November 23 Today in OPC History

On November 23, 1950, OPC Chaplain John Betzold conducted a worship service on Thanksgiving Day for 125 American soldiers (members of the 17th Regimental Combat Team) on the frozen banks of the Yalu River in northern Korea. In the sub-zero cold, Betzold preached from Psalm 99:1, Jehovah reigneth, let the peoples tremble. Chaplain Betzold drew attention to God's sovereignty over the events of the Korea Conflict, from the bitter cold, to the Kremlin's influence in northern Korea, to the loneliness of being separated from one's family and friends. He then proclaimed that there was only one proper response anyone could make to God's kingship of justice and love: prompt repentance for sins, and ready belief in Christ the Savior.

Picture: John Betzold