New Year’s Eve is, if anything, a time of self reflection on where we were the year prior.

One New Year’s Eve you may be discovering how deep a new found love goes and next you may be mourning the loss of a love that has gone a stray.

Being technically homeless for much of the last three years has taught me a lot about time and reflection.
It was four years ago on the last night of the year where I felt so alone that it felt like a literal hunger in my belly and I ended up starting to cry and could not stop which scared me a great deal and I ended up in a long text conversation with a crisis line.

Three years ago I was as sourly noted above licking my wounds from both the shortest and intense love affair I’ve ever experienced and that someone is still in my life and heart to this very day but that was the night for me where I knew what we had briefly was gone via distance, circumstance, and one comprehension error on my part.

Two years ago I was in Tennessee, trying to scramble a way back ‘home’ in Illinois despite how comfortable I was in the physical place I was in, despite knowing that a good friend had misled me and would come to find that went even further than I thought.

A year ago I was in the same holding pattern as it were as the government takes a million years to let me know if the things that make me unable to work make me unable to work…

But I’m not upset at the passage of time, only what time I waste as it passes.

I’m not angry (99.9% of the time anyway) that those things occurred, many of them shaped good things, necessary things, things that were used for survival and things that were needed to feel like I was at least a little bit alive.

But they all had one thing in common and that is that things changed, time sped forward, life moved on, I was not where I was and neither were the pieces around me even if the situation remained mostly the same.

So that’s the challenge I send out to you as 2023 comes to a close…recall the last four or five years, where you were and where you are, the good and the bad.

And even if it seems like you had a lot more losses then wins know you still moved and even if one crisis begot another know you still were solving the problems, you were still being as proactive as you could in your situation.

The purpose of time and dates is at least partially to denote changes as you move forward, a measuring stick to see that no matter how much we may take on and how much may go wrong or right it always moves on…in time.

I wonder where we will all be next year?

Christmas is almost here, but before it comes, there are a few activities to fit into your schedule that you don’t want to miss! On December 17, at 11:00 a.m., the FBC Choir will present the Christmas story in song . The choir will be joined by some surprise guests this year. Please make it a point to attend this beautiful performance.
Also on December 17, but at 6:00 p.m., FBC will have the annual white elephant Christmas party and pot luck supper. Come and join us for that.

On December 13, TEAM KIDS had their Christmas party. Finger foods, games , gifts and singing filled up the evening. Parents were invited to join in the fun.

We have a lot of activities planned for Christmas break. FBC will host a movie night on December 27 and January 4 for children and youth. There will be popcorn and snow cones. Look for more details on FBC Facebook page.
As soon as January is here, we will begin working on the next Sweetheart Banquet to be held on February 8, 2024. This year’s theme is to be “An Old Fashioned Valentine” celebration. It will be held in the newly renovated and remodeled POC Community Center. You won’t want to miss it. Mark your calendars now!

FBC is waiting to welcome you to any or all of our services, Bible studies and events. Several have already been mentioned. FBC has Sunday School at 10:00, services at 11:00 and 6:00. Monday morning at 10:00, there is a time of prayer for all who want to join in. Tuesdays ladies meet at 4:00 and men meet at 7:00 for Bible study. Wednesday at 5:30 TEAM KIDS meet for a meal, Bible study, crafts and games. Thursday is prayer meeting at 6:00.

Come join with others as we study God’s word and praise his name in song and prayer.

IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR OUR ALL-OUT CELEBRATION OF JESUS’ BIRTHDAY! We at the Chapel love Christmas and do many different special things to help us celebrate His Birth! Our Annual Chapel Christmas Party will be held on Sunday, December 17, at 6 p.m. We will be enjoying each others’ different casserole dishes (come and bring a favorite)! We will also be exchanging “white elephant” gifts in our unique way! We always have a lot of fun laughing and truly enjoying each other in this special season!

It has already begun for us. I took the list of food items for our Christmas Baskets to HEB for pick up on December 18, and had a few items to get for the Chapel. As I was loading the last one in my basket, I remembered I had left my billfold in my office. I returned those items to their rightful shelves and went home. Pastor Joane and I had an event in Port Lavaca that same evening and afterwards went to HEB to purchase those plates, bowls, etc., that we needed for our kitchen. When we got to the checkout area, there was a family in front of us and the cutest boy I had seen in a while. I spoke to the lad, and he gave me a simple wave. I comment that the wave was special to me and asked him to do it again a couple of times, which he did. When it was my turn to pay for my items, the clerk said, “The family that just left said ‘Merry Christmas’ and have paid for your items!” Pastor Joane and I have done that many times for people, but this was the first time in our memory someone has paid it forward for us! So Merry Christmas to that couple and son, who we do not know but who blessed us, not only us, but the Chapel! May this be an encouragement to all of us to show our Christmas spirit and practice benevolence at this time of year.

We distributed 23 Thanksgiving Baskets on November 14, and the next day, we provided special foods for two additional families. We are planning to distribute 26 Christmas Baskets on December 19, and are requiring those who receive a basket to pick it up before noon that day. We will, as usual, call the number provided and let the family know that the basket is ready, but we can not await their arrival if it after noon – we will pass it to another needy family.

On Wednesday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m., we will have our fire pit in front of the Chapel and will be having our annual cook-out for Christmas. We will be singing carols and sharing the joy of the season with each other. Everyone is invited to attend. The Chapel will be providing the hot dogs and others will provide the trimmings.

On Christmas Eve, we will be having a special time together during our Bible School hour (10 to 11 a.m.) and a special Christmas service at 11:00 a.m. Everyone is invited to be a part of this uniquely Chapel event and will experience a special time to help prepare our hearts for Jesus’ Birthday! We will be dismissing the evening service at 6:00 p.m. in honor of our families’ activities.

On New Year’s Eve, our Sunday schedule will be altered to help accommodate our families. We will be gathering for the Bible Study times at 10:00 a.m. and be recapping God’s blessings during 2023. At 11:00 a.m., our Morning Service will consist of praise for God’s goodness and favor He has shared with our Chapel family. It will be a special time of rejoicing that one will not want to miss!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation (meaning Christians of all disciplines are warmly welcomed), whose goal is to make the journey from here to eternity much more plain so no one misses the pathway! You will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel and are urged to, “Come grow with us!”

The Feed My Sheep food distribution program of the Methodist Church is in need of male volunteers. The program provides food for local participants and the work requires unpacking food items, which requires lifting. Volunteers are needed approximately 4 hours a month. If you are interested in being of service to our community in this way, please contact Patricia Massey at 936/348-8413.