November 7 Today in OPC History

On November 7, 1990, OPC U.S Army Chaplain Chet Lanious wrote John Johnson, then stated clerk of the Presbytery of the Southwest, regarding his deployment in Operation Desert Shield. In the letter, Mr. Lanious detailed his ministerial responsibilities. He said, "There is another chaplain in camp and we share joint responsibility for the Sunday morning worship service and a Wednesday evening praise and prayer time. The rest of the week I conduct a Bible Study in the evenings." He continued that one of his most time-consuming, yet pleasant jobs involved screening "Any Soldier" mail. He wrote that the letters come "from individuals, Sunday classes, civic groups, etc. Some of the correspondence expresses a genuine spiritual concern for soldiers or offers some Christian comfort and peace." Mr. Lanious closed the letter with a request of the Presbytery, "I covet your prayers and continued support of my ministry."

Mr. Lanious would serve as an OPC chaplain until his retirement in 2010. In 2012 he transferred as a retired minister to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Picture: (from left) Chet, Elisabeth and Rachael Lanious, and Paul, Margaret, David and Lois Kent at Trinity OPC, Hatboro, in the 1970s.