Has church become an irrelevant institution or an insincere ritual, disconnected from people’s real lives? Or can the church REALLY enter into suffering, be a place of belonging, and speak of hope in the midst of reality?

September 19 will be a day of theological conversation for church leaders and regular people, from all faith perspectives. Bring your questions. We’ll have donuts!

Saturday, September 19th, 2009, 9am – 3pm, Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church, 1620 East 46th Street, Minneapolis MN 55407. Registration Including Lunch: $20 (Lunch by Pepito’s) Registration is limited. To register, call Jan at 612-721-4463.

For more information and to download a flyer, please go here.

How is the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area doing when it comes to communications? What can be improved? What’s missing? Please take part of in the 2009 Communications Survey and let your voice be heard. Deadline for the survey is the close of business on Thursday, August 27.

We would especially like to hear from those under the age of 40. At this present time, the majority of respondents are between the ages of 50-70. Since the church must always be looking forward, we need to know what the younger generations are looking for in their communication needs from the Presbytery.

Here is a link to the survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zmZtCs8bk_2fHMmP1pj0Iv7A_3d_3d

Thanks for your participation!

The next Movie Salon will take place on Friday, May 29 at 7:00 pm in the West Room at St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Wayzata. All are welcome to view and discuss “Who Killed the Electric Car,” a 90-minute documentary about the electric vehicle crossed with a scathing expose of the oil and automotive industries.

The film traces the history of the electric car, from its inception at the turn of the 20th century to its demise at the turn of the 21st. The main focus is the cars’ surge in popularity in recent years with the 1990 Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, and its abrupt disappearance when the California Air Resources Board modified the mandate, prompting car companies to recall and destroy all existing electric vehicles. Although there were waitlists for EV1s at the time of the recall, GM claimed that there was little demand, and EV1 drivers were prohibited from purchasing the vehicles, despite their best efforts.”

St. Luke is located at 3121 Groveland School Road in Wayzata.  For more information, contact the church at stluke@pclink.com or (952) 473-7378.

From Presbyterian Outlook:

“Star Trek” is the kind of prequel that you wish the last “Star Wars” could have been. It’s a good script with a strong story line. The special effects enhance the experience, but not at the expense of the character development. And best of all, at the end, the prequel perfectly sets you up to enjoy every “Star Trek” episode ever made.
            All the actors are new, as they pretty much have to be. Chris Pine is the young James T. Kirk, and he doesn’t look anything like William Shatner, but that’s OK. Spock (Zachary Quinto) still has his pointy ears, and we accept him despite a cameo by the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, as the Spock from the future. Yes, the time-travel sequence is a bit confusing, as it usually is whenever movies choose this gambit, but even a casual “Trekkie” can appreciate the continuity of a Leonard Nimoy appearance. Maybe someday they’ll make a new “Star Wars” movie for the next generation, and Mark Hamill (the original Luke Skywalker) will make a cameo appearance, as well. Anyway, you know we’re going to have a “save the world” kind of plot, and we do. You know we’re going to have a scary, menacing, seemingly all-powerful bad guy, and we do (his name is Nero, and he’s played by Eric Bana). You know we’re going to play with that old “Star Trek” dynamic about how Vulcans (like Spock) are rational creatures that don’t understand the emotions of humans (with a new twist, of course). And we’re not at all surprised to see a young Captain Kirk as the talented rebel who has yet to fulfill his potential, until unexpectedly offered the opportunity.
            There’s plenty to like about this “Star Trek,” even if you’re not all that familiar with the many television episodes and the several previous film versions, just because this space fantasy/adventure stands on its own so well. But even the hard-core fan would be pleased about seeing the pieces fit so nicely into place for the emergence of the jolly crew of the Starship “Enterprise.” May it live long and prosper.