The country-and-western tourist town of Branson, Missouri, mourned Friday for more than a dozen sightseers who were killed when a duck boat capsized and sank in stormy weather in the deadliest such accident in almost two decades. Divers found four more bodies in Table Rock Lake, bringing the death toll to 17, including nine people from the same family and the crew member who was steering the amphibious vessel.
In their initial assessment, authorities blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength.
"Branson is a city full of smiles," Mayor Karen Best said. "We have so much fun here. But today we are grieving and crying."
[Editor's Comment: It was in August 2009 when I was the Director/Endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC, I was elected by the endorsers of the NAE Chaplains Commission to be their Chairman. We had a retreat in Branson for Chaplains endorsed by the NAE Chaplains Commission. Retired Army Chaplain (Colonel) Paul Vicalvi, the executive director of NAE Chaplains
Commission, invited Melvine and me to attend. One evening we took a boat ride on that very lake, Table Rock Lake.
Chaplain, Major General Cecil Richardson, Chief of Air Force Chaplains was our featured speaker for the training of the retreat on "Moral Courage." He was assigned to the same suite of rooms we were given. We had breakfast together and special times of fellowship. Cecil Richardson, an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God, is a very humble man. We got to know him personally. As a result, I invited Cecil Richardson to be our speaker for our Chaplains Retreat in Virginia Beach, VA. It was one of the best retreats we have ever had. Ken and Karen Godfrey were a big help to me. In fact, I commissioned Karen to be our retreat planner and she did a fabulous job. God has gifted her with extraordinary talents in administration and creative event planning. Tim and Pam Moore were a part of the planning. Henry Pillow, now deceased, helped me plan a trip to historic Williamsburg for a day. He was a certified tour guide of Williamsburg.
Bob and Janice Lynch blessed us with their talented singing. Dr. Vinson Synan spoke to us on the history of our church and our chaplaincy. Arlette and Lavon Revells added immeasurably to the retreat. Arlette served as our official photographer, and played the piano for us. She designed our Chaplains Ministries Logo with the American Flag, Bald Eagle and the Cross, as well as our program for the dinner banquet. I am so glad I invited our daughter, Stephanie Ellen Morgan to be with us. She got to meet all of our chaplains and their spouses, and to get to know Sarah Tarpley, our female Army chaplain. Stephanie told me several times how much the retreat with our chaplains and spouses meant to her. She got to see first hand what her father did as the director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC. Stephanie is now in heaven having died on August 3, 2012. ]
In their initial assessment, authorities blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength.
"Branson is a city full of smiles," Mayor Karen Best said. "We have so much fun here. But today we are grieving and crying."
[Editor's Comment: It was in August 2009 when I was the Director/Endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC, I was elected by the endorsers of the NAE Chaplains Commission to be their Chairman. We had a retreat in Branson for Chaplains endorsed by the NAE Chaplains Commission. Retired Army Chaplain (Colonel) Paul Vicalvi, the executive director of NAE Chaplains
Commission, invited Melvine and me to attend. One evening we took a boat ride on that very lake, Table Rock Lake.
Chaplain, Major General Cecil Richardson, Chief of Air Force Chaplains was our featured speaker for the training of the retreat on "Moral Courage." He was assigned to the same suite of rooms we were given. We had breakfast together and special times of fellowship. Cecil Richardson, an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God, is a very humble man. We got to know him personally. As a result, I invited Cecil Richardson to be our speaker for our Chaplains Retreat in Virginia Beach, VA. It was one of the best retreats we have ever had. Ken and Karen Godfrey were a big help to me. In fact, I commissioned Karen to be our retreat planner and she did a fabulous job. God has gifted her with extraordinary talents in administration and creative event planning. Tim and Pam Moore were a part of the planning. Henry Pillow, now deceased, helped me plan a trip to historic Williamsburg for a day. He was a certified tour guide of Williamsburg.
Bob and Janice Lynch blessed us with their talented singing. Dr. Vinson Synan spoke to us on the history of our church and our chaplaincy. Arlette and Lavon Revells added immeasurably to the retreat. Arlette served as our official photographer, and played the piano for us. She designed our Chaplains Ministries Logo with the American Flag, Bald Eagle and the Cross, as well as our program for the dinner banquet. I am so glad I invited our daughter, Stephanie Ellen Morgan to be with us. She got to meet all of our chaplains and their spouses, and to get to know Sarah Tarpley, our female Army chaplain. Stephanie told me several times how much the retreat with our chaplains and spouses meant to her. She got to see first hand what her father did as the director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC. Stephanie is now in heaven having died on August 3, 2012. ]