From the desk of Kelly A Gee Cooper…
I was honored to be named Citizen of the Year by First Baptist Church and the Sweetheart Banquet coordinators at this year’s event. We have so many people who give selflessly in our little community, there are many who could and should have been so recognized. Thank you for choosing me. I am so grateful to get to be a part of POC and love the many small town friendly events and activities I get to help with here. It is my joy and pleasure to be a part whenever I can. I have met many special people and shared fun and great memories as I volunteer in this community or get the privilege of covering some of those for our hometown newspaper, The Dolphin Talk. Special Thanks to each of you who had a part in honoring me in this way. I pray I get many more days to share in opportunities to give back to POC in the coming months and to share in the adventures of life at the end of the road with each of you. God Bless and Thanks again! Keep finding your joy in the journey- Kelly

Thank you.
The family of Brenda Smith would like to thank everyone for the condolences and support we received during this trying time in the death of our mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend.  This community really showed us how much Brenda was loved and what her life meant to everyone.  Thank you all who came out for Brenda’s last celebration of life.
Thank you,
Renee Hawes and Family

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Wow, what a winter. More cold, more sickness than we like to see. Hope everyone is beginning to bounce back and looking towards Spring. POC Service Club certainly is because our annual Spring Garage Sale is just around the corner. On Saturday, April 7th at 8AM make plans to be at the Community Center Pavilion to find your hidden treasures and rusty gold. You just never know what you might find at these garage sales, but you always

find something. Our Bake Sale will start in the morning and the $ BAG Sale will be at 12:00 Noon. If you are over the winter sniffles and have beat the flu season, you may find time to clean out your closets or storage. Please don’t throw out those good used items. We need them. Donate quality used clothing, household goods and décor to the POC Service Club Garage Sale and we will work our magic to turn your donation into scholarships for local students and other community projects. If you need help donating, please call Donna Vuichard at 361-237-0476 and she will assist you. We appreciate your help and donations and support upcycling in our POC Community.

The POC Community Service Club is so excited to announce the 1st annual POC All American Family Fun Day. This retro day of fun will be filled with games and competitions designed for families to participate in together. Bring a picnic and enjoy ice cream on us. There will be ribbons and prizes and events for any age. You are sure to enjoy yourself. Saturday, April 14th from 9-3 at Kingfisher Beach and Pavilion. Bring your chairs and sunscreen and make a day of it. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Kelly Gee at gollygeetx@alumni.ou.edu.

Service Club members were happy to be a part of the return of the Sweetheart Banquet and have been busy at other events and projects around town. The busiest time of our year is just beginning. Spring Break and the Easter events, the Crawfish festival, fishing tournaments and Warriors Weekend are all coming up quickly. If you are new to our area and don’t know where to get involved let the POC Service Club help. We welcome interested women of all ages to join us for fun, friendship and service to our great little community. There is a job for everyone, no experience required. We meet at the POC Community Center on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM. Come find your Spring Fling.

So, until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this quote from one of my favorite historical figures the great Theodore Roosevelt who said, “This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” Come invest in making our home a great place to live.

Twenty-three years ago, I came to Port O’Connor to help three couples start a community church. God has been good, and we have seen a lot of great things accomplished for the Lord’s Kingdom. We purchased the building that housed the Intercoastal Lumber Company from Mr. Joe Bright and converted it to the church building in which we now meet. We built the Youth Room and immediately upon its dedication, we started the parsonage. We have built our fish cleaning area and our walk-in-freezer to help us with our mission’s work of providing filleted fish for the needy from many local tournaments. We converted a dry storage building into our Retreat Center that has seen several hundred people blessed as they have come and had a special encounter with the Lord.

This community has been extremely generous toward us. We have been given two mobile homes, which we have passed on to others, and just gave away the fourth RV to a worthy family. We are honored to get the opportunity of feeding a breakfast to our Warriors, and this past year, we passed out over 100 food boxes at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
We have married your children and buried your loved ones as you have allowed us to become a part of your family. We have dedicated your babies and baptized those who have accepted the Lord. I, personally, have preached about 3,000 messages in these short years, for I have learned that days may go by slowly, but years pass quickly!
We are honored that you have accepted our family as part of this community. You have welcome us and treated us with honor and we sincerely appreciate it.

Honestly, we never know how much longer we have on this side of eternity, but my heart’s desire is to spend every day I have to breathe in Port O’Connor with my wife Joane by my side and you gathered around us! Thank you, Port O’Connor for loving me, my wife, our kids, and now our grandkids. We only trust and pray that we all get to spend eternity together with Christ!

January was so busy that it seems to be just a blur! February has been equally hectic, but for many right reasons. We have been honored to host almost 30 students from Texas A&M, Corpus who are part of the Chi Alpha. Director Will Robinson led our morning service on February 4. Pastor Joane was away because she has been preaching for a congregation in Victoria. We celebrated our 23rd Anniversary and were treated to a fellowship following our evening service. We have filled the pulpit twice for Cuero Assembly. Cathy Osborn’s sister and husband (Pumkin and Grady) will minister at the Chapel on February 18 in both the morning and evening services. Our annual Meeting of the Members will be held on February 25, where we will receive reports of the Lord’s blessings over the past year and elect our Corporate Officers.

On March 4, we will host Project Hope, a group of ladies who are in a rehabilitation center in the Houston area. The Reverend Bob Jones will be ministering in the evening service on March 11. Some college students will be helping to paint one of our worship centers while on their Spring Break in mid-March.

We are planning our annual Chili Cook-off for late March, but have not set a date as of yet. We have however scheduled our Spring Revival with Evangelist Jonathan Thacker of Russellville, Arkansas. These services will begin on Wednesday, March 28 and go through Easter Sunday.

Fisherman’s Chapel has served this community with honor for many years. We continue to be a congregation of believers from many different denominations, and some from no denomination; therefore, we call ourselves interdenominational. Our goal is to help every person we can to find the joy of serving a Risen Savior. One will always find a  warm welcome at the Chapel, and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

Mark your calendars now as more information about Shrimpfest will be coming.

38th Annual Shrimpfest
June 15th & 16th, 2018

Gates Open 3 pm Friday & 8 am Saturday. Gate Fee $5 on Friday and Saturday – Kids under 6 FREE (Must be accompanied by an adult). Senior Citizen and Veteran’s $3 Gate Fee.
We will be announcing our entertainment line-up in the next couple months. If you would like to volunteer, please call Chamber at 361 237 0406 or sign up on line at https://www.seadriftchamber.com/shrimpfest/.