We are entering the Holiday Season, where we increase our thankfulness for our multiple blessings. I do not remember when, but for the past many years, the Port O’Connor churches have provided tangible expressions of love to the needy in our area. We will be gathering at First Baptist Church on November 12 at 6:00 p.m. for our annual Community Thanksgiving Service. Our Catholic Pastor at Saint Joseph will be delivering the message, and the ladies of First Baptist will be providing snacks for a time of fellowship following. There will be a special love offering received to help provide the food for these generous baskets of thanks. Everyone needs to be as gracious with their offering as possible because we all know how high groceries are!
I have said it for many years, “No one can reach Christmas without passing through Thanksgiving”! Most of us make special plans for Christmas gatherings. We plan special family times and special family meals. Our family has already begun giving out assignments for certain favorite dishes. I have not heard yet, but I am sure our family baker (Vicky) will be providing special desserts!
The Pilgrims were devout people of God who gave thanks in the middle of all conditions of life. They arrived at Cape Cod “with no friends to welcome us, nor inns to entertain nor refresh our weather-beaten bodies”. In the winter they experienced weather that was so sharp and violent than half their number died. Food was so scarce that they had daily rations of five (5) grains of corn. But spring finally came with a fall harvest. Governor William Bradford set aside a special day of thanksgiving to God for His provisions.
The giving of thanks to God was always a natural response on the part of the Pilgrims, and it was never associated with absence of hardship. The Pilgrims understood thanksgiving in its fullest Biblical sense. The Lord was with them. He did watch over them. He would sustain them. He would give them the courage and strength to persevere. Instead of complaining, they found cause to be grateful and joyful. “The Lord was with us in all our ways, for which let His Holy Name have praise forever, to all posterity.”
Last year, in Port O’Connor, we had over fifty (50) families who found themselves in need of food. With our combined efforts and the generosity of our churches, the Women’s Service Club, and many individuals, we raised the almost $6,000.00 to purchase the food. Youth groups and Scout Troops worked at collecting food for the effort. There was well over “100-man-hours” that helped make distribution possible.
The deadline to sign up for the Thanksgiving food baskets is Sunday, November 5. The boxes will be filled on Monday, November 13, and distribution will be on November 14 of this year. I have always felt that our best efforts miss some of the most needy in our community. If you know of a needy family, please call Pastor Joane (361-648-4622) or Pastor Erny (361-218-6693) and we will attempt to help everyone who needs a basket. There is a special POC Benevolence Fund account at our local Port O’Connor Bank.
Remember, our goal is not to feed the greedy, but the needy! We do our best to allow those who are assisted to retain their dignity by not sharing the identities of the recipients. This stance has kept us from receiving from great food sources. We could find food cheaper, but we believe that the recording of indigent families is not what we understand the Bible to say, “Freely receive; freely give!”.
We are often asked when talking about the Holiday Food Baskets about our local Pantry, which is housed at the Chapel. They only thing that mixes in these two systems is that if there is an abundance of food in our Pantry, we add it to the purchased food items for the Christmas Baskets. We assist at least three families each week with food from the Pantry, but we do not take it from monies raised for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets. These food items come from our community’s churches and others bring food to the Chapel for distribution.
Thank you, community, for allowing us to be your “hands and feet” in providing food for the needy, which is our Christian duty!
