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 : A u g u s t 2 0 1 6
FPC - An Authentic Community by Neil McKown Director of Youth Ministries
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What happens when you put a dozen youth together with a seemingly daunting task—building a cardboard city in 26 hours? Stay tuned to find out the shocking finale to FPC Tyler Youth Group Lock-in. (cue dramatic music)
Okay, putting aside the fake TV show script, that would have won many awards I have no doubt! However, when asked why do you come to youth events like these? Ty Dowdy said, “because I feel like everyone understands me.” Michael Palady added, “it’s fun. I get to hang out with my friends, and I can relate to everyone.”
Sounds like the beginning to a reality TV show, doesn’t it? The opening scene would zoom in on the bright, smiling faces of our youth with willingness and excitement in their eyes, and then in the background you’d see a couple of folks yawning—it is 8 a.m. during the summer, after all. (Several shots of youth cutting cardboard and 20+ hours of Pixar movies). Skip to the end of the show and you would see our youth sitting together sharing inside jokes and experiences from the night before: who snored the loudest, who stayed up the longest, what games they like best and what are the latest Pokemon they’ve caught on their Pokemon Go apps—not everything in this hypothetical show can be action and adventure! (Pull the camera back as we have a large group
Credits start rolling.
As I sit in and amongst these sleep deprived youth what comes to mind is John Calvin. Yes, I am a Presbyterian nerd…what can I say…but John Calvin comes to mind because he was the one who deemed the church the “Holy Community.” We cannot be a faithful Christian on our own. We build community constantly because God has created us to be a relational people, and these students of all age groups— from our incoming 6th graders to our graduated 12th graders—resonate with this need most of all. Community is key. At FPC, we strive to build and maintain an authentic community for these amazing students to grow in 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 Interim Music Director Hired | Pg 3
Regular Sunday Service Returns | Pg 2
Rally Day 2016 | Pg 3
FPC announces the hiring of Lee Kohlenberg as Interim Director of Music and Organist-Choirmaster.
Join us at our traditional service times beginning August 7.
Plan to attend this fellowship tradition to mark the start of our congregation’s new program year. First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com