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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| May 2, 2013
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Prayer RequestsMay 5, 2013
 - We pray for Honorably Retired Teaching Elder Robert Brightman who recently had a kidney transplant. he currently lives in Florida.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Lisa Johnson (Pastor, Zumbrota UCC/Oronoco Presbyterian) who is scheduled to have c-section on Friday, May 3. She is expecting twin boys!
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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 the faith communities of Hope Presbyterian-Richfield and Eden Prairie Presbyterian as they discern their futures. We also pray for the Administrative Commissions chosen by the Presbytery to discern with each congregation.
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We pray for Christ Presbyterian in Edina and Stadium Village Presbyterian in Minneapolis as they are also discerning their futures. Administrative Commissions will be chosen at the May 14 Presbytery Meeting.
- We pray for Teaching Elder Tammy Rider who is dealing with health issues.
- 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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Messy ChurchSt. Paul's Dayton Avenue Presbyterian experiments with a different way of doing church imported from Britain.
How do you keep young children engaged in Christian Formation? One idea might be allowing the kids to get "messy for Jesus."
Messy Church is an intergenerational way of being church that started in the United Kingdom and has since went worldwide. On April 21, Dayton Avenue Presbyterian in St. Paul incorporated Messy Church into their Sunday morning worship. Teaching Elder David Stewart reflected on the experience in the May issue of Dayton Avenue's newsletter, Rainbow Record. You can read his reflections by going to the PTCA website.
You can find out more about Messy Church by going to their website. Below is an introductory video of the practice.
 | | Introducing Messy Church |
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April May Presbytery Educators Gathering April's Educator Gathering will take place on May 9. (pray for no snow!)
April's Educator Gathering was cancelled due to snow. The next Educator Group Gathering will be on Thursday May 9, 2013 from 11:30am-1:00pm. We will be meeting at The House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. Directions can be found on their website www.hohchurch.org (you can park the church's parking lot on Portland Avenue). The topic will be the planned discussion for April: Including and Caring for People with Disabilities in our Educational Ministries. Cheryl Klink from FPC Stillwater will give an overview of a couple of workshops she recently attended on this topic and that will be the spring board for our conversation. Please bring $5.00 to cover the cost of lunch. Please RSVP to Martha Rockenstein by Tuesday May 7th via email at martha.rockenstein@gmail.com & let her know if you have any dietary restrictions.
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Call to Presbytery
Annual Meeting, May 14 at Knox-Minneapolis.
The Annual Meeting of the Presbytery will take place on Tuesday, May 14 at Knox Presbyterian Church starting at 4PM. Among the items being discussed are the election of officers and the proposed policy of dismissing PTCA congregations to other Reformed denominations.
Presbytery meeting materials are ready to be downloaded. Go to the Presbytery Packet page to download them. Please note, the full Presbytery Packet (all reports placed together in one booklet) will be available for download on Friday, May 10.
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Ubuntu: Mission Resources
The Presbytery is full of stories on mission. What's Yours?
Ubuntu is about sharing what stories of mission are taking place in the Presbytery and we have a big presbytery, stretching from Western Wisconsin to the Twin Cities and down to Southeastern Minnesota. In that wide territory there are stories of churches doing God's mission in the world.
If you haven't been receiving Ubuntu via email, you can catch up by going to the PTCA website and reading some of our archived issues. We've also remade some of our recent emails into a printable format that can be used as inserts for your church bulletin or newsletter. Go on over to the website to find out more!
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Reports Needed for Presbytery Meeting
Due date is May 6.
In preparation for the Annual Stated Meeting on May 14, we ask that Committees and Taskforces have their written reports for the Presbytery in to the office by Monday May 6. Reports can be emailed to Office Manager Risa Anderson at office@ptcaweb.org.
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Have You Given to General Mission? Support PTCA Mission.
Each member and congregation in the Presbytery of Twin Cities Area has a unique role to play in living out the great ends of the church. Working together allows us to work together to advance God's mission. Mission offerings from congregations and individuals go towards supporting New Church Developments like Familia de Fe and Chain of Lakes, support for the training of future pastors, offering aid to those in need after a disaster through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and several other important functions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Has your church made its 2013 pledge?
Sojourner's Founder Jim Wallis to Visit the Twin Cities This Month.
 Jim Wallis is coming to the Twin Cities on his book tour for On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned About Serving the Common Good. Wallis will be speaking at a couple locations around the area.
On Wednesday, May 8, Wayzata Community Church will host Jim to share selections and stories from his new book. Wallis will also sign books following the lecture. The event, which will start at 7:00 p.m.in the sanctuary, is free and open to the public.
Thursday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m., Wallis will speak on his new book at Macalester College in the Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel. This event is sponsored by Common Good Books, and is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing following the lecture.
A new book for a new conversation about a timeless vision. In this timely and provocative book, Jim Wallis shows us how to reclaim Jesus' ancient and compelling vision of the common good-a vision that affects and inspires not only our politics but also our personal lives, families, churches, neighborhoods, and world. Wallis thinks it's time to ask what it means to be on God's side, rather than claim God to be on ours.
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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.
Presbytery Conversations Take Part in a Workshop During the Presbytery Meeting May 14.
One of the new innovations taking place at Presbytery Meetings is Presbytery Conversations, a sort of mini-workshop that takes place during the meetings. Below are the conversations taking place at the May 14 meeting:
- Fresh Directions in Christian Education
- iChurch - Tech Ideas in our Presbytery
- Global Mission Connection
- Presbyterian Health Plan News
- PTCA Mission - - New Churches, New Ministries
You don't have to be a voting member of Presbytery to attend these conversations. Join us at 5:10PM.
Let's Get It Started!
National Evangelism and Church Growth Conference this September in Florida.
September 16-19, 2013
St. Pete Beach, Florida
The conference theme, "Let's Get It Started," reflects much of what's happening in the church today. From the 1001 Worshiping Communities initiative to programs focusing on church renewal and disciple-making, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is embracing opportunities to define the church in new ways. The conference theme was inspired by Isaiah 43:19: "Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?"
(The Message)
Click here for more information and to register.
Board of Pensions Update Benefits Book Available for Church Leaders.
The Board of Pensions is pleased to announce publication of the 2013 edition of the Benefits Administration Handbook for Church Treasurers, Clerks of Session, and Business Administrators. This handbook can help you in your role as benefits liaison to the Board, providing practical information about benefits enrollment, dues, and taxes, among other topics, with an emphasis on administrative concerns. We hope you find this resource helpful and use it often. If you'd like a printed copy, please call 800-773-7752 (800-PRESPLAN) and speak with a member service representative to request one.
The Board also wants to take this opportunity to remind you that qualifying employers have until May 15 to apply for the small employer healthcare tax credit, which can potentially save your church, as an employing organization, thousands of dollars. If you are unsure if your organization qualifies, read the Tax Credit Information & Resources page on pensions.org. Updated annually, this page describes the tax credit and links to a worksheet and several examples illustrating how the tax credit works.
Please mention or pass on the Benefits Administration Handbook and the tax credit links to any other individual in your organization who may find them helpful. Thank you!
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.
St. Luke to Host Documentary on Media's Representation of Women on May 5 ( more) Celtic Worship Service at Westminster-Minneapolis on May 9 ( more) North Presbyterian Looking for Adult Choir Director ( 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) Westminster-Minneapolis Looking for Director of Communications ( more) First, LeRoy looking for Interim Pastor ( 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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