A Reflection from the Vice-Moderator of PTCA:
Send Me!
by Jean Emmons, Vice-Moderator of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area.

I had an eye doctor’s appointment Thursday and my eyes were dilated. My eyes were opened unnaturally so that they could be examined. It hurt. It was distressing. It was my problem, and I dealt with it. We all have problems right now, and not those we thought we’d have when 2020 began. Well, except for the injustice that faces our Black neighbors—they knew that would continue.

George Floyd should not have been murdered by the Minneapolis Police officers. That’s a simple statement and I mean it, but there is nothing simple about the deep rooted problem of racism. Race was created as a political tool; it is not biological in any way. I learned this at February’s workshop that the Presbytery hosted for dismantling the systemic racism that permeates through our churches. Talking about racism is not enough.. We have to go farther. We have to change more. We have to do it now. The Anti-racism Task Force is planning a pilgrimage for us to take in the next year to learn about our history and to face the future. Please come on this journey, I say please, but I mean, you must come and see what you have done and then fix it.

I know we all are tired. In the Presbytery guiding meetings that I have been attending for the past ten weeks we have continuously worried about the weariness of our clergy. They are the ones to whom we go to for comfort, for guidance, for calm and we have needed all of that. No, we have not been able to walk through the cherished doors of our church buildings, but we have been able to keep connected. In the past we have complained about not having enough time to just relax, yet it is amazing how the humdrum, tedious, boring days of this pandemic where many of us have plenty of time to relax have created feelings of irritability, annoyance and anger. That is where the new normal has to come from. Take that displeasure and build a new world that is equal and just for all God’s people. That’s what we confess, so do it.

I want to do more but I am not going to assume that I know what is needed. I want to be told from the affected Black community what they want me to do. I need to be quiet and actively listen and then live into my faith and say, Send Me!
Telling Our Story
Last Friday, as one part of Presbytery response to the murder of George Floyd and the resulting unrest, the Presbytery offered the reflections of the Liberty Community Church Mission Team. Titled “No Words,” quoting the Rev. Alika Galloway, a pastor at Liberty, it reflected the tensions and challenges from our predominantly African-American Liberty Community Church in North Minneapolis.
Alika has now begun to write her own reflections on these dramatic times, which we will publish in the next EMerge. “But why should I be the only one who speaks out,” she said. And so we invite all of you, everyone in the Presbytery, to stand with Alika and to contribute your thoughts. Please send your reflections on these current times, and how we will face them, to executive presbyter Jeff Japinga ( ep@ptcaweb.org). Write as much as you wish, acknowledging we will use only a portion from each of you.
Let’s tell our stories to each other, and in doing so, go deeper into our calling in faith.
Notes from the Stated Clerk, Barbara Lutter, about the business of the presbytery during this unusual time.
Business as (un)Usual.
On Monday, June 1, 2020 the Presbytery Leadership Team took the following actions on behalf of the Presbytery:
 
There will be no stated meeting of the presbytery in September; there will be no “in person” stated meetings of the Presbytery in 2020.  Acting on a recommendation from Moderator Anna Kendig, Vice-Moderator Jean Emmons and the Stated Clerk, the PLT decided that there will be no in-person stated meetings of the presbytery in 2020. Noted Moderator Anna Kendig, “this decision honors our Christian value to care for the most vulnerable among us. When it is safe for all of us to gather, will not gather.” 
 
Details and logistics for the next stated meeting will be announced later this summer, but please note:
 
  • The next stated meeting of the presbytery will be held in October; PLT will notify the presbytery when a date is selected.
  • The meeting will occur via ZOOM videoconferencing; presbyters may join the meeting and participate from the comfort of your own homes; dress is comfy-casual.
  • There will be several opportunities for presbyters to “practice” using ZOOM in order to become familiar with the technology prior to the stated meeting.
 
This meeting will include worship, an opportunity to learn and be inspired, the election and installation of new officers, and other critical business such as amendments to our Bylaws to permit virtual meetings of the presbytery. Our goal is to complete the meeting in about 2 ½ hours.
 
All actions/votes taken at this meeting will be ratified by the presbytery at the next regularly-called stated meeting.
 
Considerations about resuming ‘in-person’ gatherings in our Church Buildings. Many congregations are beginning wonder about when/how/can the church buildings might once again serve as the gathering space for our communities. A host of resources have been complied to assist sessions with this complex discussion and decision. Check these out:


And more resources, prepared by your officers, will be published soon. Your officers are approaching this subject as a “values driven” decision, informed by science and data.
 
Each session has the authority to make these decisions for its congregation. (G-3.0201a). And, as your session begins to consider what is best for your congregation, please let me know how we can assist you in any way.
 
Nuts and Bolts, or How Can We Move the Presbytery Forward?  Several presbytery initiatives were placed “on hold” when the Coronavirus erupted. Other business items were simply suspended. Here’s a brief update about some of these:
 
Institutional Assessment . The horrific killing of George Floyd profoundly demonstrates how essential it is for the PTCA to move forward with our Institutional Assessment. Coupled with the disproportionate impact of COVIC-19 on persons of color remind us that this work cannot be postponed. Moderator Anna Kendig and Anti-racism Task Force Chair Kendra Grams are working with Crossroads on modifications to the assessment plan in response to current circumstances so that this work can begin.
 
Restructuring Efforts.   It should not surprise us that ”intervening events” are prompting PLT to assess whether adjustments should tweaked a bit as we begin the implementation process. Currently, this is the projected plan:
  • The Nominating Committee is in the process of contacting each currently-serving committee member to explore how each is feeling called to serve in the new structure.
  • Later this summer, the Nominating Committee will begin the process of inviting persons to consider serving in the new structure.
 
I am wondering…. Where do you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to serve? What gifts and interests and talents might you be willing to share with the church? Send me an email if you would like to explore new opportunities for service.
 
Per Capita and the Presbytery’s 2021 Operating Budget . PLT will be setting the amount of 2021 Per Capita in the next few months, shortly after the 224 th GA adopts its Per Capita amount. The Presbytery’s 2021 operating budget will be presented at the October stated meeting for action.
 
Updates about Pastoral Transitions

  • First Presbyterian Church, Kasson, MN welcomed the Rev. Amanda Mackey as their full time pastor effective June 1, 2020.
  • Rev. Jan Wiersma became part-time Designated Pastor, serving Rochester Community Church.
  • The Rev. Harold (Hal) Murray, Honorably Retired, was received into membership of the PTCA from John Knox Presbytery.
  •  Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, MN has elected its Pastor Nominating Committee.
  •  The House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, MN, extended calls to the Rev. Dr. Mark Barger Elliott and the Rev. Lynn Barger Elliott, to serve as full-time co-pastor heads of staff, effective August 1, 2020.
  •  Rev. Steve Rice was transferred to the Member-at-large roll. Rev. Rice continues to pastor two small ELCA congregations in Wisconsin.
  • PLT dissolved the pastoral relationship between the Rev. Ashley Bair and Central Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, MN, effective November 22, 2019, at the request of Rev. Bair; Central Presbyterian Church concurred with the request.
 
**Please note that the presbytery will be asked to ratify the actions taken by the Committee on Ministry, Board of Trustees, and the Presbytery Leadership Team. These actions will continue to be reported here in an effort to be fully transparent with respect to presbytery business in this unusual time. If you have questions or concerns about the information included here, please email me: statedclerk@ptcaweb.org .
 
And…. On a purely personal note…. Thank you for your cards, notes, flowers, meals, and prayers over the past weeks. I was discharged from Abbott Northwestern Hospital on Sunday, May 31. I am receiving wonderful nursing care and therapy and I am slowing regaining strength. The words “thank you” are woefully inadequate to describe the overwhelming gratitude that washes through me multiple times each day in response to the abundant kindnesses I am experiencing. I am so grateful.
From the PMA and Stated Clerks offices:
Statements from Diane Moffett and J. Herbert Nelson
The hope of the church in the nasty here and now |...

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service LOUISVILLE - More than 200 national staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others joined hearts and minds virtually Monday to mourn police violence against people of color and call out white...

Read more
www.presbyterianmission.org
The Stated Clerk remembers recent victims of racial violence

The recent deaths of three African Americans have once again raised concern about racial injustice across the country, including the cities where the deaths occurred. The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) says there is work to be done.
We Stand
From across the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., leaders join their voices in prayer and in support with and for the people and churches of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Watch and listen, and give thanks that we belong to such a great cloud of witnesses. Thanks especially to Matthew Skolnik, general presbyter of Muskingum Valley Presbytery.
What Can I Do?
As we’ve watched the past ten days unfold around us, many of you have responded with, “What can I do? How can we help?”
 
The physical needs in our community are many and great these days. So have been the responses. Elona Street-Stewart, Synod Executive for the Synod of Lakes and Prairies (and a Saint Paul resident), provided the following list of places offering or seeking assistance . It is an extensive list, befitting the immediacy of the challenges around us and the multi-faceted responses across our community. Please use it as you see fit.
 
In the coming weeks, the Presbytery will be compiling a more focused document. If you or your congregation has a particular and specific means by which you have been involved with assistance, please send that to executive presbyter Jeff Japinga
They're at it again...
E-mail Scams
They’re at it again.

The presbytery office has received information that some of you are getting emails purportedly from members of the Presbytery requesting gift cards or other contributions. Be aware that these too are not legitimate. If you receive any of these emails do not open them and let your church office know, so they can make others aware.
Jeff's Jottings:
A Personal Pledge
Even as the Presbytery has made its own commitments to justice, Jottings becomes the place where Jeff makes his own personal pledge.

Read more about being grateful for hard and prophetic words heard and actions that will honor those words in this week's edition of Jottings.
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EMerge is a newsletter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Through most of the year it is published biweekly 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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