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The Vineyard Church of Tyler

October 14th, 2009

The choice of what church to attend, and which is right for one’s family, is a very personal one. These days, folks in Tyler Texas who are unable to find a church with which they can agree on absolutely everything, often opt to start their own churches. They open in store fronts, movie theaters, and the homes of parishioners, in the temporary absence or a building or property. Generally I encourage this type of religious and community participation. But in a town of nearly a thousand places to worship, our city does not need additional “start up” churches. Everyone should be able to find an existing church in Tyler where they can practice their faith in a community of relatively likeminded people. This is why I’ve started to write about area Churches, in the hopes that perhaps someone who’s looking around will stumble onto this site and find some useful information.

Having already written on my own church, it is difficult to write on a church with which I have little connection. I can speak to churches attended by my friends and family however. One such church is the Vineyard Church of Tyler. While located in Times Square shopping center, the Vineyard is no start up church, having been around for nearly twenty years now. The Tyler Vineyard is a part of the Vineyard USA Community of Churches, in effect a denomination all its own. The church holds to the standard points of doctrine of the modern Evangelical Church, particularly when it comes to the supremacy of scripture.

The Vineyard places a heavy emphasis on the importance of worship in the liturgy. The music is contemporary and central to the Vineyard experience. The church strives to be both culturally relevant and approachable to the Tyler area young people. The atmosphere is casual and informal. Gourmet coffee is served in the foyer prior to the service and during the peace, (or the greeting). The pastor’s homilies are brief but applicable to the congregant’s experience (again we see the emphasis on cultural relevance). The VCT is also involved in numerous community outreaches and local charities.  They also support members of area missions organizations, who export the gospel around the world.

For those looking for a relaxed, low pressure, community involved, evangelical church The Vineyard Church of Tyler is a good option to consider. For more information see the churches website at www.tylervineyard.com, or call their office at (903) 534-8803.

The New Lifeway in Tyler

October 9th, 2009

Since I started writing for tylertxdirectory.com some of the businesses and schools I have written about have either expanded or changed locations and I have attempted to make additional notations, or write new articles when becoming aware of these developments. One such change has occurred with the opening of Lifeway Christian Store’s new location on South Broadway next to Best Buy.

The new local is a great one. The shopping center has become one of the busiest in Tyler and the bookstore will definitely pick up a lot of new walk in customers. The inside of the store is open and much less constricted and crowed than the old store. The selection is large as well. The product runs the gambit from art, to books, music and various gift items; even small pieces of jewelry. Lifeway has definitely become Tyler’s Christian Barnes and Noble.

My criticisms of the store remain the same as they were in my original piece. The theological persuasion of Lifeway Christian is extremely sectarian, being that it is a Baptist affiliated business. Anyone belonging to a more traditional denomination should be prepared to look elsewhere for relevant material. While searching for information on St. Francis of Assisi for a Sunday school class, an acquaintance of mine from church was told, rather priggishly, that “we don’t carry Catholic stuff.” The fact is, most of the literature in the store is popular religious writing, only written over the last fifty years, (and that’s probably a stretch, but I’ll give them an extra twenty). I’ve heard it said (and I whole heartedly agree) that for every new book one reads he should read three old ones. This could prove a difficult mantra to follow by shopping only at Lifeway Christian. Good thing Tyler has so many other book stores.

Even though I didn’t find much literature of interest to me (possibly because I wasn’t looking for a particular title), I will admit that I enjoyed browsing in the store. It’s neat, clean and well organized. Dispite my friend’s experience the staff is generally helpful, and while doctrinally narrow, it is a family friendly environment. So lest my readers think my evaluation too harsh, I give the New Lifeway Store a three, out of five stars. To read my original article on the store, go to the Tyler Blog section of this site and look for the title “Lifeway Christian Store in Tyler,” or for more information on the organization, see their website at www.lifewaystores.com.