Contributors still needed

on presbytery committees

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will elect its new officers and members of presbytery committees at its annual meeting on Tuesday, May 9. There are  still opportunities for participation on most presbytery committees, and include key needs for the Board of Trustees (finance or legal experience) and the Committee on Ministry (especially ruling elders). Also needed is a Young Adult Advisory Delegate, age 17-23, to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies.

 

Presbytery committees hold an important role in supporting the life and health of the congregations of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Bring your skill and passion to the table. Contribute to our shared ministry. If you are interested, contact Manley Olson at 651.644.2848 or manleyolson@gmail.com.

 

We need you. More importantly, the ministry of our churches needs you. Come join.

Jeff's Jottings

Even so, come Lord Jesus

 

By Jeff Japinga

Transitional Executive Presbyter

 

I don't usually write Jottings on Thursday morning, except during that very rare week of efficiency. And most often, I write looking back at some recent event or statement, not ahead with anxious anticipation of a coming weekend.

 

Today is different. Amidst the relentless drumbeat of a broken world, we walk into the shadows of Maundy Thursday, and then into the horror of Good Friday and the overwhelming sadness of Saturday. This year, I find myself trying to imagine how hopeless it must have seemed to the disciples, convinced that Jesus was to set the world to right only to see his body lifeless on a cross.

 

Is it that same hopelessness so many in our world seem to carry today? From the global horror of war and starvation to the individual pain born in another's privilege, our world seems an especially fractured place these days.

 

The complete Jottings is at "Come Lord Jesus."

PTCA Presbyterian Women

set gathering April 22 in Stillwater

The Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area will hold their Spring Gathering on Saturday, April 22, at First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The theme for this year's event is "Caring for Yourself and Caring for Others." The keynote speaker will be Carolyn Klaver, a registered nurse and community dementia care specialist from Lyngblomsten, a provider of healthcare, housing and services for older adults in the Twin Cities area. Gathering details are available at "Presbyterian Women."

 

MCC presents opportunity

to support its refugee work

An article in the newsletter of the Minnesota Council of Churches offers an opportunity to support its work in support of refugees. The article noted, " Thanks to the actions of a federal judge in Hawaii, refugees are continuing to arrive to the United States at least through the month of April as we await further information about Trump's executive order. MCC Refugee Services plans to welcome 14 new refugees from Congo, Somalia, and Burma this month." Noting that financial support is vital to the Council's work with refugees, the article added, "We will continue to welcome new refugees and to serve those who have already made Minnesota their home." Financial support can be made at "Refugee Services." The complete Council newsletter is at "For the Common Good."

Compassionate communication

training retreat planned at Bay Lake

During a three-day immersion experience, beginning Monday, May 22, and ending Thursday morning, May 25, participants in a compassionate communication -- or nonviolent communication -- training retreat for  pastors at  Bay Lake Camp near Deerwood, Minn.,  will discover ways to communicate more effectively. Titled "Empathy & Honesty: A Compassionate Communication Training Retreat for Pastors," the retreat will offer the opportunity for participants to discover compassionate communication as a means of connecting to God, self and others. There are 12 spots offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, at a cost of $150. If the spots do not fill up by May 14; they will be made available to clergy from other denominations for the full meal and accommodation rate of $300 per person. The retreat is sponsored by the PTCA's Committee on Ministry as part of its mission to support clergy, and underwritten by a generous grant from the Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation. The complete announcement is at "Compassionate Communication." Details, including registration, can be found at "Empathy and Honesty."

Church Growth Leadership

Summit planned in Lincoln

The 2017 Church Growth Leadership Summit, offering practical strategies to help churches grow, is planned Monday and Tuesday, April 24-25, at  Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Neb. A diverse group of successful church leaders, including Susan Forshey, Ross Thompson and Richard Brown, will share a variety of growth strategies. The Summit is sponsored by The Grow Project, in partnership with Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation, Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and the presbyteries of Central Nebraska, Missouri River Valley and Homestead. Details can be found at "Growth Summit."

 

White Privilege Conference planned

April 27-30 in Kansas City

The annual White Privilege Conference is scheduled April 27-30 in Kansas City, Mo. The conference theme is "Organizing. Strategizing. Taking-Action. Deconstructing the Culture of White Supremacy and Privilege: Creating Peace, Equity and Opportunity in the Heartland." Details can be found at "White Privilege Conference."

 

Great Plains Wee Kirk Conference

takes place in May at Calvin Crest

The Great Plains Wee Kirk Conference is planned May 1-3 at Calvin Crest Camp, Conference and Retreat Center near Fremont, Neb. The theme of this year's conference is "Overflowing with Hope" and the plenary speaker will be the Rev. Eunice "Junior" McGarrahan, a minister, author and speaker. Conference details can be found at "Wee Kirk."

 

Newsletter offers resources addressing change in systems of oppression

Sara Lisherness, director of Compassion, Peace and Justice Ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), notes in the latest edition of Presbyterian Justice &  Peace newsletter, "We open our hearts to ministry with people who are oppressed, disenfranchised, and have been driven into situations of need. We open our minds to work to change systems that oppress and disenfranchise God's children." The newsletter provides a link to the PC(USA)'s recently launched campaign, Facing Racism, that will help equip the church to work against racism. The complete newsletter is at "Justice and Peace."

 

Registration continues

for Summer Pastors School

Registration is underway for the 2017 version of Summer Pastors School that runs June 4-9 at  Hastings (Neb.) College. An event of the Omaha  Presbyterian Seminary Foundation, the School's featured speakers 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."

 

Big Tent registration open;

event runs July 6-8

This summer's Big Tent conference takes place July 6-8 in St. Louis and registration recently opened. The theme of this year's conference is "Race, Reconciliation and the Reformation." The event features plenary events, Bible study, workshops and worship. The three-day event, held on the Washington University campus, will provide a variety of opportunities to engage with the issues facing the church and society today. The registration site is at "Big Tent."

As Presbyterians increasingly face legal and other issues around providing welcome and hospitality to immigrants, the Immigration Office of the Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has released a new resource for congregations titled, "Welcome and the Law." General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson II has issued a letter to the church, commending the new resource. "I extend to you the invitation to discern how you might be called to accompany your neighbors," he writes. "[This resource] will help begin to answer questions you have about the law and help guide your discernment. Please know that I am praying alongside you as you discern with your congregation or larger community about how God is guiding you to respond." Nelson's complete statement can be found at " Welcome and the Law."

Two Coptic Orthodox churches in Egypt were the subject of suicide bombings on Palm Sunday, April 9, killing 44 and wounding 126. The first attack occurred at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in  Tanta, about 50 miles north of Cairo. The second occurred at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast. ... Dr. Andrea Zaki, president of the Protestant Council of Egypt, explained, "The terrorists are trying to hit Egypt, but we are maintaining unity and solidarity in our country and nothing will stop us from standing [in loyalty] with our nation." He then observed that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church had opened the American Hospital in Tanta to the government for the care of the wounded. Reda Adly, moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, commonly known as the Synod of the Nile, spoke on behalf of his church through social media, writing, "I declare our unity and solidarity with the Coptic Orthodox Church, in Egypt and the world." The complete Pres byterian News Service story by Michael Parker can be found at "United in Egypt."