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.
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Shepherd of the Hill contributes
to work against homelessness
In the affluent enclaves of Scott and Carver counties in suburban Minneapolis, it's really hard to see the need for a homeless shelter. But the need exists -- an official point-in-time survey counted 17 households with  children on one winter night last year as experiencing homelessness there, with a total of 72 households lacking shelter. A group of local congregations responded by opening a Families Moving Forward shelter program in May 2014, the first family shelter program to serve Scott and Carver counties. Families Moving Forward is a program of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a Twin Cities nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness through housing, shelter and advocacy. Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minn., is among those congregations. The complete story, by Kris Berggren, content specialist at Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, appears in this week's issue of T
he Presbyterian Outlook. The story is at "Shepherd of the Hill."
Churches weave web of support
for homeless in Twin Cities
This is not luxury housing: just studio apartments, each with a bathroom and enough space to sleep and cook. For the 44 new tenants who moved in this fall -- young adults who previously were homeless -- the  new Prior Crossing development in St. Paul, which opened in November, is exactly what they need: affordable housing, clean and new, close to public transportation and ready before cold weather sets in. Getting from a dream to this reality took a long time -- starting with $500,000 The House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul committed five years ago at Easter to launch a housing initiative for homeless youth, although the specifics weren't clear then. "There was no guarantee anything would happen," said David Van Dyke, House of Hope's pastor. But "it's hard to argue when a congregation steps up like that in a big way. It got people's attention, and it got other people involved." The complete Presbyterian Outlook story by Leslie Scanlon can be found
at "Web of Support."
Launch Ministry receives
Chaska Human Rights Award
The 2016 Chaska (Minn.) Human Rights Award was presented to Launch Ministry representatives during the Hometown Holiday tree lighting in City Square Park Dec. 3. The award is given "in recognition of their  special efforts to ensure the well-being of Chaska residents." Founded in 2009, the organization focuses on 18- to 29-year-olds struggling to find a place to stay that is safe, supportive, and stable, according to a Human Rights Commission press release. In the photo above, left to right, Chaska Mayor Mark Windschitl and Judy Grosch of the Chaska Human Rights Commission presented the annual award to Launch Ministry executive director Corey Magstadt, women's program director Stephanie Friant and men's program director Jason Rohman. (Photo by Mark W. Olson.) The complete article, as it appears on the Chaska Herald website, can be found at "Human Rights Award."
Presbytery churches co-sponsor
refugees with Council of Churches
When Ben Walen of the Refugee Resettlement Program of the Minnesota Council of Churches spoke during a pre-presbytery event of the Presbytery of the  Twin Cities Area in September, he told of the struggles of refugees adjusting to life in the United States. A few of the presbytery's churches have recently co-sponsored refugee families with the MCC, helping to welcome refugee families, providing support and connections. Church members befriend new arrivals and learn first-hand from their experiences. Macalester Plymouth Church kept a detailed log of the adventures with a sponsored family this summer. That log is available at "Helping Refugees."
Oliver Presbyterian Church
building sold to Mercy Center
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area completed the sale Nov. 18 of the building and property of the former Oliver Presbyterian Church to Mercy Center Inc., which represents the World Peace Organization, an Islamic group that describes itself as seeking "to create peaceful societies that co-exist harmoniously through education and understanding" in local, national and global contexts. The church building will be converted into multi-purpose use, including a mosque serving the Somali community in Minneapolis, and for education and community outreach purposes. The complete statement from Jeff Japinga, transitional executive presbyter, can be found at "Oliver Sale."
Listening session planned
on proposed amendments to BOO
The Bills and Overtures Committee of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will conduct a listening  session tomorrow, Dec. 10, on proposed amendments to the Book of Order that resulted from this summer's General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The session will begin at 9 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul. The session is open to all in the presbytery to ask questions and offer insights. The committee is asking the presbytery to vote on the proposed amendments during its Jan. 21 meeting. The complete committee report is at "Amendments."
Jeff's Jottings
Another gift from under the Writing Tree
 By Jeff Japinga
Transitional Executive Presbyter
I wrote last week about holiday gift-giving - specifically, my annual Advent gift to myself of both time and space to experience anew the remarkable story we tell and re-tell this month. For me, that means seeking out other's perspectives on the season. I said I'd share one of those in Jottings on Fridays.
And so I am this week. Inspiration, I find, doesn't need to be brand new. What follows, from friend and colleague Sheldon Sorge, the general minister to the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, is a year old, but new to me. It stirred my thinking -- not just about the coming of Jesus, but about the nature and practice of the church as well. I hope you'll also find it stimulating. And thanks to those of you who gave me an Advent reading suggestion; I am deeply grateful. Keep them coming. Now, here's a reflection from Sheldon Sorge.
The complete Jottings, including the column by Sheldon Sorge, can be found at "Writing Tree."
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Spirit of Life plans
special Christmas programs
 Christmas is in the air and music is everywhere at Spirit of Life Presbyterian Church in Apple Valley. The church will present its fourth annual "Cocoa and Carols" program on Saturday, Dec. 17; a cantata performance Sunday, Dec. 18; a Christmas Eve service Dec. 24; and special Christmas Day service Dec. 25. Details are at "Christmas at Spirit of Life."
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Resources, conferences ...
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Early-bird registration already open
for Summer Pastors School
December is not too early to think about next summer -- at least when it comes to Summer Pastors School
 sponsored by Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation and held each summer at Hastings (Neb.) College. Summer Pastors School runs June 4-9 and early-bird registration is already open. Featured speakers at next summer's School are the Rev. Dr. Gary Neal Hansen, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Hamilton-Poore, and Dr. Anna Case-Winters. Dr. Marcia McFee will lead worship. Details, including biographical information on the speakers, can be found at "Summer Pastors School."
Youth gathering planned next
summer in Leipzig, Germany
 Before the General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches takes place next summer, there will be a youth Gathering in Leipzig, Germany, June 23-28. The gathering will provide youth the opportunity to experience Christian fellowship and explore what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. The first step is showing interest. Details can be found at "Youth Gathering."
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Service opportunities ...
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Westminster Presbyterian Church
in Minneapolis is seeking a full-time director of educational ministries who will, in partnership with lay leaders, pastors and church staff, lead the development of inclusive educational programs for all ages. Details can be found at "Educational Ministries."
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John Glenn, astronaut, senator, saw
no conflict between faith, science
 John Glenn may best be remembered as one of the 20th century's greatest explorers, the first American to orbit the Earth and, later, the oldest man in space.
Glenn also will be remembered for his long career as a U.S. senator, representing his home state of Ohio for 24 years as a moderate Democrat. But less well-known is the fact that Glenn, who died on Thursday at age 95, was an elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who saw no conflict between his beliefs in God and in science. The complete Religion News Service story by Emily McFarlan Miller is at "John Glenn."
Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church survives wildfires in mountain community
For Greg Bennett, hours seemed like days last week as he awaited the approval to travel into smoke-filled Gatlinburg to see if the church he's pastored had  survived the flames. Bennett is a commissioned ruling elder with the Presbytery of East Tennessee as well as pastor of the Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church. After rains and firefighting efforts helped put out most of the fires near town, he and other home and business owners were allowed to go into the mountain community to assess the damage. "Visibly, the church is in good shape. I walked in the door and there was some ash and debris on the floor that had blown under the doors," he said. The door to the roof
had been blown off and the inside of the church smells smoky. I can't see any visible damage, but I don't know what it will take to get the smell out of the church." The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Rick Jones can be found at "Gatlinburg."
Retired Presbyterian pastors asks congregations to give a flock
Retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor the Rev. Rex Wentzel wanted to stay active in the church after he left full-time parish ministry. So, like many other  retired clergy, he offered his service as a supply preacher for congregations when pastors were ill, on leave or on vacation. But Wentzel wasn't in it for the money, rather he thought it was an ideal way to promote mission in the congregations he visited. "I do all right with my pension and social security and I thought it would be a nice thing if I was asked to preach somewhere to say, 'Don't pay me, send something to Presbyterian mission," he said from his home in Sioux City, Iowa. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Gregg Brekke can be found at "Chickens."
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