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 3 : M a r c h 2 0 1 8
Celebrations and Farewells by The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin This month there is some really good news to share, and there’s some sad news to share. The good news is that the debt that we have carried over from our capital improvement project in 2011 (remember that?) has been completely paid. The sad news is that our long-time Director of Student Ministries, Neil McKown, is leaving us to take a call as a youth director at another church. As I said, good news and sad news. Let’s take the sad news first. Neil McKown came to us in the spring of 2009 as a recent graduate of the University of Tulsa. Over the past nearly nine years, Neil has both learned a lot and given us good leadership in our ministries with middle and high school youth. It is difficult to say what Neil has done best. He has done an excellent job of cultivating relationships with the youth, which is the heart and soul of youth ministry. He has been creative in developing programs that meet the needs of our young people in particular. But perhaps Neil’s most significant contribution has been to make our church’s youth program the leading youth program among Presbyterian
churches throughout East Texas, helping our youth develop as leaders among their peers. The signature event in this effort has been the East Texas Youth Conference each fall. What started as a Back-to-School retreat for our youth has become a retreat that includes youth from a number of Presbyterian churches in East Texas, and even in the Metroplex. We will miss Neil and his wife Erin as they move to Austin, where Neil will become Director of Student Ministries at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church. We’ll have a reception honoring Neil and Erin following the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, February 4, which also happens to be the day when we dedicate the Souper Bowl of Caring offering. We hope you will join us! Now for the good news. In the fall of 2011, after we had raised nearly $3 million to attend to some critical infrastructure needs, we realized we had more work that had to be done than $3 million would cover. As a result, and with the congregation’s blessing, we borrowed some $750,000 above what our capital campaign had raised. Since then, we have chipped away at the debt slowly but deliberately. As continued on page 2.
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 2018 Lenten Study | Pg 3
2018 Mardi Gras for Missions | pg 4
Neil Bids Farewell! | Pg 5
Learn more about 40 Days with the Holy Spirit.
Gumbo cook-off, parade, silent auction—the whole bit. Join us!
Neil McKown shares his thank you’s in his farewell letter to FPC.
First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com