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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Presbytery plans to meet
Jan. 21 at Kwanzaa Church
The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will meet Saturday, Jan. 21, at Kwanzaa Community Church, 3700 Bryant Ave. N., Minneapolis, coming together for  worship, and to learn and act. The presbytery will learn of the Kwanzaa congregation's mission efforts in north Minneapolis; celebrate the plans for a joint Presbyterian-Lutheran ministry with the Anuak-speaking community; hear from James Rissler, president of the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program; and hear a report from the presbytery's Leadership Team concerning presbytery structure. The complete call to meeting is at "January Meeting."
Ordination exam readers
needed Feb. 6-10, May 1-5
Six ordination exam readers -- three ruling elders and three teaching elders -- are needed from the Presbytery of the  Twin Cities Area for the evaluation periods of Feb. 6-10 and/or May 1-5.
Orientation will be provided for first-time readers. A
ll readers work from the comfort of their home computer and no travel is necessary.
Those interested in being an exam reader should contact the Rev. Luke Roske-Metcalfe at
ljroske.metcalfe43@gmail.com
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 Jeff's Jottings
In every age ...
By Jeff Japinga
Transitional Executive Presbyter
I have found myself already mindful this week of a remarkable juxtaposition of events we anticipate and will see next week:
- a holiday (on Monday) honoring a man for his public insistence that all people deserve the rights and respect as children of God, brothers and sisters to each other;
- the inauguration (on Friday) of a man about whom there is both deep division and grave concern, especially around his commitment to the rights and respect of all people; and
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a meeting (on Saturday) of a group of people who name themselves as "a community of love, where sin is forgiven, reconciliation is accomplished, and the dividing walls of hostility are torn down." (
Book of Order
, F-1.0301) A meeting, incidentally, that will be held at Kwanzaa Community Church.
Life is political -- a sometimes inconvenient truth we cannot ignore.
The complete Jottings is at "In Every Age."
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Shepherd of the Hill plans
interfaith dialogue on King Holiday
Shepherd of the Hill Church in Chaska is planning an interfaith dialogue --"Building the Beloved Community: Fighting Poverty, Violence and  Discrimination" -- to commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, Jan. 16. The event features spirituals sung by Brian Grandison, formerly of the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. He will be accompanied by pianist Ted Godbout. The Rev. Dean J. Seal, pastor of Shepherd of the Hill, will speak, and there will be a guided discussion with audience participation. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event. A free-will offering will be accepted and light refreshments will be served.
Launch Ministry offers training event
for serving struggling young adults
Do you work with homeless and struggling youth or young adults at a church, service agency, or are you interested in learning how to better assist those having difficulty transitioning in society's concept of adulthood? If so, Launch Ministry is  offering a research-based best practices training session for serving this population. The free training event is slated Saturday, Feb. 11, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Launch Ministry drop-in center in Chaska, Minn., located at 115 East 4th Street (Walnut Sreet entrance). Launch Ministry is a faith-based non-profit organization established to expose young adults between the ages of 18-29 to opportunities that will promote healthy, productive transitions into adulthood. Those who would like to participate in the event are invited to sign up at "Serving Young Adults."
'Day on the Hill' planned
 by JRLC on Feb. 23
The Minnesota Joint Religious Legislative Coalition's annual Day on the Hill will
take place in the newly renovated capitol Thursday, Feb. 23. Lisa Sharon Harper, chief church engagement officer of Sojourners, will be the keynote speaker. Harper leads training and helps mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good, with a focus on racial justice. People are invited to gather at 8:30 at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Later in the day, those attending will be bused to the capitol and meet with legislators. Registration for the event is at "Day on the Hill." The complete story is at "Advocating."
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Resources, conferences ...
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Omaha Seminary Foundation
accepts Apollos applications
The Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation is accepting applications Jan. 15 through April 17 for its  Apollos Scholarships, a scholarship of up to $3,000 per semester for gifted students attending one of the 10 affiliated seminaries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Eligible students are those who are members of a PC(USA) congregation, under care of a presbytery as an inquirer or candidate, enrolled full time in a Master of Divinity degree program, and possess the qualities for excellence in ministry. Details are at "Apollos."
Transitional ministry workshops
 planned at Menucha
Transitional ministry training, both sessions one and two, are planned Feb. 13-16 at Menucha Retreat and Conference Center near Portland, Ore. The two sessions will take place simultaneously. Those who have completed the first session in the past are encouraged to register for the second session. Those making their first step toward transitional ministry should register for the first session. Facilitators are Scott Lumsden, Heidi Husted Armstrong and Eliana Maxim. Details are at "Transitional Ministry."
Professor, author, activist Drew Hart
leads Winter Forum in Wisconsin
Drew G. I. Hart, a theology professor, author and activist, will lead the 2017 Winter Forum of the  Wisconsin Council of Churches on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, at Sun Prairie United Methodist Church in Sun Prairie, Wis. The forum runs Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hart, author of "Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism," places police brutality, mass incarceration, anti-black stereotypes, poverty and everyday acts of racism within the larger framework of white supremacy. He offers concrete practices for churches that seek solidarity with the oppressed and are committed to racial justice. The forum brochure is at "Trouble I've Seen."
Keynoter at synod's Leadership Summit to address bi-vocational ministry
SanDawna Ashley, right, assistant stated clerk and manager for call-process support for the Presbyterian  Church (U.S.A.), will address bi-vocational ministry when she keynotes the Synod of Lakes and Prairies' Leadership Summit that opens Jan. 31. The Summit is a training event for presbytery leaders who work with congregations, pastors, ministry candidates and inquirers, and commissioned ruling elders. The Summit runs through Feb. 2 at Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Minn. The Summit brochure is at "The Call to Build." Online registration is available at "Leadership Summit."
Lilly Endowment seeks applications
for its Clergy Renewal Program
The Lilly Endowment is seeking applications for the next round of its Clergy Renewal Program. The  program is administered by the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Christian Theological Seminary of Indianapolis. Congregations can apply for grants of up to $50,000 to underwrite a renewal program for the church pastor and the pastor's family, with up to $15,000 for those funds available to congregation to help cover costs for ministerial supply while the pastor is away. The application deadline is April 21. Details are at "Lilly Renewal Program." The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) also offers Sabbath Sabbatical Support Grants to help pastors serving small congregations take sabbaticals that can strengthen a pastor's skills and renew their ministries. Details about those grants are available at "Sabbatical Support." The grant application is at "Applying."
January Board Connections
notes
300 years of service
The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) noted, in its January issue of Board Connections, it is entering a "new era ready to serve  more, serve better, and serve the Church." The Board noted, "We feel great honor, as we are charged with continuing the mission begun 300 years ago by Presbyterians in American colonies who started the Fund for Pious Uses to care for pastors and their widows and children." The complete Board Connections newsletter can be found at "New Era."
2017 Theological Conversations
will address gifts from Reformation
Michelle Bartel, coordinator of the theological education and seminary relations for the Presbyterian Mission Agency, noted Theological Conversations in  2017 will focus on the question: "As Presbyterians, what gifts from the Reformation do we have that we can bring forward in the next 500 years, for the sake of the church and the world?" Theological Conversations, created online to provide space for conversation accessible to all church members, offer essays and discussion guides for free. Bartel's note can be found in the current edition of Grace and Gratitude, a newsletter of the office of Theology, Formation and Evangelism, at "Conversations."
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Funeral services are planned Saturday, Jan. 14, for Ruling Elder David Herum of First Presbyterian Church of Ellsworth, Wis. Herum served continuously for the past 58 years as clerk of session for the congregation in Ellsworth. He was also well known for riding his motorcycle to presbytery meetings. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 509 W. Main, Ellsworth. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. A complete obituary is at "David Herum."
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Service Opportunities ...
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Early NASA mathematician
is longtime Presbyterian
"Hidden Figures" - the movie about a group of brilliant female African-American mathematicians that aided NASA during the space race -- took the  second spot at the box office in its first weekend of wide release, narrowly bested by "Star Wars: Rogue One." The movie features the story of Katherine G. Johnson, a longtime Presbyterian and 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, the film tells the true story of Johnson and her colleagues, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, who worked as "human computers" with the burgeoning space program of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Gregg Brekke can be found at "Hidden Figures."
Way Forward Commission
establishes
process for engagement
The General Assembly Way Forward Commission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has released its  process for receiving initial communications and suggestions from any interested PC(USA) groups or individuals. The online form is designed to assist the commission in identifying areas for continued discernment about the ministries and structure of the national denomination. Recognizing the time frame and scope of its work, the commission has set Feb. 28 as a deadline for submissions. The complete announcement from the Office of the General Assembly is at "Way Forward."
Presbyterian representation
drops slightly in 115th Congress
A recently released report from the Pew Research Center for Religion & Public Life shows the  composition of the 115th U.S. Congress is losing members from historically mainline Protestant groups in favor of modest gains by evangelicals, Catholics and representatives from other faith traditions. While the difference is small, especially for Presbyterians who lost only one member as compared to the 114th Congress -- from 36 to 35 members -- the overall proportion of mainline Protestant representation dropped from 28.7 to 27 percent in the new Congress. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Gregg Brekke can be found at "Declining Proportion."
PC(USA) pastor receives honor
from Korean government
For the past seven years, the Rev. Byeongho Choi, pastor of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Ga., has served as the board chairperson for the Asian American Resource Center in Atlanta. However, Choi's efforts in the Korean community of Atlanta go back much further. For more than 20 years, he has invited Korean adoptee families to his church to educate them in Korean language and culture. Choi's efforts have not gone unnoticed. This past November, the Korean pastor received the Foreign Minister's Award from the Korean government for his outstanding service in the Korean community of Atlanta. The complete Presbyterian News Service story by Gail Strange can be found at "
Korean Government Award."
World mission leader tapped
for immigration advocacy position
Amanda Craft, a global mission professional for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been named manager for advocacy in the denomination's Office of Immigration Issues. Her duties will include the continued development and expansion of Presbyterians for Just Immigration, a campaign to mobilize congregations, mid councils, and Presbyterian-related organizations to affirm and promote the civil and human rights of immigrants. The complete announcement from the Office of the General Assembly can be found at "Amanda Craft."
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