October 2021
THE STEEPLE TIMES A quarterly newsletter by First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas
In this edition: Letter from Stuart PW Commissions Cross
FPC Receives Award A Taste of Heaven
Habitat House Tree Planting
PAGE 1
On your Mark. Get Set. Stop! That’s what happened 18 months ago, not only in the world around us, but in the church as well. After months and months of planning to mark our church’s 150th anniversary, with only three weeks to go, we had to make the difficult decision to postpone our celebration indefinitely. Originally set to take place the weekend of April 4th and 5th of 2020, our Sesquicentennial celebration plans were up-ended by the arrival of Covid-19. We all figured that we would be in lock-down for three, maybe four weeks. Then we could resume worship and set a new date for our celebrations. In retrospect, that was a case of magical thinking— thinking that was not fully rooted in reality. As we all found out, we remained in lock-down at the church until late October of 2020. After that, masks, social distancing, and no other indoor activities besides worship. And with that, our 150th year came and went without a formal celebration. But now, we are on again. Only, our original plans have had to be altered. Instead of a fancy dinner, we’ll have a picnic on the lawn. Instead of a dozen or so returning clergy, staff, and ministers who grew up in our church, we’ll have just a few. But we will celebrate nonetheless. Because if we have learned anything these past 18 months, it is that we are resilient. It is part of our DNA as a congregation.
This issue of Steeple Time marks a new beginning of an old publication. Instead of a monthly gathering of announcements of upcoming events, it will be a quarterly publication celebrating the life of the church. The very first issue, in fact, was ready to go to press just when Covid struck 18 months ago. It is one more reminder not only of the disruption Covid caused; it is also a sign that we will persist. So, welcome to the new Steeple Times. And join us in celebrating 150 years of faithful service in Tyler, Texas, in the name of Jesus Christ. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin
PAGE 2
FPC Receives
THE GERTRUDE WINDSOR AWARD
at
Luncheon PATH
Executive
Director Wilson the
Gertrude
Windsor to
Andrea
presents
FPC.
Mattox,
Award Ginny Mission
Committee chair,
and
Stuart
Baskin
receive award
church’s at
the
Week on
the
on
the behalf
PATH luncheon
September
9,
2021.
COURTESY of Tyler Morning Telegraph
In honor of the church’s 150th anniversary, and in recognition of the many years of close collaboration between FPC and PATH (People Attempting to Help), PATH awarded the Gertrude Windsor Award for Community Service to the church at its PATH Week luncheon on Thursday, September 9, at the Crosswalk Conference Center at Green Acres Baptist Church. The award is named in memory of the founder of PATH, FPC’s own Gertrude Windsor. Mrs. Windsor was a well-known and well-respected volunteer in several organizations throughout Tyler. It was her vision that led directly to PATH’s founding. She called together a group of ministers from across the theological spectrum and challenged them to create an organization that would serve the community’s poorest citizens with compassion and kindness. One of the ministers Mrs. Windsor called into service was the Rev. Doug Vaughan, then the pastor of FPC. Along with his ecumenical colleagues, Vaughan helped make Mrs. Windsor’s vision a reality. Since that time, PATH has become perhaps the premier nonprofit social service agency in Tyler and Smith County. Their stewardship of donated funds enables them to reach more people than the individual members could do separately and on their own.
PAGE 3
April 2020 marked the 150th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church Tyler. In April of 1870, Reverend Nathaniel Dickey and the families of Augustus Niblack and James Madison Shelby established our church with Reverend Dickey saying, “And with fear and trembling, it was done.” A great Sesquicentennial celebration was planned for April 2020 with events taking place all year. Events began in October 2019 with cocktail party at the home of Lynn Heines. The Anniversary Cookbook Committee, chaired by Fran Cooper, served food and drink made from recipes in A Taste of Heaven, the 150th Anniversary collection of favorite member recipes. The Cookbook Committee then hosted a pot luck luncheon in the Fellowship Hall with more samples from A Taste of Heaven. Karen Novy led the organization of the luncheon, and cookbooks were pre-sold. Cookbooks are still available for $20 each from the Church office. A highlight of the luncheon was a play starring FPC Youth, written by Beth Shepperd in vignettes from our 150-year history. Proceeds from A Taste of Heaven will benefit Potter House. As a gift to the future, our congregation planted two lovely trees to memorialize our Sesquicentennial. The trees on our grounds are identified by commemorative plaques. Several people worked hard on the planting of the trees, and some of us just watched. We all enjoyed iced cookies decorated like trees supplied by Robyn Files. Judith Guthrie served as our resident tree expert. David Hudson directed the production of lawn signs with our Anniversary logo. We didn’t plan on these signs lasting until September 2021, but some have. Others fell to the ice age of last February. Signs are still available in the Church Office for anyone wanting to share news of our celebration with their neighbors. Service and outreach are integral to our Celebration plans. FPC donated $50,000 as a Founders Gift to Habitat for Humanity to provide an affordable home for a deserving couple. FPC began providing labor for the project with Ginny Mattox recruiting and coordinating volunteers. COVID-19 interrupted our volunteering, but we were still able to have a ribbon-cutting to welcome the couple to their new home.
PAGE 4
Collecting and framing portraits of church leadership for 150 years, as well as preserving historical photos and updating the printed history of FPC are also parts of the Celebration. Denning Key has been a true detective in finding photos and information on church leaders of the past. He even used ancestry.com to locate some of the needed photos. Caleb Pirtle researched and wrote the history of the past 25 years. This updated FPC Tyler history, coordinated by Lynne Wagoner, will be shared with each family at the October 10 service. Historical photos and photos of past leaders will also be available for viewing on October 10. The 2020 culminating events were to be a dinner for the congregation and guests on April 3 followed by a special Sunday service on April 4. These plans took a back seat to the national pandemic. Save the Date cards had already been sent when the plans were cancelled. The dinner was rescheduled for October 9, 2021. Nan Bailey coordinated invitations and travel for former pastors, staff, and special guests in 2020, and then she did it again in 2021. The Delta variant of COVID struck in August and the October 9 dinner has been cancelled. We will not, however, be deterred from completing our Celebration. Many aspects of the planned dinner have been incorporated into the worship service on October 10 at 10:30 a.m. We will hear from former leaders and be treated to special music. A video about FPC, including interviews with several church members, will be shared during the service. A picnic is scheduled for noon on October 10 with box lunches on the lawn. There is no charge for the lunch. Invitations have gone out thanks to Robyn Files and Lynne Wagoner, and reservations are required by October 1 to Kathy Babin at 903-592-5911. Curtis Cooper designed banners that proclaim the Celebration. Look for one in front of the church. Also, look for the November/December issue of Tyler Today for photos of our Celebration. Our entire Sesquicentennial Celebration reflects our mission as “a diverse community of believers rooted in a compassionate faith, welcoming all to the table.” Please join us in all Celebration events.
SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE
Robyn Files, chairperson Kathy Babin Nan Bailey Stuart Baskin David Hudson Denning Key Ginny Mattox Beth Shepperd Lynne Wagoner
PAGE 5
Helping build a Home Habitat for Humanity is synonymous with hope. By partnering with churches and other religious communities, businesses, volunteers, and prospective homeowners, Habitat builds quality affordable housing for people who could not otherwise qualify for a traditional mortgage. Homeowners put in many hours of what is called “sweat equity” by helping build not on their own homes, but also the homes of other Habitat homeowners-inwaiting. They then pay a simple, affordable, no-interest mortgage. FPC Tyler has been part of Smith County Habitat for Humanity since its founding in 1989, when Linda Zeigler became part of the original steering committee, and subsequently the original board of directors. Since that time, many FPC members have volunteered on several different builds, as they are called.
Stuart of
Baskin
Smith
raising
presents
County
on
a
Habitat
October
17,
check for
to
Jack
Humanity
Wilson,
at
the
CEO
wall
2020.
When our Sesquicentennial Steering Committee began making plans for our 150th anniversary celebrations, they felt strongly that we should spend at least as much, if not more, on an outreach project. After considering several alternatives, the Steering Committee settled on a major contribution to Smith County Habitat for Humanity. With funds from the Clyde and Dougal Vardaman Trusts, the church made a $50,000 donation to Habitat to help build a house for a prospective homeowner. Work on that house was to have begun shortly after our celebrations in April of 2020. But once again, Covid intervened. Planning for the build took a hiatus, but then resumed in the fall of 2020. Today, a new family lives in the house that FPC built.
PAGE 6
FPC on
member
October
FPC
Bob 17,
members
Gibbs,
Fred
Medrano,
Skorkowsky
is
ready
to
raise
the
walls
2020.
at
the
home
Kalsbeek,
Judith
dedication
Ginny
Guthrie,
Mattox,
Robyn
with
the
Allison
Files,
and
new
homeowners
Kitchen,
Jim
Stuart
Kitchen
on
Baskin,
March
30,
2021.
homeowners
(L-R)
Laura
Claire
and
Luis
PAGE 7
n a i r e t y Presb
WOMEN
PW Commissions Cross in Celebration of the Church's Sesquicentennial At the annual Fall Gathering of Presbyterian Women on September 14, 2021, the Presbyterian Women unveiled a cross designed and executed by nationally acclaimed local Tyler artist and FPC member, Cassie Edmonds. Cassie is nationally known for her work with mosaics. The cross honors the memory of long-time PW Bible leader, Martha Joe Hutchins. Martha Joe died in the summer of 2019, and memorials poured in to honor her legacy of service to the church and to Presbyterian Women. After some consideration about how best to honor Martha Joe’s legacy, PW decided to commission Cassie to produce a mosaic cross using pieces of costume jewelry donated by PW members.
(L-R) the
Kate
mosaic
September
Bailey, cross 14,
Nan at
2021.
Baily,
the
and
artist
Presbyterian
Cassie
Women’s
Edmonds Fall
present
Gathering
on
Heaven
PAGE 8
A Taste of
Almost from the moment we began planning our sesquicentennial celebration, Presbyterian Women stepped in to produce a cookbook in honor of our 150th anniversary.
Under the leadership of Fran Cooper, a committee that included Sharon Bragg, Janet Burks, Lynn Heines, Allison Kitchen, Luci Morgan, Karen Novy, and Beth Shepperd tested members’ favorite recipes and put them into an attractive book titled “A Taste of Heaven." Hours of detailed proofing by Alan Swartz turned it into a keepsake for every kind of cook.
Fran
Cooper,
Heines.
Sally
Smith,
and
Beth
Shepperd
at
A
Taste
of
Heaven
party
at
the
home
PW has done it again!
of
Lynn
PAGE 9
Looking Back at A Tree for
Tomorrow
In
honor
for to
a
of
tree
FPC's
commemorate
donuts.
It
150th
planting
was
appreciation
a
for
birthday,
ceremony
the
historic
wonderful the
past
at
many
the
year.
time
while
for
church
FPC
After all
looking
members
campus. the
and
Both
planting,
served
forward
to
as
gathered a
Gincko
those the
what
in
on
Friday,
tree
and
a
attendance
perfect
tomorrow
act
to
February live
enjoyed
reflect
brings.
oak
on
28,
were
2020 planted
coffee our
and
PAGE 10
C
staying
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STCATNOC FFATS & YGRELC
First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, TX is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and Grace Presbytery, and is steward of Potter House, a temporary housing ministry for families seeking medical care in Tyler. For a full listing of all ministry affiliations, please visit fpctyler.com/mission.
ERA EW
In case of an emergency, such as death or sudden hospitalization, your pastor can be reached by calling the church office. After hours, please follow the phone directions for emergency pastoral care, and the message will be delivered to the pastoral staff.
ERAC LAROTSAP YCNEGREME
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by appointment Call: 903-597-6317 Email: church@fpctyler.com
ECIFFO HCRUHC
The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin | sbaskin@fpctyler.com Weston Jennings, Director of Music & Organist | wjennings@fpctyler.com Lyn Odom, Executive Assistant | lodom@fpctyler.com Maggie Gebhardt, Director of Communications | mgebhardt@fpctyler.com Nanci Pollard, Financial Assistant | npollard@fpctyler.com 230 W. Rusk Street, Tyler, TX 75701-1651
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