Steeple Times Winter 2023

THE STEEPLE TIMES

WINTER '23

From the Archives

16 HISTORICAL PHOTOS INCLUDED

First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas Rooted in a Compassionate Faith

Take a look back at the events of 2022 and far back in the past as well, reflecting on the moments and memories created by the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler congregation and staff.

From the Pastors, Pages 3-4 Potter House, Pages 5-6 New Members, Page 7 Steeple Repair, Page 8 From the Archives, Pages 9 Events of 2022, Page 10-11

www.YouTube.com/FPCTyler

A newspaper clipping from September announces the Rev. J. Sherrard Rice is the new pastor at FPC Tyler. He was previously the Pastor at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church in Huntington, West Virginia.

The newspaper clipping on the right states that President of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Dr. David L. Stitt preached the sermon during the installation of Rev. Rice.

www.Facebook.com/FPCTyler

www.FPCtyler.com

A big thanks goes to Dr. Wayne Babin for digging up historic photos of the church and congregation for this edition of Steeple Times.

Designed and written by

Britne hammons First Presbyterian Church of Tyler Director of Communications

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The Presbyterian Church Choir in December 1950.

Rev. Baskin

What a year we had in 2022. Looking back, it all seems like a blur, but when I stop to think about some of the particular things that went on, I marvel at what we did together.

Some of our accomplishments were with things that are so routine, and so routinely excellent, that they are easy to overlook. High on that list is the slate of Fine Arts offerings Weston organized. From Pictures at an Exhibition in March, to the annual Kirkin’ of the Tartans in April, to Mozart’s Requiem in May and Duruflé’s Requiem in October, and all the other Fine Arts offerings, it is easy to take for granted about the quality of our music and fine arts programs here. They are impressive by any standard and Weston deserves a shout out for his great work.

Then we welcomed two new great staff members, Brendan McLean in June and Britne Hammons in July. In case you don’t know exactly who they are, Brendan is our Associate Pastor, and Britne is our Director of Communications. Both have come in and hit the ground running. From almost the minute Brendan started, he was extremely busy organizing several major programs on very short time line. He managed to organize a Vacation Bible School from scratch with about eight weeks, organize and recruit leadership for children’s Sunday school, and organize a Conformation class for our youth. He also organized several fun events for our children and their families through the fall. He was busy. And Britne?

With her newspaper background, doing the routine work of putting out a weekly worship bulletin and a weekly eNews came easily. And rebooting our this redesigned Steeple Times was right up her alley. On the other hand, learning to produce our worship webcast so that people can watch our services online stretched her a bit. But she proved herself a quick learner and now sits behind the scenes managing the volunteers who operate the cameras, sound equipment and “titling” computer with the ease and confidence of a seasoned veteran.

Of the many other accomplishments of 2022, two others stands out in my mind. First was the formation of our new Wedding Coordinator Team.

Composed of Cathy Castagno, Frieda Parker, Lora Savoie, and Beth Shepperd, our team members serve as ambassadors for the church during one of the most significant moments in peoples’ lives. And they do it with a level of both grace and confidence that is a credit to us all.

Finally, after a lot of thought and prayer and planning, the Potter House has received a facelift. Over the years, as it has received almost constant use, this duplex across College Avenue from the Sanctuary was, to put it gently, tired.

Some of this was cosmetic: floors that showed their age, furniture that is best described as “early attic,” and appliances that were not up to the task. But most of all, the windows and doors lacked energy efficiency and leaked heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. But now, thanks to the efforts of a whole bunch of people, the Potter House is ready to receive guests once again. You can read about it elsewhere in this newsletter. In the meantime, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the many people who made this possible.

Of course, I could go on and on about a whole slew of others thing, but instead of rambling on, I just encourage you to read on in this edition of the Steeple Times. Enjoy!

The Tyler Courier-Times Telegraph published a special supplement on FPC Tyler in their December 1, 1950 issue.

Historical photos of the church, congregation and other articles are placed throughout this edition of Steeple Times.

Page 3

L

There are a plethora of reasons why I wholeheartedly adore this show that are too much to fit into a portion of a page, so I’ll instead write about one specific moment in the show that speaks to my life experience directly. In one episode, Ted plays a game of darts with an antagonist and looks as if he is about to lose, as he needs to score the most possible points in order to win. So, Ted launches into a beautiful monologue centered around a quote he attributes to Walt Whitman: “Be curious, not judgmental.”

He talks about how people have underestimated him his entire life, which led him, to believe something was wrong with him before he figured out that it was really the people underestimated him. They thought they had everything figured out and judged everything and everyone because of it. Who he was had nothing to do with it. What’s even more, Ted says all this while effortlessly throwing the darts exactly where they need to go, stating that if his opponent had been curious, they would’ve asked questions and learned that Ted was talented at darts because he played them every Sunday with his dad from age 10 until his dad died when he was 16.

This last part sticks with me the most. If we are curious, we ask questions. And, when we ask questions, we open ourselves to the opportunity of learning more about the people around us and the world we are in. And this gives us more of an opportunity to witness a little bit of the love and grace of God through the world and one another.

So, may we stay curious. And may our curiosity allow us to grow in love and solidarity as we find new and wonderful ways to see the image of God in one another.

Page 4

A schoolhouse visit to the church circa 1950.

ately, I've been doing some semi-annual rewatch of the TV show, Ted Lasso, while waiting to hear any news on when their third (and mostlikely final season) will air.

Rev. Mclean

Above, Rev. Mclean helps with projects during Vacation Bible School; right, Rev. McLean shows the youth how to play with Christmas gifts from the church and below, Rev. McLean was installed to FPC Tyler on Oct. 3, 2022.

MINISTRY ON A MISSION:

POTTER HOUSE Article & Photos by Britne Hammons

“A godsend” are the words that Cristi Tray and Katy Gowen used to describe Potter House, a mission of First Presbyterian Church of Tyler.

When Margie Chalker was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, her family began looking for places to live while she underwent treatment for cancer. “It was a godsend. It really felt that way,” stated Gowen. “It was a home away from home.”

“We wanted her close to us and able to get her to the emergency room fast if she needed,” stated Cristi and Katy, daughters of Margie Chalker.

Mrs. Chalker was previously at MD Anderson in Houston receiving treatment, but a desire to keep her close to family and area hospitals was what prompted the search for Potter House.

The purpose of the Potter House Ministry of FPC Tyler is to provide low-cost temporary housing to cancer patients and their immediate families, who must travel to Tyler for outpatient treatment, and to families of NICU patients who must travel from out of town to be near their children.

Words from the wise, at FPC Tyler, state that a church member used a similar facility like Potter House when they were undergoing treatment in Houston. They brought the idea of Potter House back. The duplex was bought and restored in 2007. The Potter House Board was established in 2009 with bylaws and guidelines for occupancy. The patient had to be receiving cancer treatment. When the NICU opened at CHRISTUS, Potter House was open for parents of NICU babies.

According to records, the average stay is about eight weeks.

One of the goals of the Potter House committee was to provide a place that people could use to help them through a tough time in their life.

“I think what makes Potter House stand out is that it felt like home. Mom had stayed at at another facility here in Tyler, and that seemed like an old hotel,” stated Cristi. “We were so grateful to stay there, but Mom said it felt cold. Potter House became like a home to all of us.

Continued on Page 6 Page 5

It was a warm, inviting environment and there were a lot of personal touches throughout the property that felt like you were actually at home. Not only did Potter House welcome my mother to stay, but after her death, our Dad got to stay a few extra weeks to help get his feet back under him.”

Efforts to turn Potter House into a home away from home will finally accumulate on March 26, during an Open House of the newly restored property. Potter House has been repainted and completely gutted and updated with brand new appliances, windows, new kitchens, bathrooms and more. The outside property also received a facelift, with a new gazebo, landscaping and railings.

Grandchildren, family and loved ones were frequent visitors to Potter House during Mrs. Chalker’s stay as well as congregational members.

“Mom started going to Bible Study and met a lot of friends there.

They prayed for her and that gave her a lot of comfort. Those personal prayers for our Mom will never be forgotten. She was given gift baskets and Christmas gifts and other little things that really showed how much everyone cared. The generosity was out of this world and the church went above and beyond for us. We are thankful to Potter House and the Presbyterian Church of Tyler,” said Katy.

"The was out of this world and the church went above and beyond for us."

-Katy Gowan

On page 5- The top photo is of Potter House after painting and repairs were completed in early February. Middle, a view on the old color of Potter House versus painting in progress with a blue color. Bottom, an old photo of Potter House.

Page 6

Top, Margie Chalker and her granddaughter at Potter House; middle, Mr. and Mrs. Chalker and their family and bottom, Mrs. Chalker is visited by family members while staying at Potter House.

Nancy LaRueWestmoreland

Patti Echols

Anna Haslett

Brenda Burton

Charles Kennedy

Katie Kennedy

Lilly Kennedy

Tim O'Farrell

The Rev. C. C. Williams Pastor from 1886-1895, Newt Prestwood, T.C. Spencer, T.J. Bell and T.A. Niblack.

Not Pictured:

Mike Gorman

Natalie Gorman

Steve Slaton

Teresa Slaton

Susan Hardy Steele Michael Brooke Cheryl Fox Mike Fox

Linda Chandler

Tony Chandler

J. Mitchell

Marissa Van Dusen

Not Pictured: Jim Carter Estelle Carter Elizabeth Carter Emily Carter Linda Holtkamp Lee Hutchins

Bill Holtcamp Page 7

The steeple on the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler received a facelift over the last few weeks, with scraping, painting and other repairs being carried out.

According to a newspaper article from the 1950s, the three-acre church has a spire that reaches approximately 130 feet above the ground.

The total approximate cost of completing the church was $650,000.

The article states," Dr. Robert Hill, pastor emeritus, who was pastor for 30 years, will turn the first spade of dirt with Dr. E. C Scott, state clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States was the special guest speaker." (sic) The brief groundbreaking ceremonies were broadcast over a public address system, as reported by Rev. John Anderson, pastor.

Page 8

Above, a boom lift is used to hoist workers to the Steeple. Top right, the Steeple after being painted and scraped and bottom right, the Steeple before being scraped and painted.

Left, a photo of Dr. JAS H. Wiggins, pastor from 1877-1878. Above, a newspaper article stating "Son Carries On," regarding John Smiley following in the footsteps of his father of being an elder and clerk of session in the church. Right, Rev. John Anderson is described as being as a "young and energetic new pastor."

A newspaper clipping portrays Pastor J. Sherrard Rice preaching "On-Air" and advertising the times for Sunday School, Morning Service, Evening Service, Youth Fellowship Groups and Chapel Hour.

Above left, an advertisement for Youth Group Fellowship printed in the Dec. 1, 1950 edition of the Tyler-CourierTimes Telegraph. Above right, the old Presbyterian Church in use from 1883-1914 Left, a newspaper advertisement for the church.

Page 9

Above: Rev. Baskin and Sally Garmon-Smith participated in the 2022 Literacy Council Spelling Bee; left, Claudia Carroll leads the Children's Choir; below left, Fran Cooper attends the 2022 Mardi Gras.

At right and above right, the 2022 Vacation Bible School was a big success drawing almost 30 children to the three-day event.

Page 10

Carillon Handbell Choir performs at Ruth Hardy luncheon Easter 2022

Sunday Service streaming volunteers

Rev. McLean with colleagues and friends after installation Trees were removed from the front lawn of FPCT in December 2022

Fall Fest 2022

Fall 2022

Wiley Gorman at the Fall Fest

JoAnne Cochran and guest at the Fall Fest.

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To the home of:

Church Office: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or by appointment Email: church@fpctyler.com

A glance back into the with a course set for the