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We the members of Tryon Presbyterian Church invite you to learn about the quality of life and natural beauty that brings people from large cities and corporate and professional careers to the “foothills” of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Through our words we pray that you will discover why they say “Tryon is the friendliest town in the South.” Come worship with us and discover this for yourself.

Where is Tryon?

Nestled against the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Tryon is a “hub” around which area towns offer unique shopping, superb entertainment and delightful opportunities to socialize with the high-energy, fun-loving people in the area.

Large cities in the immediate region are:

Three airports serving the area are located in Asheville, Greenville/Spartanburg and Charlotte easily connects Tryon to any destination in the world.

Statistics about the Neighborhood

Our congregation primarily serves the communities of Tryon, Columbus and Saluda, plus the upper portions of Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina. The population of Tryon is 1,813 with the Tryon Township approaching 3,500 and the population of Polk County over 18,000 (US census, 2000). The county is largely rural, with small towns and villages tucked into the forested foothills.

Polk County population has increased by 27 percent in the past decade, with the primary growth coming from middle-aged sector. The largest growth, at 69 percent, is in the 45-54 year old age group, followed by 55-59 year old age group. Retirement facilities like Tryon Estate are a great draw for a constant transplanting of retired people.

The 2000 census reported the county had 7,908 households, 67.5 percent or 5,338 of which are families. Of these “family” households, 23.5 percent have children under 18; 56.3 percent have married couples; and 18 percent of the married couples have children under 18. Approximately 8 percent, or 625 households, have single female parents and 3.9 percent of those have children under 18.

Statistics about our Membership

Current Church Membership: 322
Church Membership five years ago: 340
Number of Members who are adult women: 186; Adult men: 135; Youth: 11
Average Attendance: Sunday Morning Worship: 215; Church School: 50
Other Services of Worship:
    

Christmas Eve: 180; Christmas Dinner: 100; Ash Wednesday: 70; Strawberry Festival: 200

Ethnic composition of this congregation: 98.7% Caucasian 1.26% African-American .04% Other
Ethnic composition of the community is: 92% Caucasian 7% African-American 1% Other

Church School

Our Congregation

The Tryon congregation is a highly active, highly educated group of people, most of who have moved to the area from other parts of the country. A unique characteristic is that some 70% are retired professionals and executives. These active retirees volunteer their skills and energies in the Church and community; volunteerism is epidemic. For those in later stages of life, however, visitations are important. Attrition is offset attrition with new members each year; 14 joined in the first half of 2001. Younger, still-working members are a vital part of the congregation, also, and contribute generously of their talents and time to choir, Sunday school, Bible studies and youth activities. The congregation is generally well educated, with most having college and/or post-graduate degrees. Those still working are employed in the professions and service organizations throughout the community. The majority of members live within five miles of the church. The balance are scattered throughout Polk County, NC and the northern portions of Greenville and Spartanburg counties.

Church Worship Life: Tryon Presbyterian Church follows the Book of Common Worship at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services. Communion is served the first Sunday of each month. Special programs are held during the year, such as the Lenten season, Easter and Christmas. The church participates in community services at Thanksgiving and other special times.

Educational Programs: Sunday school classes are held from 9:45-10:45 for all ages. This includes a Video Discussion class and two Bible Studies for adults. After School Youth programs (ages 3-10) are held the first and third Mondays of the month. There are special events for both youth and adults such as skiing trips, retreats and picnics. A live Nativity Scene is presented by the youth during the Christmas season. TPC has a Director of Christian Education, Rev. Mary Potter. Educational resources include movie and slide projectors, video and audio tape equipment and a video tape library as well as numerous books.

Outreach Programs: In conjunction with Thermal Belt Outreach Ministries, TPC supports the largest Pantry in the area with food and gifts, helping to feed almost 500 people per year. On the first Monday of each month, five active circles of Presbyterian Women meet for Bible study.

Stephen Ministry: a program that equips lay persons to provide distinctively Christian, one-to-one care to those who are experiencing all kinds of needs, is an important outreach of TPC. Five members have completed a seven-day Leader’s Training Course. They have returned to teach 26 Stephen ministers committed to fifty hours of training and two years of service. A two-person committee, in consultation with the pastor, makes the assignments and administers the program. This has been a widely used and effective lay ministry.

Music Ministry: TPC has a highly regarded music program that includes a full choir at the 11 a.m. service except for June, July and August when the choir is on vacation. During this period various soloists and instrumentalists are featured. The church’s three manual Moeller pipe organ was recently enhanced with the addition of a Festival trumpet and 32ı pedal stop. The choir usually offers a full length sacred work annually, such as the Fauve or Rutter Requiem.

The church’s Sunday service routines expand for traditional holiday events such as Christmas and Easter when special musical productions and events are offered. Two worship services are held each Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 AM.

Mission Causes: Within the last two years, TPC has entered into a partner church relationship with El Mesias church in Guatemala. One of our members has gone to El Mesias and has led our congregation in two worship services to acquaint us with our partner church. We are currently raising funds to assist a mission family that will travel to El Mesias next year.

Governing Board: TCP has a unicameral system (no Board of Deacons). The Session is the governing board. Composed of 12 people, it meets the second Tuesday of each month with the pastor as moderator. The pastor is expected to give a reasonable amount of time to this responsibility, just as any moderator of a meeting would be expected to give. There are 11 standing committees of the Session. More information is included in the Annual Report of the church.

Stewardship of Church Property: The church owns approximately 9 acres on which the Sanctuary and Manse are situated. The Manse sits on a hillside directly behind the Sanctuary. The church complex is approximately one mile from the center of Tryon. The Sanctuary has about 2,800 square feet of space, is fully air conditioned and seats 234 people. The Sanctuary, fellowship hall and educational buildings are connected by a covered walkway. A professionally equipped kitchen opens to the fellowship room with a stage at the opposite end. There are five classrooms, a nursery, parlor and a new, acoustically correct choir room in this building. The church office and Pastor’s study are adjoining. Parking is available on both sides of the church and behind the education building. Additional parking is available across the road from the church in the Community Gardens and public school area. The grounds are attractive and well maintained.

The Manse is an eight-room house with about 3,500 square feet of livable space that includes 4 bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths, a partial basement, a large deck and a two-car carport, all of which is well maintained and in good repair. The grounds are essentially maintenance free. Access to the Manse is by a driveway up a hill behind the education building.

Our Region & Communities

Geography of the Tryon and Polk County area shows it to be a most attractive area in which to live. Located in southwestern North Carolina, right at the state line between the Carolinas, Polk County encompasses approximately 234 square miles. There are six townships and three municipalities -- Columbus, Saluda and Tryon -- within the county. The terrain of the county is divided generally into rolling foothills in the east and a southern spur of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west. The altitude at Saluda is 2,096 feet, Tryon 1,109 feet, and Columbus, 1,131 feet. The mountains and valleys provide a variety of weather conditions with thermal winds providing a pleasingly mild climate for the lower elevations.

Educational, cultural and medical facilities abound. All six Polk County Schools are accredited by the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1992, a new high school was constructed on 60 scenic acres, complete with a modern athletic complex and a 750-seat Performing Arts theater where cultural events are held each year. At the Polk County campus of Isothermal Community College, located about two miles from the church, continuing adult education classes or adult high school classes are available. St. Luke’s Hospital, located nearby, is a 73-bed acute care facility with excellent emergency room and intensive care service.

Polk County is situated within the Thermal Belt and has a mean annual rainfall of 62 inches and a mean temperature of 60 degrees. Mean annual snowfall is 4.9 inches.

Polk County has a multitude of outreach organizations -- 91 at last count. Many TPC members are active in these organizations as leaders and volunteers for groups including The Literacy Council, Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, Steps to Hope (helps battered women and children), Thermal Belt Outreach Ministries (provides food and clothing when needed), American Red Cross, St. Luke’s Hospital and Meals on Wheels.

Residents of the Thermal Belt area are served by churches of most major denominations: Presbyterian (U.S.A.), Baptist, Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic and others.

Four small towns are the focal points of Polk County and nearby Spartanburg County:

Columbus, four miles east of Tryon, is the county seat, and is adjacent to three highways: NC 108, US 74, and Interstate 26. The historic county Courthouse, built in 1857, has been restored and functions today as originally intended. Columbus is also the site of the Polk County library, community college and St. Lukeıs Hospital, in addition to a variety of other services available to the residents of Polk County.

Saluda, located on US Highway 176, at the top of the famous Saluda Railway Grade, has the highest elevation in Polk County. The greater majority of its shops and businesses are housed in buildings unchanged since their original construction which has contributed to the town’s inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Home to numerous artists and crafts people, Saluda is quaint and unique in a variety of ways that make it a “must see” when visiting the area.

Landrum, SC, honored a year ago with a front cover and major feature in Business Week magazine, is located just four miles from Tryon, adjacent to the Interstate 26 corridor. A 3.5-million-dollar state-of-the-art library to open in fall of 2001 is a reflection of the community’s priorities. The Landrum Community Development Committee is co-sponsoring a new streetscape for Landrum, and a comprehensive plan for the area will manage the growth and maintain the small town atmosphere of this community of 3,500 people.

In Spartanburg County, SC, a community trust was established in 1943 to provide for the mental, intellectual and physical needs of citizens in the county. The foundation is the third largest in the East, with more than $60 million.

Tryon is the largest town in Polk County. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today reported in 1992 that “Tryon, North Carolina, is one of the 25 most desirable retirement communities in the United States.” Similar to Bar Harbor, Maine, and Aspen, Colorado, this tiny village in the foothills of the Blue Ridge has achieved fame for its climate, its cultural activities, and for its laid-back attitude as “the friendliest town in the South.”

Tucked up to the South Carolina border at the junction of US 176 and NC 108, just off Route I-26, where the slopes of the mountains blend into the plains of the Piedmont, Tryon’s legendary weather phenomenon known as “the Thermal Belt” is only part of its attraction. Incorporated in 1848, it wasnıt until the railroad brought people up out of the lowlands of the South to enjoy the cool summers and mild winters that the town began to grow. Artists, actors and writers from all over the United States found the Thermal Belt to their liking and began establishing Tryon’s reputation as a prominent cultural center. Along with these activities, horse owners from all over the South congregated in the spring to race against one another and thus established the equestrian tradition Tryon continues to enjoy today.

The famed Blockhouse Steeple Chase continues to be run each spring and attracts thousands from miles around. You will enjoy wonderful trips around and through our vast horse country. The Foothills Equestrian and Nature Center (FENCE) offer excellent programming throughout the year.

The Tryon Fine Arts Center is the site of most of the cultural activities in town. Many excellent programs are held during the year, including concerts by visiting artists, Tryon Little Theater plays, lectures, art and sculpture exhibits, and various instructional arts and crafts classes. The diverse cultural scene, which involves a large number of the talented retired population, includes Tryon Crafts, Tryon Painters and Sculptors, Tryon Little Theater, the Community Chorus, Tryon Concert Association, Carolina Camera Club, Tryon Youth Center and a number of other organizations. Annually, the Dance Guild brings two prominent dance companies to the center.

The venerable Lanier Library now 104 years old has over 800 members and is the only remaining private library in the state and one of few in the entire country. Named for the Southern poet Sidney Lanier, the Lanier Library sponsors outstanding speakers from all over the globe in programs open to the public. Several civic organizations such as two Rotary International, Kiwanis, Lions and Habitat for Humanity are active in the area.

For the past 25 years, the Upstairs Gallery has been actively involved in re-fueling the vitality in the region’s art. In 1999, a private family donated a downtown business location to the non-profit gallery. The organization is currently in the midst of a one-half million dollar fund-raising campaign to build a new contemporary art gallery. When completed, it will be a vital public facility to educate and develop knowledge about the rich artistic heritage of the foothills region of Western North Carolina.

The Polk County Community Foundation, reflecting the benevolent nature of local citizens, distributed approximately $1 million in grants, scholarships and awards during the year 2000. The Tryon-based PCCF ranks #1 nationally in assets held per population.

Since before this century began, the famous have found this area to their liking. Early visitors included Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford, Sidney Lanier, Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and screen actor’s David Niven and Randolph Scott. The long-established Gillette Woods is named after actor William Gillette, famous for his Sherlock Holmes portrayal. Today, the Thermal Belt area continues to attract retirees, young professionals, and other newcomers.

Now that you have read about us, please consider to come Worship with us!

Sincerely,
           Members of the Pastor Nominating Committee

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