Jonathan Odell will talk about his experiences with racism growing up in Mississippi and the power of personal story to heal and transform relationships as he introduces us to his historical novel, THE VIEW FROM DELPHI
Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 pm
St. Luke Presbyterian Church

Set in pre-Civil Rights Mississippi, The View from Delphi is the story of two young mothers, Hazel and Vida, one wealthy and white and the other poor and black, who have only two things in common—the devastating loss of their sons, and a deep and abiding loathing for one another.  After drunkenly crashing her car into a manger scene, gunning for the baby Jesus, Hazel is sedated and bed-ridden.  Vida is hired as a maid to keep tabs on Hazel.  Spending time together with no one else to rely on, the two women find they have more in common than they thought, and together they turn the town on its head. 

The View from Delphi is the story of a town, a people, and a society on the verge of great changes—and great changes begin with small things, like friendship.

About the Author

The day author Jonathan Odell was born in 1951 in Laurel, Mississippi, Willie McGhee, a black man, was being lynched at the nearby courthouse to the cheers of more than a thousand white citizens.  Several blocks south, a young Leontyne Price could be found regularly helping her aunt to clean a mansion, until the white lady of the house heard her sing and got her into Juilliard.  His novel, THE VIEW FROM DELPHI, is Jonathan Odell’s attempt to explain how such contradictions could exist side by side.

He started writing, he says, “when the inconsistencies of my life caught up with me.”  He sold his house, left his partner, gave away the dog—went to the jungles of Costa Rica—and three months later he came back with the resolve to write a novel and embarked upon rediscovering his home state.  “Along the way I discovered my own people, and the mysterious, unspoken history we share with that other race.”

The event is free and open to the public.
Books will be available for purchase at the event.  Jon will return for discussion on the book in September!

Presbyterian Church of the Way in Shoreview is taking part in a fundraising event to support Holy Hammers, a coalition of 13 congregations that builds homes as a part of Habitat for Humanity.  The benefit includes a spaghetti dinner and a concert by the Cedar Lake 7 Gospel Ensemble.

The event takes place Friday, May 14  event from 5:30-8:15 p.m. at Church of the Way located at 3382 N. Lexington Avenue in Shoreview.

Enjoy a cool evening of some of Minnesota’s hottest music at Westminster Presbyterian in Minneapolis.  All are invited to this free program in the Westminster sanctuary. One of the nation’s premier bluegrass bands, Monroe Crossing, will perform (www.monroecrossing.com), as will Cantus, considered by many critics to be the nation’s top male a capella ensemble (www.cantusonline.org).

The Commissioned Lay Pastor Committee is taking applications for its new training program approved at the November  meeting of the Presbytery of The Twin-Cities Area.

Specifically, the CLP Training Program offers a structured learning process that provides a customized training based on past training/experience with future needs related to the specific commissioning of the candidate.

The Training Program consists of up to fourteen – 12-hour modules of learning that include: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation – Hermeneutics; Old Testament Survey & Interpretation; Introduction to Reformed Theology; Presbyterian History and Polity; Sacraments: Theology and Practice; New Testament Survey & Interpretation; Introduction to the New Testament; Church Development and Leadership; Personal Evangelistic Witness; Spiritual Formation and Ministry; Church Based Evangelism and Ministry; Homiletics; Spiritual Gifts and Pastoral Ministry; Introduction to Multi-Cultural Ministry in the 21^st Century; Stewardship; and Teaching. 

Methods of instruction will vary depending upon the individual learning style/and or cultural challenges each CPL candidate may have.  Many teaching situations will be one-on-one experiences.

Qualified instructors (teachers, clergy, missionaries and lay persons) are invited to apply at the Presbytery of the Twin-Cities Area website.

For more information, go to the  Commissioned Lay Pastor Manual.  You can also email the Commissioned Lay Pastor Committee Chair at: clpc@ptcaweb.org .

Many Churches are hosting events during this Advent and Christmas season that are open to the public.  If you have an event to share, please contact the Presbytery office at communications@ptcaweb.org. Read the rest of this entry »

By Paula Sanders

Planning for the 219^th General Assembly is gaining momentum.  GA is meeting July 3-10, 2010 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and we expect 8,000 people to attend some part of it. The presbyteries of Northern Waters and Minnesota Valleys are joining with us as hosts. To plan and carry out such an event will require many willing workers.  The Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) has organized into five major committees and 22 work groups.

We are now at the place where we need folks to fill out these committees and work groups.  We hope you will be one of them.  Read the rest of this entry »

\”The Advent and Christmas seasons are often marked by festive parties and jovial celebrations, but this time of year isn’t always joyful for everyone. Among us are friends, family members, and acquaintances who may be finding it difficult to enjoy this holiday season as they mourn the loss of a loved one or an important relationship in their lives, worry about finances, battle depression, or struggle with other seemingly hopeless situations. If this is the case with you, or if you are willing to sit in prayer with those for whom this is true, join First Presbyterian Church of Hudson for worship on The Longest Night, the winter solstice, Dec. 21st at 7:00 p.m.

This contemplative worship service will honor the difficult experiences of those around and among us and speak again the enduring words of hope and light in the midst of darkness.

Worship begins at 7:00 p.m., but all are also invited to share fellowship and a soup supper that begins at 6:30 p.m.. This service, as all others, is open to the public, so please share this with your friends and neighbors who may need some comfort this holiday season.\”

Imagine over one hundred tubas festively decorated playing \”Joy to the World!\” Read the rest of this entry »

A group of Presbyterian women will travel to South Dakota in 2010 for a second USA Mission Experience.  Participants will encounter challenges to God’s promise of a beloved community and witness to the faithful work being done by our Native American sisters.

PW’s 2010 USA Mission Experience will provide the opportunity to meet with Presbyterian sisters living on reservations in Sisseton, Flandreau, Chamberlain and Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  We will hear their stories, learn more about significant events in their history and build relationships.

Our journey will begin in Sioux Falls on September 9 and will end in Rapid City on September 16.

Cost for the trip is $1600. not including travel to and from South Dakota.  Each participant is responsible for her costs, but it is hoped, synods, Presbyteries, congregations will offer financial assistance to their participants.

January 15, 2010, is the deadline for applicants to send applications to PW Synod moderators. More information and applications will be available on the PW web site (www.pcusa.org/pw ).

             -Heide Buettner, Roselyn Peterson Co-Moderators, PW-PTCA

The Bloomington, MN congregation will be honored on December 7 with the 2009 Omar Bonderud Human Rights Award by the Bloomington City Council. Read the rest of this entry »