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 1 , I s s u e 8 : S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 9
All Things New This Fall by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Marshall Associate Pastor, Student Ministries The early fall brings with it the feeling of new beginnings and new adventures. We’ve probably all been seeing those precious “first day” pictures of children even big “children” - returning to school for a new year. This feeling of newness is especially true for our youth, as they start a new school year, with several of them making the big leap from elementary to middle school or from middle to high school, even high school to college. This year, six of our youth will be starting the adventure of Confirmation class, using a new and widely acclaimed curriculum from the PCUSA titled, Big God, Big Questions: Confirmation for a Growing Faith. Each of these six youth will be paired with an adult mentor, as they explore their faith and what it means to be a Presbyterian Christian in this world today. They will begin their spiritual journey this month and will move toward that momentous time of proclaiming their faith on Easter Sunday on April 12, 2020. And the congregation is part of this confirmation journey, too! Look for The Congregation Promises covenant to sign at worship on Sunday, September 22.
Youth group meetings begin again on Wednesday, September 4, at 6 p.m. At our first gathering, we will “make all things new” and “make it our own.” We will be meeting in The Well and talking about how the youth would like for that space to look, beginning with the paint colors. We’ll even start priming the walls that very evening! We’ll also be talking about how the youth want to do youth group this year. The youth will choose the discussion topics, the activities, the special events, the food, etc. So come out to The Well for “Pizza and Priming” as part of this brand new school year! Are there any interested adults with painting and decorating experience who would like to support our youth in their new endeavors? Contact Jenni at jmarshall@ fpctyler.com for more information. Of course, another new adventure for all of us at FPC-Tyler is the return of our Senior Pastor, Stuart Baskin, on September 3! We are excited to have him back in the pulpit, in the office, and in the community again. We pray that his sabbatical was a time of well-deserved rest and refreshment as he begins a new season of ministry among us. Welcome back, Stuart! And may we all walk together as we explore the many new adventures to which Christ calls us this fall.
i n t h i s i s s u e | H I GH LI GHT S & F E ATU RE S Fine Arts @ FPC Kicks Off | pg 3 FPC’s Fine Arts @ FPC kicks off the season with The Donald Sinta Quartet.
VBS 2019 Is A Wrap! | pg 5 VBS 2019 is a wrap - all chronicled in pictures by Pete Houting.
Farewell from Phyllis | pg 6 Phyllis Kidwell shares a goodbye upon her retirement. First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com