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June 2014 Our News

Almeda UMC will become the Abiding Faith UMC  on May 31st under the leadership of Pastor Deborah Vaughn
       A community gathering will be held from noon to three on Sat. May 31st.  Church service will be at 10 am June 1st.  
      The Almeda UMC congregation voted to have their facility at 14300 Almeda School Road become a legacy church and resolved to pass along all their assets to Abiding Faith UMC.
Pastor Deborah, called PD by her congregation, started Abiding Faith UMC in 2009 with the help of her husband and  15 members from their home church of St. John’s UMC Downtown. They began meeting at St. Matthews on North Shepherd. Even though some of the members will have to travel a distance, they were delighted to accept the opportunity that Almeda UMC presented.
Before Deborah became Mrs. Alfred Vaughn, 18 years ago, she was a very active member at Brentwood Baptist Church. Alfred was a member of St. John’s, so she joined his church when they got married. It was at St. John’s she was called into ministry.
She had already ministered as a volunteer working with boys and girls at the Harris County Youth Village, The Detention Center, and the Richmond and Rosenberg facility for youth with problems.
At that time she was also working at the Harris Co. Engineering Dept. Deborah had left her home town of St. Louis, MO. Where she had earned a BS in Civil Engineering  and an MS in Engineer Management. She is the only one of her family to leave St. Louis.
In Houston, Deborah earned a Master of Divinity Degree in seven years while working full time. She finished a 25 year career at Harris Co. retiring as the Director of Architecture and Engineering, and stepped right into the job of pastor. She is an Ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church. As a pastor she says, “We look forward to serving our new community”.   

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY JUNE 15TH
ARCOLA  ELECTION
        Mary Etta Anderson won the mayor race defeating the incumbent, Evelyn Jones.  Council member Florencia Martinez retained her seat but Effie Jones lost hers. James DeVoge lost to Florence Jackson by one vote.
AIRPORT HANGER EXPANSION
According to James Wark, a member of the Arcola Zoning and Planning Committee, approval has been given to Houston Southwest Airport to build a hanger east of the airport on the 42.7 acres between the airport and the railroad track running alongside of Hwy 521. President of Tejas Avco Inc. , James Griffith, will be the owner. Plans are for several more hangers in the future.
FRESNO FRESH WATER DISTRICT
Rodrigo Carreon won a seat on the water board with 46 votes as did Paul Hamilton with 37. Rosa Linda  Medina lost her spot with 35 votes. According to Carreon there are about 2,000 residents eligible to vote. 
P & C  PLACE
In May of 1993, Patsy and Charlie Guthrie rented the local beer joint from Posy Bowers. Within a few weeks, Diane Dishaw came to work for them and will remain until the day P&C closes June 1, 2014.
In July of 2000, Patsy’s husband, Charlie, died and a few months later Ms. Posy passed away.  That’s when Patsy took the opportunity to purchase the property. “People don’t realize how good and faithful the customers I’ve had really are,” says Patsy.
In the past 21 years there has been four minor fights and only two hot checks. About 40 customers had charge accounts which were all paid up. Some people refer to P&C as the Old Age Home as many of her customers are retired. Every Wednesday was Old Timers Day.
         Her customers are bemoaning the fact they won’t have a safe, comfortable place to meet with their friends. It is sad, even if you are a teetotaler, to see a place, that served many people in a better way than the majority of   beer joints, no longer be a part of the community. No chance of turning back as the property has been sold to investors who  have not decided what they will build. 
Before Patsy and Charlie started P&C, she was the supervisor of records for 18 years at the Bank of Almeda.  She has known and is known by many of Almeda’s residents.   For those who want a memento, Patsy will have an auction before the new owners bulldoze the building. Watch for the date on a sign in front of P&C.


ARCOLA  DAY OF PRAYER
Thanks to Dr. Lazarus Chavarria, Johnny Johnson, Success Aviation, Taco Regio Meat Market and Sargent Ray Hinojosa for making National Prayer Day possible for Arcola, Texas. Special thanks to Pastor Freddy Lopez from Quality Life Ministries and all who came out to the tent to pray for our nation and our leaders in office. May every knee bow before our Lord.
CONGRATULATIONS
Billy Keyworth wouldn’t think of bragging but he is a little proud of making his ninth hole in one on a Rockport, TX golf course. He used a 13 wood on Hole # 12 and says he had two witnesses.  Quite an accomplishment since he is 83 and never played until after he retired, except for miniature golf.
FRESMO WATER BOARD
The Water Board will meet Thursday, June 19th 6pm at Mustang Park.
Almeda moe
Moe and Fresno Joe went camping. The first night they slept soundly until Moe woke up. He roused Joe and asked what he saw. Joe said, “I see a zillion stars.” “And what does that tell you?” Moe asked. “It tells me astronomically there are millions of galaxies. Horologic ally, I figure  it is 3:15 am. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I’d say tomorrow will be a beautiful day. What does it tell you,” asked Joe. Moe  was quiet for a few minutes. Then he said, “It tells me our tent is gone.” 
TOO YOUNG TO VOTE
Blair, a 17-year-old high school senior just won the West Virginia Republican primary for state representative. First she took a survey of 140 people in her district, then she wrote by hand 800  letters explaining her position. If she wins in November, she will be the youngest state representative in history.
HIRAM CLARKE STOREFRONT
PIP meets at 7pm, the 2nd Monday

 VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
June 10th—13th at Abiding Missionary Baptist Church 6 to 8:15 pm. 14145 Bridgeport Rd.
713 433 2971
Condolences
LOVIE  LEA MAPLES, 95
April 16, 1919 - May 7, 2014
Lovie went to work at the age of 14 after her father died. She also worked as a hospital nurse until Medicare required all nurses to be degreed, and then worked for a private doctor. A faithful member of  church, she attended Almeda UMC with her son, Tom. She loved playing dominoes and Wa-Hoo with her family. Preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Floyd T. Maples, and granddaughter Dana Maples, Lovie is survived by her sister, Julia Johnson, sons Thomas/Shirley Maples, and Calvin/Donna Maples;  five grandsons and seven greats.
FRANCES WOODRUFF  82  April 23, 1932 -May 10, 2014
Frances and her husband Fred raised their children near Almeda School. Frances was a stay at home mom and very active in church and community affairs for over 50 years. She took care of the records for the Almeda Cemetery committee, attended the Baptist, Methodist and Southway church meetings for seniors, and served anyway she could at her own church Southway Community. She was always helping friends except when playing a game of Skip-Bo—which she usually won. Preceded in death by her husband of forty six years, Fred Woodruff, she is survived by her sister, Margaret Taylor; children John/Dorothy Woodruff, Karen Reiland and Paula Keeth; three granddaughters: Kristi, Jessie, Kayleigh and one great.
MONA MOYLE FENN  73,  
August 4, 1940—May 18, 2014
 Mona was at her home,  when she passed away, surrounded by her husband, Joseph, and their children. Memorial services will be at New Shores Baptist Church in Sweeny, Texas  Thursday May 29th at 10 am. Visitation 9am  10am. 
FREE PUPPIES
         Six males two females born 3/17/2014  call Jake at 281 841 9505

SAFETY TIP: According to a Navy Seal, Adm. W. H. McRaven, If a shark circles you, don’t try to swim away. Don’t be afraid.  If he attacks hit him on the snout as hard as you can.

 THE OLD LIBRARY BUILDING
         Once inside you would never recognize that the building at  3100 West Fuqua was once the Vinson Library. It is now the headquarters of the National Association of Minority Mineral Owners which is a non-profit 501c organization. They help minority land owners get fair payment for their mineral rights and they also mentor high school and college students who are interested in working with minerals.
Besides being a non-profit organization, they are also the proprietors of Ommi Pipe Solutions. As a Houston based 100% minority business and a member of the Greater Houston Partnership, they handle much of the distribution of pipes used on city and county projects.
 Survival in the GREAT City of Fresno, Texas
 How i survived 5 weeks in Fresno Texas without electrical power:
 Just prior to the big hurricane i bought & installed a 7 KW (kilowatt) generator plus a power transfer panel. This generator came with a very small valve kit to convert the unit from gasoline to LPG fuel so i had it converted. Next up i bought 2 LPG fuel tanks that i could man-handle by myself & transport in my own pickup truck.
The generator i bought has only one 220 volt outlet so i had it wired to the water well but with another switch to flip over to a 220 volt air conditioner. The electrical was done by a professional electrician. The fuel conversion kit was delegated to Small Engine
Repairs here in Fresno, a lawnmower repair shop. After the installation everything worked perfectly but when the hurricane hit the unit refused to run. The unit had gotten water logged with water coming in the side vents. Once she was dried up she, (the generator) ran perfectly. I ran the generator intermittently to keep the refrigerator food viable, to run the water well for showers, & occasionally to cool the house down before going to bed. LPG fuel was  available locally.
  Interestingly what definitely would not have worked was my side plan. I had five 5 gallon gasoline containers and bought five more as the hurricane was moving in. All 10 containers were filled with gasoline including both of my vehicles but since all of Houston & surrounding areas evacuated there was none to be found after the hurricane. Friends & friends of friends crawled out of the woodwork & begged me out of all my gasoline supplies. There was just enough to run the truck for a couple of weeks. Interestingly after the hurricane only 4 of the containers were returned and none with gasoline even when i complained! One of my 3 loaned out generators also did not return & and it was new! Dasterdly dasterds!  So much for friends & funny plans, but i survived hurricane...what's her name. 1 - Before the hurricane hits, wrap the generator with a tarp & tie it tight as hurricane force winds are what cause the rain to be blown through the vents of the generator housing, soaking it's electronics to the bone. 2 - Do do #1 as trying to find a free mechanic after a devastating hurricane is next to impossible.
ED. Note  Thanks for sharing!
DO YOU HAVE IDEAS ON SURVIVING LOSS OF ELECTRICITY FOR TWO WEEKS OR MORE?


BACK YONDER
         In front of Joe’s Transmission, the cars were zipping up and down Almeda Highway non-stop. Made me think how impossible it would         be now for Rex Fordyce and his friends to play marbles in the middle of the road in front of his grandfather’s store/post office located a hair north of Kountry Kubbard.   They use to play several hours before they would spot a car miles away.  That all changed when Almeda Road was paved with concrete in 1938.
The grocery business also changed.  Blue laws were in effect so you didn’t buy stuff on Sunday. Grandpa Fordyce took the law seriously, but one Sunday a lady was desperate  for a loaf of bread as the visiting preacher had accepted an invitation to her home for dinner. She pleaded with Mr. Fordyce, He also was serious about honoring Sunday as the Lord’s Day. Finally, he conceded it would be ok for him to open the store and give her a loaf of bread but he would not accept money. She would just have to come back to pay him.
Grandfather passed his strong convictions down to Rex’s dad, Orlando, who was a Gideon and passed thousands of New Testaments Bibles to children in the schools, in hospitals, and hotels and to servicemen. His wife Maud Mowery Fordyce was a Sunday School teacher and Child Evangelism Fellowship Good News Club teacher. Together, they worked with others to get a church established in Pierce Junction, which was truly a peaceful oil field town.  
SPEAKING OF PIERCE JUNCTION
In this picture of an oil derrick in Pierce Junction is Charlie Monrad, the fifth man from the left. Charlie came from Denmark, got a job working Gus Anderson’s farm, and fell in love with the prettiest girl in town, Audree Harris. He needed more money.
The oil field paid better and eventually, he was able to have his own dairy farm right across from Andersons. Later, Charlie ran a street, (Monrad Drive) through the middle of his property and sold lots. One daughter, granddaughter and grandson still live on the old home place where he and Audree raised three children.

GOVERNMENT RULES OVER PRIVATE PROPERTY
Jeanette Golden was sent a letter by the Texas Department of Transportation demanding that she remove a sign from her private property that had the Ten Commandments on it.
         Andy Johnson dug a pond on his eight acres of property after getting a permit from Wyoming state engineers.  Since he and his wife dug it in a spot where, the two-foot-wide, six-inch-deep, Six Mile Creek ran, the EPA claimed his pond came under their Clean Water Act and he needs a permit from them. They have threatened him with a $75,000 a day fine which is the fine for emitting toxic hazards. “It’s not about the pond, it’s about national laws,’ says Johnson. He claims the EPA is using the Clean Water Act to regulate private landowners.
Wyoming Republican Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso an La Sen. David Vitter,  sent a letter to the EPA, asking the agency to lift the order. Fines are suppose to cover damage. But where is the  damage? Johnson says he will not roll over and play dead.
“ It’s not about me, it’s about everybody across America.”
Jeanette’s freedom to express her faith on her own property, Andy’s freedom to do something that helps his family and wildlife:  both threatened by government authorities, as government makes more restrictions and regulations on private property. 


JUNE & MARRIAGE GO TOGETHER
         Keeping the marriage together is a year round job. It might help to understand the Maker’s Instruction Manual before marriage. II Corinthians 7:14 says “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: If you yoke an oxen and a horse together to pull a load, their shoulders will both get rubbed raw. While dating, your beliefs might not seem that important but when you need to work together to build a home and raise a family, you will find you are rubbing each other the wrong way. Picture a triangle with God at the top, a man at one corner on the bottom and a woman on the other. As they grow in grace and knowledge of God, they draw nearer to the top of the triangle and to each other.
   Some believers don’t pay attention to God’s instructions. Ephesians 6:25 Men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.  6:28 So men ought to love their wives as their own bodies...6:33 and the wife reverence her husband. I Peter 3:1-6 tells the wives to adorn themselves with a meek and quiet spirit and be in subjection to their own husbands. It does not say the husbands are to subject the woman, but the woman with the help of God, subjects herself to her husband and he dwells with her according to knowledge, giving honor to the wife as unto the weaker vessel as being heirs together of the grace of life. I Peter 3:7 

Vinson Library/Multi-Center
3810 West Fuqua 832-393-2120 Open Tue. & Wed. 10-6 Thurs 12-8 Fri. 1-5 Sat. 10-5 Closed Sun. & Mon.         www.houstonlibrary.org always open
Multi-Center open Mon. –Fri.
Sienna Branch Library
8411 Sienna Springs Blvd  281-238-2900
Teen Digital-Photography Contest  June 1st Aug. 1st. For ages of 13 through 18 and residents of Fort Bend Co. only. Entry forms, rules, and instructions on the website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us) –
Camp Sienna Teen Computer Classes . June 13 create a digital multimedia story    June 20 –  Prezi.  create  presentations.
June 27 MS PowerPoint. for class projects.
July 11 –  set up and maintain a blog.
July 18 –  create a customized website.
July 25–MS Publisher. make cards, etc.
Mother Goose Time,  Tues. 10:00 am, 
Toddler Time -- Thur. 10:00 am   June 12, 19, and 26.
Pre-school children, Story Time, movies, craft activities, 10:00 and 11:15 am each Wed. June 11, 18, and 25.
Pajama Night Story Time  Mon. 6:30 pm -- . June 9, 16, 23, and 30.
The Middle School Programs,  3:00 pm Thurs. June 12 ,19,26th–
Free Movies June 3rd, 17th 6pm pg rated
Blogging for Dollars!” on Wed. June 25, 10:00 am,
Sienna Book Club  1:30 pm, June 9,  Ha-Ha, a novel written by Dave King. Booked on Crime Mystery Book Club, meets fourth Tuesday at 7:00 pm, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
Going Global
Fort Bend County Libraries invites the public to join in the “Big Library Read” eBook-reading program, a world-wide project encouraging communities to read the same eBook from June 3 through 18. The 2014 selection for the “Big Library Read” is A Pedigree to Die For, the first book in the Melanie Travis mystery series written by Laurien Berenson.
This program could be a lot of fun as people from all over the world would be reading the same book. It could also be used to influence what people think world wide and that could be bad ...or good.


SORRY THAT I POSTED THE JUNE ISSUE SO LATE. I FORGOT. MUST BE GETTING OLD.