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EMerge is a newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Through most of the year it is published weekly and distributed to congregations, teaching elders, ruling elders, church members, committees and friends of the presbytery. Please send submissions and address corrections to office@ptcaweb.org.
December 1, 2017
  
Presbytery news  
 
Boundary training offered
in January by Committee on Ethics
The presbytery's Committee on Ethics will be host to a Level 1 boundaries training, entitled "To  Boundaries 1 Bless the Space Between Us," on negotiating interpersonal boundaries, ethics, power dynamics, confidentiality, and self-care in a ministry context. This training is required for all teaching elders when they join the presbytery, and is also appropriate for other church leaders. The training is slated Monday, Jan. 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Blooming. The complete announcement is at "Boundaries." Registration can be completed at "Boundaries Training."
 
Clearwater Chrysalis planned
at Clearwater Forest in February
The Rev. Denise Dunbar-Perkins, a member of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area who has been a  local, national and international speaker, teacher, preacher, and workshop and retreat leader, will be the keynote speaker at Clearwater Chrysalis, when the women's winter retreat takes place at Clearwater Forest Friday through Sunday, Feb. 23-25. Chrysalis is a balanced, faith-building program of Clearwater Forest, a Presbyterian camp and conference center in the heart of Minnesota lake country. The vision of Chrysalis is to nourish and support the body, mind and spirit in community with other women. Details can be found in the flyer at "Clearwater Chrysalis."
 
Jeff's Jottings
Coming to you from CREDO
Jeff Japinga  
By Jeff Japinga
Executive Presbyter
 
I have been (and still am) away this week, recipient of a gift of education and reflection on my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health, courtesy of a remarkable Presbyterian program called CREDO. We're encouraged to get away from the schedule and demands of our regular work, so that we might in fact be strengthened for the months and years ahead.
 
The complete Jottings can be found at "Thoughts of Advent."
Around the presbytery   
 
Spirit of Life offers
special Christmas programs
Christmas is in the air and music is too at Spirit of Life Presbyterian Church in Apple Valley. Opening  Spirit of Life Apple Valley the holiday season will be a presentation by the church's handbell choir in the 10 a.m. worship service on Sunday, Dec. 3. Then in the Dec. 10 worship service the vocal choir will perform one selection from the upcoming Christmas pageant, "Shout the Good News!" The complete announcement from Spirit of Life can be found at "Christmas Programs."
 
Christmas Tea planned by AHPC alumni
Christmas Tea Alumni of the former Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church have planned their annual Christmas Tea Thursday, Dec. 14, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Presbyterian Church of the Way in Shoreview, Minnesota. The invitation noted the event includes cookies, bars and tea sandwiches. The complete flyer is at "Christmas Tea."
Resources, conferences ... 

 

'Facing Racism' theme features
immigrant, refugee family resources
Because the beloved community is what God intends, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is engaging in an  racism resource ongoing campaign to share antiracism resources with the wider church. As part of the Facing Racism campaign, books, worship suggestions, studies, training sessions and other resources are posted online to assist in equipping congregations in their work against racism. This month the content features resources related to issues facing immigrant and refugee families. Resources include the award-winning "Locked in a Box" documentary, legal resources, the "We Choose Welcome" action guide. The complete Presbyterian News Story by Gregg Brekke can be found at "Facing Racism."
 
Sand Bur Consulting plans  bi-vocational
ministry incubator next year
Increasingly, congregations can no longer afford a full-time, fully-supported pastor.  And pastors are  sand bur bi vocational needing to wrestle with tough questions about how to sustain themselves while being faithful to their sense of call.  The Sand Bur Consulting's Bi-vocational Ministry Incubator provides a safe space where pastors can dig deeper into these questions, hone skills for doing ministry in a different way, develop tools to guide a congregation into making a transition into a more shared model of ministry, and find the courage to explore options. The Incubator, which includes monthly day-long gatherings, takes place over eight months and offers skill-building, peer support and mentoring. A brochure is available at "Incubator."
 
APCE plans 2018 annual
Presbyterian Church Educators event in Louisville
The 2018 annual event of the Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators is planned Jan. 31 through Feb. 3 at the Galt House in Louisville. The event promises interactive plenary sessions that will engage and challenge attendees, mini-plenaries, resource-filled workshops, and worship with spirit and imagination. Complete details can be found at "Annual APCE Event." 
 
Winter Pastors School set
in February; now in new location
The 2018 version of Winter Pastors School, the annual winter education event of Omaha Presbyterian Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Seminary Foundation, is slated Feb. 5-8, and this year takes place at Calvin Crest Retreat Center near Fremont, Nebraska. The featured speaker is Gene T. Fowler, a pastoral theologian and church pastor who currently serves the Irondequoit Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York. More complete details can be found at "Winter Pastors School."
 
Registration opens for NEXT
Church gathering in February
Registration for the 2018 NEXT Church national gathering is open. Titled "The Desert in Bloom,"  NEXT new logo the event takes place Feb. 26-28 in Baltimore. The gathering features church leaders, both pastors and lay people, sharing stories of their experiences of ministry, new ideas, and conversations about ministry in today's environment. Creative worship centers us around God's presence. Details and a link to registration can be found at "NEXT Church 2018."
 
Presbyterian Clergywomen plan conference at Montreat
The National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen will conduct their triennial conference at the Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, April 23-26. Conference details and registration information can be found at "Triennial Conference."
News of the wider churh  

 

Presbyterian minister, film writer
lists four films for Advent, Christmas
Ed McNulty is a Presbyterian minister and author of three books on film published by Westminster John  Movie supplies Knox Press. He recently identified four popular films for Advent and Christmas. He writes, "If you cringe each year at the saccharine, formulaic entertainment that Hollywood and TV foist onto the public during the so-called Christmas Season, here are four films actually worth your precious time. Two are Advent films of longing and hope, and two are Christmas Eve films focused on the power of love. To go beyond mere entertainment, I have suggested some Scripture passages related to the theme and contents of the films for you to meditate upon. McNulty's complete column  can be found at "Four Films."
 
'Following the Star' Advent
devotional series returns for 2017
Follow Advent Star "Following the Star," the devotional series for Advent and Christmas, has returned to the devotional website d365.org for the 2017 holiday season. The series features scripture, prayer and meditative thoughts accompanied by gentle music focusing on the Advent journey toward Christmas. Writers Tammy Wiens, Jeff Binder, Melissa Kessler, Lawrence Powers, Ariana Gonzalez-Bonillas, and Erendira Jiminez have centered their thoughts on the classic themes of the season. A new collection of instrumental guitar arrangements has been recorded specifically for "Following the Star." The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Gregg Brekke can be found at "Following."
 
World Council of Churches
invites world to 'A Light of Peace"
World Council Church In a global campaign, the World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people across the globe to extend "A Light of Peace" for the Korean Peninsula and for a world free from nuclear weapons. On the first Sunday in Advent -- Dec. 3 -- the WCC is inviting the global Christian fellowship to express solidarity with the Korean people and to support efforts to ease tensions and sustain hope. For more than three decades, the WCC has been engaged in facilitating and accompanying dialogue and encounter between Christians from both North and South Korea. The complete announcement from the World Council of Church can be found at "Light of Peace."