The Venturers at MDPC
All folks 50+ are welcome to gatherings of The Venturers at MDPC. The Venturers at MDPC is a group of people, either single or married, who meet each month for fellowship, dinner, and an informative and enriching program. Our programs normally are on the 1st Monday of the month at 6pm, Sep-May, at Fratelli's Ristorante (Wirt & Westview).
2025-2026 Program Season
September 8, 2025 (Second Monday)
MDPC Master Plan Update
Pastor Alf Halvorson will share the MDPC Master Plan status and would love to hear our reaction.
October 6, 2025
The Ups and Downs of Humans in Space
Dr. Ed Powers will cover the challenges of preparing average people for living in an environment without gravity. He will discuss current modes of getting to space, adaptation and living in the austere environment, and re-adapting to gravity after returning to Earth.
November 3, 2025
My Life as a Dyslexic
James Faulkner has an interesting life. His dyslexia was diagnosed in elementary school. However, dyslexia was not well known in the early 1960s, particularly in a small town. He was classified as mentally defective. He’s learned to cope and now says, “Don’t expect me to be normal, I’m better than normal.”
December 1, 2025
Christmas Party
Harpist Mary Jane Sinclair will entertain with songs from the American Songbook and a variety of Christmas music.
January 12, 2026 (Second Monday)
Historic Houston
Mister McKinney has been a familiar face on the Houston TV airwaves since 2008, serving as the Resident Historian for Channel 11’s Emmy Award-winning Great Day Houston with Deborah Duncan. He hosts a weekly radio show on 90.1 KPFT and appears as a Houston History expert on Fox 26 mornings, 88.7 KUHF, and CW39.
February 2, 2026
God at Work Around the World
Come enjoy a meaningful evening of connection and conversation with Amy Delgado, MDPC Outreach Director. We’ll travel the globe to look at how God is powerfully at work—both in our neighborhoods and in places we might not expect around the world. Through stories of real people encountering Jesus and glimpses of the growing Church in unexpected settings, we’ll reflect on how faith is taking root and lives are being touched in surprising ways.
March 2, 2026
Making Movies in Houston
Alfred Cervantes, Executive Director of the Houston Film Commission and a native Houstonian has worked in the film industry in various capacities for the past 33 years. He works to promote Houston and Harris County to film/TV producers, production executives, and independent filmmakers, to scout locations, and to facilitate any production’s local filming experience.
April 6, 2026
About the Spring Branch Community Health Center
Dr. Marlen Trujillo, PhD, MBA, has served as the CEO of the Spring Branch Community Health Center (SBCHC), a nonprofit and FQHC since January 2008. The health center provides low-cost healthcare, social, educational services including housing services for homeless youth. Their most utilized services are women’s health services.
May 4, 2026
Texas Representative Mano DeAyala
Representative Mano DeAyala represents Texas’ House District 133 in West Houston. Mano and Melissa, his wife of 30 years, reside in west Houston. They, along with their three sons, all are products of Spring Branch ISD.
HOW DO I JOIN VENTURERS?
Annual dues are $20/person or $30/couple (September–May). Paid members receive the monthly newsletter by mail plus a Venturers directory. You may join at a meeting or by mail (click here for a Membership form) or contact Connie Whelchel at connie2whelchel@gmail.com or 713-785-7701.