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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 3 , I s s u e 1 0 : O c t o b e r 2 0 1 8
What’s Your Why? by The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin A lot of people have remarked on my weight loss. I frequently hear three questions: first, “How much have you lost?” Second, “How did you do it?” And third, this one usually in a hushed voice, head leaning toward me, “Did you mean to lose weight?” I always chuckle a little bit at that last one because it’s a sign of my age, that people want to make sure I don’t have some dreaded disease that is causing me to lose weight! I don’t.
To everyone at the home of:
Budget & Finance. October 11 @ 12 pm — Conference Room | A 110 Building & Grounds. October 8 @ 12 pm — Library | A 111 Children’s Ministry. October 16 @ 5:30 pm — Library | A 111 Governance. October 1 @ 6:30 pm — Conference Room | A 110 Mission. October 8 @ 5:30 pm — Conference Room | A 110 Session. October 16 @ 7 pm — M 207 Student Ministry. October 22 @ 6:30 pm — Conference Room | A 110
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Knit Wits. 1:30 pm, Hill Room. Senior High Small Group. 6 pm, Gabriel residence. Meadow Lake Bible Study. 11:45 am, Meadow Lake. First Friday Fun: Kid’s Night Out. 6:30 pm, Children’s Wing. Grace Presbytery. All day, FPC Longview. Communion Sunday. 8:30 & 11am, Chapel & Sanctuary. Gateway Class for Newcomers. 9:45 am, M 102. Youth Ministry Meet & Greet Sunday School. 9:45 am, The Well. Youth Ministry Meet & Greet Lunch. 12 pm, The Well. Presbyterian Women Tuesday Circle. 10 am, F 101-102. Friends of PEB: Party with a Purpose. 6 pm, Ainsworth residence. Senior High Small Group. 6 pm, Gabriel residence. Fine Arts @ FPC: Scaling Everest - Rachmaninoff ’s Third. 7 pm, Sanctuary. Fine Arts @ FPC: UT Tyler Fall Concert. 6 pm, Sanctuary. Presbyterian Women Sunday Circle. 9:30 am, M 204. Steeple Times Submission Deadline. Sewing Bees. 10 am, F 104. Senior High Small Group. 6 pm, Gabriel residence. Fine Arts @ FPC: Music Dedication Sunday. 11 am, Sanctuary. Annual Meeting and Luncheon. 12 pm, Fellowship Hall. Senior High Small Group. 6 pm, Gabriel residence. Reformation Sunday. 8:30 & 11 am, Chapel & Sanctuary. Senior High Small Group. 6 pm, Gabriel residence. 1 3 4 5 6 7 7 7 7 9 9 10 11 13 14 15 17 17 21 21 24 28 31
OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS
I lost weight because I had a compelling “why.” A couple of years ago my doctor told me I had crossed the line separating someone with high blood sugar and someone with type 2 diabetes. Don’t be alarmed. I treated it as a blessing in disguise. I asked the questions, “What do I have to do to make sure that (1) I don’t lose my feet or legs, (2) I don’t go blind, and (3) I don’t die prematurely? And can I avoid taking medication and insulin injections?” The answer was pretty simple: “Change your diet and start exercising.” This was in August of 2016. I had my “why.” Since then, I have been running regularly and I have made a few significant
changes in my diet. The result is that I have lost 35 pounds and maintained that weight loss for 2 years now. That’s very hard to do…unless you’re properly motivated, unless you have your “why.” So now, what’s your “why?” Or better yet, what’s our “why” as a congregation? I see hand-wringing from time to time about our church, that our membership numbers are not increasing dramatically, and our worship attendance is slipping. These things are true as far as it goes. They are also problems that are pretty straightforward to solve, but there is one ingredient that is essential that does not involve new programs or fancy techniques. It is the question of why we exist. Do we exist to have a comfortable and congenial place to worship and belong? That’s not a sufficient answer. If our answer is inward-focused, if our answer is simply that we want our church to be a little bigger, we will never grow. Our “why” must be focused on the mission we’re given by God. And that mission is always outward-focused. If I may be so bold, I want to suggest that we have one mission in two parts. Our mission, to put it simply, is to bear witness to the good news of the reconciling love of God in Jesus Christ. The first part of that miscontinued on page 2.
i n t h i s i s s u e | H I GH LI GHT S & F E ATU RE S Stewardship 2019 | pg 3 Meetings will be taking place this month in volunteer homes. Join us!
Fine Arts @ FPC Resumes | pg 5 The 2018-19 Season has officially kicked off ! Learn about upcoming events.
Children’s Wing Wall Art | pg 7 Vandy Dubre shares her artistic talent in the Children’s Wing. First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com