Help a Deployed Chaplain
At any moment, The Coalition of Spirit-filled Churches has at least a half dozen military chaplains who are deployed or who are away from home preparing to deploy with their units. These courageous men and women of God are often seeking Christian or sometimes "just" wholesome magazines, books, pamphlets, CDs, and DVDs, to take with them and distribute to soldiers, sailers, airmen, and marines who are often bored and lonely. Being deployed not only puts our forces in harm's way, but also places them in parts of the world that are devoid of caring human contact, entertainment, and people groups who speak English. Our chaplains and their servicemembers miss "normal" human contact. They miss getting greeting cards and snacking on their favorite foods, as well.
Just how important are mail and goody boxes to deployed soldiers?
Please take a look at this clip:
The chaplains listed below are CSC chaplains who have given their permission to be listed as deployed and desiring to receive supplies. And if they have specific requests, we have listed these too. Please, please pray about what you can do to encourage our troops and show the love of the Lord!
Thank you!
Deployed to Iraq
Chaplain Jonathan Goldwire
Jonathan writes that he misses: "Ritz Sweet Home Sour Cream & Onion Toasted Chips along with sermons on cd. Cards, letters and pictures are always nice."
CH (1LT) Jonathan Goldwire
HHC, 2-224th AV
COB ADDER
APO, AE 09331
To see pictures of Chaplain Goldwire and his chapel community, please visit his FaceBook page.
Deployed to Afghanistan
Chaplain Nathan Rice
Editor's Note: Ch. Rice is a Navy Chaplain with the Marines in Afghanistan. Some information has been omitted from Ch. Rice's original text in order to ensure the security of our servicemembers serving overseas. These have been noted with ellipses (...). He writes:
We are redeploying a little over a month [sic] but if some of the supports [sic] want to send us Christmas things that would be great. We have plenty of hygiene stuff but not razors. Outside of razors any kind of hot water meals or simple stove cooking things would be great.
I will give a snap shot of my ministry over here ... During ... we were living expeditionary style, like true infantry Marines, and I had an idea of providing some kind of meal to boost their morale. My parents started Operation Happy Meal as a way of collecting pancake mix, griddles, and syrups to pass out at the ... So as the Pancake Padre, I go around making pancakes as a morale booster and a way to build up avenue for non-traditional ministry with the Marines. I am amazed at how many Marines and Sailors will pull me aside and want to talk while I am making pancakes. The services have been amazing combined with the opportunities to open up door to share Christ with men that are seeking out God. I am truly blessed and thankful for the Lord sending me here. I have had five baptism at this point and a lot of rededications and at least three new salvations. The Lord has done some amazing things through the faithful men of this battalion. We have over a hundred men that meet each week at different places reading the Bible and studying it on their own, all I do is facilitate their questions and provide any spiritual support. They have just sprung up as I was speaking on being faithful to the Lord, which was what I felt the Lord leading on my heart. Please pray that as we redeploy back to the states that they will remain faithful and get plugged into a good church that will feed their growth, which I am making a point to provide care for their next step. The causalities have been high but the Lord has given grace in communicating God love for them, even among the tragedy. Again I am truly blessed to be here and my wife said it best, this is the ministry we have been praying for and never knew this was it, until now. There is a huge peace over us. We are planning on continuing in this ministry with God's grace and guidance, until He calls us away to another place of ministry.
Chaplain Rice, Nathan, LT, USN
HQ SVC, BN Chaplain
Unit 73150
FPO AE 09510-3150
This address is good until January 1.
Chaplain Ephraim Garcia
Ephraim is looking for Christian literature and recordings and writes that "All is well here and ministry has been awesome!"
Chaplain (Major) Ephraim Garcia
US NSE/CHAPEL
HQ ISAF
APO AE 09356
Three pages of images and a narrative of Chaplain Garcia's officiation in a military ceremony honoring Memorial Day and fallen heroes at The Destille Gardens in Afghanistan this year may be found at http://www.dvidshub.net/tags/image/ephraim-garcia. More of the day's story many be found at http://spirit-filled.org/inthenews.html.
Chaplain Shay L. D. Worthy
Shay has requested good books and snacks from the U.S. and writes that he is "doing well."
Chaplain (CPT) Shay L. D. Worthy
498th CSSB
Unit # 15275
Box #253
APO AP 96260
Chaplain Eliseo Nogueras
Chaplain Nogueras writes: "I have a ministry center that has a place for service members to come relax, watch a movie, and also pick through our bins of goodies. Usually people send care packages to me and I place them out so it is well received. The items that are mostly needed as you can imagine are hygiene products soap, shampoo, deodorant, wipes, toohpaste, and non-perishable foods."
Chaplain (MAJ) Eliseo Nogueras
43D MP Brigade,
Bagram Airfield,
APO AE 09354
Chaplain Edward (Ted) Baccich
Chaplain Baccich writes:
"The ministry here is GIGANTIC. I have 40,000 PLUS Military, DA civilians and contractors under my [pastoral care] charge as BDE Chap. I have no BN Chaps.... I am going to inherit a Sunday evening Contemporary Service that has HUGE potential. It has a full band and they are very open to the things of God. There is much potential here for good or evil. I believe good will prevail but the spiritual as well as the physical enemy is real. COULD REALLY USE... PRAYER."
CH (MAJ) Edward R. (Ted) Baccich
401st AFSB
APO AE 09354
Deployed to Kuwait
Chaplain Bradley Cedergren
Bradley writes: "We finally made it to Kuwait."
Chaplain (1LT) Bradley Cedergren
TF 1-194 AR HHC
Camp Virginia, Kuwait
APO, AE 09327
Soon to Deploy
Chaplain John Denny
John writes that "We will be heading out of here around the middle of August or so."
Chaplain (1LT) John Denny, USARNG
1/151 ARB
C/O 21st Cav.
7047 Murphy Loop
Ft. Hood, TX 76544
OCONUS PCSes
Chaplain Joshua Ade, currently in Korea
CH(CPT) Joshua Ade
PSC 3, BOX 6082
APO, AP 96266