Steeple Times, September 2015 (Vol. 10, Issue 9)

By Donald DuncanWhile you’ve not heard much about it recently, Fine Arts@FPC is still rolling along. Plans are underway for anoth-er exciting season of fine music mak-ing and fellowship. Last season the series hosted 27 different concerts in the sanctuary, with a total attendance of approximately 7,100 persons. This year the plans will include a slightly smaller number of concerts that will hopefully impact as many, or more, attendees. Over the last few years, I’ve worked to hone in on the types and styles of concerts that appeal to the broadest audience base. I’m hopeful that this season will further that goal of reaching people in our community who would not otherwise know about FPC or come through our doors.

The 2015/2016 season will include a fall choral concert with chamber or-chestra featuring the music of Bach,

Brahms, and Beethoven, the ever-pop-ular Christmas Spectacular, a Jazz Brunch, a special performance by the Boston Brass, the Emerald Piano Trio and much more! The brochure is in production, and plans are underway for the Fine Arts Garden Party.

Be sure to find us, like us, and share us on Facebook (facebook.com/fineartsf-pc) and check the church website for more updates on the Fine Arts page.

Children and the Power of Music

For centuries the beautiful voices of children have adorned the worship of Almighty God. This venerable tra-dition continues at First Presbyterian Church. Our goal and aim of chil-dren’s choirs in worship is to assist our youngest Christians in their faith for-mation, musical education, and to give them a positive, fun way to participate and help lead worship. Children’s

First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696

(903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com

Spotlight on Fine Arts@FPC

M o n t h l y N e w s f r o m F P C Ty l e r • Vo l u m e 1 0 , I s s u e : S e p t e m b e r 2 01 5

Spotlight on Fine Arts@FPC | pg 1-2Join a choir or attend a concert. Learn what’s happening in Music Ministry at FPC Tyler.

Rally Day Fiesta! | pg 3Breakfast with your church commu-nity in a festive setting to kick off the new program year.

East TX Youth Conference | pg 3A conference for students set in the Piney Woods of East Texas at Camp Gilmont. For students grades 6-12.

i n t h i s i s s u e | H I G H L I G H T S & F E AT U R E S

Continued on page 2.

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choir rehearsal at First Presbyterian Church is not merely a pedantic rehearsal of hymns and anthems for performance in worship. The time spent in rehearsal is filled with creative methods of engaging children with music, each other, and God. They learn about our Reformed heritage of liturgy and music, as well as the texts that connect us to our identity as the children of God.

The Carol Choir (Pre-K through 2nd grade) rehearses most Wednesdays September through April from 5:00-5:45 p.m. in M105, and sing in the worship service approximately once a month. All children, regardless of musical ability, are welcome to attend. Margaret Bjork and Ruth Hardy are the directors of the choir. This choir will resume rehearsals on

Wednesday, September 16.

Ring & Sing is a hand-chime choir for children in grades 3-6. They meet on Sundays September through April from 9:15-9:55 a.m. in the Music Suite Handbell Room. These budding musicians learn the basics of music reading, hand-chime reading, and some singing as well. They present mu-sic in worship once or twice each semester. Ring & Sing is conducted by Laura Swartz and assisted by Rose Moranda. They will resume rehearsals on Sunday, September 20.

Contact Donald Duncan, Director of Music & Organist ([email protected]/903-597-6317), if you are interest-ed in enrolling your child in choir.

“Spotlight on Fine Arts@FPC,” continued from page 1.

Steeple Times is a publication of First Presbyterian Church, 230 W. Rusk St., Tyler, TX 75701. Acting editor: Stuart Baskin. FPC reserves the right to edit and/or exclude all submissions. Submit content to Lynn Collyer by the 15th of the month prior to publication: [email protected], fax (903) 597-6326, or mail. An archive of the Steeple Times can be found online at www.fpctyler.com/archive.

By Donald DuncanOur congregation has (for quite lit-erally more than a century) always placed a high value on the use of high quality music in worship. This contin-ues today with opportunities for vari-ous expressions of musical offerings to the glory of Almighty God. All of our ensembles are open to members and non-members alike, although some require more musical skill and train-ing than others. Below is an overview of what we have to offer. These en-sembles stand ready to welcome new members into their ranks! Please con-tact Donald Duncan for more infor-mation about any of these ministries.

The Chancel Choir

The Chancel Choir is an adult cho-ral ensemble comprised of talented volunteers, as well as choral scholars

from the University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College. The choir prepares a wide repertoire drawn from nearly 900 years of the Western sacred music tradition, from Grego-rian chants to modern compositions, with an emphasis on literature that enhances the liturgy of the Reformed tradition. Advanced voice training is not required, only a love of choral mu-sic, an ability to commit to weekly re-hearsals, and a pleasant singing voice that is able to blend with others. This ensemble assists in leading worship at FPC most Sundays and rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Music Suite.

The Carillon Handbell Choir

The gifted adult handbell ensemble assists in leading Sunday worship ap-proximately once a month at the 11:00

a.m. worship service. This ensemble utilizes a five-octave set of Malmark handbells in addition to handchimes and other percussion instruments. Basic music reading ability is required for participation in this ensemble. The Carillon Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. in the Music Suite Handbell Room.

Youth Praise Band

The youth praise band, under the di-rection of Andy Martinez, prepares students to help lead worship for youth events, youth Sunday worship, and weekly gatherings. The ensem-ble consists of keyboard, percussion, strings, guitar, and winds. They re-hearse each Sunday morning before Sunday school.

Music Opportunities for Adults and Youth

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E V E N T H I G H L I G H T S

Sewing for Haitian ChildrenSeptember 2 & 16, 10 am | F101/102

Won’t you join the Sewing Bees and help them meet their goal of sewing 50 dresses and shorts for the children of St. Etienne, Haiti this month! Simple patterns and guidance provided. Visit fpctyler.com/events/sewingbees or contact Mollie Bobo (903-530-2772/[email protected]).

SAM’s Club: Sing-AlongWednesday, September 9, 11 am | Fellowship Hall

Join Senior Adult Ministries for a musical sing-along pro-gram led by Raymond Smith and Ruth Hardy. Rumor has it that our musical guests have a surprise in store—but you’ll have to stay ‘til the end of the program! RSVP re-quired. Lunch is catered by Traditions. Meal tickets are $10 and payable at the door. RSVP by noon on Monday, Sep-tember 7 at fpctyler.com/events/sams or call Bettie Clancy (903-521-1383).

Rally Day Fiesta!September 13, 9:30 am / Fellowship Hall

Plan now to attend the Rally Day festivities on Sunday, September 13. The whole church family will breakfast

together in the Fellowship Hall. Special activities for the children and youth add to the celebration. Help us recog-nize teachers and other Christian Education leaders for the important role they play in ministry at FPC Tyler. More info at fpctyler.com/events/rallyday.

Men’s Social & Hamburger DinnerSunday, September 20, at 4-7 p.m. / 17636 East Side Dr.

Join the Men of the Church for fellowship and hamburgers at the Tyler Yacht Club. Beverages will be provided. Bring a friend! Cost is $10 per person, payable at the event. Please RSVP at fpctyler.com/events/mensdinner or contact Curtis Cooper (curtiscooper@suddenlink/903-312-0632).

Presbyterian Women’s GatheringSeptember 21, 6 pm | F101/102

Join the women of the church for fellowship and a fall pro-gram. Look for more information in the weekly enews and the service bulletin. Contact Priscilla Maxfield (972-965-9703).

Join the FPC Hard HatsYour Mission Committee needs a core group of members–men and women from teen to older adults–who are willing to grab hammers, paint brushes, garden tools, or cleaning supplies, to assist in short-term refurbishing or repair proj-ects in the community. Please consider becoming a part of this ministry to others by simply sending your name, best times available (i.e. weekends only), and contact informa-tion to Mitch Adams (903-285-7996/[email protected]) or Ginny Mattox, (903-504-5016/[email protected]).

PATH: People Attempting to HelpSeptember’s pantry drive: toilet paper. Bring donations to the crates in the Fellowship Hall and first floor in the main building.

Happy Birthday, PATH!PATH (People Attempting to Help) is celebrating 30 years of continuous service to the economically disadvantaged of Smith County. Join PATH on Thursday, September 10 for a community luncheon at the Green Acres Baptist Church, Crosswalk Conference Center, at 11:30 am-1:00 pm. This year’s guest speaker will be Larry James, CEO of CitySquare in Dallas. Dallas CitySquare, a faith-based, hu-man and community development corporation, battles the causes and effects of poverty through service, advocacy, and friendship.

For more information on sponsorship or individual tickets, visit pathhelps.org or contact Mila Hightower, PATH De-velopment Director (903) 617-2825.

T H E M I S S I O N S TO R EYo u r m i s s i o n H Q a t F P C • M a t c h y o u r t a l e n t w i t h o u r c o m m u n i t y ’ s n e e d s

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By Phyllis KidwellAre you interested in the environment as well as helping Children’s Minis-try? Then we invite you to join us in crocheting with plarn! Plarn is plastic yarn made by cutting strips of plastic bags (grocery, dry-cleaning, etc.) and looping them together to crochet bag mats about 3 x 6 feet.

This fall, Children’s Ministry will be using mats and blankets made by sev-eral members of our church, and our youth. Alice Stjernstrom took the lead in getting others to create the mats and to cut and tie fleece blankets. She completed many of them herself. The children at First Friday Fun will enjoy them month after month as we close

our evenings. THANKS, Alice and teams!

If you are interested in any aspect of this project, we invite you to join us in Fellowship Hall (F 104) each Wednes-day at 1 p.m.

For additional information and/or training, contact Alice Stjernstrom (903-509-2236).

Plarning + Fleece = Mats and Blankets

CO N G R E G AT I O N A L N E W S

Membership UpdatesJoin us in extending a warm welcome to our newest mem-bers: Joan Mayfield and Ben Pitts (joined July 26)

We celebrate the baptism of Miles Parker Nelson, son of Mandy and Kyle Nelson (baptized August 9.)

Congratulations to Jody Lake and Joanna Thiele (wed Au-gust 1)

Office Closed September 7 The church office will close on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labour Day. Normal business hours will re-sume on Tuesday, September 8.

Thank you from Children’s Ministry!A big thank you to our congregation for all the prayers and work that went into this year’s Vacation Bible School, Clean Water for All God’s Children! from Living Waters for the World. We averaged 40 children each day, and had almost as many volunteers! The cookout was well attended and the breeze blowing through the shade was enjoyable. Teaching the children about clean water—and the living water, was time well spent.

Stay in the know about news and events by connecting with FPC online.

Subscribe to the weekly e-newsletter, and you’ll receive stories, event reminders, and mission updates. You’ll even get a

sneak peek into what Stuart has planned for Sunday’s pul-pit! Follow the QR code above or find the e-newsletter sign-up link on the website at fpctyler.com.

Stay in touch with us on social media, too:

/fpctyler @fpctyler @fpctyler

Stay in the Know

Top photo: Children sing songs taught by music leaders for the cookout guests.

Bottom photo: Water play was a favorite during the final day of VBS.

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First Friday Fun | Oct. 2Kids’ night out fun with crafts, games and a meal, from 6-9 p.m. for kids from nursery through grade 2.

Music Dedication Sunday | Oct. 18Bring the whole family—and the neighbors, too—to celebrate our con-gregation’s music ministry during the 11 a.m. worship service.

Youth Lock In | Oct. 30-31 An overnight trip to Group Dynamix in Carrollton, TX where we’ll meet up with other Presby students for a group lock in. For students grades 6-12.

s a v e t h e d a t e | O C TO B E R 2 01 5

Senior High Small Group ResumesWednesday, September 9, 6-7:30 pm / 215 W 1st St Small group for senior high school students returns to the Gabriel’s house for the fall session. Dinner will always be provided, so come hungry and bring a friend! We look for-ward to another year of challenging Bible study and great fellowship. Neil McKown, ([email protected]/903-279-6818).

Parent and Student MeetingSunday, September 13, 9 am / The Well Save the date for our annual informational meeting with students and their parents in the youth area, (lower floor, Fellowship Hall). Receive calendars and important infor-mation about 2015/2016 opportunities. Please make sure you and your child attend this meeting. RSVP at fpctyler.com/events/parentmeeting.

East Texas Youth ConferenceSeptember 18-20 / Camp Gilmont (Gilmer, TX) Join East Texas Presbyterian youth for a weekend in the woods, exploring the 2015 conference theme, Handmade based on Isaiah 64:8. The Rev. Caressa Murray, Covenant Presbyterian in College Station, TX, will be the keynote speaker. Youth will engage in a mission project, explore issues of faith in small groups, and take part in character-istic Gilmont fun—zip line, swimming, biking, and more. For students grades 6–12. Register online by Tuesday, Sep-tember 1, at fpctyler.com/events/etyc.

Confirmation Class UpdateStudents in grades 8 and 9 are invited to attend Confirma-tion class this year. Class begins in the fall, and culminates with the students making their public profession of faith on Easter Sunday. Parents of students and students interested

in learning more about confirmation should contact Neil McKown, ([email protected]/903-279-6818).

Parent Forum & DinnerSunday, September 27, 5:30 pm / The Well Meet other parents of students in grades 6-12 active in Student Ministries at FPC Tyler, during this meeting where you can bring your questions, concerns, and ideas to strengthen our ministry to both students and their fami-lies. Be prepared for open and honest discussion including the following: How can we support you as parents? What can we do better? What situations might you as parents be dealing with at home? Meet in the youth area, (lower floor, Fellowship Hall). Dinner provided. RSVP at fpctyler.com/events/parentforum.

Youth Group: Game NightSunday, September 27, 5:30 pm / The Well Come for our first official youth group back from summer! Enjoy some games and fellowship activities–and bring some friends! Dinner provided. For students in grades 6-12. RSVP at fpctyler.com/events/youth-group.

Church Under the BridgeOctober 10-11 // Waco, Texas Church Under the Bridge is exactly that: a church under IH-35 in Waco, Texas. Their call is to be a church to the unchurched, who recognize and minister with the “un-reached people” outside their own culture. Last year we had the opportunity to serve and worship with CUB in Waco and had an amazing experience! This overnight ser-vice opportunity gives you a chance to connect with other Presby youth! RSVP by September 30 at fpctyler.com/events/cub.

S T U D E N T M I N I S T R I E S N E W S & E V E N T S

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Planned GivingHave you remembered the church and other charities in your will? If you need help, contact Nanci Pollard (903-597-6317) to request information, or visit the Texas Presbyterian Foundation at tpf.org. Assistance is confidential and free of charge.

Analysis of Revenues & ExpensesJuly 2015 Summary

mtd actual ytd actual ytd budget

Revenues $66,391 $66,391 $97,186expenses $76,762 $76,762 $110,744net total ($10,371) ($10,371) ($13,558)

VolunteersYour gifts and talents are always needed, and will be put to use in serving the kids and families in Children’s Ministry. If you have time to give in prayer, teach a Sunday school class, become a shepherd, or help provide and/or serve meals for First Friday, give Phyllis a call, and she will plug you into our ministry. Contact: Phyllis Kidwell (903-681-5504/[email protected]).

It’s a Rally Day Fiesta!September 13, 9:30 am / Fellowship Hall We’re having a fiesta, and the whole church family gets a Sunday school holiday! With special activities for the chil-dren and youth–and a taco bar breakfast, too!–this event

promises fun for all ages. More info at fpctyler.com/events/rallyday.

First Friday Fun Returns!Friday, September 4, from 6–9 pm / Children’s Wing Reserve the first Friday of each month for your little ones to have fun with their friends at FPC Tyler! This year kids meet different spiritual gifts each week during the eve-ning’s activities through art work, by acting out the Bible story, and in playing games together—spiritual gifts may even show up in the movie we watch as the evening winds down. A meal is provided. For infants through grade 2. Questions? Contact Phyllis Kidwell, Director of Children’s Ministry ([email protected]). Register your kids at fpctyler.com/events/firstfriday.

C H I L D R E N ’ S M I N I S T R Y N E W S & E V E N T S

S U N DAY S C H O O L / S M A L L G R O U P L I S T I N G

Sunday School @ 9:45 amfaith buildeRs | Lecture & discussion M 202 / Study: The book of Acts / Contact: Susan Bennett (903) 343-7025

the foRum | Lecture & discussion M 102 / Study: A Study of Judaism / Contact: Chris Bunt (903) 531-3535

genesis | Bible study & discussion M 205 / Study: The Present Word / Contact: Judith Guthrie (903) 530-3668

the 209eRs | Young adults M 209 / Study: TBA / Contact: Debbie

Pitts ([email protected])

westminsteR | Book & discussion M 207 / Study: The Teacher and The Preacher: a dialogue / Contact: Linda Pirtle (903) 881-9000

Small Group Scheduleknit wits | Knitting Ministry Tuesday, September 8, at 1:30 pm at 14721 NW Rd., Whitehouse. Contact: Pat Cryer (903) 561-5242

men | Sermon texts 2nd/4th Mondays 10 am in homes / Contact: Bill Myers (903) 825-7323

midweek oasis foR moms Wednesday, September 16, 5 pm / M 102 / Contact: Pam Leach (903) 520-9138

men | Lectionary Tuesdays 6:30 am at Premier Flexipac / Contact: Skip Womack (903) 533-9433 or Bob Schmoker (903) 714-5746

women | Book & discussion Thursdays 9:30 am in Conf. Room / Study: Jewish Foundations: Sacrifice, Worship, and the Messiah / Contact: Jan Carpenter (903) 566-8533

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Steeple Times, September 2015 (Vol. 10, Issue 9)

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