Sunday, June 3, 2018

In Memoriam - Eshmal Porter

Eshmal LaVern Porter, 86, of St. Louis, Mo., passed away Friday, April 13, 2018 at Thrive Assistant Living in Lookout Mountain, Ga.

He worked as an engineer at McDonnell Douglas and after retirement he joined the staff of his church and became an ordained minister serving with small groups.

Eshmal had served in the U.S. Navy and was therefore buried in the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Tuesday, April 17.  His Celebration of Life was held at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church.


Eshmal was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of the late Lowell and Ruby (Manahan) Porter. He graduated from Wayne City High School in 1948. He married Betty Lathrop, daughter of Albert and Grace Lathrop, in June of 1946.

He is survived by his wife; his brother, L. Eugene (Vickie) Porter of Wayne City; three children, Douglas (Angelyn) Porter of Burlington, Vt., Denise (David) Baker of Lookout Mountain, Ga., David (Karen) Porter of Hanover, Pa.; sisters-in-law Bonnie (Ivan) Holler, Barbara (Bob) Bolton, and Trixie Lathrop, all of Fairfield; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Service of Worship in Memoriam - Eshmal LaVern Porter

Call to Worship - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and unto an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. I Peter 1:3-5

Hymn of Petition - Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art - 
thou my best thought by day or by night
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word; 
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord; 
thou my great Father, I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heave'n's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

The Confession of Faith - Heidleberg Catechism, Q & A #1

Leader: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

All: That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and in death - to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with is precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. 

The Hymn of Adoration - Jesus the Very Thought of Thee
Jesus, the very thought of thee with sweetness fills my breast;
but sweeter far thy face to see, and in thy presence rest.

O Hope of ev'ry contrite heart, O Joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind thou art! How good to those who seek!

Jesus, our only joy be thou, as thou our prize wilt be; 
Jesus, be thou our glory now, and through eternity.

The Old Testament Reading
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD  is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:1-6

He reached down from high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:16-19 

As for God, his way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. Psalm 18:30-36 


The New Testament Reading
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. I Peter 1:3-9

The Pastoral Prayer & the Congregational Praying of Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:  and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.  

The Hymn of Hopeful Praise - Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, to his feet your tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored forgiven, who, like me, his praise should sing?
Praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him, praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favor to our fathers in distress;
praise him, still the same forever, slow to chide and swift to bless;
praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him, glorious in his faithfulness.

Fatherlike, he tends and spares us well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hands he gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes;
praise him, praise him, praise him, praise him, widely as his mercy goes.

The Declaration of Faith - Underlined in Esh's Bible
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession. I Timothy 6:12 

Born: 24 Aug. 1931, Akron, Summit Co., Ohio
Died: 13 April 2018, Lookout Mountain, Walker, Georgia

Married: Betty Lathrop June19, 1955 in Wayne City, Wayne Co., IL

Children:
Douglas 
Denise md. 1) John Soltau and 2) David Baker 

  • Noah Soltau md. (--?--) one daughter Eloisa

David md. Karen Devault

  • Lindsay
  • Ethan
  • Andrew

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