We would appreciate updates on the location of our military because of continued unit movements.

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1 A PLEA for PRAYER February 6, No. 97 We would appreciate updates on the location of our military because of continued unit movements. Note: This list and plea will be updated and expanded as God gives information and grace. While this prayer plea is posted on the Internet, every effort is made to keep information appropriately private and with minimum information on mission, units and location. All requests, news and update information should be sent to the editor at: Coie.1@opc.org Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever (Isaiah 32:17). The request continues. Please pray for our OPC men and women, sons and daughters who are in harm's way, about to be in harm's way, and who support those in harm's way. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16b). Pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). Q. 63. What are the special privileges of the visible church? A. The visible church hath the privilege of being under God's special care and government; of being protected and preserved in all ages, notwithstanding the opposition of all enemies; and of enjoying the communion of saints, the ordinary means of salvation, and offers of grace by Christ to all the members of it in the ministry of the gospel, testifying, that whosoever believes in him shall be saved, and excluding none that will come unto him. [Westminster Larger Catechism with proofs: Ps. 115:1-2, 9; Isa. 31:4-5; Zech. 12:2-4, 8-9; Matt. 16:18] Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. (Psalm 115:1-2, 9) Prayer focus: Our Shield One of the blessings of the visible church as a whole and of those who compose it, believers and their children, is being protected and preserved in all ages, notwithstanding the opposition of all enemies. Our great hope while our warriors battle enemy forces in foreign lands and while our chaplains deal with laws that come that are in conflict with the tenets of our faith is that the Lord is their help and their shield. The promise of God s protection was true in the psalmist s day, in Isaiah s day, in Zechariah s day, in Mathew s day and forever! Whether it is from enemies foreign or domestic, and through whatever trials may come against his people, as we give glory to God for the sake of his truth and mercy, as we trust in the Lord, he will be our help and shield. Defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it. (Isa. 31:5b) He will make his people a cup of trembling unto all the people round about... (Zech. 12:2a) In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. (vs. 8) Thus we go forth in hope! Please pray that God will shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Pray that they will fear only God and not man and be of a good courage. Pray that they will be bold as a lion and that the wicked will flee. (Prov. 28:1) 1 of 5

2 Pray that as we battle forces both foreign and domestic in our long war, that our nation in its affliction depends upon and pleads with our God to make a way of escape and that in doing so, God will restore us as a nation to His righteousness and that we will continue to be blessed by and under his protection. Continue to pray that we will recognize the true nature of the enemy. Be not weary in hoping, praying and waiting to see the salvation of our great God whose new mercies come every morning! Pray that the Gospel may continue to have free course. Pray that the culture of death will be defeated and that our nation will stand united and will endure in the defense of freedom. Please continue to pray for the spouses, children, parents and siblings of our warriors. Pray for the families of the fallen, pray for the wounded and the one captured that they may all endure and come to rest and trust in Christ. May they defend our nation's liberties as guaranteed by our Constitution with stalwart hearts and minds. May we be animated to pray by the certain hope of obtaining our requests. Calvin We have lives precious to us in harm s way: Aaron, Andrew (two), Ben, Bradley, Brett, Chris, Doug, Douglas, Gareth, Isaac, Jeremy, Jim, John, Michael, Nathan, Nicolas, Noah, Paul, Rachel, Robert, Scott, Stephen (two), Victor, and Zach. Caleb and Jeremy have returned safely. Chaplain Richard Dickinson is deployed. Chaplain Ken Honken returned in November for medical treatment. New deployments shown in bold. [1/1/11] - From his dad Cpl. Caleb W. returned from Helmand province in Afghanistan in late November. The Costa Mesa Police and Fire Department staged an epic Welcome Home parade, complete with 15 police units and 3 ladder trucks with strobes and sirens, running past a mile of American flags snapping in the breeze and scores of cheering (and often welllubricated) neighbors. He... will likely be deployed again... in late The local parade is organized for each individual soldier returning [from our neighborhood] by a retired Marine Master Sergeant living in the area, married to a retired Air Force captain. Thank you for your continuing service, Sir. [1/1/11] From Pastor Iain - Greetings on this the first of the year and may the Lord be pleased to bless you and yours greatly. Thank you for your continued faithful service in keeping this list up to date. Please remove SN Jackie Stob USN, and Capt Jeremy Stuursma USAF, both of whom have now moved their membership out of the OPC. I would be most grateful if you would add PFC Jack Griffin USMC to the list. [1/1/11] Word has been received from Pastor Jeff that the mother of oft deployed SGT Harry L. has passed from this world and has entered glory on December 29 with most of her family members at her side when she died. It is a blessing as she no longer suffers the ravages of the breast cancer she battled so courageously for several years. She will be deeply missed by her husband Steve and the remaining 10 children (an eleventh child died in 2008). SGT Harry has been twice wounded in combat. Please pray for Steve, Harry and the rest of the family that God s promises will be their comfort and they may live out the Godly heritage of this dear mother! [01/03/11] - We have learned that 1LT Jeremy Brandenberg USA has completed his tour of duty. Thank you Jeremy for your service and blessings on you continuing service to Christ! 2 of 5

3 [01/07/11] - From Pastor Steve - Thanks for your labors. We are all troubled by the recent actions of Congress about the DADT legislation and the implications for believing service personnel, but have to trust that God's providence will use this for His glory. Col. Lee McL. is back on active duty in the USMCR. SGT Mike R., VTARNG, is back with his unit from [deployment]. They had some intense action... [on the border] and lost two men in a firefight but Mike testifies to how God protected and sustained he and his men many times. Laura Parks (Grace OPC, Vienna, VA) is now at USN OCS in Rhode Island aiming for a career in intelligence. [01/07/11] From Chaplain Tim Power (CDR, USN) bringing a reminder that he has been transferred from San Diego to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma AZ as of December. He adds that he has been trying to get a feel for the Marine Air side of things. Please pray for Tim as he takes up this new charge! [01/17/11] From old friend Lt. Col. (Sel) Scott K. - While true I am busy, not too busy to update you. It was on my mind to write you before I left so I'm glad you beat me to the punch. I'll be leaving Wednesday for [deployed base], where I'll be in command of a 6-plane KC-130 detachment and approximately 160 Marines. Should only be there for 6 months. Some of my specific concerns: 1. This is my 6th deployment since 9/11. Thankfully, not all have been 6 months and only one was slightly longer. But it's taking a toll on my wife... and our 3 children. They bear the brunt of it. Please consider my wife and be in prayer for patience and perseverance. 2. My detachment is particularly young, even for the Marine Corps. I was surprised at the number of first-time deployers I have as well. Pray that I and the other officers and SNCO's [Senior Non-Commissioned Officers] would lead and mentor firmly, fairly and to great effect. Also pray that the young Marines, especially those that are married, would not experience any undue hardships - either in country or on the home front. 3. Above all else, please pray that I would acquit myself well as a faithful leader and be able to find acceptable worship and Christian fellowship. Finally, one item of thanksgiving: I was recently selected for promotion to LtCol so I should be getting promoted sometime in the next year or so. If you know of any brothers or chaplains [at his deployed base] (or that are heading that way) please let me know. Of course, I'm always available to assist in any way that I can. Semper Fi, Scott [2/2/11] Received confirmation he is in-country. [01/17/11] From Lt. Col. Nathan H. - Thank you for hunting me down through my brother. We know the [Lt. Col Lynn A.] and he is soon to turnover command. He will be going to Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL for Air War College. We know Chaplain John Van Dyke well here on Okinawa. While we do not attend his chapel, he has been helpful to our small congregation, a PCA mission work. My wife... and I are grateful for a Reformed work on Okinawa, as during a previous tour a decade ago, there was no such thing. At that time [a former OPC chaplain] was on the island, but he was a staff chaplain, so we could not hear him preach, though he did baptize our first daughter in the chapel we attended. Chaplain Van Dyke is doing good work at Lester Hospital and at the Lester Chapel. Please do pray for his ministry. Also pray for the mission work, Okinawa Covenant Church, and our pastor, himself a Reserve Air Force Chaplain, Mark Moore. [We] and OCC, look forward to being of use to other Reformed believers during an assignment here. In His Service, Nathan H. 3 of 5

4 [1/27/11] from Pastor Hornfeld, San Antonio an update and good news on Chaplain Honken: Chaplain Ken Honken is doing well after his heart procedure to correct his atrial fibrillation. It looks like it worked. He has to stay in SA a while longer for follow up. His wife and two little girls will fly home to South Dakota tomorrow and Ken will get a week of leave soon to be with them. They are grateful for your prayers...and for those who loaning them the two child car seats! CH Ken Honken had redeployed [returned to the states] to Ft. Sam Houston, TX to receive treatment for a heart arrhythmia that reoccurred during his deployment to Afghanistan. [Please join in giving praise to God for his mercies!] The 77th General Assembly (2010) approved a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense concerning the proposal to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military. Of particular concern was how the proposal would affect our chaplains. To read the letter click here. We urge you to continue in prayer during the recently announced three month window before the law is probably implemented and beyond. Below is a repeat of our recent requests. The revision of DADT presents difficulties for many Christians, both those serving in line positions and those serving as chaplains. Therefore we urge you to pray for: 1. All who serve that name the name of Christ in our military, 2. All Christian chaplains who serve not only the military but also their churches under creedal statements of faith and belief, 3. That the implementation of this legislation will be just and righteous, 4. That the heretofore high moral standards of our military will not be severely denigrated by those of good moral character leaving this godly calling, 5. That your Committee and Commission will have wisdom in order to protect those who serve. Both met later this month. 6. That our military, serving in one of the last bastions of the defense of freedom, will not be diminished or perish, 7. That this trial will not also in time descend on the pulpits of our land. Please continue to pray for one of our warriors who need much prayer for strength to continue in the fight and for true peace of God in his heart. Finally, please continue to pray for a number of our Marines and soldiers probably engaged in current offensives in one of our theaters of operation that God would keep and preserve them! Chaplains Reports: With all of our military might, the greatest weapon we have in the long war against Islamic terrorists is the Sword of the Spirit utilized in the proclamation of the Gospel and empowered by the sovereign Lord of evangelism. The church wields this weapon best when the expectant prayers of His people accompany it. Pray the Lord of the harvest for the success of the Gospel and for more laborers for the harvest, specifically for more chaplains. Plead for a corps of reformed chaplains sufficient to fill every available opening and sufficient to minister to all of our own deployed warriors. Great petitions to Him bring! CH (MAJ) Earl Vanderhoff, USA, Installation Chaplain, Fort Greely, AK (Presbytery of the Northwest) The busy season of holidays provided excellent opportunities to minister the Gospel. I am leading a marriage seminar in February and possibly an English seminar as a 2 nd Language (ESL) Class using the Bible as the text. PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for the many services of this holiday season to be fruitful spiritually as Jesus is preached. Pray for many 4 of 5

5 marriages to be touched by the power of the Gospel as we lead a marriage conference at our chapel in February. Pray for our PWOC group that is starting. earl.vanderhoff@us.army.mil LCDR John Carter, CHC, USN, Command Chaplain, Naval Station Everett, Everett, WA (Presbytery of Southern California) I have begun my new assignment as the Command Chaplain at Naval Station Everett, an installation which supports 1 Carrier, 2 Destroyers, 3 Fast Frigates and 2 Coast Guard ships along with several other tenant commands. This puts me in charge of the Naval Station chapel and all religious ministry programs for the base. I am short a chaplain here at the Naval Station. With the carrier and strike group gone on deployment, I have responsibility for the 1000's of families left behind. I'm swamped and things don't look like they're going to change anytime soon. We are still getting settled in though. PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for some more chaplain help! Pray also that my ministry here is fruitful. john.a.carter1@navy.mil CH Jack Unangst Jr., VA Medical Center, Prescott, AZ (Presbytery of New York and New England) My Veteran congregation at this VA Medical Center is in constant transition. I have contact with most of the Vets for 4-6 months, then they are gone (some dying within days). Contact time being so short and pervasive Biblical ignorance so long, I often use familiar Military concepts to explain Gospel truth. Recently using SERE training as a model of core Biblical truths, interest was aroused as I taught: S(Survival)-3 enemies of spiritual warfare, Satan, sin, world; E(Evasion)-God s methods of cover and concealment; R(Resistance)-Use of private/corporate means of Grace; E(Escape)-The Lord Jesus Christ is the Way/Truth/Life. PRAYER REQUEST: Pray that the Holy Spirit will use such models of Biblical realities to (1) implant the New Life of salvation and (2) keep me plain, earnest, wise, bold in my preaching as a dying man to dying men. jack.unangst@med.va.gov Pray that President Barack H. Obama, will guide us as a nation in righteousness that is according to God s Word, and that he will be just, ruling in the fear of God (II Sam 23:3b). Pray for those who lead our warriors, from those in the cabinet to the NCO in the field, particularly for all those who name the Name of Christ. Pray for those who serve us, that their courage, strength and wisdom will not waver or fail, that their actions will be swift, victorious and bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1), that God will grant them safety and bring them home to their families. Pray for their wives and families, that as they are without their loved ones, they may endure and support them. Pray that we will minister to the families in the stead of those who serve. Pray for their testimony to the lost. Please pray both publicly and privately. Pray that our chaplains will be bold in the ministry of the Word that precious Word that not only tells how we can have life eternal, but also instructs how we are to live! Pray for all our members who serve, that the light of the gospel will burn brightly in their lives. In His hands, Robert M. Coie, for the OPC Committee on Chaplains and Military Personnel 5 of 5