One current Elder Commissioner and our Youth Advisory Delegate (age 17-23) to Synod from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area have terms ending in January 2010.  While each is eligible for re-election, additional applications will be accepted from elders, or prospective YADs who are active in local churches or in presbytery and are interested in service in the wider church.  Application forms are available on the presbytery web site, ptcaweb.org, or they can be requested from the presbytery office (email: office@ptcaweb.org).

• Elder Commissioner to Synod - 3 year term, beginning January 2010
• Youth Advisory Delegate to Synod -1 year term, beginning January 2010

Applications, with a recommendation letter from a session, committee of presbytery, or minister member of presbytery, should be returned to the Nominating Committee by August 1.  Election will be at the September presbytery meeting.
            Synod meets 3 times a year, usually Sunday evening through Tuesday noon.  Dates for 2010 are: January 17-19, May 2-4, and October 3-5.  Meetings will be at the Mt.Olivet Retreat Center in Farmington.  Expenses for travel, room, and board are born by the Synod.      

     
            The Nominating Committee will nominate one person for each position and include a brief biographical sketch outlining the nominee’s qualifications, service, and commitment to serve.  For each person nominated from the floor, the Nominating Committee requires that similar information be published in quantities sufficient for distribution at the presbytery meeting when elections will occur.

            All commissioners and YADs are expected to serve on one standing committee, which meet during the Synod meetings.  These include Ecclesiastical Relations Committee, Finance Committee, Personnel Committee, Program Coordination Committee.  There are a few Special Committees  which meet separately, and a few commissioners are invited to serve on one of these if they so desire:  Committee on Congregational Development, Committee on Racial Ethnic Ministry, Communication and Interpretation Committee, Synod School Committee.

Directions to Presbyterian Church of the Master

Presbyterian Church of the Master
789 Northdale Blvd NW Coon Rapids, MN 55448 763-755-2667
 
You can download an online map from Google. 
 

From the North: 
Start on I-35S.  Keep RIGHT to take I-35W S.  Take CR-17/Lexington Ave. exit, EXIT 33.  Keep RIGHT at the fork to go on Lexington Ave. N.  Turn LEFT onto 109th Ave. N.E./CR-12 W.  CR-12 W becomes Northdale Blvd. N.W./CR-11.  End at 789 Northdale Blvd. N.W. on the RIGHT.
 
From the South:
Start on I-35N towards the Twin Cities.  Keep LEFT to take I-35W N via EXIT 88A toward Minneapolis.  Merge onto MN-65 N via EXIT 16A on the LEFT toward Downtown EXITS/I-94 W.  Merge onto I-94 W/US-52 N.  Merge onto MN-252 N.  Merge onto MN-610 E.  Merge onto MN-47N.  Take the CR-78/Hanson Blvd. Exit.  Keep RIGHT at the fork to go on Hanson Blvd NW/CR-11 E/CR-78 N.  Turn RIGHT onto Northdale Blvd. NW/CR-11 E.  End at 789 Northdale Blvd. N.W. on the LEFT.
 
From the East:
          Start on I-694 N.  Merge onto I-35W N via EXIT 41B.  Merge onto US-10 W via EXIT 30 toward Anoka.  Keep RIGHT to take MN-610 W.  Take the CR-51/University Ave. Exit.  Turn RIGHT onto University Ave. N.E./CR-51 N.  Turn LEFT onto Northdale Blvd NW/CR-12 W.  End at 789 Northdale Blvd. N.W. on the RIGHT.
 
From the West:
          Start on I-494 N.  Merge onto I-94 E/I-694 E/US-52S.  Merge onto US-169 N via EXIT 29B.  Merge onto MN-610 E.  Merge onto MN-47 N.  Take the CR-78/Hanson Blvd. exit.  Keep RIGHT at the fork to go on Hanson Blvd NW/CR-11 E/CR-78 N.  Turn RIGHT onto Northdale Blvd. NW/CR-11 E.
          End at 789 Northdale Blvd. N.W. on the LEFT

The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) today announced that Anna Kendig has been selected as the Robert W. Bohl Racial Ethnic Intern. Ms. Kendig was selected from a pool of candidates that emerged from a search process that began in early March. Ms. Kendig graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in May and will work with PPC in the coming weeks learning various aspects of religious publishing.

Marc Lewis, PPC President and Publisher, says, “We are proud of the Robert W. Bohl Racial Ethnic Internship and believe the internship provides racial ethnic seminary students and recent graduates with an opportunity to serve the church in a unique manner. We were impressed with the individuals who showed interest in the internship and believe that service to the church through work at PPC can be an excellent expression of an individual’s ministry. We are excited about Anna’s interest in publishing, her keen insights about worship and cultural communities, and her demonstrated commitment to the life and mission of the PC(USA).”

The ten-week internship was established in 1999 in honor of the Reverend Robert W. Bohl, Moderator of the 206th General Assembly in 1994 and former chair of the PPC Board of Directors. Bohl is a retired pastor who served several churches during his ministry, including Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas. He served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through his leadership on the boards of numerous organizations affiliated with the denomination.

Upon hearing news that PPC had selected an intern for 2009, Bohl commented, “One of the things that I am most proud of is my time serving on the Board of Directors of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. It is my belief that the best way we attract bright people to consider religious publishing is to introduce them to hands-on experience in the world of publishing. The internship program does exactly that, and it pleases me that PPC has selected Anna Kendig as the intern for this summer.”

Ms. Kendig will spend much of her time working in the marketing and editorial departments of PPC. The denominational publisher will publish eighty titles by the end of the year and has recently launched The Presbyterian Leader, a new online resource center for all leaders of PC(USA) congregations.

Ms. Kendig says, “I am extremely pleased to be interning with PPC this summer. As a multiracial seminary graduate, I hope to be able to supply a unique perspective while at PPC; as someone new to the publishing world, I hope to learn much. Having benefited greatly from the publications of Westminster John Knox Press and The Thoughtful Christian, I am looking forward to using my training in theology, ministry and global society to contribute to the further blessing of the church through PPC’s important work.”

A Magna Cum Laude graduate from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Ms. Kendig earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish. While studying at St. Olaf College, she received the Spohn Memorial Award for Excellence from the English Department and became a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Ms. Kendig served as the pastoral intern at Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois, where she preached, lead worship, and assisted in adult education. In addition, she was the worship assistant for special worship at McCormick Theological Seminary, planning and assembling worship teams. Prior to attending McCormick Theological Seminary, Ms. Kendig was a summer intern with Hispanic and Youth Ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Claremont, Minnesota, and a youth ministry coordinator at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.

The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is the official denominational publisher of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is a completely self-sustaining agency of the General Assembly. With a publishing heritage that dates back more than 170 years, PPC publishes under four imprints: Westminster John Knox Press, Geneva Press, The Thoughtful Christian, and The Presbyterian Leader. It publishes approximately 80 books each year, produces four issues each of These Days and Theology Today, and maintains a backlist of more than 1,700 titles that are sold throughout the world. These works seek to glorify God by contributing to the spiritual and intellectual vitality of Christ’s church. To that end, PPC publishes resources that advance religious scholarship, stimulate conversation about moral values and inspire faithful living.

The Presbyterian News Service published a story today about Rev. Robert Hattle, a tentmaker in Topeka, Kansas.  You can read the story about Rev Hattle at
http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2009/09400.htm.

During the past few months, I have met tentmakers in Northern California, South Dakota, Iowa, South Carolina and other places across the United States.   In addition to doing a great job in ministering with their congregations, these tentmakers also serve as farmers, accountants, doctors, and ranchers. As the Rev. Marcia Clark Myers, director of the PC(USA)’s Office of Vocation says in the above article, tentmaking is not only a viable model of pastoral ministry, it is also becoming a model of choice for more clergy serving smaller membership churches.

Continue reading…

I know for myself I tend to worry a lot about the church - that is my particular congregation I serve. I think the saying is true that the church is a “jealous mistress.” Hardly a day goes by that I am not thinking about the hopes, failures, and dreams for this congregation. I worry about a lot of things - older congregants that statistically don’t have much longer to live; how to introduce others to Christ and bring them in to our community of faith, analyzing long-standing barriers to growth in ministry, etc. Always something to think about. However when it comes to the larger catholic church, I really believe that we have some real things to worry about, especially through the eyes of those who are newly trained and ordained into ministry. 
As mentioned before, I was at a Lilly-funded Pastoral Resident consultation which you can read here with pastoral residents from a variety of denominations. As one of thier assignments before the consultation each of them had the opportunity to answer three questions on reflections of ministry. The one question that was asked was “Name one thing that worries you about the church.” I took the liberty to quote directly from some participants that will give you some insight as to where their worries are:

“I worrry that the church can easily become self-absorbed and curved in on itself.”

“The church has to nurture its malleability and its ability to accomodate (instead of assimilate) new members . . . I do not mean that the church should reject its traditional practices (as those are also desired and needed) but be more willing to be a “both/and” instead of an “either/or” church.”

Continue reading…

Empathy and law, life experience and the judge’s bench. Are they oil and water, or are they the necessary complements that make for a greater approximation of justice?

The question has been raised whether Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s experience and a sense of empathy will impair her ability to render judicial decisions based solely on the law. Those who insist on keeping her Latina experience out of judicial considerations learned well what law-school professors tell their first-year students to dampen any idealistic expectations: that the law is about the law, not about justice. 

Continue reading at MinnPost.

A Community event and vigil urging a stop to the separation of families.  Sunday, June 14th, 2:30pm Incarnation Church, 3800 Pleasant Ave S, Mpls, MN For more information please contact: Familias Unidas/United Families MN Committee at briana.familiasunidas@yahoo.com.

Join us as we celebrate the fun and diversity of our neighborhood.

• Blessing of the Animals: 4 PM Saturday June 6^th Gather at 3:30 for

Indonesian Style Music. Bring your pets for this unique outdoor event or just come to meet your neighbors and see their pets.

Refreshments (free root beer floats!) will be served.

• Sunday Multicultural Worship: 10:00 AM Sunday June 7^th

• Pancake Brunch:11:00 AM Sunday June 7^th Pancakes, sausage, fruit, juice, and coffee will be served. It’s a great time to share some good food and fellowship! Free Will Offering.

Knox Presbyterian is located at 1536 Minnehaha Avenue in St. Paul. For more information, please call 651-645-6488.