With the summer of 2016 coming to an end, this was one of the very best summers ever in Port O’Connor.

Seems word is out, that there is this small community in Texas, that sits at the end of Highway 185, that has great fishing, great people and great views. There is the Port O’Connor saying that “It’s the Best Kept Secret” on the Gulf Coast; this is no longer the fact. The word is out and everyone enjoys making the trip down here to see what’s going on.

But with summer gone, things will be coming to a halt, less cars on the road and less people making plans to come to Port O’Connor. The Chamber is seeking ideas to keep things rolling along. If you have any suggestions, we would like to see you attend a meeting and help make future plans for ideas to bring more people to the community in the winter months.

If someone wants to rent the Port O’Connor Community Center, you need to contact our County Commissioner, Mr. Kenny Finster’s office, 361-785-3141. I receive a lot of calls for this information.

This year the Annual Lighted Boat Parade will be held on December 3rd. Time passes so fast so start making your plans, for decorating and entering our parade.
The Chamber appreciates all our members, along with all the donations that makes all the good things the Chamber accomplishes happen.

Our next meeting will be Monday, October 10th, 6:30 p.m. at the Port O’Connor Community Center.

New & Renewed Members:
J.M.& Patricia Maly
The Treasure Chest
Kelly Parks Guide Service
Coastal Safari Guide Service
Tex Reich Outfitters

Dedication of King Fisher Park Pavilion

The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce would like to invite everyone out to attend the dedication of our new pavilion to the County. There will be a old fashion Hot Dog lunch provided by the Port O’ Connor Chamber Of Commerce. The exact time will be announced on the Chamber website soon. www.portoconnorchamber.com

District III Texas Retired Teachers Association 2016-2018 Officers
(L to R) Daryl Lau, Goliad, Treasurer; Linda Gamertsfelder, Palacios, Secretary; Becky Williams, Beeville, 2nd Vice President; Jimmy Murrile, East Bernard, 1st Vice President; Dick Nance, Hallettsville

District III Texas State Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) is planning an eventful and informational year as local retired educators and school personnel join in promoting and protecting annuity and retirement benefits and wellness programs from the Texas State Teacher Retirement System. Included in District Three TRTA are Bee, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Wharton and Yoakum counties.

The upcoming Fall 2016 District Three Convention and Workshop will be held October 20th in the Hallettsville First United Methodist Church with guest speaker, Tim Lee, Executive Director of the Texas State Retired Teachers Association. For the past twenty years, Lee has championed adequate and consistent contributions to pension funds and worked with Texas Legislators to create a well-funded pension trust fund.

Founded by retired teachers and educators in 1953, the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) is the largest association in the nation for retired teachers and school personnel. In addition, more than 80,000 members have a history of active involvement in the well-being of their communities. The Texas Teachers Retirement System is one of the healthiest state pension plans not presently coordinated with Social Security and is the envy of many state pension plans. In 2015, TRTA members contributed nearly 6 million hours of community volunteer service valued at more than $138 million.

Local Officers of the Calhoun County Retired Teachers Association include Joanne Mueller President; Mary Ann Claiborne First Vice President; Lynn Pfiefer Second Vice President; Recording Secretary Wanda Flisowski; Treasurer Pat Herren.

Next meeting is September 20, 2016 at the Heritage Center. For membership and meeting information, contact Joanne Mueller at 361 785 2354.

POC Service Club is gearing up for the Autumn and all its duties. We return to bimonthly meetings in September, meeting the 1st and 3rd Thursdays in the back room of the POC Community Center. Our fall garage sale is set for October 1 from 8-2 at the Community Center Pavilion. And, we are very excited to be a part of the Chamber and Friends of the Library Fall Festival on November 12 which will include, craft and food vendors, a band, a silent auction and a barbecue cook-off to raise funds for the new library. The Community Service Club Christmas Luncheon is December 1st, and the annual toy run and lighted boat parade December 2nd. And that is just our preliminary calendar, so we will be quite busy.

We are looking for friends and neighbors who want to help out. We need donations of clothing and quality used household goods and furniture for our garage sale. The County building behind the library is available for storage of those donations. Feel free to drop them off M-THz and we will put them to good use. If you need help coordinating donations, please call Marie Hawes at 361-920-2322 or Diane Cooley at 903-467-6335.

The silent auction at the November 12 cook-off is just taking shape. There is a need for artwork, crafts, handiwork, coastal items, new décor and other items for the auction at the Fall Fundraiser Festival. If you would like to share your talent to help add to the auction please let us know and we will make it possible.
As you can see the calendar is busy, there is a variety of opportunities to choose from and plenty of chores to go around. It is a fun group with a positive purpose.
So until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this quote by the late famous business man and music manager and publisher Allen Klein who said, “Research has shown that people who volunteer often live longer happier lives.” Come join us and we will share the longer happier journey with you!

Welcome Aboard!

September is the ‘new year’ point for business and calendar planning for members of the POC Service Club. That means election of new officers. The nominating committee assembled an impressive slate that was approved enthusiastically for the upcoming year.

Welcome to President Linda Orrick, Vice President Donna Vichard, Secretary Jacque Bechard and Treasurer Peggy Elliot. We are excited to have you as our leaders and look forward to the projects we will accomplish together.

Congratulate these new officers when next you see them.

Activities around the Chapel are in “fall mode!” After a summer of fishing tournaments, vacations, and a lot of visitors, we are settling in for some more great times in the cooler weather.

Angie is doing a great job with our children. Instead of having what we called “Super Church”, we are advancing to having Sunday School Class from 10 to 11 a.m., then the children are joining the congregation for the singing, and then going to Children’s Church. Each week Angie has a different theme. For example, she has done “Give,” “Obey,” “Courage,” “Promise,” and “Love,” and we mention it in the Morning Service, sing a song that fits with it, and she teaches a lesson from that theme word. The children are excited about the new format and we thank the Lord for Angie’s dedicated efforts. All children are welcome!

We enjoyed an “All Church Cook-Out Fellowship” on Labor Day Eve with hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings. The volleyball game was exciting and the “Sing Along” that followed brought back some oldies and introduced us to some we need to learn. We were honored to have David and Evelyn, who lead the “House of Prayer” in Seadrift, bring their friends here for the evening. It was truly a great evening, so when we plan another “All Church Activity Evening” be sure to attend!

Recently we hosted a ladies group from El Campo in our retreat center and they went home rested up and charged up. Pastor Roberts told me that when they returned he saw a marked difference in them and in their church involvement. We are grateful to the Lord for using our facilities to advance His Kingdom!

This week we are hosting a large men’s group from Spring, Texas. If fact, we are honored to have their Pastor Robert Hogan minister for us in the Morning Service. We have been friends with the Hogan’s for many years and are always blessed when we get a chance to be around them.

We were honored to be asked to host a table for the Friends of the Library Dinner on September 17. We are expecting a delightful evening with many friends and Texas authors. What an ambitious goal this group has – to raise enough money to build a new library and learning center in Port O’Connor. This is a worthy cause and all of us should get behind it.

We are excited to be attending the Empowerment Conference later this month. This special meeting is hosted by our good friend, Pastor Don Nordin, who also helps us with the Poco Bueno fishing tournament. It will be at C.T. Church in Southwest Houston and will be a great get away for Pastor Joane and me.

Our congregants are looking forward to the POC Service Club Garage Sale on October 1st. We are saving our money and cleaning our closets, both of which are important to help the Service Club with all their great community projects. Join in and donate!

We will be hosting “Project Hope” on Sunday, October 16 in the morning service. “Project Hope” is a rehabilitation center for people with life controlling issues. They have both a Men’s and Women’s program and have seen a lot of great results. We will be hosting a fellowship meal at the close of service so we will have time to get to know some of those working through the program.

See, we are looking forward to the Fall activities. The Chapel is an interdenominational congregation whose goal is to help people of all ages have a better relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. One will always find a warm welcome and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”