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Some time later, I learned of a small country church, one mile off the highway on a dirt road, which had nailed a sign on a fence post that read, “Hope Baptist Church one mile —“Does it matter nothing to you, ye who pass by?” I’ve thought about that phrase a lot lately. It’s a haunting phrase and poses a pervasive question. What does it matter that the Chamber does its work? Does it matter at all? What might not get done were it not for the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce? Listen, it was you and your Chamber that began pushing for Loop 49 way back in 1976. The project was even on the cover of our annual report that same year. Making Highway 31 from Tyler to Austin four lanes was a long term Chamber initiative. The railroad overpass on Broadway downtown was a project in 1975 that became reality in the mid 1990’s. Your Chamber took the lead publicly on the “Four Year” status of UT Tyler. Then, of course, there are all of the economic development projects that have assisted in the overall economic growth of the Tyler area. Add to all this, and more, the Business Expo, Seniors Expo, Tyler Day in Austin, Chamber visits to Washington, DC and the political leverage that we have as a group, the impact you have through your Chamber is significant. Ya see, it does matter that we have a Chamber of Commerce. Guess what matters more? You matter more. Without the nearly two thousand individual members, none of these good things could be done. We are a community within a community. Albert Einstein was so right when he said, “The individual is what he is and has significance... as a member of a great community.” So, when your chamber membership comes due, please consider how important you, as one person or company, mean to keeping this good work afloat. Think about it. “Does it matter nothing to you, ye who pass by?” Well... Aubrey Sharpe
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Years ago, while reading the Bible, an otherwise obscure little phase “jumped off the page” at me. Like a bolt from the blue, I read, “Does it matter nothing to you, ye who pass by?” 