This past month brought both blessings and great sorrow. Sorrow when we had to do a Celebration of Life for Sherri Peters, beloved wife of our very close friend Steve. Her home going was so unexpected and so sudden that no one had time to absorb the shock. At only 50 years old, Sherri suffered a massive heart attack, but she was spared the long months of suffering that many of our loved ones have had to endure. Steve will miss her, as will her children, but we will miss her also. Her humor, wit, and exemplary hard work will forever stand as a standard for those she chose to invest her life in. At the celebration of her life, there were people there from the Nursing Home that she worked at as Activities Director. There were people from her churches she attended. There were friends from her business associates. And, there were friends that barely knew her, but whom had been impacted by her life. Thanks, Steve, for allowing us to get to know the love of your life. We stand with you in missing her, but with the assurance that there will be a “grand reunion Day”!
Can you believe Patrick Overton got married? Yes, the celebration of commitment was made at Brazoria on Saturday morning, October 26. He and Trish sealed their commitment to each other that morning before flying off to a honeymoon. They were gone about 10 days and have told me that they saw more of God’s beautiful country in that short time than in all their other years put together! It was a simple , but elegant ceremony which attended by family, friends, and some folks from Port O’Connor. Please be sure to congratulate them next time you get the opportunity.
We honored the Men’s Ministry group from Spring First at the end of October. They had a great time of “catching” even though the weather did not fully cooperate. They have come the last several years and always have a great time. Now, they have promised to invite me to go on a “Crappie” fishing retreat in the spring. If space is available, I will let some of the rest of you know those dates, but it space is limited, I will show you my stringer!
November started off with an extremely quick start! Tom and Jacki had come down from the LaVernia area to help us begin the deck for the Executive Retreat Center. It is the 16 by 80 feet trailer that sits on the east side of our Chapel. It was designed for military officers and features six fully self contained rooms. We are making it wheelchair assessable so a new deck has begun taking shape. To help us, seven young men from Corpus A&M come to help. They are a part of Chi Alpha, a Campus Christian group that offers assistance to churches to help those students learn practical skills in many areas of life. We ran out of material before we ran out of time, but we sincerely appreciate their dedicated work and extreme help. They are ready to come back and help us again as schedules permit.
On November 9, our local men got together for a great breakfast. It was a full meal deal, for sure, complete with homemade gravy and biscuits! Our men welcome all the men from our area to come and enjoy a time of food and fellowship at any of our functions.
Pastor Joane is continuing to teach our Fisherman’s Bible Institute classes. They meet each Tuesday from 7 t0 9 pm. They are designed for serious students of the Bible and will take each student on a Bible Survey journey through each of the 66 books of God’s Word. Everyone who has an interest in such an intense study are welcome to come and enjoy the fellowship as we together learn more of God’s Word and thereby His plan for our lives. When you hear FBI has come to town, please know it is Fisherman’s Bible Institute, where we are investigating God’s Word.
Not to be outdone by the men, the Chapel ladies will meet on November 21 at 7:00 pm. They will be not only enjoying fellowship and a time in worship, but will also be looking at next year’s planned events. All ladies are urged to come and enjoy this time designed especially with you in mind.
The Port O’Connor Community Thanksgiving Service will be held at First Baptist Church at 6:00 pm on Sunday, November 17.
Our local Catholic Priest will be ministering the Word and there will be congregational singing and special music from our local churches. We also will be receiving our yearly offering to help support the Port O’Connor Community Benevolence Fund, which provides the funds necessary to support the Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets.
The Thanksgiving Baskets will be distributed on November 19 and the Christmas Baskets will be distributed on December 17. To be eligible for a Basket, one must contact Pastor Erny at 361/218/6693 or either of the other two local pastors and express their need. These Baskets are not meant for greedy, but for the truly needy of our community. The Women’s Service Club has already generously provided $1,000 toward this project and we will need just over $4,000 to meet all the requests. Your help is greatly appreciated! Together, we can make life easier for needy families in our Port O’Connor community.
Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation who meets on Sundays at 10 and 11 am and 6 pm and on Wednesday at 7 pm. Everyone is welcome to come and be a part of what the Lord is doing to confirm His Word. You will find a warm welcome and are urged to “Come, grow with us!”
