Erny McDonough’s truck maneuvers through the Poco Bueno crowd at the Fishing Center, taking the donated marlin to the Chapel to be filleted and packaged . -Photo by Bill Tigrett

Poco Bueno for 2011 is now history, but the blessings remain. Three off-shore boats and many, many bay boats contributed to the Chapel of their catches, which has given us an opportunity to do great things for special people, both in this area and elsewhere. There were also cash donations for our mission project and 100 pounds of both beans and rice were also donated. This year’s special need was “Strong-Tower Ministries” from Kerrville. Many of you have seen their representatives at local WalMart’s, offering wooden crosses for a donation.

Strong-Tower Ministries have a place for about 50 people, both male and female, who have developed life controlling problems. Some have been addicted to alcohol or drugs, some are abuse victims, and others have found themselves in environments that are dangerous for their survival and that of their children. The Reverend Michael Adams and his family take these people, often off the streets, and work to restore them back to health and community.

The key is for these residents to realize the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People who come into this twelve month program accept Jesus as their personal Savior and spend time studying God’s Word. Physical work-out programs, as well as academic structures help students progress where they can rejoin main-stream America.

We are honored to partner with them to help change lives of not only the adults, but also the children involved. We are trusting that Strong-Tower Ministries will make several trips back to Port O’Connor so this community can be a part of the solution for these lives. An immediate need of Strong-Tower is a chest freezer. Presently they have only two refrigerators for food storage. If you can help, please let us know!

We were also a part of the Tent Revival, hosted in Port Lavaca by the Fellowship of Churches. The guest speaker, Reverend Rod Vincent, spent his nights at the Chapel facilities and preached each evening under the tent. We were honored to help direct the song service, accompanied by our pianist, Cathy Smith.

And, if these activities were not enough to keep us busy, Joane and I traveled to Houston on Friday to secure a 6-burner, commercial gas range for our Retreat Center! It was a gift from some of our friends and will be a tremendous blessing to those who come to respite with us.

But, we are not just looking back – we are planning for future events! Notice the information (on this page) about the special Friday Night Youth Rally that will be held at the Front Beach on July 29. It is going to be an extra special event for the youth of our community, who will be joined by youth from several other communities. It will be an evening to remember!

The Sea Academy will be having another class for those desiring to earn their Captain’s License, which will qualify them to charter groups on fishing tours. The class will begin on July 29 and run through August 7. Those interested in these classes should contact the instructor, Captain Robert at 361/816-3010 or the Sea Academy at 361/758-6184. These are Coast Guard approved courses.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to help each other experience the abundant life here and eternal life afterwords. We also have many ways of reaching out to others so they also can experience the joys we have found in serving Jesus. You will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel and are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”