, we can now add Boston to this sad list.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has responded in various ways to Monday's act of terrorism. Below are some of examples of compassion standing up to violence.
Neal Presa, PC(USA) Moderator, Grayde Parsons, Stated Clerk, and Linda Valentine, Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency released a call to prayer in the hours following the tragedy. You can read the prayer by going here. The letter is also in Spanish and Korean.
Worship resources are also available for use in Sunday worship. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has responded to the events. At the invite of the Presbytery of Boston and the Synod of the Northeast, and ecumenical partners, PDA has deployed four members of the PDA National Response Team (NRT) to support the Presbytery's response to the bombing. Members of the team will be available to provide consultation and support to leaders of the faith community as they gather and assess next steps in building capacity and connecting with local recovery organizations. Finally, Presbyterian News Service has story about a Presbyterian-UCC congregation near the bomb site that is opening its doors and offering a place of quiet amidst the chaos. We end with a prayer that is posted on Church of the Covenant's website: A Prayer for Boston: In the light of Monday's tragedy, we join our voices in mourning, solidarity and prayer. In addition to our shocked silence, we fall back on these old prayers that so many traditions know:
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this day, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, O Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for love's sake. Amen.
Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.
May it be so. *photo: Police clear the area at the finish line of the Boston Marathon as medical workers help injured following the explosionson Monday. Photo by the Associated Press.
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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Critical Conversations on Sex Trafficking
A Report from the April 2 Event.
"I thought slavery had been abolished in this country. Now I know it still exists." This description of sex trafficking was given by one of the ninety people who gathered for Critical Conversations on April 2 at Valley Community Presbyterian Church.
Many of us felt outraged as we watched Invisible, a short video filmed at Kwanzaa's Northside Women's Space. We were overwhelmed as we listened to presentations by Northside Women's Space Director Rev. Alika Galloway and University of Minnesota urban researcher Dr. Lauren Martin. We felt deep sadness when we heard the personal story of a survivor of the sex trade whose appeal to a church for help was rejected.
Continue Reading...
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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
Who's Looking At Your Website?
This Week's Communication Tips.
Evangel, our commuications blog has moved to it's new site on Tumblr. There you will find tips on how to better communicate including the how to use Google Analytics and how to welcome Young Adults to your church.
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Glory to God!
Order the New Presbyterian Hymnal by June 1 for a discount.
 Time is running out for the chance for Early Order savings! Order by June 1, 2013 to get price saving.
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.
Is This Heaven? No, It's Iowa.
Time to Register for Synod School
Registration for Synod School continues to run and the numbers for the popular mid-summer education, leadership and family-fun event is trending high. Synod School 2013 runs July 21-26 at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The
Synod School Catalog - along with all the information and forms necessary to get registered - is online. The theme of annual midsummer ministry is "Belonging to God."
If you're just the least bit curious about the enthusiasm surrounding Synod School, check out the Facebook group - Synod School
- "Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa!"
Synod Women's Gathering
This June in Storm Lake Iowa with Theresa Cho.
 | | Theresa Cho. |
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!
"On God's Side"
Find out the Latest Recommendations from the Resource Center for Churches.
 Instead of money, power, and prestige, Jim Wallis believes people of faith should be concerned about the biblical "least of these". Wallis is the author of On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned About Serving the Common Good (Brazos Press, April). Sojourners provides a short video about the book to engage in the discussion as we move forward toward our common good. Wallis will speak at Wayzata Community Church May 8. Find new print, DVD, web and other resources at rcc-mn.org . See a great resource every day on the RCC's Facebook page.
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.
Organ Concert Series at House of Hope April 28 ( more) Monthly Contemplative Worship Service at Westminster-Minneapolis April 27 ( more) Documentary on Women and the Media at St. Luke May 5 ( 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) Aldrich Avenue and Church of All Nations Team up to create the Garden worship service ( 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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