"She is Loved" featuring Susie Larson
Saturday, March 1, 2025 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Hope Church is excited to offer a day of learning, growth, and friendship to women at Hope Church and ECO churches around the Twin Cities. The day will include teachings from Susie Larson, break outs, a book signing, lunch, and susie’s book, the Uncommon Woman. Doors open at 8:00 am, and the first session will start at 9:00 am. There is no childcare provided.
Susie Larson is a popular radio talk show host with over 7 million podcast downloads, a national speaker, and a bestselling author of 22 books. She and her husband live near Minneapolis with their three sons, three daughters-in-law, and a growing bunch of delightful grandchildren. Susie’s passion is to see people everywhere awakened to the value of their soul, the depth of God’s love, and the height of their calling in Christ Jesus.
"She is Loved": Would you live differently if you knew your identity could not be changed or influenced by others’ thoughts and opinions? Would you take more risks? Love more freely? Believe more boldly? When we believe who we are in Jesus, our lives are no longer shaped by our fears and insecurities. Instead, we live into Christ’s redemptive work, knowing we are his.
Contacts
- Register at hope-pc.org
Hope Church invites the men of the Presbytery of the Upper Midwest to attend their Fall Men's Retreat to be held September 19-21, 2025 at Hope Shores Bible Camp and Retreat Center. More information to follow. Contact Dan Ritchie at dritchiemn@gmail.com for further details.
The Presbytery of the Upper Midwest is organizing a prayer ministry under the leadership of Pastor Mark Frueh. This ministry will provide a way for us to pray for each other as we work together to serve one God. If you are interested in joining this ministry, please click on the following link and complete the form to indicate your area of interest. More to come....
https://forms.wix.com/f/7201317666668151714
From Cornerstone Presbyterian, Minot, ND:
From First Presbyterian Church Albert Lea:This spring the North Dakota state fair announced the parade theme was "Good News.' Knowing that Jesus is the best news of all, we knew we HAD to participate in the parade! We shared with our congregation our vision to share the good news of Jesus with our community in the State Fair parade. A faithful member approached us, telling us she felt God calling her to donate money so we could pass out Bibles along the parade route. I believe most of us went into the experience a bit apprehensive; would anyone WANT a Bible? Not only did people want them, they YELLED for them! By the time we reached the state fairgrounds, word had spread that we were passing out Bibles and one attendee was incredibly disappointed to find we had run out! 1083 bibles were handed out at this parade! What a blessing to see a church member catch the vision and honor God with her obedience, sending the Word into our community!
In late August, First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea celebrated God's faithfulness to our church with a father baptized alongside his two youngest children (with he and his wife then joining our church as covenant partners). It was our church's first adult baptism in over 15 years. Praise God for a new life in Christ!
Nearly 50 men from three ECO churches in the Presbytery of the Upper Midwest enjoyed a Men’s Retreat on Sept. 6-8 at Hope Shores Bible Camp and Retreat Center in Eden Valley, MN. The retreat’s theme, “Who Are We Now?” featured ECO pastor Mike Flavin, who worships at Prairie Community Church. Men from that church, First Presbyterian Albert Lea, and Hope Church (which administers the camp) planned and attended the retreat. Mike’s talks, particularly relevant in our culturally fraught time, stressed our identity in Christ. He focused on Christ’s “I am” statements in John, which help define the significance of belonging to him. Personal testimonies, small groups, and plenty of fellowship rounded out the retreat—from an intense Trivia competition and pickleball session to pontoon tours of Rice Lake and a late night bonfire. A “Saturday Only” option enabled nearly 20 men to hear all of the talks, participate in small groups, and enjoy the fellowship. If your church would like to participate in the next Men’s Retreat, contact Dan Ritchie, elder at Hope Church, at dritchiemn@gmail.com. Join us!
All churches in ECO are required to name both ECO and the presbytery as an additional insured on their insurance policy. A letter from John Terech was forwarded to all pastors in the presbytery. Any questions may be directed to John Terech or to Doug Dahl.
The Presbytery of the Upper Midwest met at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina on Friday evening, August 23 and Saturday morning, August 26 with nearly 50 people in attendance. It was a great time of worship, fellowship and fun. If you have never attended a meeting of the Presbytery of the Upper Midwest make your plans now to attend next August.
Here is what some of our leaders said about the event:
Moderator Rev. Dr. Petey Crowder - "It was fun to see new and old pastors and leaders connecting and sharing. I was reminded that Presbytery plays a crucial role in connecting our staff to the larger denomination."
Vice-Moderator Rev. Judie Ritchie - "I loved the way we could connect with each other over meals, laugh together during the teaching, and generally enjoy fellowship. I am especially grateful to colleagues who come from long distances to reinforce the bonds we have in ECO."
Stated Clerk Elder Doug Dahl - "It is great to see old friends at these meetings and to meet new people who will become old friends."
The ECO National Gathering is for pastors, elder, lay leaders, spouses, seminarians and students, staff teams, covenant partners and those interested in learning more about ECO. This gathering is beneficial for your entire leadership team and anyone involved in your local church. There is an immense opportunity for growth and bonding when you come to the gathering with others from your congregation! Take free time during the week to plan and pray, get to know others serving in similar church settings, or just hang out, have fun and make memories together!
Learn more or register at:
ECO provides training sessions and cohorts all year round with opportunities for pastors, elders, and church leadership. Check out the upcoming events listed on the ECO website at:
If your church has news to share with the presbytery, please forward your article to Doug Dahl at uppermidwestclerk@eco-pres.org.
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