Fred Porter
Salvation Experience
THIS STORY begins in Pontiac, Michigan. I was born in 1942 into a marriage that lasted about one and a half years following my birth. My biological father loved someone more than my mother so they were divorced in 1943. In the summer of 1944, when I was two, my mother and grandparents packed their belongings and moved to Los Angeles to avoid a custody suit brought by my father in Michigan. In those days he had no jurisdiction in California.
My mother and grandparents were Methodists although they did not attend church on a regular basis, but they saw to it that I attended Sunday school at local churches or community centers whenever possible. Although I was taught many bible stories and knew about God, I did not know the God of the bible, but even then I felt God’s hand on my life.
In 1949 my mother married a man attending the Los Angeles Police academy. During that first year he decided to leave the academy and join the Army to become a Military Police officer. Following the completion of his training in 1950, the Army stationed us in Oakland, California where we lived in the projects until 1954. Later that year we were assigned to Munich, Germany for one-year tour of duty where I once again attended a Sunday school on the Military Base.
In late 1955 we returned to the United States where my father was once again stationed in Oakland. Following our return my parents bought a home in San Lorenzo so that I could attend Arroyo High School and finally have permanent roots. All of this led me to a friendship that became my introduction to a life of faith.
My mother found a job working at a local bank. There she worked with a woman whose son was also attending Arroyo High School and was in the same grade. She told me about this woman and her son and asked me to introduce myself to him (Steve) and perhaps strike up a friendship. Little did I know that this was an appointment set up by the Lord.
Shortly after Steve and I became friends, he asked me if I wanted to attend a boy’s club at his church in Oakland where they did crafts and other activities which sounded fun, so I accepted. That was my introduction to The Neighborhood Church. I enjoyed myself so much that I began attending the Junior Hight group on Sundays and eventually signed up for Junior High camp at Mt. Hermon that the following summer. It was at that Jr. High camp that I came to realize that God’s grace pursued my heart and I committed my life to serving Him.
I became involved in (Omega) High School leadership, later in the college group, and finally, I became involved in adult ministries. In 1958 I met my future wife and we were married in 1964 by former pastor Dr. Jacob Bellig.
After High School, I decided I needed to extend my education so I enrolled at the College of San Mateo. After the first semester, I found that I wasn’t ready for the college experience. I also realized that I was vulnerable for the draft. Many of the young men I knew were being drafted into the Army and my being an Army kid, I knew I didn’t want to wind up in the regular Army. A friend at church suggested I consider the California National Guard where I could serve and still stay at home and work and accomplish my goals which were yet to be determined. So, I joined in 1961 and did my basic training and returned home to complete my obligation for the following nine years. My service was completed in 1969.
Following our marriage in 1964 we had three sons over the next 10 years. Our marriage lasted 49 years until her death in 2014. We raised our sons in the church and then, like it happens in many families, our sons were seduced by the music culture.
Early in 2003 we discovered our youngest son had become a heroin addict. He was arrested and placed in the court system. He was convicted of using illegal drugs and sentenced to 6 months time in jail. With God’s help and our love, he overcame his addiction. Today this amazing young man is an English Teacher teaching the English language to German students in Frankfurt, Germany.
Our middle son got his education in Architecture and has become a successful designer and businessman here in the Bay Area. He has a beautiful family with three children and is giving them a multi-cultural education both here and in Mexico where they were born.
In early 2008 our oldest son, having become a professional rock musician, and who for 15 years had toured with a major rock band and traveled both nationally and internationally, quit the band life. We saw that he was depressed and exhausted and needed help, so we volunteered our home to him at Lake Tahoe. I thought this would help him find himself and restart his life. However, I didn’t realize that this somehow only deepened his depression and sense of isolation. I had started going to Lake Tahoe a couple time a month to spend time with him and attend church with him. I felt he was making progress. However, in June of 2010 while going to spend the weekend with him we discovered his body. He has committed suicide. Even today, I cannot reconcile his death because as his father it feels that I should have noticed the warning signs. But I believe God knew his heart and brought him home. (Isaiah 57:1-2) That alone in my consolation.
In 1975 I decided to start my own business as a Painting Contractor. I became successful and felt I could be equally successful as a builder so 1982 I bought a large piece of property for a subdivision. I had to overcome many obstacles on the project which also involved a law suit over the fraudulent sale of the property. After more than a year I was not able to continue the suit and forced to surrender the property and file for bankruptcy. This was a desperate time for our family as I had invested everything in this project. We eventually lost our home and savings and needed God’s help. Almost immediately our friend who was a real estate agent found us a rental home where we were able to live for the next 11 years.
For 10 years I struggled to get us back on our feet financially and continued to pray that God would provide relief from this struggle. In 1992 I was recruited by a friend to join the maintenance staff at Macy’s department stores. I was able to close down my contracting business and find financial security. During the following 4 years I was able to prove my skills and expertise to my superiors and was promoted to Senior Executive of our division. This completely changed my trajectory and opened new doors. After 8 years I left my employment at Macy’s and joined an project management company where I became a construction manager for Target Stores.
Looking back, I can clearly see God’s hand in all of this. Although my eagerness put my family at risk, God was able to both teach me new skills and point me toward a career change that proved to be successful for our family. Never rule out God no matter how desperate you feel. He has a plan and you can trust Him to carry it out.
God also opened the door to ministry for me early on in my life. In 1959 I joined the choir and the Sunday evening group called The Choralaires where I served for 18 years. God’s hand was guiding me and opening doors for future ministry. During the years I served in The Choralaires, I became a member of a quartet which was very popular and performed regularly on Sunday nights during the musical portion of the Sunday evening program.
In 1975 our Quarter performed at the Bay Area Sunday School Convention. We were only the opening group for the main concert that evening which was the Covenant Four Quartet who were based out of San Francisco. I remember meeting these men and hearing about their travels and ministry and wishing that I could join a professional ministry like these men and use my musical talents on a broader scale.
Surprise!! In 1978 the Lord answered the desire of my heart and I was contacted by a friend who was a composer and producer for the Covenant Four Quartet. He asked me to audition for the Quartet. Although I had been doing vocals for a local recording studio, my concern was that I might not be talented enough for such an amazing ministry. But the Lord knew what He had invested in me and provided this opportunity. At the audition I was accepted and asked to join. For the next 35 years I sang with the Quartet. There was traveling, recording 15 albums, radio and TV, and performing all over the western and central United States and Alaska. It was a wonderful period in my life and as the word tells us it was “beyond all that we desire or even think”.
Up to this point I have described how I came to discover and accept God’s work of grace and redemption in my life and the blessings I have experienced through that grace. But my life has had its tragedy and pain. God has not promised us an easy life. In fact, most of us who reach our age have discovered that life can be very difficult. But God has promised to be with us and be our delight (Prov. 3:5-6,)
Following my wife’s death in 2014, my sons who were concerned about my state of mind, suggested I call on one of our friends with whom we had been close for over 40 years. She was widowed having lost her husband a decade before and my wife and I had stayed close to her through all of the following years. My sons saw that I needed companionship beyond what they could provide. Here again God had a plan for my future. So, I called her and suggested we have lunch as friends. That friendship continued and grow into a love that brought us both together to form the miraculous marriage we have today. Pat is the miracle of my life and I wake up every morning and thank God for her love, grace, and beautiful spirit. God completes our lives through his wonderful gifts. We have been married for four and a half years and counting. Every new day in a miracle.
In my life I’ve suffered business failures and successes. Many things have interacted in my life at any one time. I’ve lost a child and family members and through all of this He has loved me and been my comfort. As I look back over my 78 years, I can see His hand in all of it. God knows our hearts and the Psalms tell us that he has planned every day of our lives before we were born. He knows the hardships and victories and provides his love and care through all of it. The one consistent in my life had been the hand of God. I have lived a full life and a rich life and with whatever days remain, I will serve him till the end.
In conclusion, no matter where you are in your life, no matter your age or financial situation or other hardships, God knows all of it and has a plan to see you through to eternity. God uses everything in our lives to bring glory to himself. All he needs is our trust and faithfulness. Stay close to Him and trust in Him and he will be your delight.
Key Scripture
Prov. 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Isaiah 57:1-2, "The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."
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