THE STEEPLE TIMES Congregation | Events | Features
FPC TYLER
-JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND -8H:55M:10S IRONMAN
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WHAT'S INSIDE
EVENTS Pages 8-14
MARDI GRAS POTTER HOUSE EASTER KIRKIN' OF THE TARTANS VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL SPELLING BEE
8H:55M:10S IRONMAN Page 18
Clay Emge has won the 2023 Certified Piedmontese Beef Ironman Tulsa competition. From firsthand experience, Emge explains what it is like to win an Ironman competition.
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JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
A few members of the First Presbyterian Church of Tyler congregation, Rev. Stuart Baskin and some friends took a journey to the Holy Land in March. The trip to Israel took the group to numerous historically significant landmarks. www.Facebook.com/fpctyler
By Dr. Stuart Baskin
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Church Information 2
FPC Tyler 230 W. Rusk St., Tyler, TX 75701 903-597-6317
www.YouTube.com/FPCTyler
www.FPCTyler.com
Join Us In person or online for Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m. in the Sanctuary.
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ISRAEL JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
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JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND
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group of congregation members along with Rev. Stuart Baskin took a journey to the Holy Land in March this year, completing an eight-day trip which included visiting significant biblical and historic sites throughout Israel.
Left, a view of Israel at night. Above from left, Kara Camp, Caroline Camp, Virginia Beall, and Rev. Stuart Baskin in a marketplace in Old Jerusalem.
The trip to Israel involved touring Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea, the West Bank, Bethlehem, the Old City (Jerusalem), the Galilee, northern Israel, and a foray along the costal road from the north to Tel Aviv. Rev. Stuart Baskin led the team from FPC Tyler, and he was joined by FPC Tyler members Kathy and Wayne Babin, Virginia Beall, Becky and Kirk Western, Kara, Caroline, and John Camp, and Dana Albright. Virigina Beall gave an insight to the trip to Israel, stating that the trip brought joy and hope to her. “This is my second trip to Israel. I originally traveled to Israel right before everything got shut down due to COVID. I loved the trip, it was amazing. I didn’t realize how stressed we were about COVID, though. They closed Bethlehem before we were supposed to go there. The second trip to Israel, it was very joyful
and happy.” From the unique food, floating lakes and biblically significant historic sites, the trip was packed with wonders. Since Israel is a Jewish state, a lot of the food is prepared Kosher. (Kosher certified means meat and milk products are not mixed, animal products from non-kosher food animals are not included, and kosher meat is from animals that are properly slaughtered.). The group enjoyed fresh meals for breakfast and dinner, with options such as hummus, falafel and handmade pita bread offered daily. Fish, fresh produce and teas were a daily part of the diet. Virginia described floating in the Dead Sea as well. The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and the West Bank and Israel to the west. “The Dead Sea is neat. You float when you Continued on Page 6
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Right, a marketplace in Jerusalem Page 7 top, The Israel trip group. Page 7 bottom, Rev. Baskin studies an ancient oil lantern in a small chapel in Old Jerusalem.
get in there due to high salinity. The water stings at first if you have a cut or something, but not for very long. It does leave an oily sheen on your skin. They do have showers there to rinse off. You definitely want to wear some water shoes if you go into the Dead Sea; it is very rough on your feet. It is either mud or rocks, it is not a sandy beach at all,” said Virginia. The area is a popular tourist destination, with numerous biblically significant places to visit. “We got to see where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. There were tons of people around those sights, but I think it is better with a small group. We had an official tour
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Israel is a treasure. Just being able to experience the history of it all, the buildings, the scenery and a different way of life and culture,” Virginia Beall
guide, and he was a secular Jew but very knowledgeable, and told us all about lots of things from political to religious. In Tel Aviv and the other cities, even though it is very religious, it is also very sophisticated,” said Virginia. “I learned so much while I was there. It is amazing how being there, some passages in the Bible, you can picture it. To me that makes it so much more meaningful, to think that Jesus walked this approximate path that 6 we visited.”
From plentiful fruit orchards, countless cats lazily lounging on every street corner, the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem and the vast historical and biblical importance, Virginia summed up Israel as being a “treasure.” “Israel is a treasure. Just being able to experience the history of it all, the buildings, the scenery and a different way of life and culture. It is hard to sum it all up. They live a very different way of life, but are friendly people. They are much more divided by their religions. They work together, but there is a divide. I am so thankful that I went back to truly appreciate what Israel has to offer, in many different ways.” Jerusalem Some of the highlights of Jerusalem included viewing the Old City from the Mount of Olives, entering the Old City through St. Stephen’s Gate (also known as the Lion’s Gate), touring the Western Wall Tunnel and enjoying the Purim holiday, touring the Domius Flevit Church and Church of All Nations. Masada & the Dead Sea The group toured Masada, the desert palace of Herod the Great, which was more famous for the Roman siege and the
defeat of the Zealots of 73 CE. -Visited Qumran, the location of the ancient community who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls and took a float in the Dead Sea. -A presentation on the current status of Israeli-Arab conflict was given by Elhanon Miller, a journalist who specializes in the Arab world. West Bank & Bethlehem -Visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built upon the site traditionally associated with the birth of Jesus. -Heard a presentation by Mr. Noor Awwad and Rabbi Hana Schlesinger about their organization and its efforts to create a peaceful coexistence of Arabs and Jews. Jerusalem -Visited Yad Vashem, the Israeli Memorial to the Holocaust, including a visit to the Avenue of the Righteous, commemorating the Righteous Among the Nations who helped shelter and protect Jews during the Holocaust; the haunting Children’s Memorial, built in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish Continued on Page 7
children killed during the Holocaust; and the Historical Museum which tells the story of the Holocaust from beginning to end. -Visited the Mahane Yehuda market and experienced the preparations Jerusalemites were making for Shabbat. Jerusalem and the Old City -Visited Mt Zion outside the walls of the Old City and saw the site many believe to be the place where Jesus shared the Last Supper. -Walked the Via Dolorosa, the traditional
site of the road Jesus walked from his trial at the Antonia Fortress to Golgotha. -Visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, established by Emperor Constantine around 326 CE containing the traditional site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. -Visited the Israel Museum, which contains many great sites and artifacts, including a large scale model of 1st Century Jerusalem. The Galilee -Visited Qasser Al Yahud, the traditional location of the baptism of Jesus in the
Jordan River and had Sunday morning worship overlooking the river -Drove to the Sea of Galilee and visited Capernaum, the town where Jesus based his ministry Northern Israel -Visited Caesarea Philippi, the site where Jesus took his disciples and asked who they said he is. -Visited the Golan Heights, location of many of the battles of the 1967 war and the Yom Kippur war in 1973 -Had lunch at Coffee Annan on Mount Bental, overlooking the border with Syria -Visited a traditional farm and winery in the Golan Heights and enjoyed hospitality -Visited the town of Tsfat, and attended a presentation on glass blowing. Coast Road to Tel Aviv -Visited the Tosha Bakery less than 3 miles from the border with Lebanon Drove through Haifa and stopped briefly at the Baha’i Gardens, center of the Baha’i faith. -Visited the ancient port of Jaffa, where Peter experienced his vision prior to the conversion of Cornelius, and the port from which Jonah is said to have fled when God called him to prophecy in Ninevah. 7
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FPC TYLER EVENTS
MARDI GRAS FOR MISSION
The 8th annual Mardi Gras for Mission was held February 21 in the Fellowship Hall. The event serves to raise funds and bring awareness for the church's local and global mission partners. Approximately $9,000 was raised by the FPC Tyler congregation. The event included a silent auction, raffle drawings, parades, a live band, Louisianan desserts and numerous home-chefs offering up attendees their take on gumbo. Fran Cooper and Stuart Baskin served as auctioneers for the event. Dr. Wayne Babin donated high-demand tarts for the occasion with other donors joining in to offer a selection of bidding items. This event is celebrated yearly and draws a large crowd, both from the congregation and many visitors.
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POTTER HOUSE Grand Re-opening
On March 26, 2023, a Grand Re-opening was held for Potter House, a ministry of FPC Tyler 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. The average stay is eight weeks. The Grand Re-Opening of Potter House featured a completely remolded interior of the duplex, new furnishings, appliances, a gazebo for the backyard and new landscaping. Tours of the duplex and grounds were offered on March 26 after Sunday worship services to the congregation.
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EASTER
Sunday April 9, 2023
Easter at FPC Tyler is a standout day for the church and congregation. After Easter worship services, the congregation gathered on the front lawn for light refreshments, fellowship and an Easter Eggstravaganza. Attendance for Easter was 454. Music selections were: In Joseph’s Lovely Garden, Jesus Christ is risen today, O Come Let Us
Worship, This is the day the Lord has Made, The Day of Resurrection, Thine is the glory, This joyful Eastertide and Allegro Maestoso. The Rev. Stuart Baskin delivered the sermon “What Are You Looking For?” Acolytes for Easter were Andrew Bunt, Jack Dahlgren, Abigail Franzen, Lilly Kennedy, and Malcolm McBain.
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KIRKIN' OF THE TARTANS Each year in April, FPC Tyler hosts Kirkin' of the Tartans, an event to celebrate the Scottish heritage of the church. The day consists of carrying of the tartans of the clans, a pipe band, Scottish dancers, music, lunch and fellowship.
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T TI B A V CRE BRA
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This year's Vacation Bible School theme was Creation Celebration! Kids and volunteers spent three mornings learning about God’s amazing creation, all the way from all the plants in the ground to our friends with fins, fur, and feathers! There was also an End-of-VBS Celebration held June 16 with a water slide, bubbles, balloons, and lunch provided by Men of the Church. The VBS kids participated in worship the following Sunday, June 18, which was Childrens’ Sunday at FPC Tyler.
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The FPC Tyler Beatles and their fans during the Spelling Bee held August1.
FPC Tyler places third in Spelling Bee
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First Presbyterian Church of Tyler placed third in the 32nd Annual Corporate Spelling Bee benefiting the Literacy Council of Tyler held August 1. FPC Tyler was one of the sponsors during the Battle of the Bands themed event. FPC Tyler was well represented at the Spelling Bee, dressed in costume as Beatles or Beatles fans, specifically from the Sgt. Pepper phase. Wigs, guitars, and colorful coats rounded out the costumes, in support of the “blokes” from FPC Tyler, spellers Rev. Stuart Baskin and Mitch Adams. Rev. Baskin and Adams were both dressed in their Beatles best, with Rev. Baskin almost unrecognizable in a dark black wig. Wigs aside, the duo sailed through the first round by correctly spelling tonsils. Southside Bank of Tyler was the first team out, incorrectly spelling fidelity. This year’s group of words ranged from medical terms, chemistry terminology and words some have never heard before such as exurbia or hermeneutics. The spelling rounds continued as teams dropped out on words such as catatonic, verbiage, gimmicky, verbosity, tinctured, hypothalamus, juvenescence, filibuster and unmitigated. In Round 6, the FPC Tyler blokes incorrectly spelled the word insouciant, earning a third-place finish. Squyres & Co. took home the win with Henry & Peters, PC placing second. According to the Literacy Council, over $82,000 in sponsorships was raised, directly supporting adult education programs in Northeast Texas. Left, Rev. Baskin spells tonsils during the Spelling Bee.
By Rev. Stuart Baskin
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o you know what an amazing bunch you are? One of the cool things about being a pastor is hearing the stories people share about their lives. Sometimes I have to pick my jaw up off the floor because one of you tells me something so interesting I can only stand in awe. But as remarkable as these stories are, what is really remarkable is that the ones who tell their stories think that their accomplishments are no big deal. They were just doing their jobs. In this quarter’s Steeple Times, you will read the amazing story of just one of our members, Clay Emge. For
many, Clay is just Clay. He grew up in the church, married, and with his wife Kimberly is raising four amazing kids in the church. But in addition to his day job and his family responsibilities, Clay is also an elite athlete. He runs marathons. He competes in Ironman competitions. And he often wins, including the recent Ironman race in Tulsa. But on Sunday mornings, Clay is just
one of us. A church member with an extraordinary story. When I receive my alumni magazine from Davidson each quarter, I read stories of fellow alums doing incredible things. And to be honest, it sometimes makes me feel like an underachiever. But here, we don’t tell the stories of people like Clay to make the rest of us feel like, well, underachievers. We tell them to celebrate each other. It is a humbling experience to stand in the pulpit each week and know what amazing stories everyone has to tell. You are an amazing bunch!
FINE ARTS At FPC Tyler
New Season Coming Soon
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MOSES Mirroring
BY REV. BRENDAN MCLEAN
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his summer, I had the opportunity to serve as a Spiritual Advisor at Camp Gilmont for a week. Part of my job while I was out there was to lead several devotionals and bible studies each day for both summer staff and campers, all of which revolved around the central biblical story of Moses encountering God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-17, Exodus 4:1-17). On night three of camp that week, we all gathered to watch The Prince of Egypt, an animated movie interpretation of the story of Moses that (in my opinion) is the single best artistic depiction of a biblical story to be cinematically captured. It was a joy to be able to share the experience with kids who were captivated by the movie for the first time, just like I was when I saw it in theaters as an almost-five-year old 25 years ago! What was most incredible, however, about watching The Prince of Egypt at Gilmont was that, in a very noticeable way, it changed how kids approached our bible studies for the rest of the
Mirroring
week. Seeing the story we were reading about in the Bible told onscreen vividly and beautifully made them more interested in not only the life of Moses and the Israelites enslaved in Egypt, but also about God, the Bible and its history, and what it means to be BY REV. BRENDAN MCLEAN Christian. Eventually, oldest monasteries with the world’s the bible studies became less of a oldest continuously operating library structured, planned lesson and more of with some of the rarest early biblical an exploration of some of the questions manuscripts in the world! they had (there was no possible way we’d Through their questions, the kids at be able to cover all their questions in Gilmont were, in a way, mirroring Moses just one week). One of the bible studies and his response to God’s words at the was even a virtual trip over to the Sinai burning bush. Moses’s encounter with Peninsula in Egypt, where the program God at the burning bush leaves him director Crosby and I used Google Maps with more questions than answers and, to show the kids what the landscape of while God reassures him that he is the where the Israelites might’ve been in leader God has called him to be, Moses the desert looked like. If it weren’t for still leads the Israelites with many the kids’ questions, I would’ve never questions...so many questions, just like discovered Saint Catherine’s Monastery kids can often have. In this first year in the Sinai Peninsula, one of the world’s of ministry here at FPC Tyler, I have
Above: Rev. McLean served as the Spiritual Advisor for a week at Camp Gilmont this summer.
MOSES
learned a great lesson from the kids and youth here at the church: never stop asking questions. Furthermore, accept that many of the answers you will find by asking questions will only leave you with more questions. I am so incredibly humbled and honored that I am given the gift of exploring questions with each and every one of you, from the very youngest to the eldest. I am grateful that the kids and youth here remind me of this gift continually. And I am so excited to see what this next year has to offer!
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Clay Emge crosses the finish line at the Ironman Tulsa competition.
8H:55M:10s 18
FPC Tyler's own Clay Emge takes the victory at the Piedmontese Beef Ironman Tulsa competition, clocking in at 8 hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds.
First Presbyterian Church of Tyler’s own Clay Emge has won the 2023 Certified Piedmontese Beef Ironman Tulsa competition held May 21. The 38-year-old financial advisor, husband and father to four children can trace his path all the way back to FPC Tyler. Emge said he “grew up” at FPC Tyler, and his parents, Brad and Susie Emge, are longtime members of the congregation. Emge crossed the finish line of the 140.6-mile triathlon at 4:40 p.m. in 8 hours, 55 minutes and 10 seconds, beating out the competition with time to spare. The endurance athlete said the win comes with months of training, consistent work and strategy. “I’ve been into endurance sports for about 14 years, ever since high school,” stated Emge. “I started out running and have kept up with it. I have now been racing for eight years.” Emge has also competed in the Ironman Championship races held in Hawaii. Ironman triathlons are comprised of three different sections. Racers begin with a 2.4-mile swim, followed by 112-mile bike ride and finishing with a 26.2-mile marathon, all in one day. Emge races with Team Every Man
Clay Emge with his wife, Kimberly, and children.
Jack and completed the 2.4-mile swim in 58 minutes and 50 seconds finishing the swim portion of the competition seventh overall. “The swimming section of the race is my least favorite. There is a lot of strategy involved in every aspect of the competition, but with swimming you want to make sure you are in the right position. It is illegal to swim in someone’s draft, and you can be disqualified for it. I try to make sure I am in the correct position while also staying with the other competitors,” stated Emge. Competitors then go through a transition from the swim portion of the race to the biking competition. Emge’s transition from the swim to the bike was fast, clocking in at 3 minutes and 24 seconds. Emge said that keeping up with his caloric needs, pacing himself, knowing his power output, the range and the climbs of the biking portion are all factored in during the long 112-mile
course. Emge said that his thoughts are usually calm, steady and focused during the grueling bike race. “I knew coming out of the water I was in seventh. I had a good transition and jumped on the bike pretty quickly. I began gaining on the leader around mile 8. I knew I had to pace myself and I was checking my power output as I was cycling as well.” He finished the cycling portion of the competition in 4 hours, 47 minutes and 18 seconds, finishing third overall. Emge’s transition from the bike to the run was quick as well, losing only 2 minutes and 2 seconds.” “I think the run portion is my favorite. It is just so thrilling to me. I passed the guy that was in first but I knew I had to pace myself. I ended up finishing the run portion of the race in first, completing the marathon portion in 3 hours, 3 minutes and 39 seconds. All of that combined to put him well ahead of the competition. The second-place finisher, Ross Harper of Great Britain’s Clapham Chasers, came in 12:37 behind him at 9:07:47. Clay and his wife, Kimberly, are the parents of four children. Their youngest and only daughter, Jillian, was baptized by Rev. Baskin on June 11. Jillian is joined by brothers Jordan, Jacob and John.
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