Merry Christmas! It is that time of the year again and I love Christmas! This coming Sunday, the 18th, we will begin at 10:00 a.m. with our Bible Study, which will be followed by a special Christmas play written and directed by Angie Alderete. It will be an event that no one will want to miss. At 6:00 p.m. we will gather for our Christmas Party. It will begin with a true “pot luck” meal and then we will start all the other activities, including our style of “white elephant exchange”. Again, I ask that anyone who does not believe that laughing has a place at church, to please stay home – because we will hear a lot of laughing here!

We are taking names for the needy families in our community who need assistance with a Christmas Basket. You came through! We honestly came to you last month telling of our need for funds to distribute baskets this year and you have given and given. The need has been met but also, we have scaled back some – we gave away 32 Thanksgiving Baskets. We only want to help the NEEDY, and are discouraging the GREEDY from applying. We truly have many needy in our area and that is who we are trying to reach! The deadline for applying will be Sunday, December 18. Please call my cell phone at 361/218-6693. Boxes will be distributed on December 20.
Weather permitting, we will be having our annual Hay Ride, Christmas Caroling at 7:00 p.m. on December 21. Come enjoy not only the singing, but the hot chocolate following.

Again, we are having a Candle-Light Communion on Christmas Eve. It will be a come and go event from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please come as a family unit and if someone is already partaking, please just wait your turn. There will be an offering basket for those who wish to “bring an offering for Jesus”. (It seems stange to me that we give everyone presents except the One Whose Birthday we are celebrating, but that is another article!)

On Christmas Day, we will be having a special service at 10:30 a.m. There will be no Bible Study or Evening Service that day so families can enjoy time together remembering the Baby in the Manger.

Thanksgiving Celebration was great! We enjoy the Community Thanksgiving Service at First Baptist with a great message by our local Priest. The following Sunday, the Chapel enjoyed an All Church Fellowship with a fish fry, which was well attended. We had many workers prepare the Thanksgiving Baskets – their help was awesome – and passed out the food. Joane and I hosted our annual Thanksgiving Meal with some 16 present for the dinner and five more came in later to help clean up the leftovers. The weekend was completed with a director for Chi Alpha, a campus ministry at the University of Houston, speaking for us in the Morning Service. Matt Hoogendoorn did a great job, and we look forward to his return.

We are seeing the Lord’s handiwork around the Chapel recently and invite all to come and see! We are an interdenominational congregation, meaning if you love Jesus, you are welcome. Our goal is simple – help all come to know Jesus better through getting to know the Bible better. We offer not only Sunday Bible Study, but Pastor Joane is presently teaching “The Battle Plan for Prayer” each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the parsonage. Hermano Jessee continues to direct our Spanish Service each Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday we gather for ministry from God’s Word. And add in Sunday Morning and Evening Services and one will find that the Chapel is trying to help teach the Bible to those in this community. One will always find a welcome here and YOU are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”