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The Weekly E-Newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
| May 9, 2013
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Prayer RequestsMay 12, 2013
 - We pray for Honorably Retired Teaching Elder Robert Brightman who recently had a kidney transplant. he currently lives in Florida.
- We pray for the family of James Cross, the brother of Ruling Elder Robert (Valley Community Presbyterian, Golden Valley) and Deacon William Cross (Oak Grove Presbyterian, Bloomington). James, a member of Kwanzaa Presbyterian in Minneapolis, died of cancer on April 29. A memorial will be held at 11AM at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church.
- We pray for the state of Minnesota, as the the public and the legislature will discern the issue of allowing same-sex marriage in the state. May both sides show civility and love towards each other. (The House today passed a bill allowing for same sex marriage by a vote of 75-59.)
- We pray for Teaching Elder Lisa Johnson (Pastor, Zumbrota UCC/Oronoco Presbyterian) who gave birth to twin sons Luke and Ian.
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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 Stemwinder Worship and the Garden 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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CREs to the RescueCommissioned Ruling Elders are a way of fulfilling the call to ministry.
 | | Simon Thot Dohl (second from the right) is being prayed on by Ken Ribe (next to Dohl) and members of First Presbyterian Albert Lea as he became a CRE at the Southern MN congregation. |
When we think of be called to ministry, we tend to think of a person who goes to seminary and then gets ordained to serve in a church.
But there are many ways to minister in a local church. One way to serve God is by being a Commissioned Ruling Elder. CREs (they used to be called Commissioned Lay Pastors) are authorized "to carry out more of the functions of pastoral ministry: first, to preach and administer the Lord's Supper, then additional responsibilities to baptize, moderate sessions and perform marriages."
CREs can be used in many circumstances including, but not limited to, places in need of pastoral coverage. East Iowa Presbytery shared the story of Marian Hart, a Commissioned Ruling Elder in West Liberty, Iowa. You can also learn more about CREs by going to the Presbyterian Church (USA) website.
Most Presbyteries have a Commissioned Ruling Elder Committee including the PTCA. Go to the Presbytery website to find out more about our local committee. You can also find more information at the Presbytery's forms page.
Is God calling you?
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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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?
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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.
Synod Summary
What Happened at the Spring Meeting of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies.
The unofficial Synod Summary of the spring meeting of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies can be found online. The summary contains stories on resolutions, moderator and vice moderator installations and 2014 per capita - and even more.
Click here to download the Synod Summary.
Become a Chaplain Among the Pines Presbyterian Clearwater Forest looking for Summer Chaplain.
Clearwater Forest, a Presbyterian camp near Deerwood, Minn., in the heart of lake country, is looking for ministers to serve as summer camp chaplains. The chaplain will be responsible to serve as a pastor to the summer staff, a spiritual resource person to the weekly volunteers, campers and guests, and assist in nurturing an active Christian community. The Chaplain will work closely with the associate director and the worship coordinator.
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.
Macalester-Plymouth Church Looking for Office Administrator( more) Celtic Worship Service at Westminster-Minneapolis on May 9 ( more) North Presbyterian Looking for Adult Choir Director ( 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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