2021 Annual Meeting Delegate Book

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Annual Meeting Conference Eagle River Community Covenant Church & Virtual April 22-24, 2021, 6:30 p.m. www.alaskacovennat.org

C O N V I N C E D

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 8: 38


TABLE OF CONTENTS AGENDA REGISTERED DELEGATES 2020 MINUTES

3 4 5

EXECUTIVE & MINISTRY REPORTS LETTER FROM JOHN WENRICH SUPERINTENDENT REPORT, CURTIS IVANOFF ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT REPORT, BRIAN NANNINGA ALASKA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, KEITH HAMILTON, PRESIDENT ACC FINANCIAL REPORT COVENANT YOUTH OF ALASKA, BYRON BRUCKNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CYAK FINANCIALS REPORT KICY, PATTY BURCHELL, STATION MANAGER KICY FINANCIALS REPORT

10 12 15 18 19 21 24 28 30

BUSINESS RELATED DOCUMENTS EXECUTIVE BOARD NOMINEES ALASKA CONFERENCE FINANCIAL REPORTS FINANCIAL DASHBOARD 2021 BALANCE SHEET 2021 OPERATING BUDGET COMPARISON CHURCH GIVING REPORT 2021-2022 PROPOSED BUDGET

34 35 36 38 40 41

CHURCH REPORTS ROAD SYSTEM CHURCHES NORTON SOUND CHURCHES YK DELTA CHURCHES

42 50 58

APPENDICES ALASKA CONFERENCE CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS ECC MINISTRIES COVENANT EXECUTIVE BOARD SUMMARY LMDJ ANTI-RACISM DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAYS RESOLUTION TO REPUDIATE THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY SHALOM CIRCLES NATIONAL COVENANT PROPERTIES

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63 79 83 84 94 96


2021 ANNUAL MEETING April 24, 2021 AGENDA PREPARING OUR HEARTS 1. Welcome, directions & opening prayer 2. CONVINCED: Curtis Ivanoff ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING 3. Report on delegates 4. Acceptance of agenda 5. Acknowledgement of 2020 Minutes (approved by AC Executive Board) STRENGTHENING & SUPPORTING OUR SHARED MISSION 6. ECC mission and ministry video 7. Ministry Reports a. Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff b. Associate Superintendent Brian Nanninga c. Alaska Christian College: Keith Hamilton d. Covenant Youth of Alaska: Byron Bruckner e. KICY: Patty Burchell 8. Executive Board ballot & vote 9. Financial Report: Ben Schoffmann, Treasurer 10. Budget proposal & approval 11. Daniel Savetilik, Sr. award 12. COMS & licensing report: Rick Millikin GOING FORWARD IN MISSION 13. 2021 Minutes Motion 14. 2022 Annual Meeting location 15. Prayer and Adjournment

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2021 Annual Meeting Preregistered Delegates Bethel Chugach Elim ER Comm Cov Fairbanks First Covenant Golovin Hooper Bay Koyuk Mat-Su Mekoryuk Mountain Village New Song Nome Scammon Bay Shaktoolik UNK White Mountain ACC CYAK KICY ACON TOTAL:

3 3 3 3 3 1 0 3 3 3 2 3 0 3 1 3 3 0 1 1 1 2 45

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ALASKA CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES ZOOM Call – Virtual May 2, 2020

PREPARING OUR HEARTS 1. Welcome & opening prayer Annual meeting of the Alaska Conference was called to order at 1:06pm by Sam Trotzke Opening prayer by Pastor Chad Benkert. 2. Curtis gives an address about the theme Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff thanked President John Wenrich for his leadership, and support of the work of the Gospel in Alaska. He reflected on theme verse, we have much to be thankful for and we need to be calling on His name in these days and all days. This is not the first time we have faced a global pandemic, but in our time, it is real and acknowledged it is challenging for many. He shared that there are five characteristics of the rule and Kingdom of Jesus: service, justice, peace, consolation, and joy. He shared the realization that the story of Wilson and Minnie Gonongnan beginning Mountain Village Covenant was on the heels of the 1918 Spanish Flu. The gospel of Jesus moves forward because of people responding and trusting in Him, persevering even in the midst of challenging times. He offered encouragement, that as we persevere through this time, we can trust God. Though there may be scars and wounds, we will make it as we weather this storm. May we give witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God that is at hand, that our churches be marked by service, justice, peace, consolation and by joy. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING 3. Roll call of delegates It was report that 48 delegates registered and were certified and 47 are in attendance. Sam acknowledged a quorum was established. 4. Acceptance of agenda The Executive Board approved the agenda that was presented to the delegates for approval. Sam called for any additions to the agenda. No additions were made. Christina Perrigo made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Nick Bruckner, motion approved unanimously. 5. Acknowledgement of 2019 Minutes (approved by AC Executive Board) The Executive Board reviewed and approved the 2019 AC Annual Meeting minutes. If there were detail errors, people were invited to notify via email to the Conference office to make corrections. 5


STRENGTHENING & SUPPORTING OUR SHARED MISSION 6. Ministry Reports a. President John Wenrich President Wenrich gave a greeting and shared that while we are living in strange and difficult times we also are praying for global revival and a great awakening. The Holy Spirit causes this awaking. He read from Habakkuk. The ECC annual meeting was cancelled and there are painful decision to come. We are working on what decisions the ECC Executive Board can make and what need to wait until 2021 annual meeting. The ECC has offered a Financial Relief Initiative that churches can apply for. He acknowledged the losses in our Covenant Living communities, 19 people have passed away from COVID-19 in a nearby Illinois Covenant Living community. We keep in mind African American and Indigneous people groups in terms of the significant impact of COVID-19. When we go back to our church buildings, life will be very different. We will be going back to doing church in a world that no longer exists. Keep being innovative. As churches re-open, consider it a start-up. What would you do differently if you were able to do over again.? Churches that protect their mission will thrive. President Wenrich concluded with a prayer and blessing. b. Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff Superintendent Ivanoff gave thanks for all that serve, and for all our ministry organizations. This year, Aune Carlson and James Barefoot both concluded with service to the Alaska Conference, as well, Andrea Wilson will be condcluding. A whole new team is forming right now. Curtis reported that an Associate Superintendent candidate has been identified and the person has accepted. An announcement will be made when the timing is better for how COVID is impacting us. Mountain View Hope Covenant Church Covenant agreement ends in Aug, they will begin steps to become a member church in due time. Pray for that church plant as it moves forward during this challenging time. Curtis also highlighted the new pastors and encouraged us to pray for those who shepherd and lead He acknowledged and gave thanks for the 60 years of service of KICY Radio. The recently established Village Pastor Fund has been able to bless pastors thanks to gifts from the Wilson and Minnie Gonongnan offering as well as other giving. Over $30,000 was received and over $20,000 dispersed.

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Finally, he honored Jack Brown, who answered a short term call to serve as pastor of Elim Covenant Church. c. Alaska Christian College: Keith Hamilton President Hamilton shared one prayer request for ACC is that all of the students be able to return to campus, to be able to live in the dorms, eat the food, and attend classes. If the school has to go virtual, it will severely impact ACC. He then asked if there were any questions. One person asked how the issue of the default rate for students is being addressed. d. Covenant Youth of Alaska: Byron Bruckner Byron Bruckner gave thanks to all who minister to youth and young adults. Their priority is to increase training opportunities for staff. CYAK offered a training in Bethel this past year. Other priorities are the development of Chickaloon Retreat Center; student leadership development, where ministry internships are a focus. Covenant Bible Camp hosted 399 volunteers and campers last summer, and erved about 5,000 meals. In the Aarigaa young adult ministry, 60 different students participated weekly in worship and discipleship. About 136 gathered for retreats in fall and spring. There are 12 students in Aarigaa house, where there is also an auto shop mentoring program. e. KICY: Patty Burchell Patty Burchell shared that it is a privilege to be at KICY, grateful for the 60 years of ministry. KICY is putting together a memory book to honor the 60 years of ministry. There is a need for comments from the YK-Delta region to contribute to the book. It offers memories and reflections about how KICY has impacted people in Alaska. She shared that local ministers are delivering sermons to people in their home communities through KICY. They have hosted a live hymn sing in the evenings with a remote feed. 7. Financial Report: Curt Lindner, Treasurer Curt pointed out that in our binder there is an expanded and complete view of the financials. He presented a summary of the balance sheet, indicating we had an increase in total equity. In the summary of the profit and loss, we had a positive net income. There was opportunity for questions. 8. Budget proposal & approval Curt Lindner presented the budget proposal. He made comments that it has been drastically changed because of COVID-19 pandemic impact. A projection of 65% of the prior fiscal year revenue is forecasted. Curt explained more of the details and time was given for questions. A 7


number of detail questions were asked, mainly referencing how the pandemic has impacted giving and how adjustments were made as best we could anticipate. Sam pointed out that the motion for the budget came from the Executive Board, who moved to adopt the 2020-21 budget as presented, and that the Alaska Conference Annual Meeting authorize the AC Executive Board to make adjustments and changes due to the uncertain financial climate created by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sam called for a vote and the motion passed unanimously. 9. Executive Board ballot & vote Sam pointed out that the by-laws allow for nominations from the floor and gave opportunity to make nominations. None were made. Candidates shown on the zoom video. Instructions were given on how to vote using the poll on the call or by email. The results of the election will need to be made after the meeting. 10. Committee on Ministerial Standing report and credentialing - Rick Millikin It was moved, seconded and approved to approve the following ministers to receive the credential as listed: (ML = Ministry License, BVL = Bi-Vocational License) Gandee, Mary Eppler, Courtney

1st Time ML 1st Time BVL

Eben, Vincent Hoffbeck, Randall Mastroyanis, George S. Welles, Lisa Alverts, Michael Barefoot, James Mitchell, Criss Schoffmann, Ben Shaw, Tyler Ventress, James Williams, Drew

BVL Renewal BVL Renewal BVL Renewal BVL Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal ML Renewal

Ordination Finalization Benkert, Chad Smith, Heather

Ordained to Word and Sacrament Ordination to Word and Service

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11. Daniel Savetilik, Sr. Award Curtis announced that Heidi Ivanoff is the recipient of the 2020 award. She was not able to join the call. He shared about the many ways she has served including at Covenant Bible Camp, leadership at Unalakleet Evangelical Covenant Church on the board, as a Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School, helping to organize students to go to CHIC, involvement in Sewing Circle. She has blessed many with her singing. She has been a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus. We honor her today and will honor her at her local church when able. GOING FORWARD IN MISSION 12. 2020 Minutes Motion Sam indicated that we were seeking the annual meeting to authorize the Executive Board to review and approve the 2020 Annual Meeting minutes. Nick Bruckner moved to give this authorization, seconded, the motion passed. 13. 2021 Annual Meeting location Bethel Evangelical Covenant Church did a lot of work to prepare for the 2020 in person meeting. The annual meeting will be held in Bethel for 2021 if we are able to join in person. 14. Prayer and Adjournment Pastor Heather Smith led in a closing prayer. Rick Millikin moved to adjourn the annual meeting, Chris Perrigo second, motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 2:57pm. Minutes submitted by, Sara Battiest, Secretary

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April 2021 TO:

Celebration 2021 of the Alaska Conference Curtis Ivanoff, Superintendent Sam Trotzke, Conference Chair

Greetings on behalf of the Evangelical Covenant Church! It was a year ago in mid-March that pandemic shutdowns began. None of us will soon forget how difficult the past year was, and everything we had to navigate, fight for, and endure. I am convinced, however, that the church was built for times like this. The Gospel, communicated through the local church, is the hope of the world. In spite of the challenges and losses we experienced in the past year and all that we continue to face, as followers of Jesus, we can say with truth and confidence: God is faithful. Because God is faithful, we continue to proclaim and demonstrate the whole Gospel. Our mission is to join God in God’s mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world. Our mission priorities remain constant: to start and strengthen churches, make and deepen disciples, develop leaders, love mercy and do justice, and serve globally. Together we are a multiethnic mosaic of mission friends committed to the whole mission of the church. As a multiethnic denomination, we seek to live into the beloved community that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described. Therefore, we are developing a “Becoming the Beloved Community” resource suite that will help our Covenant family continue to become an authentic reflection of the kingdom of God–here on earth–as depicted in Revelation 7:9: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” In addition to your conference annual meeting, I invite you to join delegates from hundreds of other Covenant churches June 22-26 for Gather 2021, which will include the 135th Annual Meeting. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, our Covenant family will be connecting virtually. Information can be found at gather.covchurch.org. In this season of uncertainty and ambiguity, I am reminded of TW Anderson, the only lay person to serve as president of the Covenant from 1933 to 1959. Elected during the height of the Depression, he guided the church through a time of challenge, conflict, and developing identity. He contributed to a book entitled Covenant Memories, Golden Jubilee. It was written in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Covenant, from 1885 to 1935. President Anderson writes: “Living movements are not static but adapt themselves to new conditions. But basic principles remain the same.”

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The mission and the mission priorities remain the same, but the methods change as we adapt to new conditions. It’s part of our Covenant DNA. I am grateful to be serve alongside you. Your partnership in the Gospel will help us emerge from this crisis, not just three strands strong, but three strands stronger. We are in it together, going deeper in Christ and further in mission. I pray that this promise from God will encourage you and our entire Covenant family: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” —Isaiah 43:19 In Christ’s love,

John S. Wenrich President

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2021 Superintendent Report Our mission Churches and ministries working together throughout Alaska to cultivate mature disciples so that families, communities and the world will be transformed by the gospel. Our vision The Kingdom of God unfolding in: flourishing churches, vibrant ministries, restored lives and transformed communities. INTRODUCTION

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 2:4-5) Peter wrote this letter to followers of Jesus to encourage them as they underwent persecution and suffering. This past year, while the hardship is quite different than the audience of Peter’s first letter, has offered great challenges in many ways due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I give thanks to God for God’s faithfulness through these times. I also give thanks for our pastors and leaders who have persevered and exercised creativity to find ways to serve our people and to continue to give witness to the living hope we have in Jesus. One year ago we did not know what our path would be, yet, God has continued the building like what Peter described. For whatever lay ahead in this next year, may we know that we are God’s beloved children, and we are like living stones that have a great and powerful purpose as God continues working. Thankfully we are not alone in this building effort. I give thanks to God for calling Brian Nanninga to serve as our Associate Superintendent. Brian served in Alaska as Pastor of Student Ministries at Community Covenant (Eagle River) from 2002-2008. It was less than ideal time for he and his family to make a transition from Livonia, MI where he most recently served as a church planting pastor. I give thanks for the gifts that he and his leadership are providing to our collective work here in Alaska and look forward to that only to grow as he develops and grows relationships with our leaders, churches and ministries.

Alaska Conference Executive Board Y-K Delta: Marc Murchison, Mary Lola Joe, Jason Stromstad Norton Sound: Nick Bruckner, Christina Perrigo, Gary Bekoalok Road System: Ben Schoffmann, Sam Trotzke, Sara Battiest

CONFERENCE LOCAL CHURCH PASTORS AND MINISTRY LEADERS

The roster of our local church lead pastors, interim pastors and ministry leaders from throughout this past year. Pastor Church Pastor Church Ben Schoffmann Chugach Criss Mitchell First Covenant Open Hooper Bay Open Mekoryuk Adam London Bethel Rick Millikin Mat-Su Chip Swanson Elim TJ Smith New Song Community Covenant (ER) Nick Bruckner Unalakleet Todd Michero Community Covenant (FAI) Stan VanAmburg Vince Eben Golovin Mike Zabel Nome Don Cross Koyuk Jason Stromstad Scammon Bay Mary Gandee Shaktoolik ALASKA CONFERENCE P.O. BOX 200446 ANCHORAGE, AK 99520 CURTIS@ALASKACOVENANT.ORG PHONE: 907-222-6348 FAX: 907-222-6390 WWW.ALASKACOVENANT.ORG 12


Dennis Gilmer Phil Cannon Leader Byron Bruckner

Mountain Village Mountain View Hope Ministry Covenant Youth of Alaska

Open

White Mountain

Leader Keith Hamilton Patty Burchell

Ministry Alaska Christian College KICY Radio

PASTOR/LEADERS

The vocation of pastor is one of the most challenging. Our pastors have been diligent and faithful, giving of themselves in significant ways to be a part of meeting such great need. I honor our pastors for serving and ask that we will lift them up in the ways that we are able and called to for the sake of caring well for our pastors and leaders. In the summer of 2020, the following pastors made a transition to serve in the middle of the Covid pandemic: Mike and Emilie Zabel (Nome); Dennis and Zaya Gilmer (Mountain Village); Mary and Eric Gandee (Shaktoolik); Don Cross (Koyuk). God is faithful and I am deeply grateful for how each of them persevered to get to know and serve their community. We praise God that Kristi Ivanoff was called to serve as a pastor with First Covenant (ANC), her first pastoral position. We had the following pastors serve short term calls in this season, which I am so grateful for the support, encouragement and building that took place during their time: Chip and Joanne Swanson (Elim); Vince and Laura Eben (Golovin). I want to recognize and honor the pastors in our Conference who are serving as chaplains, providing significant care in a time of great need: Frank Alioto (Soldotna), Col. Mark Nakazono (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson), and Ed DeForrest (Providence Hospital). I give thanks to and honor the pastors who served and concluded calls in this past year: Justus and Tia Eben (Bethel); Charis Erhardt (Unalakleet). Also, the Gandee’s will conclude in Shaktoolik in May. God has blessed our churches through each of these pastor’s service. I want to honor and celebrate those pastors who will be ordained this summer: Ben Schoffmann (Chugach); Heather Smith (Eagle River – Comm Cov); Chad Benkert (CYAK). Praise God for the call God has given and the steps of faith that each has taken!

MISSION AND MINISTRY Often times in this section of the report, I have in mind the question “What has been accomplished?” In light of this year, so many of the markers that we might look to that would give us a sense of what we have seen God do in our midst have been stripped away. That has been the context in this past year. One of our pastors shared with me about “finding a way in non-permissible environments” from their time in the military. That spirit of exercising faith and trusting that God will still be at work in what might look like “non-permissible” times has been an encouragement. I offer that while this past year has not looked like years past, we have still participated in the sowing and watering of God’s Word, in the work of discipleship, of care. So let us not grow weary in doing good. Associate Superintendent Brian Nanninga’s report contains a good capture of our activity and what has been done. It has been a blessing to have Brian’s fresh eyes and energy added to our Alaska team. Mountain View Hope Covenant Church is our most recent church plant and in a normal rhythm we may have been taking action to have them become a “member church.” The pandemic has been a disruption to that rhythm, yet during this time Pastor Phil and Kate Cannon have continued to be faithful and reach out in the ways possible. New families have joined this movement, so pray in this next year for God to continue the building of this church. I am grateful for Brian’s church planting back ground to provide coaching and support for the church. Pray for Mountain View Hope and our on going work of seeking the Lord in what church planting looks like in the Alaska Conference.

ALASKA CONFERENCE P.O. BOX 200446 ANCHORAGE, AK 99520 CURTIS@ALASKACOVENANT.ORG PHONE: 907-222-6348 FAX: 907-222-6390 WWW.ALASKACOVENANT.ORG 13


We have a significant material need in our rural churches with places like Koyuk and Mekoryuk needing new sanctuaries, a financial cost of easily over one million dollars. We are grateful for the partnership of Samaritan’s Purse for the plans to build a new church sanctuary with a parsonage attached to it, hopefully in the summer of 2022. Doug Swanson spearheaded a several year project to refurbish the parsonage in Koyuk and it turned aout beautiful. He and his family made significant personal contributions and I honor their giving hearts. Elim Covenant, in partnership with the Alaska Conference, have raised the needed funds to build a parsonage this summer and I have been working with Mat-Su and Community Covenant to make plans for that project. Pray for us as we look forward to find partners to meet these needs and support our churches. Our connection to our broader Evangelical Covenant Church family is important for mutual support in our work of being Mission Friends as we do our part of sharing the good news of Jesus in Alaska. I meet three times per year with the Council of Superintendents (COS) and find it to be a significant time of encouragement as we strengthen that partnership. This year I was asked to serve on the Board of Trustees of North Park University as the liaison from the COS. In all of this work I strive to represent our Alaska Covenant family well. There are two things I draw your attention to and that is the coming recommendation of the realignment of our ECC leadership structure that will be voted upon. Also, there is a resolution to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery that will come before the delegates. There is information and will be more opportunity to learn about these two topics. Much more could be said about the many phone calls, emails, texts and times of listening and prayer with our leaders. Please pray for and express gratitude to your pastor. They need to be lifted up in these days. We all need one another. CONCLUSION I count it joy to serve you in the name of Jesus. I close by saying that there is no greater name that we could represent and in whom we root our identity. We serve the risen King Jesus what he has built and is building is a beloved community that bears his name. We are not a corporation seeking to increase its bottom line or to be successful by standards that are defined by our society. So I urge you in light of who are are in Christ Jesus that we love our neighbor well, that we see and care for the downtrodden, that we bear one another’s burdens, which are many in these days, that we be strong and courageous to prayerfully battle the principalities and powers of evil in this world.In a time that has been marked by great turmoil, tension and tearing apart, we serve the one who can offer Shalom, unity and reconciliation by the work he did on a cross. Would we walk together in this Way of Jesus? I pray so. Jesus kisimi, (Jesus only) Curtis Ivanoff

ALASKA CONFERENCE P.O. BOX 200446 ANCHORAGE, AK 99520 CURTIS@ALASKACOVENANT.ORG PHONE: 907-222-6348 FAX: 907-222-6390 WWW.ALASKACOVENANT.ORG 14


2021 Associate Superintendent Report Brian Nanninga

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. 6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. 3

Colossians 1:3-6 (NLT)

This scripture from Paul’s letter to the Colossians has been resonating in my heart during this entire new season of being your Associate Superintendent. It captures the way that I feel about you and the churches you represent. In addition, it shines a light on my hope for the future of our conference, a hope that is rooted and established in the love of God and the promises of scripture. I have felt so honored to serve you in this way over the last 8 months and am looking ahead with great anticipation to the years ahead. Much of September was spent in orientation to my new role and connecting with pastors and churches throughout the road system and beyond. In some cases, this entailed meeting with pastors whom I knew while serving as the Pastor of Student Ministries at Community Covenant Church in Eagle River, but in many cases there were brand new relationships to forge. Curtis and I spent significant time throughout the month talking about the history of the Conference and current realities we face today. In order to navigate the various ministries that are a part of the conference, I needed to ask many questions to bring myself up to speed. This was a time consuming but vital aspect of my orientation. One theme that emerged over and over again was the way that our hearts and minds are in lock step together. Mission ethos, practical theology, heart for pastors and lay leaders. In all of these areas Curtis and I find ourselves in deep agreement. Shortly after my orientation period began to wind down our lives and ministry were interrupted by Covid. First, I became sick and then Curtis and Kristi also contracted the virus. All of us were sick for a significant period of time and even though this was a huge disruption to our plans, ministry continued on through the beauty of virtual technology. I now have a love/hate relationship with zoom, as I’m sure many of you can relate. As we neared the end of the calendar year, life and ministry finally began to fall into a new rhythm, allowing us to live more fully into our calling as conference employees. Since that time my time has been spent in a few categories of ministry emphasis: Investing in Local Church Leaders—Denominational Partnerships—Financial Development

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Investing in Local Church Leaders Wednesday Webinars: I was able to develop a relationship with the Pacific Southwest Conference and get us connected to a shared zoom resource for leaders. This ran throughout the entire year and will continue through the month of April and potentially May. These have been very well received by our pastors and we believe they will continue to be an encouragement to them. Tuesday Check-in Calls: These are opportunities to do life together with other pastors from around the conference. We spend time sharing and praying together. This has been a rich time of care and encouragement. Anti-Racism Pathway: I continue to meet with this group as we journey together through various resources that help us grow in our understanding of the race and racial righteousness. We are also looking at an additional resource that might draw additional people in from the fringes. First Call Cohort: I created a new small group cohort designed for pastors who are somewhat new to the role of lead pastor. We meet twice a month via zoom for encouragement, prayer and training. This has been a great way for young pastors to feel equipped and seen by others who know their journey. Conference Retreats: These include the fall pastors retreat and additional planning for small group retreats scheduled for the coming year. Technology Projects: We are working on a number of projects designed to increase our ability to utilize technology for ministry purposes, be on the lookout for new initiatives in the coming year. Denominational Partnerships I have been invited to be a part of three denominational teams that I believe will add value to our conference. Each of these teams meet monthly with various projects between meetings. Leader Health and Development Team, Director of Church Planting Team & Missional Vitality Team. Some examples of the initiatives that have already come out of these partnerships include the following: 30 Day Pivot material for local churches. Ruth Haley Barton Webinar Alan Hirsch Webinar (coming April 29 and May 1)

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Financial Development This area has been more of a challenge this year due to Covid, but we have been able to have some success with new partnerships and reviving connections with groups that have contributed in the past. One new partner church has been developed in the Washington state and a grant was written and secured through the Mourier Foundation. These two partnerships will enable us to invest in the Technology projects I mentioned earlier. Thanks so much for your partnership in the Gospel! I am looking forward to the day that we can gather in person once again. In Christ’s Love, Brian Nanninga

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Report to the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church Dr. Keith Hamilton, President April 23, 2021 ACC celebrates the returning of 86 students this spring term with 12 of those being new students. As of this day, no students have left the campus. We also celebrate the following: 1. The issue regarding the default loan rate for our students continues to be resolved. The President’s Advisory Council and soon the Board of Trustees will meet to determine next steps. 2. 83% of all students are identified as Alaska Native/Native American. 3. Last Fall 22 students were baptized and 18 made commitments to Christ! 4. We now have 154 available beds on campus after the purchase of the new five year old. quadplex adjacent to our property. They are all two or three bedroom units and had the best building inspection report the inspector had ever seen on a five year old property. 5. Approximately 300 volunteers are currently signed up to serve as volunteers this summer. 6. The VISION 2020 Capital Campaign is now at $4.6M of the $5.0M total goal. ACC hopes to see the final $400,000 pledged by May 31, 2021. 7. 863 students have now crossed over the threshold to enter ACC as a student. This represents over 100 Alaska villages and cities with students attending ACC out of the approximate 250 communities in the state. 8. ACC’s income continues to represent 54% from donations, 43% from tuition, room, and board, and 3% from other income. This budget has been greatly supported by the CARES Act and those two grants provided to ACC over the past 10 months. ACC has not expended all the funds yet as it is becoming harder to determine how to use the funds specific to COVID only purposes. $245,000 remains unspent with the deadline in 2022. 9. By degrees attempted, 49% of students are in our General Education degree program, 20% Behavioral Health, 20% Christian Ministry, and 11% in Paraprofessional Education. There are currently no plans for any further degrees to be offered. 10. 100% of our students receive financial aid. This is raised through ACC’s internal scholarship program, Federal Pell grant funds, and native corporations. Finally, we celebrate that ACC is almost back to normal with most of the classes being offered in person and almost all the students living on the ACC campus again. We celebrate together!

35109 Royal Place Soldotna, AK 99669 p: 907.260.7422 f: 907.260.6722 www.AlaskaCC.edu

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Alaska Christian College Balance Sheet As of 4/6/2021 Current Year

101001 101002 101006 101007 101014 181802

121201 121202 121203 121204 121205 121209 121210 121212 121213 121251 121290

181818

141401

141410 171300 181819

181803 181804 181805 181807 181808 181809 181810 181812 181813 181814 181815 181816 181817

Assets Current Assets Cash & Cash Equivalents Checking-NR Checking Restricted-NR Federal Funds - NR Title III Federal Funds Admin Reserve - WF CTC - Cash- Covenant Trust Co. Total Cash & Cash Equivalents Accounts Receivable Accounts Receivable Student Account Receivable Catering Receivable Conference Receivable Lodging Receivable Miscellaneous Receivable Student Debt Receivable Summer Team Receivable Residence Receivable Pledges Receivable Allow for Doubtful Account Total Accounts Receivable Short-term Investments 7478-606 Mortgage Reserve-Red House

907,759.62 607,007.64 939.00 100.00 500.39 308,934.89 1,825,241.54 79.78 283,969.90 (2,193.51) (89.57) (9,300.47) 675.00 2,000.00 (47,400.00) 106,857.60 1,078,437.00 (47,065.00) 1,365,970.73 5,015.19

Total Short-term Investments Prepaid Expenses Prepaids Total Prepaid Expenses Other Current Assets Guidestone Forfeiture Account Discount on Promises to Give NR CD 8846 Total Other Current Assets Total Current Assets Long-term Assets Property & Equipment Long-term Investments CTC - Equity- Covenant Trust Co CTC - Fixed- Covenant Trust Co. CTC - Alternative Assets - Cove 7478-601 Mortgage Payment Rsv 7478-602 50% 500, 501, 600 7478-502 17% 500, 501, 600 7478-300 33% of 500, 501, 600 7478-503 5 Year Certificate 7478-603 Demand Investment 7478-302 Fancher 30-Month Cert 7478-504 Fancher 5 Yr Fix Cert 7478-604 Fancher Memorial DIA 7478-605 Athletic Center DIA

5,015.19 1,642.00 1,642.00 (3,581.27) (26,149.00) 66,052.07 36,321.80 3,234,191.26 6,000,485.13 476,887.16 288,675.56 15,293.01 9,547.98 88.16 49,753.13 94,445.42 8,545.74 350,256.58 13,014.53 23,683.04 5,245.86 1,771,949.26

Date: 4/6/21 04:15:11 PM

Page: 1

19


Alaska Christian College Balance Sheet As of 4/6/2021 Current Year

171302

101004 202000 202001 212101 212102 212103 212104 212105 212106 212107 212110 212112 232310

101003 212100 212111 242440 272510

272201 272202 272203

Total Long-term Investments Other Long-term Assets Residence Loan Total Other Long-term Assets Total Long-term Assets Total Assets

3,107,385.43 (13.92) (13.92) 9,107,856.64 12,342,047.90

Liabilities Short-term Liabilities Accounts Payable Bank of America Clearning Accounts Payable A/P General Operations FICA Federal Income Tax AFLAC - Employee Deductions FSA - Employee Contibutions Pension/Retirement - Employee Contributions

(120.58) (570.54) 52.81 (1,985.98) (1,204.55) (1,694.02) (4,507.18) 21,904.47

Student Credit for Work Study Medical Pension/Retirement - Employer Insurance - LTD Building Deposits Total Accounts Payable Other Short-term Liabilities Bank of America Clearing Title 3 Payroll Liability Insurance - Life PPP Loan Sales Tax Payable Total Other Short-term Liabilities Total Short-term Liabilities Long-term Liabilities Long-term Liabilities Mortgage Payable 912 Mortgage Payable 913 Mortgage Payable 914 Total Long-term Liabilities Total Long-term Liabilities Total Liabilities

(60.15) (703.51) 7,964.95 (0.26) 3,580.00 22,655.46 120.58 741.54 1,012.17 756,389.05 30.00 758,293.34 780,948.80

293,240.22 185,999.82 (2,391.53) 476,848.51 476,848.51 1,257,797.31

Net Assets Beginning Net Assets Net Assets Current YTD Net Income

7,934,426.69 3,149,823.90 3,149,823.90 11,084,250.59

Total Current YTD Net Income Total Net Assets Total Liabilities and Net Assets

12,342,047.90

Date: 4/6/21 04:15:11 PM

Page: 2

20


Annual Report Bible Camp This past year with Covid we had to cancel in person camp but our program team lead by Marc Lantz shifted and developed “Camp in the Box”. There were speakers, worship, camp t-shirt and smores all included. There were approximately 275 that signed up. The CYAK team produced 4 aspects of “Camp in a Box”: 1) Camper Care Packages, 2) Group/Village Curriculum, 3) Social Media Campaign, and 4) Camper Calling Campaign. Based on multiple factors we will be doing “Camp in a Box” again this summer. However, we plan to emphasize the Group/Village curriculum this summer. We intend to send out a camp ministry team to various villages and churches. The team will include summer Interns, CYAK staff, and volunteers. We realize this will take a big effort from CYAK as well as the hosting community. Your prayers and encouragement are greatly appreciated. Young Adult Retreat This year we had 135 young adults and team members participate this year! PTL. Way back in September, we hosted our first online CYAK Young Adult Retreat with 60 in attendance. Some groups gathered at their local ministry sites and others joined us from their homes. We had live worship hosted by one of the sites, along with interactive games and even a time of corporate prayer and sharing stories. What we heard was not surprising: feelings of isolation have been amplified this year. There is a hunger for meaningful communication in meaningful relationships. Our weekend event was timely and deeply appreciated. In February, we had an increased turnout for our second online CYAK Young Adult Retreat over 75 participants joined in. Statewide Youth Programming Our regional event model (i.e. Fall Blast) had to be put on hold because of the pandemic. In spite of physical isolation, a few CYAK youth workers collaborated to host a 4-week “Youth Advent Online”, presented on Youtube. Thanks goes to Drew W. (Scammon Bay), Katie L. (Eagle River), Tom M. (Palmer), Katie D. (Unalakleet), and Ivgan S. (Anchorage), for their contributions.

PO Box 203356, Anchorage, AK 99520 | 907.222.1432 | | info@cyak.org | www.cyak.org 21


Aarigaa Fairbanks: 10-12 students have gathered pretty consistently. ○ Most students are from YK delta, with many from Quinhagak. ○ 1 current participant from Norton Sound. 6 young adults have either hosted aarigaa, provided a meal, led worship, or facilitated discussion this fall. Aarigaa Anchorage/ Aarigaa Zoom: There have been about 12-25 students involved throughout various seasons of the year. Because of Covid, it has been very hard to get together in person in Anchorage but there was an increase of outside Anchorage participants through Aarigaa Zoom. Students overall have felt very isolated this year, Aarigaa Zoom was a connecting point for many who were isolated. Aarigaa House Ministry Update This year was a fruitful one at the Aarigaa House. We currently have 11 students in the house ministry. Karl and Simone started the year knowing they wanted to deepen the level of discipleship within the House community. They have made solid progress in these efforts. The addition of a weekly Gospel study has been the catalyst for a lot of great conversation and growth. This study has helped to build relationships, deepen understandings of the gospel, and challenge students. An ongoing effort to run a test automotive program. This program aims to be primarily educational while providing some income. After one year, our longest standing participant is quite proficient, completing projects on his own and even nearing getting his first vehicle and driver’s license. Aarigaa Mat Su The Mat Su Aariagaa group has had 10-15 various members participate this year. This is a solid group of young adults that are committed to growing in Jesus and growing in Christian community. We Care - packages Through a couple special year end gifts we were able to send out 50 gift boxes to youth workers to bless and thank them. We also sent out 200+ boxes to youth ages 5th-12th grades who signed up for Camp in the Box. They received a youth action Bible and some other fun CYAK stuff. It was a great way to let them know that they are not forgotten.

PO Box 203356, Anchorage, AK 99520 | 907.222.1432 | | info@cyak.org | www.cyak.org 22


Chickaloon update We have had local volunteers continue to improve the bath house. All that is left is flooring and base trim for completion. This bathhouse is a game changer in making Chickaloon accessible for groups. We have also improved the picnic shelter, yurt deck, and outdoor kitchen this past summer. Second Saturday Tom Mute has provided great leadership for a monthly gathering for youth workers in western Alaska. This focus has been to encourage volunteers in mentoring young people. Jason Battiest is putting together a Mentoring Matter series to help encourage and equip more youth mentors throughout Alaska. This is an important time for us as the church to reach our young people. There are many confusing messages out there and we need to clearly share and be the GoodNews of Jesus in relationships with youth in our communities. Thank you for encouraging young people and youth workers in their walk with Jesus. Quyana, Byron

PO Box 203356, Anchorage, AK 99520 | 907.222.1432 | | info@cyak.org | www.cyak.org 23


Covenant Youth of Alaska

Balance Sheet

As of February 28, 2021

11:50 AM 03/22/2021 Cash Basis Feb 28, 21

ASSETS Current Assets Checking/Savings Northrim Unrestricted CYAK 1000 · Checking 1001 · Payroll Tax Checking 1002 · Savings Total CYAK Total Unrestricted Total Checking/Savings Total Current Assets Fixed Assets CYAK Fixed Asset Chickaloon Bathhouse CIP Aarigaa House CIP Aarigaa House Boiler CRC Bathhouse Boiler CRC toilet partitions Food Trailer Aarigaa House 2018 Snowmachines (2) Conex 3 Mac Computers 4-Wheeler YK Delta Snowmachine Snow Machine 2015 Snowmachine - Scammon Bay Accumulated Depreciation Total CYAK Fixed Asset Covenant Bible Camp Fixed Asset Warm Cabins CIP Comp & IT Equipment Furniture & Equipment Leasehold Improvements PJMS Vehicle Accumulated Depreciation Total Covenant Bible Camp Fixed Asset Total Fixed Assets TOTAL ASSETS

250,000.00

132,958.15 25,760.02 71,512.35 230,230.52 230,230.52 480,230.52 480,230.52

16,760.06 9,994.59 3,290.80 5,931.00 4,455.00 35,000.00 887,651.26 9,300.00 1,500.00 3,804.00 12,695.00 7,000.00 10,330.84 5,500.00 -40,074.36 973,138.19 30,793.61 1,699.00 23,371.30 60,340.58 36,967.41 203,021.51 -202,606.00 153,587.41 1,126,725.60

######### 24

1 of 2


LIABILITIES & EQUITY Liabilities Current Liabilities Other Current Liabilities PPP Loan 2112 · Deferred Revenue Nanninga, Jaime Alverts, Mike Capelle, Meritha Cross, Sam Hege, John Jarrell, Dan Lantz, Marc Lewis, Katie London, Adam Mute, Tom Thistle, Karl Ventress, James Williams, Drew Aarigaa House Scholarships Alaskan Leaders Fund Youth Events Funds Total 2112 · Deferred Revenue 2110 · Direct Deposit Liabilities 24000 · Payroll Liabilities Total Other Current Liabilities Total Current Liabilities Long Term Liabilities Aarigaa House Loan Total Long Term Liabilities Total Liabilities Equity 30000 · Opening Balance Equity 32000 · Retained Earnings Net Income Total Equity TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY

148,000.00 560.50 44,138.75 -3,685.75 -833.13 19,606.49 921.43 3,258.22 2,106.95 9,322.79 -1,142.17 15,022.15 9,942.66 42,667.98 183,173.65 9,716.81 23,909.22 1,800.00 360,486.55 -749.15 10,091.92 517,829.32 517,829.32 100,000.00 100,000.00 617,829.32 10,742.30 935,664.03 42,720.47 989,126.80

#########

25

2 of 2


Budget

$ Over Budget

Ordinary Income/Expense Income 4150 · Mission Fund 4610 · Grants 4700 · Program 4701 · Youth Workers 4709 · Scholarships 4712 · Program Registration/Travel 4713 · Payments 4714 · Indigenious Leadership Fund Total 4700 · Program 4950 · Pass Through Total Income Gross Profit Expense 6000 · Staff Expenses 6100 · Health Care 6300 · Moving Expense 6400 · Retirement 6450 · Salaries 6455 · Payroll Taxes 6451 · Internships 6452 · Contract Labor Total 6000 · Staff Expenses 7000 · Program Expenses 7100 · Communications and PR 7130 · Facilities 7135 · Travel 7140 · Board Engagement/Development 100,000.00

550,000.00

13,000.00

340,474.85

65,000.00 75,000.00 735,000.00

83,430.43 0.00 466,899.65

29,700.00 42,400.00 59,500.00 940,970.00

15,000.00 10,000.00 30,000.00 1,000.00

18,757.30 0.00 80,650.00 748,042.18

22,435.81 10,602.72 18,068.71 695.70

-59,581.74

40,750.00 698,620.00

5,000.00

876.80 -18,831.74

65,000.00

59,859.92

606,729.90

-4,123.20

1,305,000.00

1,032,971.83

-304.30

-11,931.29

602.72

7,435.81

-192,927.82

21,150.00

-42,400.00

-10,942.70

-91,890.10

-5,140.08

-272,028.17

1,305,000.00

-272,028.17

-268,100.35

-75,000.00

18,430.43

-19,890.63

-209,525.15

-87,000.00

80,945.03

1,032,971.83

2,127.15

45,000.00

25,109.37

17,885.00

470,000.00

550,945.03

69.57%

60.23%

106.03%

149.57%

79.5%

135.55%

0.0%

63.16%

86.85%

-46.21%

17.54%

92.09%

79.16%

79.16%

63.52%

0.0%

128.36%

55.8%

61.91%

13.0%

117.22%

% of Budget

Cash Basis

April 2020 through February 2021 Apr '20 - Feb 21

03/22/2021

11:49 AM

Profit & Loss Budget vs. Actual

Covenant Youth of Alaska

26

0000001 of


7150 · Equipment 7200 · Development 7225 · Meetings and Planning 7250 · Hospitality 7251 · Team Care 7253 · Team Development & Training 7300 · Insurance 7500 · Office 7600 · Student Leadership Development 7650 · Youth Outreach & Discipleship 7700 · Young Adult Outreach & Disciple 7800 · Utilities 7809 · Vehicle & mileage 7820 · Scholarships Total 7000 · Program Expenses 7814 · Pass-Through 7816 · Administrative Fees 7818 · Loan Interest Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Other Income/Expense Other Income Interest Income 8100 · Capital - ADH Donations 8300 · Capital Projects Total Other Income Other Expense 9100 · Capital Improvements 80000 · Ask My Accountant Total Other Expense Net Other Income Net Income

27

18,000.00 12,000.00 1,207,470.00 97,530.00

15,810.00 8,793.01 980,323.65 52,648.18

25,000.00

25,000.00

-159.67

9,768.04

25,000.00 0.00

97,530.00

9,768.04 -9,927.71

42,720.47

0.00

25,000.00

0.00

-169.62

9.95

662.35

236,500.00

207,016.11

-1,800.00

7,500.00

14,000.00

13,620.86

4,180.88

-20,105.90

10,000.00

4,798.61

27,000.00

16,000.00

18,000.00

15,000.00

11,097.69 17,845.43

6,894.10

17,000.00

8,100.58

20,321.63

-379.14

6,500.00

4,180.16

-54,809.53

-9,927.71

-15,231.96

-15,231.96

-25,159.67

-25,000.00

-44,881.82

-227,146.35

-3,206.99

-2,190.00

-29,483.89

-3,319.12

2,321.63

-5,201.39

1,845.43

-3,902.31

-8,899.42

-2,319.84

1,042.66

-7,658.81

8,000.00 8,000.00

13,660.77

341.19

14,000.00

27,660.77

9,428.61

9,042.66

19,500.00

28,928.61

43.8%

100.0%

39.07%

39.07%

-0.64%

0.0%

53.98%

81.19%

73.28%

87.83%

87.53%

55.75%

112.9%

25.53%

97.29%

47.99%

111.53%

73.99%

47.65%

64.31%

113.03%

4.27%

197.58%

148.35%

0000002 of


KICY MANAGER’S REPORT

2020 was a rough year for many, but God… I love that phrase. Always a reminder that He is in control and will often provide for our needs in ways beyond our expectations. There were many times this year my mouth hung open at the extravagant blessings of God, and times I couldn’t help but do a happy dance around the studio as God used people and circumstances to place a resounding exclamation point on the 60 previous years of ministry at KICY and propel us in to the next 60 and beyond. The station itself continues to function as it should. We had some challenges this year, but God provides the people with the needed expertise in the right place at the right time to fix what needs to be fixed. This past summer, our FM transmitter failed and needed replacing. Steve Smit, former KICY volunteer and engineer extraordinaire, was able to come from Minnesota as an essential worker and do the install. He also was able to get our phasor back on line as one of our towers had taken a lightning strike – highly unusual in Nome – which caused a tuning knob to melt. In November a strong late fall storm knocked the AM transmitter off the air. There was still a lingering issue with the phasor that needed to be fixed before bringing the transmitter back on line. Again God sent just the right person at just the right time. Rob Elder, who built our phasor, was available the very week he was needed (he is often out of the country or tied up with major, weeks long projects). He fixed the phasor in a matter of hours, then stayed days to work outside his wheelhouse and discern the problem with and repair for the transmitter itself. God is so very good. As a result of this, the Arctic Broadcasting Association Board decided that we needed to accelerate the timeline for an AM transmitter replacement. We had been fundraising for a new one all year, as our 60th Anniversary Campaign encouraged supporters to give an extra $60 (or more) in our 60th year so the transmitter, which is nearing the end of its expected life span, could be replaced in the next couple years. Thanks to a very generous grant from the Thomas & Cindy Massie Foundation and countless smaller donations form supporters around the nation we were half way to our goal when the transmitter failed. The plea for the acceleration of the remainder of the needed funds went out in December. By January, the remaining $75,000 had been raised. And I did a happy dance, amazed and humbled once again at how God provides for this station. The new transmitter has been ordered and by the time the Annual Meeting convenes, will be on its way to Nome. I am assembling a team of engineers and others who will do the installation in June, with Steve Smit taking the lead. It has been amazing to see God put the pieces together, again, a solid reminder that God wants this station here, now, and strong. Terry Reynolds will help with the install this summer, and I am eternally grateful that Terry is always available by phone for technical advice and help when needed. Another way we have seen God move is in the AM Translator project for Elim. We received a construction permit from the FCC to place a piece of equipment in Elim that will convert our AM signal to an FM signal. Elim has a hard time picking up KICY now, and this will vastly improve their

28


ability to listen. Norton Sound Health Corporation is allowing us to house the translator in the Village Clinic. We had to postpone installation last summer due to travel restriction to the villages, but are on track for installation this summer. Nate Hobbs has taken the logistical planning lead on this one, in consultation with Steve Smit. We look forward to completing this project in July or August, whenever God sends the engineer to do it. And He will. Again, it has been amazing to see the confirmation of this project as God puts the pieces together. Salmon Fundraising Dinners were put on hold in September. Two rescheduled for April, and the others have rescheduled for this October. Part of the mission of KICY is to connect the villages of western Alaska with each other and the church at large. We do that by broadcasting regional sports (volleyball and basketball this year) as well as church conferences as we are able. We were able to send Cody and Nate to Elim for the Get Together in March. What a blessing to be able to broadcast four evenings of music, testimony, and messages. Our listeners appreciate being able to participate in these events through the air waves. Volunteers are the heart and soul of this ministry and I am so blessed by our staff. They are hardworking, dedicated folks who love to share the Good News of Jesus through the radio. Lon Swanson continues to host the Breakfast Club (AM). After about 15 years in broadcast ministry, Lon has announced his “retirement” and will be moving back to Illinois in August. His consistent, servant’s heart presence will be missed by me, as well as our listeners. Cody Foret and his wife, Joy, arrived in May and after quarantining hit the ground running. Cody is an able audio editor and hosts The Coffee Crew (FM) each weekday morning. He is willing to do just about anything, and has developed an on air personality that is fun to listen to. Joy is the Jr. High Special Education teacher in town, but finds time to maintain our FM music library and assist with on air duties one weekend a month. Luda continues to handle all of the Russian Programming. She also has a part-time job at the Post Office. Kathy Horner has taken on much of the billing and Accounts Receivable responsibilities, as well as donation processing. She is also covering the weekday evening shift on the FM. Ron Horner hosts Retro Gold Saturday afternoons on the FM station, and hosts a classical choral program each Sunday morning on the AM. Bertha Koweluk and Lena Mathlaw share hosting responsibilities for SingSpiration, each taking every other week. Nate Hobbs has done so much to upgrade and maintain all things technical as our IT specialist. He and his family are also producing a children’s program that we hope to be able to begin airing this summer. George Bard fulfils the on air duties one weekend a month. This means each volunteer is only working one weekend a month now, rather than every Saturday, or every Sunday. It is a blessing! I am still looking for one or two more full time volunteers, especially in light of Lon leaving this summer. An on-site engineer would also be nice. God will provide. It is indeed a joy to serve the Lord and the people of Western Alaska and the Russian Far East at KICY. In this crazy year, we are more financially stable than we have been at any time in my tenure as General Manager. Our equipment is in good working order, and our volunteer staff a blessing. God continues to blow my socks off with His blessing and provision. It is an exciting time at KICY, and a blessing to be a part of what God is doing through this little radio station with the big signal at the edge of the world. Patty Burchell General Manager, KICY

29


10:10 AM

Arctic Broadcasting Association, Inc., KICY AM/FM

Balance Sheet

03/18/21 Accrual Basis

As of December 31, 2020 Dec 31, 20 ASSETS Current Assets Checking/Savings 1001 WF Capital Campaign 1003 WF Checking General 1009 WF Volunteer Fund 1010 NCP 600/601

62,390.24 53,573.32 43,498.84 95,351.90 254,814.30

Total Checking/Savings Accounts Receivable 1100 Accounts Receivable 1110 Accounts Receivable - Cash 1112 Reserve Doubtful Accounts 1115 Accounts Receivable-Trade Total 1100 Accounts Receivable

7,441.04 -889.04 19,101.02 25,653.02 25,653.02

Total Accounts Receivable Other Current Assets 1050 Investments 1058 Covenant Endowment Trust

149,415.11

Total 1050 Investments

149,415.11

Total Other Current Assets

149,415.11 429,882.43

Total Current Assets Fixed Assets 1400 - 2000 Fixed Assets 1420 Accumulated Depreciation 2010 Land 2020 Transmitter & Towers 2025 Replacement KICY-AM Tower 2030 Studio 2050 Satellite 2060 Buildings 2061 Triplex 2070 Vehicles Total 1400 - 2000 Fixed Assets 2040 Equipment 2041 Broadcast Equipment 2042 Automation Equipment 2043 Office Equipment 2044 Other Equipment

-626,674.78 195,183.88 344,545.32 108,993.61 60,570.31 41,217.77 533,430.58 591,100.00 45,600.00 1,293,966.69 319,671.30 56,783.06 55,154.58 17,952.34 449,561.28

Total 2040 Equipment

1,743,527.97

Total Fixed Assets TOTAL ASSETS

2,173,410.40

LIABILITIES & EQUITY Liabilities Current Liabilities Other Current Liabilities 3000 Current Liabilities 3040 Accrued Sales Tax Payable 3060 Accrued Pension 3070 Accrued Insurance 3080 Volunteer Support Fund Total 3000 Current Liabilities

30

114.23 1,584.30 10,700.00 500.00 12,898.53

Page 1


10:10 AM

Arctic Broadcasting Association, Inc., KICY AM/FM

Balance Sheet

03/18/21 Accrual Basis

As of December 31, 2020 Dec 31, 20 30,222.81

NCP #7470-900 Total Other Current Liabilities

43,121.34 43,121.34

Total Current Liabilities

43,121.34

Total Liabilities Equity 3000 - 4500 Fund Balance 3900 Retained Earnings 4000 Equity 4010 Paid-In Capital

52,064.30 756,318.04 1,123,865.98 1,123,865.98

Total 4000 Equity

-33,955.65 62,966.03 169,030.36

Opening Bal Equity Retained Earnings Net Income

2,130,289.06

Total Equity TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY

2,173,410.40

31

Page 2


10:11 AM

Arctic Broadcasting Association, Inc., KICY AM/FM

Profit & Loss

03/18/21 Accrual Basis

January through December 2020 Jan - Dec 20 Ordinary Income/Expense Income 5000 Broadcast Receipts 5010 Net Sales-Cash 5020 Net Sales-Trade 5030 Political 5040 Sports 5050 Program Revenue 5060 Donations-Alaska 5070 Churches-Alaska 5085 Promotion Income

20,379.83 44,292.14 48,174.39 7,815.00 2,546.68 26,943.17 23,304.60 274.62 173,730.43

Total 5000 Broadcast Receipts 5500 Non-Broadcast Receipts 5510 Donations-Outside 5520 Churches-Outside 5530 Salmon Dinner 5540 Arctic Ambassadors 5550 Rent 5561 Reimbursements 5570 Endowment Fund 5580 100% Sunday 5590 Memorials 5500 Non-Broadcast Receipts - Other

150,652.80 50,670.01 3,904.00 30,965.13 84,867.90 20,178.66 6,507.39 12,390.97 6,042.87 492.15 366,671.88

Total 5500 Non-Broadcast Receipts

3.33

5600 Interest Income

540,405.64

Total Income Expense 6000 Engineering 6010 Power Expense 6020 Parts & Supplies 6030 Engineering Maintenance

106,017.16 58,519.67 10,393.30 174,930.13

Total 6000 Engineering 6100 Programming 6110 Music Licenses 6120 Production Material 6130 Sports Programs 6140 Program Procurement 6141 Music 6142 Programs 6140 Program Procurement - Other

4,167.24 163.90 1,134.79 336.06 1,959.99 16.00

Total 6140 Program Procurement

2,312.05

6160 Russian Language Program 6170 Program Software Support

5,008.28 4,309.30 17,095.56

Total 6100 Programming 6200 News Procurement 6210 AP Wire Service

4,287.36 4,287.36

Total 6200 News Procurement 6300 Public Relations 6310 Advertising-Trade 6311 Advertising-Cash 6315 Promotion Expense 6320 Call Letter 6330 Salmon Dinner Expenses 6350 Public Relations-Other 6300 Public Relations - Other

44,034.89 714.00 1,065.57 18,142.70 245.28 58.04 257.25 64,517.73

Total 6300 Public Relations

32

Page 1


10:11 AM

Arctic Broadcasting Association, Inc., KICY AM/FM

Profit & Loss

03/18/21 Accrual Basis

January through December 2020 Jan - Dec 20 6400 Personnel 6410 Salaries 6420 Payroll Taxes 6430 Workers Comp. 6440 Health & Life Insurance 6450 403(b)9 6460 Volunteer Appreciation 6480 Professional Development

58,325.15 7,660.36 762.86 8,968.00 7,270.79 1,129.95 70.00 84,187.11

Total 6400 Personnel 6500 Administrative 6510 Legal & Professional 6520 Dues & Fees 6525 AK Conf. Contribution 6540 Business Meeting Travel 6580 Sales Commission 6590 Service Charges

4,740.50 8,315.00 2,200.00 757.85 1,108.24 809.40 17,930.99

Total 6500 Administrative 6600 Business Expense 6610 Equipment Rental 6611 Umbrella Insurance 6615 Broadcast Liability Ins. 6620 Office Supplies 6630 Postage 6640 Sales Tax 6650 Telephone 6655 Internet 6656 EAS Cable 6660 Bank Service Charges 6670 Interest on loan

807.46 1,151.66 1,668.00 7,412.71 15,281.48 5,055.88 5,963.23 7,527.12 748.98 281.72 1,372.35 47,270.59

Total 6600 Business Expense 6700-Facilities 6710 Utilities 6715-Tri-plex-Electricity 6720 Fuel 6721 Tri-plex Fuel 6730 Maintenance-Houses 6731 Tri-Plex Maintenance 6740 Telephones 6750 Property Taxes 6751 Tri-Plex Property Taxes 6760 Property & Liability Ins. 6700-Facilities - Other

4,466.35 1,217.71 17,910.16 6,864.07 4,267.89 5,184.47 430.05 9,518.60 5,969.60 14,795.92 0.00 70,624.82

Total 6700-Facilities 6800 Studio Expense 6810 Studio Electricity 6820 Studio Maintenance

18,065.63 924.78 18,990.41

Total 6800 Studio Expense 6900 Vehicle Expense 6911 Gasoline-Cash 6920 Auto Insurance 6930 Maintenance

640.02 1,427.81 22.77 2,090.60

Total 6900 Vehicle Expense

17,829.93

6950 Pass Through

519,755.23

Total Expense

20,650.41

Net Ordinary Income Net Income

20,650.41

33

Page 2


2021 Executive Board Seat Election Bios ROAD SYSTEM DELEGATE (CHOOSE 1) Courtney Eppler, Mountain View Hope Covenant Church Courtney was born and raised in Alaska. She currently lives in East Anchorage with her husband of 10 years, Justin, and their two-year-old, Oliver. Courtney attended Denver Seminary where she received a Master of Arts in Justice and Mission. She currently serves part time as the pastor of Community Engagement at Mountain View Hope Covenant Church (MVHCC) in Anchorage. It is her role to help the congregation engage with the community to see these assets developed and desires potentially met. Her goal is to help the church “seek the good of the neighborhood.” Prior to becoming a pastor at MVHCC, she and her husband were on the church launch team. They were members of First Covenant church when they moved back up to Alaska in 2015. They also served as resident directors for Aarigaa Anchorage from 2015-2017. Sarah Miller, Mat-Su Covenant Church Sarah Miller has been married 35 yrs. to David Miller. They have 4 children: Katy, Lois, Jared, (all married) and TJ. She is also grandma to 3 boys & 3 girls. She currently works for Mat-Su Borough School District as an Intensive Special Education Aide. Before settling in Palmer, Sarah served with her husband in Alaska Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. They started out in youth ministry in Noorvik, then in pastoral ministry in Anchorage, and concluded with the Friends Bible School in Kotzebue. She is the daughter to the late Jacob & late May Nelson. She is a graduate of Covenant High School and holds a degree in business management from Barclay College. She is also in process of attaining a Certificate in Medical Reimbursement through UAF. YK DELTA DELEGATE (CHOOSE 1) Ester Brown, Mountain Village Covenant Church Esther is from Mountain Village and came to the Lord in her home church in the late 70's. She attended Covenant High School and learned to grow as a follower of Jesus. She is on a year leave on the Mountain Village Covenant Church board after serving over 10 + years, and currently serves on the Lower Yukon Covenant Conference board. She loves the Lord dearly and is a strong prayer warrior., dedicated to serving Him despite many spiritual attacks. Other experience includes Mountain Village City Council, and she was a former mayor. She currently works as the Executive Secretary for the Lower Yukon School District. She sincerely appreciates Alaska Conference for diligently supporting Alaska churches and church boards as they are the backbone of the Covenant ministry. Adam London, Bethel Covenant Church Adam, along with his wife, Shirleen, and 5 children are blessed to serve at Bethel Covenant Church. Adam loves leading the church to look for where God is working and to challenge them to join in what God is doing. Adam has had a fairly unique opportunity to serve as an ordained Covenant pastor in the Norton Sound, the Road System, and now in the YK Delta. He is an Alaska Christian College Sprucehen (2002) as well as a graduate of North Park University (2004) and North Park Theological Seminary (2012). He has previously served with Covenant Youth of Alaska, Unalakleet Covenant Church, Nome Covenant Church, Alaska Christian College, and Amundsen Educational Center. Adam has a heart to see village pastors supported well financially, relationally, and spiritually. NORTON SOUND DELEGATE (CHOOSE 1) Beda Prentice, Koyuk Covenant Church I am Beda Prentice AKA Bim from Koyuk, Alaska. I was raised and adopted by grandparents Alfred and Ethel Adams of Koyuk. My grandparents were active in the Koyuk Covenant Church as leaders and choir leaders. I grew up attending Sunday school, church and traveled to the get-togethers with my parents. That is one of my favorite memories was being in the presence of my parents, family and friends attending church, it was very humbling to witness our older people who walked humbly and faithfully serving the Lord. Later in life, at the age of 33, I gave my life over to the Lord. I have been serving in the church as a Member, Secretary and Treasurer. I am blessed to have my husband walking alongside of me graciously, growing and serving the Lord. We have 8 children. Chip Swanson, Unalakleet Covenant Church My name is Chip Swanson.I came to serve the Lord and His Church from Minnesota summer of 1963. I served with KICY for 15 years, pastor in Golovin/White Mountain three years, Hooper Bay/Scammon Bay three years, Mountain Village six years, married Joanne Kayoukluk and served with her in Bethel. Our daughter Ana Lee was born there. We served there six years. We served Koyuk/Elim three years and the next five years Koyuk alone. From 1978 to 2005 I served our church's Bible camp, along with the mentioned pastoral service. Joanne and I are thankful for God's goodness in our lives and still serve interim roles when God calls.

34


Alaska Conference of the ECC Financial Dashboard

Through: March, 2021 % of Budget

Revenue Conference Churches Individuals ECC Appropriations Total

Expenses

Mission & Ministry Admin Facility Personnel Total

Net Income

Budget $ Actual $ Change $

Month 185% 23% 95% 356%

FYTD 137% 80% 83% 100%

168% 38% 100% 126% 120%

NOTES Large gift from UNK $15k from one donor in Feb (New Grant - 1x) YTD Timing issue? Only 1 month left. PPP Recorded as income in March

123% SSC $k over, YTD $10k was for project from prior yr. 53% Travel well below expectations 100% 103% No longer including pension for some pastors in WA? 101%

(3,219) 56,105 59,324

(61,625) (699) PPP Round 1 recorded as income in March 60,926 PPP replaced intended reserve draw for FY

$

Balance Sheet Unrestricted Cash Months of Reserves

This Month Last Month 281,695 229,292 Change is due to PPP recording as grant (loan forgiveness) 9.8 8.0 Used wrong monthly number in past. Sorry!

Comments: PPP loan forgiveness in process. Recorded as forgiven on Balance Sheet as of 3/31/21.

35


Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church

3:57 PM 04/09/21 Accrual Basis

ASSETS Current Assets Checking/Savings 11100 · First National Bank Alaska 11130 · FNBA Restricted 11100 · First National Bank Alaska - Other

Balance Sheet As of March 31, 2021 Mar 31, 21

Feb 28, 21

$ Change

1,521.47 53,057.24

1,521.47 54,432.35

0.00 -1,375.11

54,578.71

55,953.82

-1,375.11

210,779.75 13,488.62 316.36 949.69 26,207.02

228,145.12 13,477.17 316.09 169,272.98 26,184.61

-17,365.37 11.45 0.27 -168,323.29 22.41

306,320.15

493,349.79

-187,029.64

Accounts Receivable 1200 · Payroll Receivable from Churche 12000 · Accounts Receivable

6,403.37 13,894.46

3,829.83 6,280.00

2,573.54 7,614.46

Total Accounts Receivable

20,297.83

10,109.83

10,188.00

Other Current Assets 12998 · Undeposited Funds 12999 · Clearing Account

0.00 25.00

225.00 0.00

-225.00 25.00

Total Other Current Assets

25.00

225.00

-200.00

Total Current Assets

326,642.98

503,684.62

-177,041.64

Fixed Assets 19200 · Accumulated Depreciation 19700 · Chickaloon Land 19710 · Chickaloon Buildings 19800 · Village Land 19810 · Village Buildings

-43,896.16 95,000.00 187,700.00 175,000.00 50,000.00

-43,896.16 95,000.00 187,700.00 175,000.00 50,000.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total Fixed Assets

463,803.84

463,803.84

0.00

790,446.82

967,488.46

-177,041.64

2,749.31

2,858.58

-109.27

Total Accounts Payable

2,749.31

2,858.58

-109.27

Credit Cards 21200 · Bank of America credit card

3,560.38

3,265.22

295.16

Total Credit Cards

3,560.38

3,265.22

295.16

Other Current Liabilities 21400 · PPP Loan 22000 · Due to/from churches/affiliates 21320 · Payroll Liabilities

0.00 6,696.77 2,946.99

62,527.00 5,434.27 3,000.96

-62,527.00 1,262.50 -53.97

Total Other Current Liabilities

9,643.76

70,962.23

-61,318.47

15,953.45

77,086.03

-61,132.58

15,953.45

77,086.03

-61,132.58

734,073.79

734,073.79

0.00

Total 11100 · First National Bank Alaska 11250 · AC Savings at NCP 11210 · NCP DIA 7475-600 11220 · NCP DIA Church Planting8665-600 11230 · NCP DIA Elim Parsonage 8665-601 11240 · NCP DIA Village Pastors 8665-60 Total Checking/Savings

TOTAL ASSETS LIABILITIES & EQUITY Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 21100 · Accounts Payable

Total Current Liabilities Total Liabilities Equity 32000 · Operating Reserve 33000 · Temporarily Restricted 33220 · NCP DIA Church Planting 33230 · NCP DIA Elim Parsonage

5,105.04 -443.24 36

5,105.04 167,952.89

0.00 -168,396.13 Page 1


Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church

3:57 PM 04/09/21 Accrual Basis

33240 · NCP DIA Village Pastor 33330 · Benevolence Fund 33360 · Grants 33900 · Other Small Projects

Balance Sheet As of March 31, 2021 Mar 31, 21

Feb 28, 21

25,910.33 2,006.01 3,990.26 5,471.48

25,910.33 2,006.01 3,990.26 5,471.48

$ Change 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Total 33000 · Temporarily Restricted

42,039.88

210,436.01

-168,396.13

Net Income

-1,620.30

-54,107.37

52,487.07

774,493.37

890,402.43

-115,909.06

790,446.82

967,488.46

-177,041.64

Total Equity TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY

37

Page 2


25,451.66

90,597.00

83.33 12.50 37.50 100.00 291.67 83.33 187.50 10.42 233.33 208.33 375.00

80.40 0.00 0.00 -77.22 416.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 553.38 0.00 0.00 49.00 0.00 -184.80

52120 · E-giving fees 52125 · License and Fees 52130 · Bank Fees 52140 · Office Supplies 52141 · Telephone and Internet Service 52145 · Postage and Delivery 52149 · Equipment 52150 · Books, Publications, Resources 52155 · Dues & Subscriptions 52160 · Outside Services (Accounting) 52210 · AK Conf Publications 52220 · Conferences and Events 52300 · Executive Board 52410 · Travel

333.33 1,666.67

875.00

875.00

631.67

0.00 631.67

6,291.67

183.33 583.33 5,066.67 0.00 41.67 375.00

13.00 1,582.22 9,000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 10,595.22

41.67

0.00

Total 52110 · Insurance

52000 · Administration 52110 · Insurance 52111 · Insurance - Directors/Officers 52110 · Insurance - Other

Total 51000 · Mission and Ministry Expenses

51200 · Love Mercy Do Justice 51300 · Develop Leaders 51400 · Start and Strengthen Churches 51410 · Church Planting Appropriaitons 51500 · Serve Globally 51700 · Events

Expense 51000 · Mission and Ministry Expenses 51100 · Make and Deepen Disciples

Total Income

833.33 10,958.33 635.00 187.50

7,420.83 5,416.67

Budget

0.00 15,493.16 1,254.00 0.00 50.00 0.00 10,416.67 635.00 62,527.00 221.17

Mar 21

March 2021

1,097.03 55.00 44.00 1,825.60 4,517.25 768.52 3,477.00 18.56 1,871.75 2,968.62 3,176.42 49.00 268.82 4,097.12

9,497.28

1,395.00 8,102.28

108,600.68

84.97 2,592.99 81,588.82 13,000.00 0.00 833.90

10,500.00

371,748.39

24.00 133,861.21 51,787.17 400.00 2,415.00 50.00 109,736.70 7,585.00 62,527.00 3,362.31

Apr '20 - Mar 21

Operating Budget Performance

Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church

Ordinary Income/Expense Income 42250 · Fee Income 41100 · Member Church support 41200 · Individual donations 41310 · Raised Staff Support 41320 · Fundraising for Projects 42100 · Event Registration 42300 · Approp/church plant fund raise 43000 · Rental Income 48950 · PPP Proceeds 49000 · Interest Income

04/09/21 Accrual Basis

3:50 PM

38

4,000.00 20,000.00

1,000.00 150.00 450.00 1,200.00 3,500.00 1,000.00 2,250.00 125.00 2,800.00 2,500.00 4,500.00

10,500.00

0.00 10,500.00

88,500.00

2,200.00 7,000.00 60,800.00 13,000.00 500.00 4,500.00

500.00

305,420.00

2,250.00

10,000.00 131,500.00 7,620.00

89,050.00 65,000.00 0.00

YTD Budget

4,000.00 20,000.00

1,000.00 150.00 450.00 1,200.00 3,500.00 1,000.00 2,250.00 125.00 2,800.00 2,500.00 4,500.00

10,500.00

0.00 10,500.00

88,500.00

2,200.00 7,000.00 60,800.00 13,000.00 500.00 4,500.00

500.00

305,420.00

2,250.00

10,000.00 131,500.00 7,620.00

89,050.00 65,000.00 0.00

Annual Budget

Page 1


Total 54000 · Personnel

Net Income

Net Ordinary Income 56,105.03

-3,218.75

-3,218.75

28,670.41

34,491.97 56,105.03

16,555.83

12,238.17 150.00 58.33 1,245.08 2,864.25

1,200.00

1,200.00

4,622.91

125.00

Budget

20,885.60

0.00 12,994.91 97.92 500.75 3,231.19 4,060.83

1,200.00

1,200.00

1,811.15

342.23 0.00

Mar 21

March 2021

-698.91

-698.91

372,447.30

214,284.72

11,902.88 142,694.04 1,774.85 4,555.75 14,438.92 38,918.28

14,400.00

14,400.00

35,161.90

1,325.95 103.98

Apr '20 - Mar 21

Operating Budget Performance

Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church

54000 · Personnel 54450 · Moving Expenses 54100 · Staff salary and housing 54120 · Employer taxes 54190 · Payroll Expenses 54200 · Pension 54300 · Health/Dental/Life Insurance

Total 53000 · Facility

53000 · Facility 53100 · Rent

Total 52000 · Administration

52430 · Hospitality 52000 · Administration - Other

Total Expense

04/09/21 Accrual Basis

3:50 PM

39

-61,625.00

-61,625.00

367,045.00

208,670.00

10,000.00 146,858.00 1,800.00 700.00 14,941.00 34,371.00

14,400.00

14,400.00

55,475.00

1,500.00

YTD Budget

-61,625.00

-61,625.00

367,045.00

208,670.00

10,000.00 146,858.00 1,800.00 700.00 14,941.00 34,371.00

14,400.00

14,400.00

55,475.00

1,500.00

Annual Budget

Page 2


40

updated 10/12/2020 lower 48

Church/Organization Bethel Evangelical Covenant Church Chugach Covenant Church Community CC FAI Community CC ER Elim Covenant Church First Covenant Church Golovin Covenant Church Hooper Bay KICY Koyuk Covenant Church Mat-Su Covenant Church Mekoryuk Covenant Church Mountain Village Mountain View Hope New Song Covenant Nome Covenant Church Scammon Bay Covenant Shaktoolik Covenant Church The River Covenant Church Unalakleet Covenant Church White Mountain Covenant Church TOTAL

FY14.15 $ 24,575 $ 11,620 $ 395 $ 64,370 $ 2,800 $ 9,000 $ 1,886 $ $ 2,400 $ 1,489 $ 5,500 $ 2,282 $ 3,800 $ 1,616 $ 5,500 $ $ 428 $ 3,300 $ 10,011 $ $ 150,973 16 of 19

FY13.14 $ 19,867 $ 7,755 $ 1,240 $ 60,492 $ 1,000 $ 11,000 $ 2,328 $ $ 2,400 $ 1,077 $ 6,000 $ 1,915 $ 3,800 $ 2,200 $ 5,400 $ $ $ $ 8,508 $ 400 $ 135,382 15 of 19

$ 3,205 $ 4,500 $ $ 1,752 $ 2,237 $ 9,711 $ $ 113,809 12 of 19

FY15.16 $ 20,933 $ 7,170 $ 1,050 $ 43,399 $ $ 12,000 $ $ $ 1,800 $ $ 4,500 $ 1,551 $ $ $ 4,500 $ $ 1,638 $ 2,178 $ 10,326 $ $ 114,837 16 of 19

FY16.17 $ 18,750 $ 7,985 $ 1,350 $ 43,788 $ 2,040 $ 9,500 $ 800 $ 1,200 $ 2,000 $ 588 $ 4,000 $ 2,195 $ 2,000 2,307 2,000 1,846

$ 150,564

$ 20,968 $ 17,292 $ $ $ 146,204 $ 155,205 14 of 19 15 of 19 4360

$ $ $ $

$ 10,785 $ $ 128,618 16 of 19

FY19.20 $ 24,583 $ 10,510 $ 10,636 $ 50,450 $ 640 $ 16,000 $ 261 $ 1,200 $ 1,925 $ 1,320 $ 6,000 $ 2,175 $ $ 2,959 $ $ 6,870 $ $ 2,384

FY18.19 $ 25,000 $ 6,860 $ 8,321 $ 42,999 $ 640 $ 12,000 $ $ 1,200 $ 2,400 $ 1,322 $ 6,000 $ 3,068 $ $ 7,347 $ $ 6,240 $ $ 1,839

FY17.18 $ 25,000 $ 10,010 $ 600 $ 49,755 $ 2,000 $ 12,000 $ 531 $ 1,200 $ 2,600 $ 1,331 $ 1,000 $ 3,653 $ 2,000

Alaska Conference Local Church Giving Report

$ 11,454

$ 10,654 $ $ 122,407 14 of 19

FY20.21 $ 7,500 $ 9,430 $ 12,607 $ 43,720 $ 2,155 $ 12,000 $ $ 1,800 $ 2,000 $ 1,665 $ 6,500 $ 1,716 $ $ 3,040 $ $ 7,620 $ $ -


ACECC FY21-22 Budget Worksheet - V4.xlsx

Current Year (FY 20.21)

FY 21.22

Budget

Proposed

Actual

Change

NOTES:

Income 42250 -Fee Income

$

41100 · Member Church support

$

89,050.00

41200 · Individual donations

$

65,000.00

41310 · Raised Staff Support

$

41320 - Fundraising for projects

-

$

24.00

$

$

122,406.72

$

122,500.00

$

11,454.49

$

11,500.00

100.4%

$

36,787.17

$

60,000.00

163.1% Actual FY20.21 = $51,787; Moved Grant below. Expect growth.

-

$

400.00

$

-

$

-

$

2,415.00

$

-

42350 - AKC Church Planting

$

-

$

-

$

-

42100 · Event Registration

$

10,000.00

$

50.00

$

4,650.00

42300 - Appropriations/Church Plant Fund

$

131,500.00

$

109,736.70

$

125,000.00

43000 · Rental Income

$

7,620.00

$

7,585.00

$

7,585.00

45000 - PPP COVID Relief Grant (Loan Conversion)

$

62,527.00

$

62,527.00

100.0% Simplified accounting; forgiveness forthcoming

46000 - Special Unrestricted Grants 49000 · Interest Income

$

15,000.00

$

15,000.00

100.0% Special Grant; expected continued success

$

3,362.31

$

2,500.00

74.4%

110.6%

411xx - Non-Conference Church Support

Total Income

$

2,250.00

-

$ 305,420.00

$ 371,748.39

$ 411,262.00

51100 · Make and Deepen Disciples

$

500.00

$

10,500.00

$

-

51200 · Love Mercy Do Justice

$

2,200.00

$

84.97

$

-

51300 · Develop Leaders

$

7,000.00

$

2,592.99

$

5,000.00

51400 · Start and Strengthen Churches

$

60,800.00

$

81,588.82

$

5,000.00

51410 - Church Planting Appropriations

$

13,000.00

$

13,000.00

$

0.0% 100.1% FY20.21 combined member & non-member = $133,861

0.0% 0.0% #DIV/0!

None presently committed

9300.0% Planning 2021 Fall Pastor-Leader Retreat 113.9% Mpountain View Hope appropriations ended. 100.0%

Expense 51000 · Mission and Ministry Expenses

51420 - Village Church Support (ECC Grants Dist)

$

51500 · Serve Globally

$

51700 · Events

500.00

$

$

4,500.00

$

88,500.00

52110 · Insurance

$

52120 · E-giving fees

$

52125 · License and Fees

76,800.00

0.0% 192.8% No Orientation/Training/WA? 6.1% Village Pastor Support; Move below 0.0% Mtn View Hope complete #DIV/0!

Village Pastor Support (appropriations distribution)

-

$

$

833.90

$

4,650.00

$

108,600.68

$

91,450.00

84.2%

10,500.00

$

9,497.28

$

10,500.00

110.6%

1,000.00

$

1,097.03

$

1,200.00

109.4%

$

150.00

$

55.00

$

190.00

345.5%

52130 · Bank Fees

$

450.00

$

44.00

$

100.00

227.3% Change in Banking Apporach

52140 · Office Supplies

$

1,200.00

$

1,825.60

$

3,000.00

52141 · Telephone and Internet Service

$

3,500.00

$

4,517.25

$

4,500.00

99.6%

52145 · Postage and Delivery

$

1,000.00

$

768.52

$

1,000.00

130.1%

52149 · Equipment

$

2,250.00

$

3,477.00

$

2,250.00

52150 · Books, Publications, Resources

$

125.00

$

18.56

$

125.00

673.5%

52155 · Dues & Subscriptions

$

2,800.00

$

1,871.75

$

2,000.00

106.9%

52160 · Outside Services (Accounting)

$

2,500.00

$

2,968.62

$

4,000.00

134.7% Financial review/audit to be considered

52210 · AK Conf Publications

$

3,500.00

$

3,176.42

$

4,000.00

52220 - Conference Events => Cont Ed/Prof Dev

$

1,000.00

$

49.00

$

5,000.00

52300 · Executive Board

$

4,000.00

$

268.82

$

4,000.00

52410 · Travel

$

20,000.00

$

4,097.12

$

10,000.00

52430 · Hospitality 52000 - Administration - Other

$

1,500.00

$

1,325.95

$

1,500.00

$

103.98

$

Total 51000 · Mission and Ministry Expenses

-

0.0% $10k from a prior year gift; $500 so far this year

#DIV/0! 557.6% Lower due to no annual meetings

52000 · Administration

-

164.3%

64.7% Assume a new computer for one staff member

125.9% 10204.1% Change to Continuing Education ("all in" costs) 1488.0% Reduced travel; Continue some Zoom-based meetings 244.1% 50% of previous norm (more reliance on Zoom) 113.1% 0.0%

Total 52000 · Administration

$

55,475.00

$

35,161.90

$

53,365.00

53000 · Facility 53100 · Rent

$

14,400.00

$

14,400.00

$

14,400.00

100.0%

Total 53000 · Facility

$

14,400.00

$

14,400.00

$

14,400.00

100.0%

151.8%

54000 · Personnel 54450 - Moving Expenses

$

10,000.00

$

11,902.88

$

54100 · Staff salary and housing

$

146,858.00

$

142,694.04

$

184,313.34

54120 · Employer taxes

$

1,800.00

$

1,774.85

$

2,549.30

54190 · Payroll Expenses

$

700.00

$

4,555.75

$

54200 · Pension

$

14,941.00

$

14,438.92

$

$

34,371.00

$

38,918.28

$

46,335.60

$

208,670.00

$

214,284.72

$

252,047.00

117.6%

$

367,045.00

$

372,447.30

$

411,262.00

110.4%

$0.00

0.0%

54300 · Health/Dental/Life Insurance Total 54000 · Personnel Total Expense

Net Ordinary Income Operations

($61,625.00)

($698.91)

41 1 Page

-

18,848.75

0.0% Current year for Assoc Supt; complete 129.2% All payroll (salary, housing, tax reimb); 3% COLA; Off Mgr $22/hr 143.6% On part time office staff support 0.0% Tax treatment for pastors; accounted for in salary & housing 130.5% 12.5% of salary for Supt & Assoc Supt. 119.1% Actual current rates, plus 5% increase in January


First Evangelical Church of Anchorage

For the AK Conference 2020 Annual Summary Report

Contact Information: 1145 C Street, Anchorage AK 99501 907-277-3322, office@anchoragefirstcovenant.com www.anchoragefirstcovenant.com Submitted to the delegation by: Criss Mitchell, Senior Pastor Board Members: Lisa Oberlee, Chair Jonathan Casurella, Vice Chair Jamie Rose, Financial Officer

Nathan Reep, Secretary Kathryn Hoffer, Member Peter McClung, Member

Eeris Welborn, Member Criss Mitchell, Senior Pastor

The first Sunday of the year, I always give the church a blessing that I will revisit over the year. In 2020, the blessing of the year was: “You Belong and You Have a Purpose.” With the rise of COVID-19, the world moving into lock down, and individuals and families, becoming increasingly isolated, this became a weekly reminder that we are not alone. Rather, that we belong to a greater Body and despite not meeting “in person” each of us are important to the wellbeing of the Body. This definitely changed the nature of services as we adapted to a “virtual” church model. This was done with the help of several key folks. Much thanks to Wesley Piscoya for helping the church stay “on-line” through those early lock-down days. Thank you to Mat-Su Covenant’s worship teams for sharing their worship videos with us, until we could start to record our own. This began with Lynnette Harple, who started to record some church favorites with her piano and phone. Then Froukje Bruckner and her daughter, Tessa, began to contribute songs weekly for the service. Then Stan Summers and Froukje Bruckner gathered their worship teams and recorded a catalogue of songs that are still in use today. Despite not meeting in person for the majority of the year, the wonderful members and friends of the church continued to give financially to our ministry. This enabled us to continue our search for an Associate Pastor of Youth and Families. We eventually split this position into two part time positions: an Associate Pastor of Families and a Director of Youth Ministries. We were blessed to be able to hire Kristi Ivanoff as the A.P. of Families and Sarah Bender as the Director of Youth Ministries. In addition, we also added Vincent Eben as our part time Associate Pastor

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First Evangelical Church of Anchorage

For the AK Conference 2020 Annual Summary Report of Missions and Evangelism. These additions have greatly increased our ministry to the congregation and encouraged us to look outwardly to develop more avenues to minister to our broader community. Despite the lack of meeting through the faithfulness of the congregation, we were able to continue to develop our discipleship and service in several ways: • We helped two families secure housing. • We have helped numerous people with groceries, gift cards, automotive repairs, and bill assistance. • We started a small group that studied the history of race and the Church in America, to better understand how race still affects the body of Christ and to examine ways the ways we have as a local church have been shaped by these larger historic narratives. • We delivered pizza to young adults in Aarigaa to let them know we care for them and give them a sense of normalcy during their attempts to transition to a virtual community. • Volunteers signed up to regularly contact the eldest and most isolated among us. • The families of our children made small Christmas gifts and delivered them to the elders of our church. The most remarkable thing that happened during 2020 is that despite the chaos surrounding the year, we have not forgotten that we are a Church, a Kingdom outpost in the world and we have committed to continue being the Church through service, worship, and discipleship.

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Chugach Covenant Church (C3 Anchorage)

435 Standish St, Anchorage, AK 99504 – 907-764-3123 www.c3anchorage.org; Facebook: Chugach Covenant Church (@c3anchorage) Annual Report for 2021 AK Conference Meeting Submitted by Pastor Ben Schoffmann Leadership Team: Chris Noyles (Chair), Scott Stair (Vice Chair), Bethany Brown (Secretary/Financial Officer), Bruce Kovarik, Brad Alexander, Trelawny Kahuanani Pastors: Ben Schoffmann, Kyle Brown, Brad Alexander

Love Christ, Love our Church, Love our Community

Unsurprisingly, 2020 was a year of significant challenge for C3 Anchorage. In midMarch, with the onset of COVID, we transitioned to exclusively online services for 10 weeks. Beginning in late May, we held church outdoors at our Unity Center for 20 weeks through mid-October – and praise God, it was rain-free! Like many churches, we now provide online options as well as smaller gatherings for worship on Sunday. Our anticipated busy year of mission outreach (12 teams we schedule to join us through GraceWorks, Praying Pelicans, Mission Alaska, and our ECC partners in the Lower 48) was not able to be implemented. We tried a few weeks of scaled down outreach, but comfort levels with social distancing resulted in an early conclusion and postponement for remaining teams to 2021. With our school being shut down and park traffic virtually non-existent, C3 refocused its outreach to the Safe Harbor transitional housing facility (homeless and low income housing). We were able to provide toiletries, diapers, food stuffs and prepared a hot Thanksgiving meal for 120 residents, aided by some contributions from our East Anchorage Gateway Rotary partners. The staff and residents were deeply grateful. In addition, C3 applied for and received a $5000 ECC Missional Relief Grant to reach out to our neighbors who have been affected by the COVID pandemic. The funds are being used to help with immunity, both from the COVID and seasonal flu viruses (by providing healthy diet information, supplies and vitamin supplements) and from the dark forces of the spiritual world (by providing family devotionals to enable residents to hear about God’s provision and plans for them). These resources were targeted to the residents of Safe Harbor. Finally, after about 19 months of service, our Next Generation Pastor, Sarah Bender, resigned to take a position at our sister church, 1st Covenant in Anchorage. We rejoice at the lives that were touched and changed during Sarah’s ministry at C3, including a number of previously unchurched youth, and pray God uses her mightily in her new adventure. As a result, C3 is seeking both a part-time children’s ministry leader and a youth director. Through it all, C3 remains committed to love Christ, love our Church and love our Community. We are passionate about making a difference in our community as we love our neighbors and help point them to God. We covet your prayers for continued open doors, for laborers and a harvest. C3 Anchorage Annual Report; March, 2021

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Hope to Go

Community Covenant Church, Eagle River In these challenging days we must never forget that we are not alone; we have each other. The Covid-19 Pandemic has provided opportunities to care for one another in a spirit of generosity. We remember, God blesses us so that we can bless others; our families, our neighbors, and even strangers who are in need. We are all in this together! With God’s strength to support us, and his love in our hearts, we are more than able to overcome any difficulties that we face. At Community Covenant Church we prayed that God would enable us to live more fully into our mission of bringing Christ’s hope, healing, and wholeness to our community and to our world. He answered by allowing us to provide Hope in a grocery bag, call it –Hope to Go. Eagle River Grocery Bag is a food distribution project started at Community Covenant Church in August of 2020 in response to our awareness that there were people in the community in need of food. As it became clear that the schools would not be opening to inperson education, local social service agencies pointed out the stress this could place on family budgets that may already be experiencing financial strain from income loss due to the COVID19 pandemic. A team from Community Covenant Church joined together with the Children’s Lunchbox program of Bean’s Café to start the first Eagle River distribution site for the pantry food that Children’s Lunchbox has available. The program grew quickly as it became apparent that there is a need for this kind of assistance. Partnerships with the Anchorage Food Bank and the Eagle River Food Bank, as well as donations from individuals and local organizations are making it possible to distribute a wider variety of food every week, to a population that might not, otherwise, receive assistance. The program has been serving approximately 30 families weekly and relies on about 8 volunteers each week (from a pool of about 25) to retrieve, bag, distribute, and sometimes deliver the food. Individuals served range from a family of 7 (including several special needs foster children) where the breadwinner lost his job in retail management in March of 2020, to a single mom who works at a local food truck struggling to feed her kids and her mom, who is helping her manage her kids’ virtual education when she is at work, to a mechanic with 3 small children whose hours were cut back due to a reduced demand for services. We have had the opportunity to pray for people as we help them make ends meet at this difficult time. We provide each recipient a copy of the following prayer. May it encourage us as we serve together in the Alaska Conference – Dear God our sustainer, we ask you to pour your powerful Spirit into all who are empty this day. Fill the stomachs of your children who are hungry. Fill the souls of people who are feeling lost. Fill the lives of all who need you, but do not know you. May your Spirit fill us all to overflowing, dear Lord, and may we be inspired to share our abundance with others, so that there will be no more empty hearts and minds, stomachs and souls. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, who fills lives with your endless grace. Amen.

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C3 Community Covenant Church Well, what a year this past year has been. And yet God is at work in our midst. We are thankful that God is not diminished by earthly powers. We continue to strive to connect, cultivate and commission believers. This past year brought a renewed commitment and utilization of the three areas. Here’s what is happening in our church through these three areas of ministry. Connect: • Sunday morning services; in person and online • Zoom meetings • Young Adult supper Cultivate: • Wednesday night Bible Study • Youth Group • Men’s Bible Study • Teen Bible Study • Young Adult Bible Study • Food Bank distribution

Commission • 3 Baptisms • 3 Baby Dedications • 8 New Members • Shared Nepal ministries- Building Project • Support for various missionaries

We appreciate very much the partnership with the Alaska Conference and Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff, our sister churches in Alaska and the whole of Evangelical Covenant Church. Together with our Covenant family, we strive to connect, cultivate and commission God’s family to carry out our Master’s command to carry the Good News of Jesus here, there and everywhere. Board Memebers: Gary Larsen, Merrie-Lynn Eaker, Brent Amundson, Doug Lange Submitted by Stan VanAmburg- Pastor

2136 McCullum Ave. office@c3fairbanks.com Pastor Stan VanAmburg

Community Covenant Church

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Fairbanks, Ak 99701 www.c3fairbanks.com stanvanc3@gmail.com


2021 Mat-Su Covenant Church Annual Report March 2021

Greetings, brothers, and sisters in Christ!

An Evangelical Covenant Church

Jesus came preaching; The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15 NIV) 2020 brought so many changes for our church, as it did for yours as well. At first it didn’t seem like “good news” would be possible with all the negative impacts the world was experiencing. Even the church seemed to be marginalized as forced closures left many wondering if anything would be the same again. Over the last few months, Mat-Su Covenant has been journeying through the Gospel of Mark. Peter, after walking with Jesus for three years, travels for the next thirty years telling the incredible stories of transformation that were a result of Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God coming near. We discover that all of the amazing things that happened with the birth of the Church were accompanied by intense persecution, brutal treatment, public shaming, and even death. Yet, after all of that, while under arrest and facing certain death under Nero’s rule, Peter was able to tell the story of the Gospel with complete conviction and assurance that Jesus truly is the Messiah.

We are convinced that the Church is stronger now than before the pandemic. We have learned how to stay connected, while also reaching people with the good news in ways we had never explored. The enemy may try to use a world-altering pandemic to silence the Church, but God reminds us that He is in control. The Church isn’t silenced…its voice is loud and clear as we live out the love and grace of our Lord, pointing toward His message of repent and believe the good news.

We are excited to have called James Barefoot to be our part-time Village Outreach Pastor. James serves as part of our preaching team and helps coordinate outreach in mission. Mat-Su Covenant continues to serve in several ways locally and abroad. A few of these include: • Strategic partnerships with The Children’s Place, My House, Family Promise, CYAK, Alaska Christian College, the YAK, Front Line Mission, the Amundsen Educational Center, HeartReach Pregnancy Center, Frontline Mission, Praying Pelican Missions, and several more. Through our partnerships in missions, we have organized nearly 2,000 man-hours of service during the pandemic.

How you can pray for us.; As more and more folks begin to search out answers to life as they emerge from isolation, we pray that we are equipped to help them meet, know and follow Jesus. May God richly bless each of you in 2021, Pastor - Rick Millikin

Chair - Daniel Fisher

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The past year has been shockingly different than any of us could have expected. Our church plant has been meeting weekly for worship services for two and a half years now - the last year of which has been almost entirely online. There have been some wonderful highs and plenty of lulls along the way. In it all, we still recognize that God’s Holy Spirit is active and guiding us in mission, as we look for creative ways to stay engaged for the good of our community and flourishing of God’s kingdom. The lasting image for me is that of the tide. In many ways, last year felt like the tide (Covid-19) swept in and caught us off guard and we spent all our energy trying to get back to shore and the firm footing that we were familiar with beforehand. Somewhere along the way, we decided that rather than swimming for shore, we would swim toward the others who were also stranded by the same tide - often times not knowing what we would have to offer when we got there. One of our more recognizable successes was that we were able to help provide Thanksgiving meals to nearly 800 Mountain View families as a part of the Thanksgiving Blessing. This event is put on by the Food Bank of Alaska in partnership with churches and community groups, and has been held in Mountain View for many years. Because of Covid and the need to create a drive-thru distribution site, it was moved to another part of town. Many of our neighbors walk or take public transportation and would have been unable to go to the other site, so we were allowed to host a walk-up site in Mountain View specifically for those who could not get to the other location. In addition, we’ve decided to spend our money more intentionally on helping our neighbors. We are not 100% a truly sustainable church yet (we are at roughly 65-70% sustainability), but because we have not had to pay rentals fees for the last year, we budgeted to spend an additional $5,000 on benevolence in 2021. It doesn’t feel like enough, but it feels faithful, nonetheless. One of the best things that has continued throughout the last year is that we have been able to continue to pursue an intentional relationship with another neighborhood church. Last year, one of the last in-person gatherings we participated in was an Ash Wednesday service we shared with Leake Temple (AME Zion). Their pastor and I have become friends and we have tried to continue to find ways to bring our congregations together. We participated with them in their Watchnight service on New Year’s Eve and have shared a Sunday morning service together over zoom as well. Over the past year, our regular Sunday attendance has dropped drastically, and we believe that has a lot to do with meeting online. Only our most core, committed families have stayed a part of our zoom gatherings and we know that a few more participate by watching the videos we put on Facebook. Over the last 6 months, we have gathered a small group of people for an outdoor, in-person (socially distanced) communion service even during the winter months which has been a huge encouragement. We recognize that when we go back to weekly in-person meetings, we will not go back what we were last March. It will more likely be like launching all over again. Whatever the case, we will continue to follow God’s lead, filled with FAITH and HOPE and rooted in God’s LOVE, for the good of the world, starting HERE. Respectfully submitted, Phil Cannon, Pastor

907.227.3430 www.mvhope.org 48


2021 New Song Covenant Report 2020-2021 has been a year for all of us like no other. On march 15th of 2020 who would have known that it would be our last gathering in a “normal” and traditional way. The traditional Easter services, traditional ways of being together have ceased to exist. Through all of it, the Creator has continued to give us ways to be creative, strive to be a community as much as it is possible virtually and we have been able to gather following covid protocols that we set in place. Then aspect that I look at and how it has impacted us is through covid being forced to figure out how to be online. Though being online is a “false intimacy” it is what we have had to do to keep our elders, those with compromised health safe and to be an example and follow the rules. Now that we have been doing it for a year, we will always be online as we have people from Cuba, Washington, Louisiana and Boston that regularly join us. In our time online we have had people from Macedonia and Italy also join us. The first thing with the closer of the building was Easter. As is our tradition we always had a potluck after, so instead we cooked up a bunch of salmon and delivered to all our families the Saturday before. It was a simple way to work to have normalcy in a unnormal time. This has been the theme of the last year. As we transitioned into summer and as the mandates adjusted we were able to gather outside for the majority of the summer. It was great to sit in the parking lot, be in distant community together but to be together. We continued it into the fall as being isolated is not good for anyone but to keep people safe it is what we have done. In the fall we had a new person join us who volunteered to take the songs and passages used in the service and post them as went worshipped together. She also will take the words and translate them into Spanish for our brother who is in Cuba. As we looked ahead to Christmas, a leadership team member suggested that we gather outside, around fire pits for a Christmas Eve service. We started to plan, gather fire pits and pray for warm weather. It was a balmy 28 with a number of fire pits as we stood around them and celebrated the birth of our Savior. In February, as the covid count dropped and as the city mandates changed we opened up. Most of our members still are online but those who are joining in person and receiving what they need. As we look back on a year that is unlike any other year any of us have ever been through we are hopefully optimistic for the future. As the covid numbers continue to diminish, as more people get the vaccinations, we are looking forward to a new Chapter the Creator has for us.

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Koyuk Covenant Church 2021 Annual Report

 Contact Information o General Delivery – Koyuk, AK 99753 o Pastor Don Cross-(907)434-6498 o John (Bucky) Prentice – (907)964-1132 o Beda (Bim) Prentice – (907)500-2280 o Jessie Anasagok – (907)964-1227 o Grace Morris- (907)964-1090  Church Board Members o Chairman: John (Bucky) Prentice o Vice-Chairman: o Treasurer: Beda (Bim) Prentice o Secretary: o Member: Jessie Anasagok o Member: Grace Morris  Koyuk Covenant Church highlights

The Koyuk Covenant Church is blessed to have a Pastor. Don Cross and his 3 children have been in Koyuk since the fall. Don and his family are staying in the newly renovated parsonage.

We would like to say a special thank you to Doug & Mary Swanson for their ministry and the parsonage renovation in Koyuk. May God richly bless you and your family!

This past year has been a difficult time for many due to the pandemic that started last March of 2020. Despite the Covid-19 situation, our church leaders led faithfully and only had to cancel physical services a few times. During those times the church met through a conference call and was unexpectedly encouraging as we availed ourselves to something different and unexpected. During our conference calls we had people from out of the region that called in especially for those who had no church services due to their churches shutting down. Our conference calls shared a few worship songs, announcements, sharing time and the message.

There were a few special occasions we did not hold due to the pandemic, to name a few, Baccalaureate in May, although the KCC did order Bibles and a gift to honor the graduating class of 2020. Throughout this past winter we continued on with Sunday school, church services and prayer group. 2

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In December, on Christmas day the church held a short service outside the church. There were no nightly services from December 26-31, 2020 due to Covid-19 virus.

Koyuk Covenant Church did not host any church get-togethers that usually happen in January and April due to the pandemic.  Weekly Ministry

o Sundays On Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m., we have Sunday school. Bucky has been faithful in running this service. Typically, they start with group singing, offering, and announcements, and then the students break into their classes. The Sunday school lessons are prepared monthly by Bim. The lessons for each Sunday are focused on one lesson including the bible readings and the memory verse and the teachers deliver it to the children in their classes. Jessie Anasagok is teaching PK-2nd grade, Bim Prentice is teaching 3rd-6th grade, and Grace Morris is teaching the Jr. high/high school /adult age group. On average, about 16 kids/adults attend Sunday school each week. The morning service at 11:00a.m. started back up last fall. On average, about 10 people attend morning service. Sunday afternoon we have choir practice at the church at 2:00pm

On Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m., we have our evening service. On average, about 20 people attend evening service each week. Church board members take turns leading the services each week.

o Tuesdays We have Prayer Group every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. This meeting is held at a different home each week. It’s a time of singing, sharing (praises/struggles), message, praying, and snacking! We have a core group of 5-7 people who attend this meeting each week.

We praise God for his provisions, his mercy, keeping us safe during this pandemic, for healing of sickness and/or disease, for those desiring and working toward sobriety, and for those responding to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to turn their lives over to God. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

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Nome Covenant Church Annual Report April 2021 2020 was a year of epic change for Nome Covenant Church and for myself. COVID has impacted every aspect of life and changed the way church happens on Sunday and during the week. 2020 started off with Chad Benkert as interim pastor of Nome. The Pastoral Search Team was narrowing their focus on a candidate. Emilie and I visited in mid-February and were invited to return as the candidate. On March 8 the church unanimously called me to be their pastor and I gladly accepted. Returning to Alaska, having pastored in Unalakleet in the late 80s, was not something that I thought would ever happen YET God had other plans. Right after candidating, COVID hit and life changed radically. The church did not have an in-person service for three months until June 14. Chad left in May and we arrived at the end of month. The transition to a new church is usually enough of a challenge but to do it during a pandemic was interesting! As services resumed over the summer, social distancing and debates on masks were part of life. We have been able to meet in-person every week except for a few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Changes happened at the church as families moved away and new people were slower to get involved due to quarantining and questions about what to expect. The church’s Family Camp in August was shortened to a Saturday event out at Salmon Lake. As the fall progressed, Checkpoint Youth Center re-opened and CovKids during worship resumed. Instead of putting on a Friday night meal for the homeless, we chose to provide a weekly meal for The NEST – Nome’s night shelter for the homeless. Plans were discussed about other ministries resuming and the new year saw that begin to happen with baby steps forward. The church’s Leadership Team in 2020 consisted of Dan Bachelder (chair), Tony Husemann (vice-chair), Anna Moore (secretary), Lloyd Perrigo (financial officer), Aaron Cooper, Dan Hobbs, Sister Olson, and Martha Parker – along with myself and James Ventress, Associate Pastor for Youth. As we moved into the fall, Dan Hobbs stepped down and then Dan Bachelder moved away. The team faced a lot during the year with COVID and a pastoral transition. There were struggles balancing the different views that people had on the issues of the day. As I began my ministry in Nome last year in the midst of so much uncertainty, the two key ideas that I reminded us of were that we are called to obey the Great Commandment and to fulfill the Great Commission. This was true no matter what issues were thrown at us – though it might change how we carry out our mission. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve with a loving and caring congregation in building God’s kingdom in this part of the world called Nome. In Christ’s Service, Pastor Michael Zabel

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Shaktoolik Covenant Church 2021 Annual Report Contact: Address: PO Box 80, Shaktoolik, AK 99771 FB: www.facebook.com/Shaktoolik-Covenant-Church Submitted by: Pastor Mary Gandee This past year has been like many other years, full of ups and downs, joys and challenges. In it all, we are reminded God is in control. We have seen his grace, comfort, provision, and care through each season. The author of Ecclesiates writes, 'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens' (Ecclesiastes 3:1) While it has been such a different year for our world, God’s faithfulness continues through each season. We were thankful for the amount of gathering we were able to do this year, while taking health precautions. There were weeks we could not meet, we transitioned to gathering online when needed. In October, the ladies gathered for the Alaska Conference Women’s Retreat. It was a great opportunity to have ten ladies experience the retreat together. Christmas is generally a very well attended service. Not being able to meet community health protocols, we decided to have our Christmas service outside. This allowed for a partnership with the Assembly of God church in our community. Several people from both churches gathered on Christmas Eve for caroling and we met for a combined church service on Christmas day. In addition, we began two service projects this past year. One of those was establishing a clothing closet. We are thankful for donations from Unalakleet Covenant Church as well as Columbia Grove Covenant Church (Wenatchee, WA) which helped us have several days of free rummage sales as well as a backstock of items for anyone who is in need. We also partnered with the Assembly of God church, City of Shaktoolik, IRA, and Shaktoolik Corporation to have a food drive. We collected enough food to have food banks in both churches. This has been utilized and replenished already at Shaktoolik Covenant. Pastor Eric has met regularly with the youth for outings such as berry picking, and spaghetti dinner nights. Pastor Eric attended the Elim Get Together, serving their youth throughout the weekend. We are thankful to Simon Bekoalok for his service to Shaktoolik Covenant, and has recently resigned from the board. We will Simon grace and peace and our church will always be grateful for his service. We look back on this year in gratitude, for all God has done. While we do not know what the next season will bring, we pray to be a light in Shaktoolik.

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Church Board Members: Chair: Harvey Sookiyak (acting chair) Vice-Chair: Harvey Sookiyak Treasurer: Betty Jackson , Secretary: Nora Paniptchuk Member: Gary Bekoalok

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Unalakleet Evangelical Covenant Church

P.O. Box 209 Unalakleet, AK 99684 |www.unalakleetcovenantchurch.org Rev. Nick Bruckner | (907) 625-1645 | unkpastor@gmail.com

2021 Church Board: Marty Towarak (Chair), Tim Daniels (Vice-Chair), Annie Woods (Secretary), Myra Harris (Treasurer), Alfred Anawrok, Nick Bruckner (ex-officio), Katie Daniels, Heidi Ivanoff, Huda Ivanoff, Jessica Towarak, Brad Webster “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Quyaana Jesus. God is good and our Savior is risen! By His Grace, in His Mercy… As individuals, families, as a village, a nation and as a church we faced some new and many familiar challenges and tragedies in 2020 in addition to the pandemic: •

In addition to the strife around the nation, locally, our challenges included: a catastrophic commercial fishing year for the village; no in-person Bible Camp for the first time in nearly forty years; road blocks to medical care; our Youth Pastor Charis moved away; delayed work team to build Doris’ house; emergency declaration for water shortages.

We are instructed to rejoice, pray and give thanks in all circumstances. We have much to be thankful for and celebrate and we will look to these things at this time. God has used some of the tragedies and challenges above to bring about some good things: • There was not a completed suicide in our community in 2020. Quyaana Jesus. A successful harvest of 47 bull moose for the village in 2020. For many a first catch! • We have not had local spread of Covid-19. • New Staff The Lord has provided us with a new youth pastor: Abel Razzo (Samantha) Abel has jumped in headfirst and opened a Checkpoint Youth Center cooking a family style home-cooked meals with youth two nights a week. • Improvisation Many sacrificed convenience, familiarity and comfort and sat in vehicles and in the cold during months of drive-in services this spring. Outdoor burials in lieu of burials were a challenge. We celebrated baccalaureate on the back of a semi-truck. Margo Daniels was baptized in the ocean on a brisk day in September. The Sewing Circle went to great lengths to conduct a creative and effective auction and raise a significant sum to help those in need in our village and support the ministry of the church. • Broadening Connections through broadcasting church on Facebook live. • Feeding the Community: Take Out and Potatoes: Our church has severed well over 1,000 meals to community members through Open-Table Take-Out Meals this fall/winter. Our church also partnered with the Muktuk Marsten Victory Garden Initiative to make local food more sustainable for our community and encourage planting and harvesting – continuing a longstanding Unalakleet tradition. • Doris’ Home Restoration AN elder lost her home in a fire three years ago. This summer, we got a roof on the rebuild. We have big plans for this summer. • Elder Guides us to Help Kids Gear Up A conversation with an elder about kids in need of winter gear opened a door for many people to donate good gear (and some purchased new) to help families get winter gear for kids in our community. • Intentional, Consistent Discipleship is the backbone of our pastoral ministry. I hope and pray to see this ministry growing in years to come. Other ministries include supporting those fighting addiction through AA and pastoral counseling, supporting marriages through counseling, visitation to elders and families, Bible Studies, Sewing Circle, Playgroup for small kids, Confirmation and Sunday School. Your Fellow Servant In Christ, Pastor Nick Bruckner 57


165 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway PO Box 828 Bethel, Alaska 99559 (907) 543-3225 office@bethelcovenant.org Bethelcovenant.org Dear Fellow Covenanters, We all know that the year of 2020 was difficult for many. We were not immune to that, but we have felt God’s incredible blessings at the same time. Here's a recap of what that looked like during 2020. Services: We have been meeting primarily with physical distancing for the past year. Our 8:30 AM service (new during this season) has been meeting via Zoom and Facebook, while our 11 AM service has been in conjunction with the Moravian Church in their parking lot and streamed online. For a brief season, we also had a Celebrate Recovery service on Wednesday nights; we look forward to hosting this again to help people heal from their hurts, habits, and hang ups. Groups: We have seen the participation in small groups increase during this season, as well. Some meet in person, some in a hybrid format, and some online only. Our long standing groups include Sunday School, AWANA, Women’s Bible Study, a parenting study, and Men’s Bible Study. During this season, we have had short term groups meet as well and they include a children’s group, a singles group, a couples group, a mission focused Perspectives group, and a book study on Jesus and the Eskimo. Summer Ministries: Freeman Gransbury returned as a summer intern. Quyana Cafe operated and served as a ministry with daily devotions and prayer with the workers. It has closed for the time being. A work team from Kansas came and assembled the playground in the back between the buildings. Other Ministries: We have started a food security ministry. This involves being the pick up location for produce boxes, handing out Salvation Army vouchers, and take out meals at our Friday night Supper Club. Our online ministry through the volunteer choir, Facebook group and page, and the prayer wall have all had a greater reach than we anticipated. For a few months, Pastor Adam served as the manager for Bethel Winter House in the spring. Challenges and Opportunities: Ruth McElwee, our women's ministry director, moved to Anchorage in late March. Justus and Tia Eben, our associate pastor and ministry associate, moved on from their positions. Jail Ministry paused as the Faith Mod was shut down. Please pray that it will be able to restart soon. We served as a sending church as we felt the loss of those who were sent out to newly planted churches. Blessings! Eli Jacobson, Board Chair Phillip Perry, Treasurer

James Jaskowiak, Vice Chair Corey Zink, Financial Secretary

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Daniel Hannah, Secretary John Trimble


Hooper Bay Evangelical Covenant Church PO Box 527 Hooper Bay AK, 99604 Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, this last year has been different than any of us could have imagined. We have only met for corporate worship a few weeks this year out of respect for the tribe’s wishes and our partnership’s concerns for health as we navigated the COVID as well as a TB outbreak. Still the Lord has blessed us with a different richness of fellowship in our phone fellowship times and through the ministries of others broadcast through the radio airwaves and on the internet. As we have met and spent concentrated time one on one through prayer, song, scripture reading, and encouragement we feel it has drawn us closer together individually. One thing that this year and the lockdowns has sharpened in us is the understanding of the part that corporate teaching of the Word and worship has in our personal and group spiritual journey. We eagerly anticipate being able to reopen the building doors within the next couple weeks and join together in worship. We have been able to bless the community by allowing the tribe to utilize the parsonage for a quarantine house for travelers. The tribe has been very grateful for us being willing to share the building with them for this purpose and we pray that God uses this to advance His kingdom in the hearts and lives of our town as they experience His love in providing shelter during this hard time. It has also opened up interactions that may not have occurred as we worked along side of tribe and city to open and maintain the building throughout this process. The Lord has also opened up an opportunity to improve the Christian radio station here in Hooper Bay with Voice for Christ Ministries, KYKD Bethel. We were blessed to raise an 80 tower for the antenna to broadcast signal better. Our reception has definitely become much clearer here in town and we hope to be able to eventually cover Chevak as well with clearly transmitted Christian radio. Please be praying for the ministry of KYKD as they reach into many homes with the encouragement and truth of the Word of God. While this last year saw the Teen Center and other regular ministries closed we still have been able to carry on some discipleship through individual relationships and phone/texting conversations. We invite you to join with us in prayer for the youth of our town to come to know and grow in the Lord. As we journey into the year ahead, looking back at this year reminds us that He is the God of the Unknown, the Holder of the Future, and in Him we know that the future is blessed. May the year ahead grow each of us in our faith walks as we trust and follow His will. Your sisters and brothers of the Hooper Bay Covenant Church 59


Scammon Bay Covenant Church Annual Report for the 2021 Annual Meeting PO Box 109 Scammon Bay AK 99662 / 907-558-6145 Submitted by Pastor Jason Stromstad on behalf of the Scammon Bay Covenant Church. We are thankful for the leadership of church board members John Uttereyuk, Darlene Ulak, Byron Ulak, Jacob Rivers, and George Smith. Blessings dear brothers and sisters in Christ through all life’s joys, trials, and sorrows, we are still ‘in it’ together with you all. At the time this report was written, the Scammon Bay Covenant Church has been without in person worship services since the middle of March 2020 due to concerns related to the Covid-19 virus. The Fairbanks diocese told the Catholic Church to close in our village just before we did. Then at the end of March we had two deaths that were a week apart each from Catholic families and Pastor Jason reached out to our local Eucharistic Minister and together they conducted the funerals in our Covenant Church. That’s the last time we had a service in our church building. Since then, Pastor Jason has led a short funeral service from the Parsonage over the VHF for an elder, Lucy Henry, as family and a few friends were outside the house so our whole village could grieve from a distance. Pastor Jason also led a funeral service for Nevada Simon, a premature baby with just the family and some relatives in the family’s house. As a village, we are so used to gathering together to grieve, sing hymns, and support one another in the family’s home as the loved one who passed is present in the living room for all to see. We have to do things differently and have discontinued this now due to Covid concerns. So, it’s been a difficult transition for grieving families, for our village and our pastor to make these kinds of decisions together. Most likely, we will have memorial services for everyone when our village leaders say it's ok to gather in larger groups. Our village continues to experience multiple layers of grief this past year due to deaths; including the suicide of a young man. We have seen people of our village turn to the Lord in their sorrow and we continue to pray for God’s healing touch on us all as we rest in the ministry of the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter. We ask for continued prayer for the people of our village. Our village was on lockdown for over two months with people only allowed to travel out or into our village for essential or medical reasons. Visitors from nearby villages were not allowed. So, our church and other village people did a Christmas Eve Program for the village over VHF. A few participants were a little staticy, but we made a joyful noise for about 30 minutes and worshipped together as a village Our youth pastor, Drew Williams, has put the use of the Woodshop ministry to youth on hold during this time with hopes to allow this place of hands on discipleship to re-open when possible. These are some verses Pastor Jason share regularly over VHF reminding us all to help one another and that the Lord is our help. God’s Word reminds us in Hebrews 13:16, "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." And Psalms 62:8, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Pray for the Lord to give us wisdom in navigating the re-opening of our church with in-person services. Quyana brothers and sisters.

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Mekoryuk Covenant Church PO BOX 34 Mekoryuk Alaska 99630 Mekoryuk Church board members Chairman- Melanie Shavings Vice Chairman-Albert Williams Secretary-Beatrice Olrun- Kiokun Treasurer- Lydia Weston Member- Albert Williams Member-Samson Weston Member-Peggy Williams Member-Edward Kiokun

Blessings to All! This year has been a tough year but God is good as he continues to guide us forward. By God's grace and protection, our community is thriving. We have been blessed and fortunate in continuing our Sunday services with a healthy attendance ranging from youth to elders. Before the mandates put a hold on gathering together our Sunday school program and volunteers were finding creative ways to continue teaching Sunday School by texting or emailing lessons or through teleconference. Thanks to the CYAK partnership we were able to have our children participate in camp in a box. The children participated and their spirits were filled as they were able to worship along with the worship music. We are happy to see our children grow in their love for Christ. Our highlights for the year were our Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve Service. Please continue to pray for us as we still do not have a pastor but through the help of the body of Christ we are pressing on for God’s Glory. Remember to also keep our community in prayer as we are seeing the Holy Spirit continue to move as we are witnessing more people's faith being exercised and challenged for Christ. Submitted by Melanie Shavings Mekoryuk Covenant Chairman

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Mountain Village Covenant Church PO Box 32186 Mountain Village, AK 99632 907-591-2141, https://mountainvillagecovenantchurch.com/ Submitted by Pastor Dennis Gilmer Church Board Members: James Bryan, Hazel Walters, Josh Hatfield, Lloyd Alexie, Agnes Brown, Dorothy Johnson God is doing great and amazing things at Mountain Village Covenant Church. People are becoming more stirred and hungrier for the Word of God. We have a lady in our church who was currently in a homosexual relationship with another woman for years. She came to church around September 2020. I saw her crying and then I talked to her later and she told me that she gave her heart to Jesus Christ that day and kicked out the woman that was living with her. I have been deeply touched by her testimony and kind words to me. She has been set free from homosexuality, drugs, alcohol and now lives a life full for Christ. There is also a specific guy who was bound by drugs and alcohol for years and came to the Lord around October 2020. He now professes Christ and is no longer bound by drugs and alcohol. There have been many others that have been contacting me for prayer. Our church doors have been closed for 4-5 months and the city has not allowed people to fellowship with one another so that has been a challenge. The good news is that more people are becoming vaccinated, and the strict rules are starting to become less strict. Example: In person church just opened back up on March 14, 2021, and now people can fellowship as long as they stay distanced with mask. I would like to recognize Lloyd Alexie and honor him for his humble service. Lloyd has really been looking out for the church and my family. He is always calling to check on us and if there are any major maintenance issues, he works diligently to have them fixed. Recently, our parsonage had a terrible sewer problem and Lloyd called everyone that he knew to help with the problem. He also showed up to the house and had done everything that he could to contribute to fixing the issue. Day and night Lloyd work to make sure that the work was getting done. I am incredibly grateful for him and I can always count on him. God is doing great things and I am very proud to be a part of the Mountain Village Covenant Church. I anticipate greater things to happen now that church has opened back up. Since, I have been here we have been very restricted by the city of Mountain Village due to Covid 19. Within this past week, I have seen the city starting to become more relaxed with the rules as long as you have been fully vaccinated. The great thing about the village is that anyone can be vaccinated now if they are of age. I praise God for that!!!

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Constitution and Bylaws of the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church Constitution

Adopted March 27, 2015 Preamble The Evangelical Covenant Church is a communion of congregations gathered by God, united in Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. It affirms its companionship in faith with other church bodies and all those who fear God and keep God’s commandments. The Evangelical Covenant Church adheres to the affirmations of the Protestant Reformation regarding the Bible. It confesses that the Holy Scripture, the Old and the New Testament, is the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. It affirms the historic confessions of the Christian Church, particularly the Apostles’ Creed, while emphasizing the sovereignty of the Word of God over all creedal interpretations. In continuity with the renewal movements of historic Pietism, the Evangelical Covenant Church especially cherishes the dual emphasis on new birth and new life in Christ, believing that personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is the foundation for our mission of evangelism and Christian nurture. Our common experience of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ continues to sustain the Evangelical Covenant Church as an interdependent body of believers that recognizes but transcends our theological differences. The Evangelical Covenant Church celebrates two divinely ordained sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Recognizing the reality of freedom in Christ, and in conscious dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit, we practice both the baptism of infants and believer baptism. The Evangelical Covenant Church embraces this freedom in Christ as a gift that preserves personal conviction and the mutual responsibilities and disciplines of the spiritual community, yet guards against an individualism that disregards the centrality of the Word of God. The Evangelical Covenant Church has its roots in historical Christianity, the Protestant Reformation, the biblical instruction of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, and the great spiritual awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These influences, together with more recent North American renewal movements, continue to shape its development and distinctive spirit. The Evangelical Covenant Church is committed to reaching across boundaries of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, and status in the cultivation of communities of life and service. Introduction The Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, in order to accomplish its mission and purposes, has formulated and adopted this Constitution and Bylaws. The Constitution recognizes that the highest constituted authority of the Alaska Conference is the convention of delegates known as the Annual Meeting, which alone can adopt and amend the Constitution and Bylaws. The Alaska Conference shall be governed by this Constitution and Bylaws, its Articles of Incorporation, and all applicable laws. ARTICLE I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Alaska Conference (AC) of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Hereinafter, the Alaska Conference may be called the Conference and the Evangelical Covenant Church be called the ECC.

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ARTICLE II

Confession

The Conference confesses that the Holy Scripture, the Old and the New Testament, is the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. ARTICLE III

Establishment and Purpose

Section 3.1. The Conference is a mission region of the ECC. As such, it is a separately incorporated association of ECC congregations, recognized as provided in the bylaws of the ECC. Section 3.2. As a mission region, the Conference exists to serve its local churches and to minister on their behalf to better make known the good news of saving faith in Jesus Christ, to encourage a Christ like life among its members, and to carry out Christ’s redeeming work of love, mercy, and justice in the world. Section 3.3. The Conference is incorporated in the state of Alaska as a not-for-profit organization. The delegates to the Annual Meeting are the corporate members of the Conference. ARTICLE IV

Territory

Section 4.1. The boundaries of the Conference shall be determined by the ECC Annual Meeting, upon the recommendation of the Executive Board of the ECC after consultation with the Conference. Section 4.2. The territory assigned to the Conference comprises the state of Alaska. Article V

Membership

Section 5.1. The Conference is composed of Christian congregations united in faith and service. Section 5.2. Membership is open to evangelical Christian congregations that are in accord with the Preamble and Confession of the ECC, and that meet the requirements stated in the ECC Constitution and Bylaws, which are repeated in this Constitution and Bylaws. A congregation seeking membership shall follow the procedure determined by the ECC Executive Board, which is repeated in these Bylaws. Section 5.3. Membership is granted dually in both the Conference and the ECC. A congregation cannot be a member of one without being a member of the other. Section 5.4. Member congregations pledge mutually to support the principles, policies, programs of the Conference and the ECC. This includes regular financial support of the Conference and the ECC. The Constitution and Bylaws of member congregations shall be in general agreement with the principles of the ECC Preamble, Constitution, and Bylaws. Member congregations have freedom in the management of local matters. Section 5.5. Member congregations that through decision or practice are out of harmony with the principles, policies, programs, or institutions of the ECC may be dismissed from the ECC and Conference, according to the procedures stated in the Bylaws. Section 5.6. A congregation seeking to sever its affiliation with the ECC and Conference shall follow the procedures stated in the Bylaws. ARTICLE VI

Officers

Section 6.1. One of the officers of the Conference shall be a Superintendent. Other officers shall be a chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and secretary, and Associate Superintendent(s), if there are any Associate

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Superintendent(s), who shall also serve in those capacities on the Executive Board. The Bylaws may provide for assistant officers. Section 6.2. Officers shall be selected according to the procedures stated in the Bylaws. Section 6.3. Officers shall have duties and responsibilities provided in the Bylaws. ARTICLE VII Annual Meeting Section 7.1. A convention of delegates, known as the Annual Meeting, shall be the highest constituted authority in the Conference. Section 7.2. There shall be one regular session of the Annual Meeting each year, the date of which shall be prior to the ECC Annual Meeting as determined by the Executive Board. Section 7.3. As the highest deliberative and decision-making body of the Conference, the Annual Meeting shall approve the admission and dismissal of congregations, elect or call persons to leadership positions as provided in the Bylaws, approve the budget of the Conference, receive and approve reports, amend the Constitution and Bylaws, conduct other such business as may properly come before it, and make decisions necessary to the mutual work of the Conference, affiliated institutions, and the ECC, as provided in the Bylaws. Section 7.4. Each Conference congregation is entitled to two delegates plus a pastoral delegate. A pastoral delegate can be any one of the pastoral staff persons (paid or unpaid) for a congregation. If a congregation is not able to send a pastoral delegate, they may not send a layperson in place of a pastoral delegate. The Conference Superintendent, Associate Superintendent(s) and elected members of the Executive Board shall be ex officio delegates. The Bylaws may provide for additional delegates and advisors. Each delegate shall serve for a term that expires at the convening of the next Annual Meeting as provided in the Bylaws. Each delegate shall be a corporate member of the Conference for the duration of that delegate’s term. Section 7.5. Special sessions of the Annual Meeting may be called by the Executive Board, by the Superintendent with the concurrence of the Executive Board, or by a majority of the current delegates. At least thirty days before the date of each special meeting, the secretary of the Conference shall send a notice to each current delegate, stating the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. Section 7.6. A majority of delegates registered and certified in accordance with the Bylaws shall constitute a quorum for any regular or special session of an Annual Meeting. ARTICLE VIII

Executive Board

Section 8.1. The Executive Board shall be the agent of the Annual Meeting in making decisions for, and otherwise acting on behalf of, the Conference when the Annual Meeting is not in session. This agency does not include powers reserved exclusively to the Annual Meeting by the constitution and bylaws or by decision of the Annual Meeting. The Executive Board shall be responsible to the Annual Meeting for its decisions and actions. The Executive Board shall function as the board of directors for the corporation as defined under AS 10.20.081 of the Alaska Statutes. Section 8.2. The Executive Board shall be responsible for ensuring that all matters required to be brought to the Annual Meeting under this Constitution and Bylaws are in fact brought to the Annual Meeting. Section 8.3. The Executive Board shall have the authority and responsibility for ensuring that the policies, procedures, and actions of the Conference comply with this Constitution and Bylaws. Section 8.4. The Executive Board shall have the authority and responsibility for ensuring that the officers and staff of the Conference comply with this Constitution and Bylaws.

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Section 8.5. The Annual Meeting shall elect members of the Executive Board as provided in the Bylaws. Section 8.6. The Superintendent shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Board. The Bylaws may provide for additional ex officio members, as well as for advisors. By definition ex officio members of the board are “by reason of their office” full members of the Executive board with all the rights and privileges of elected members, including voting on all matters before the Executive Board. Advisor members only advise the board and have no right to vote, but may participate in discussions on any matter before the board unless prohibited to do so by either board action or ruling of the Chair. Section 8.7. The Executive Board may establish committees and otherwise organize itself for the accomplishment of its assignments. Section 8.8. Additional responsibilities for the Executive Board shall be delineated in the Bylaws. ARTICLE IX

Ministries

The Conference shall have ministries to be responsible for specific missions and purposes of the Conference. These shall be in cooperation with each other, the congregations, the ECC, and affiliated corporations and institutions. Conference ministries shall be recognized and organized according to provisions identified in the Bylaws. ARTICLE X

The Superintendent

The Superintendent shall be the pastor and chief executive officer of the conference and its mission, with responsibilities delineated in the Bylaws. The Superintendent, or their appointee, shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Board and all other administrative entities aligned with the Conference. The Superintendent shall be elected according to provisions in the Bylaws. ARTICLE XI

Corporations and Institutions

Section 11.1. The Conference may establish corporations and institutions to be responsible for specific missions and purposes of the Conference, in cooperation with each other, the congregations, and the ECC. Section 11.2. Each corporation and institution established by the Conference shall be identified in the Bylaws. Section 11.3. Each corporation and institution established by the Conference shall have officers and boards of directors as required by law and provided in the Bylaws. The Superintendent shall be an ex officio member of the Board of Directors of each corporation and institution established by the Conference. ARTICLE XII Asset Resolution and Distribution of Assets Section 12.1. In case of schism within the Conference, all property and other assets belonging to the Conference shall belong to the group that upholds and adheres to this Constitution and Bylaws as determined by the ECC Executive Board. Section 12.2. Should the Conference be dissolved, all right, title, and interest to property, real, personal, tangible, and intangible, and all other assets shall pass to the ECC. Section 12.3. A member church, ministry or affiliated corporation that withdraws or is dismissed from this Conference and the ECC shall be subject to immediate payment of all loans, grants, or property received from the Conference and the ECC. The church shall also forfeit all rights to Conference and ECC property. ARTICLE XIII

Amendments

Section 13.1. Proposed amendments to this constitution shall be introduced in writing at an Annual Meeting,

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but may not be acted upon until the next Annual Meeting, and for adoption must receive the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all the accredited delegates present and voting at the Annual Meeting. Section 13.2. Proposed amendments to this Constitution and Bylaws shall be in harmony with the ECC Constitution and Bylaws. Section 13.3. The secretary shall have proposed amendments published in an official publication of the Conference and shall transmit them in writing to each source of delegates at least thirty days prior to the Annual Meeting, at which final action is to be taken.

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Bylaws ARTICLE I

Membership

Section 1.1. Admission to Membership. A congregation seeking membership in the Conference shall apply for membership in the Conference and the ECC concurrently. The application shall be made at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting of the Conference on a form provided by the ECC. In order for the applying congregation to become a member of the Conference and the ECC, the membership application must be approved by the Conference Executive Board, the Conference Annual Meeting, the Executive Board of the ECC, and the Annual Meeting of the ECC, in that order. Upon approval by the Annual Meeting of the ECC, the congregation shall simultaneously become a member of the ECC and of the Conference. The Conference and the ECC shall maintain a roster of member congregations. Section 1.2. Involuntary Dismissal from Membership. a.

Charges that a congregation is out of harmony with the ECC shall be presented to the Conference Executive Board, which shall immediately inform the Executive Board of the ECC and the President of the ECC of the charges. i.

If the Conference Executive Board finds the charges to be credible, the Conference Executive Board shall seek to guide the congregation into harmony with the ECC. The Conference Executive Board shall then make a report and recommendation to the Executive Board of the ECC and the President of the ECC.

ii. The Executive Board of the ECC shall independently consider the credibility of the charges based on all the information and recommendations available to it. The Executive Board of the ECC may then, at its initiative and in communication with the Conference, seek to guide the congregation into harmony with the ECC. If the Executive Board of the ECC determines that the congregation is and remains out of harmony with the ECC, the Executive Board of the ECC shall make a report and recommendation to the Annual Meeting of the ECC. iii. The Annual Meeting of the ECC shall vote on the recommendation of the ECC Executive Board. iv. If a congregation is dismissed from membership in the ECC by action of the Annual Meeting of the ECC, its membership in the Conference shall also be terminated. b. In all cases, congregations shall have opportunity to defend themselves before the Conference Executive Board, the Executive Board of the ECC, and the Annual Meeting of the ECC. Section 1.3. Voluntary Dismissal from Membership. a.

A congregation seeking to terminate its membership in the ECC shall signify its intention, in writing, to the Conference Executive Board at least one month prior to the Conference Annual Meeting. Action on such a request shall take place in the following sequence: i.

the Conference Superintendent shall notify the president of the ECC and the Executive Board of the ECC of the intention of the congregation to terminate its membership;

ii. the Conference Executive Board shall make a report and recommendation to the Annual Meeting of the Conference regarding the request of the congregation to terminate its membership; iii. the Conference Annual Meeting shall make a report and recommendation to the Executive Board of the ECC regarding the request of the congregation to terminate its membership;

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iv. the Executive Board of the ECC shall make a report and recommendation to the Annual Meeting of the ECC regarding the request of the congregation to terminate its membership; and v. the Annual Meeting of the ECC shall vote on the recommendation of the Executive Board of the ECC. If the Annual Meeting of the ECC decides to terminate the membership of the congregation, the congregation’s membership in the ECC and in the regional Conference shall be terminated. Section 1.4. Disbanded Congregations. Recommendations regarding the removal from membership of congregations that have disbanded shall come to the Annual Meeting of the ECC from the Executive Board of the ECC upon prior recommendation of the Conference Executive Board and the Conference Annual Meeting. Section 1.5. Use of the Conference and ECC name and logo. When a congregation is no longer a member of the ECC, it shall cease all use of and reference to the name “The Evangelical Covenant Church,” shall cease all use of the logo of the Conference and ECC, and shall not represent itself as being a member of the Conference or ECC. ARTICLE II

The Annual Meeting

Section 2.1. The Executive Board shall designate the time and place of each Annual Meeting, which shall be held prior to the ECC Annual Meeting. Section 2.2. Delegates. a. b. c. d. e. f.

g. h. i. j. k.

Member congregations shall be entitled to two delegates plus a pastoral delegate. A pastoral delegate can be any one of the pastoral staff persons (paid or unpaid) for a congregation. If a congregation is not able to send a pastoral delegate, they may not send a layperson in place of a pastoral delegate. The Superintendent, Associate Superintendent(s) or directors, and members of the Executive Board shall be ex officio delegates. Each standing commission shall be entitled to one delegate. Each association recognized by the Conference shall be entitled to one delegate. Each affiliated corporation and institution shall be entitled to one delegate. Each delegate to an Annual Meeting shall be a member of an ECC congregation. Delegates representing local congregations shall be members of the congregation they represent. No delegate may represent more than one entity, except a member in good standing of the Ministerial Association serving two or more congregations may represent those churches being served, yet with only one vote. A member in good standing of the Ministerial Association who is serving as an interim pastor in a member congregation may serve as a delegate from that congregation without being a member of that congregation. The names of all delegates and alternate delegates shall be registered with the secretary prior to the Annual Meeting A church plant within the Conference that is not yet a member congregation may send two advisors and their pastor to the Annual Meeting. A member in good standing of the Ministerial Association who is not a delegate may be an advisor to the Annual Meeting. With the consent of the Executive Board, a congregation that cooperates with and supports the ECC but is not a member of the ECC for a reason approved by the Executive Board may send one advisor to the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting may recognize honorary delegates. Honorary delegates shall be advisors to the Annual Meeting.

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Section 2.3. Registration, Certification and Term. a.

The Annual Meeting shall consist of the registered delegates whose credentials have been certified by the committee on credentials appointed by the Chair. When approved by the Annual Meeting, this list shall constitute the official roster of the Annual Meeting. b. Certified delegates and alternates shall serve until the start of the next Annual Meeting. Section 2.4. The Agenda and Standing Rules. a.

Agenda. i.

An agenda to be presented to the Annual Meeting shall be prepared by an agenda committee consisting of the chair, the vice chair, and the Superintendent. The agenda shall be approved by the Executive Board prior to distribution to the delegates.

ii. As the highest deliberative and decision-making body of the Conference, the Annual Meeting shall recommend to the ECC the admission and dismissal of congregations, elect or call persons to leadership positions as provided in these Bylaws, approve the budget of the Conference, receive and approve reports, and make other decisions necessary to the mutual work of the Conference, the ECC, and affiliated institutions and corporations, as provided in these Bylaws. iii. Copies of the proposed agenda shall be available to delegates when they arrive at the Annual Meeting. iv. Items of business that are not on the proposed agenda may be submitted in writing by a delegate to the moderator. If the item submitted is in order, a majority vote of the delegates present and voting shall be required to place that item on the agenda. b. Standing Rules. i.

Standing rules shall be prepared by the agenda committee, approved by the Executive Board, and adopted by the Annual Meeting.

ii. Copies of the proposed standing rules shall be available to delegates when they arrive at the Annual Meeting. iii. The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall instruct the proceedings, except where standing rules so direct. ARTICLE III

Officers

Section 3.1. The Superintendent. a.

Responsibilities. The Superintendent shall be the pastor and chief executive officer of the Conference, supervising and promoting its work in accordance with the decisions of the Annual Meeting, and under the direction of the Executive Board. In accomplishing such, the Superintendent shall provide particular leadership in the areas of mission, pastoral care, congregational support, executive operations, and coordination with the ministries and resources of the ECC. The Superintendent shall provide personnel supervision for all positions employed by the Conference. The Superintendent shall submit a written report to the Annual Meeting. The Superintendent may sign all necessary legal documents as required by law. b. Administrative Assignments. The Superintendent shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Board except when the Executive Board is acting as the Nominating Committee for naming candidates for the office of Conference Superintendent, in which case the Superintendent shall not participate, and except when the Executive Board is performing a job appraisal for the

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Superintendent, in which case the Board may meet in executive session apart from the Superintendent and other ex officio members and advisors. The Superintendent shall be an ex officio member of all boards, commissions, committees, institutions, and corporations of the Conference. c. Nomination of Conference Superintendent. Candidates for Conference Superintendent shall be ordained ministers of the ECC in good standing. The Executive Board shall serve as the Search Committee. The Executive Board shall put forward one nominee after the concurrence of the Executive Board of the ECC. The President of the ECC shall serve as an advisor to the process for the selection of a nominee, with privilege of attendance and voice at all meetings. d. Election. A two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting shall be required for election. All voting shall be by written ballot. Should the candidate fail to receive the required vote, the position shall be filled temporarily under Section 3.1.l. of this article. A new nomination process for the fulltime position shall proceed according to Section 3.1.c of this article. e. Installation. The Conference Superintendent shall be installed in office at an Annual Meeting of the ECC and assume office on a date determined by the Conference Executive Board. f. Term and Tenure. The Superintendent shall serve for a term of 4 years. The Superintendent may be re-nominated for subsequent terms. g. Suspension. i. By vote of two-thirds of its elected members, the Executive Board may suspend the Superintendent. The Executive Board may lift the suspension by vote of two-thirds of its elected members. ii. Causes for suspension include failure to perform duties, malfeasance, misfeasance, immorality, indiscretion, unethical behavior, doctrinal error, breach of a fiduciary duty owed to the Conference, breach of a duty of confidentiality owed to the Conference, or breach of a duty of loyalty owed to the Conference. iii. Suspension may be with or without pay as the Executive Board may determine. iv. After a suspension, the Executive Board may appoint a person to serve in the capacity of the suspended person on an interim basis. v. If a person is still under suspension at the time of the second Annual Meeting following suspension, the Executive Board shall submit the matter to the Annual Meeting, which shall either remove the suspended person for cause by majority vote or reinstate the suspended person with or without back pay. The Executive Board may, in its discretion, submit the matter to the Annual Meeting at the first Annual Meeting following suspension. h. Vacancies. The Executive Board shall declare the position of Superintendent vacant upon the removal, resignation, permanent incapacity, or death of the person holding that position. i. Removal. The Superintendent can be removed only by majority vote of the Annual Meeting. j. Resignation. The Superintendent may resign upon written notice to the Executive Board. k. Permanent Incapacity. The Executive Board shall develop a policy for determining permanent incapacity. l. Filling Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Superintendent, the Executive Board shall appoint an acting Superintendent. The acting Superintendent shall perform all the duties of the Superintendent, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the limitations of the Superintendent. The full-time position shall be filled in a reasonable and expeditious time period. Section 3.2. Associate Superintendent(s). The Conference may have an Associate Superintendent(s). If the Conference has an Associate Superintendent(s), he or she shall be a pastor and officer of the Alaska Conference, supervising and promoting its work under the direction of the Executive Board, having the

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following responsibilities and administrative assignments: a. Responsibilities. Associate Superintendent(s) shall work with and be responsible to the Superintendent. In accomplishing such, the Associate Superintendent(s) shall provide particular leadership in areas designated by the Executive Board. The Associate Superintendent(s) shall submit a written report to the Annual Meeting. b. Administrative Assignments. The Associate Superintendent(s) shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Board except when the Executive Board is acting as the Search Committee for naming candidates for the office of Conference Superintendent or Associate Superintendent(s), in which case the Associate Superintendent(s) shall not participate, and except when the Executive Board is performing a job appraisal for the Superintendent or Associate Superintendent(s), in which case the Board may meet in executive session apart from all the ex-officio members and advisors. The Associate Superintendent(s) shall fill the Superintendent’s role as an ex officio member of all boards, commission, committees, institutions, and corporations of the Conference when the Superintendent cannot be present. Upon death or incapacity of the Superintendent, the Executive Board shall designate an Associate Superintendent as acting Superintendent until a successor Superintendent is elected. c. Selection. Candidates for Associate Superintendent(s) shall be credentialed ministers of the ECC in good standing. The Executive Board shall serve as the Search Committee and shall take the final selection of any candidate. Section 3.3. Chair. The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Executive Board and sessions of the Annual Meeting, sign all necessary legal documents on behalf of the Conference, and provide that all measures adopted by the Executive Board or the Annual Meeting are properly executed. Section 3.4. Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair and serve as the Chair when the Chair is absent or unable to perform the duties of the Chair. The Vice Chair shall chair the Personnel Committee of the Executive Board. Section 3.5. Secretary. The Secretary shall perform the duties of a corporate secretary. The secretary shall record and preserve minutes from each meeting of the Executive Board and Annual Meeting, sign all necessary legal documents as required by law, and attend to such correspondence as is necessary to carry out the decisions of the Annual Meeting and Executive Board. Section 3.6. Treasurer. The treasurer shall perform the general duties of a corporate treasurer as the responsible financial officer of the Conference. The treasurer shall submit complete and accurate reports on Conference finances to the Executive Board and to the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer shall chair the Finance Committee of the Executive Board. Section 3.7. The Executive Board may establish additional assistant positions to the offices of secretary and treasurer. ARTICLE IV

Executive Board

Section 4.1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall function as the board of directors for the corporation as defined under AS 10.20.081 of the Alaska Statutes and shall coordinate and implement the common mission of the Conference as developed and articulated by the Annual Meeting, this Constitution and Bylaws, and the mission planning processes of the Conference and ECC. The Executive Board shall carry out its work with an integrity and character consistent with Christian principles. Within this authority and in the course of its duties, the Executive Board shall a. b. c. d.

be responsible for ensuring that the policies and decisions of the Annual Meeting are carried out; approve an agenda for each session of the Annual Meeting and recommend it to the Annual Meeting; approve a proposed annual budget for the Conference and recommend it to the Annual Meeting; determine policies and procedures for the appointment and termination of Conference staff,

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e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. s.

including establishment of salaries and other terms of employment of all employees of the Conference; assign ex officio and advisor responsibilities for Conference staff on boards, commissions, and committees consistent with other provisions in the Bylaws; delegate such responsibility for the administration of the Conference as may be required by the temporary absence or temporary incapacity of an officer or staff member of the Conference, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws; approve the fiscal policy of the Conference; approve the acquisition, encumbrance, and disposition of the property and assets of the Conference; promote coordination among the Conference, the ministries of the ECC, and the corporations and institutions of both; approve the salaries of those in service to the Conference; approve the salaries of the executive leader of any affiliated corporations or institutions; adopt a policy concerning insurance coverage and risk management practices for the Conference; establish Conference ministries; recommend the establishment of commissions to the Annual Meeting when needed to accomplish Conference ministries; be known as the Board of Directors or Trustees of the Conference when law or legal instruments require action by the Board of Directors or Trustees of the Conference; comply with and be responsible for ensuring that the Conference complies with all applicable laws; appoint members to fill unexpired terms on the Executive Board, commissions, and committees of the Conference; organize among itself committees necessary to accomplish its task; and perform other duties consistent with, and as set forth in these Bylaws.

Section 4.2. Composition, Selection and Term of the Executive Board. a.

Number and Composition. i.

The Executive Board shall have six (6) to nine (9) members elected by the Annual Meeting, determined by the Annual Meeting upon recommendation of the Executive Board.

ii. The composition shall be reflective of the constituencies of the Conference and shall have the following geographic representation, provided however that no congregation shall have more than two elected members: a) Up to three (3) representatives from member congregations in the Y-K Delta; and b) Up to three (3) representatives from member congregations in the Norton Sound; and c) Up to three (3) representatives from member congregations in the road system. iii. At least one third of the elected members of the Executive Board shall be lay. At least one third of the elected members of the Executive Board shall be clergy. iv. The Superintendent and any Associate Superintendent(s) shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Board. v. Each commission shall have one advisor to the Executive Board. The Executive Board may designate additional advisors from the Conference staff. b. Term of Office. Each elected member of the Executive Board shall be elected for a term of three years. Each term shall begin immediately following the Annual Meeting at which the member was elected. Terms shall be staggered in such a way that no more than one-third of the Executive Board is elected in any given year, except in the event of the removal, resignation, permanent incapacity, or death of a member. An elected member of the Executive Board shall not be elected for more than two consecutive three-year terms.

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Section 4.3. Officers of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall elect a chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer from among its members. Each officer of the Executive Board shall be an elected member of the Executive Board. These officers shall also serve in the same capacity for the Annual Meeting. Section 4.4. Meetings. a. b.

c. d. e.

The Executive Board shall hold at least three regular meetings in each calendar year. Notice of each regular meeting shall be sent to each member of the Executive Board at least thirty days in advance. The Executive Board may hold special meetings. A special meeting may be called upon the written approval of four elected members of the Executive Board, by the chair, or by the Superintendent. Notice of each special meeting shall be sent to each member of the Executive Board at least fourteen days in advance, except in emergencies. A majority of the elected and ex-officio members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for any regular or special meeting of the Board or its committees. At any meeting, the Executive Board may hold executive sessions from which any or all advisors may be excluded. When the Executive Board is reviewing the performance or compensation of the Superintendent, the Executive Board shall exclude from its meeting all ex officio members and all advisors. The President of the ECC shall not be excluded.

Section 4.5. Liaisons from the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall appoint elected members of the Executive Board to serve as liaisons to and ex-officio members of the commissions of the Conference. Each commission shall have only one ex officio member from the Executive Board. A member of the Executive Board may serve as liaison to only one commission. Section 4.6. Standing Administrative Committees. The Executive Board shall have the following standing administrative committees: Executive, Finance and Personnel. Each standing administrative committee shall have three members who are elected members of the Executive Board and up to two additional members appointed by the Executive Board. a. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall i. be composed of the chair, vice chair, secretary, Superintendent and Associate Superintendent(s); ii. develop and recommend agenda for the board meetings; iii. make recommendations concerning policy and procedures for all Conference entities and; iv. take any action delegated to it by the Executive Board that can legally be delegated to it. b. Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall i.

develop and recommend to the Executive Board policies concerning the financial governance of the Conference;

ii. make recommendations concerning financial matters for which the Executive Board is responsible; and iii. take any actions delegated to it by the Executive Board that can legally be delegated to it. c. Personnel Committee. The Personnel Committee shall i.

develop and recommend to the Executive Board policies concerning the employment,

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performance, and compensation of officers and employees of the Conference; ii. review and make recommendations concerning the performance and compensation of the superintendent and other executive staff of the Conference; iii. review and make recommendations concerning the compensation of any other persons whose compensation is required to be approved by the Executive Board; and iv. take any actions delegated to it by the Executive Board that can legally be delegated to it. ARTICLE V

Conference Ministries

Section 5.1. The Executive Board, as the agent of the Annual Meeting, may establish and govern particular ministries to accomplish the mission of the Conference. Section 5.2. Standing Commissions. a. b. c. d. e.

f.

The Executive Board, upon approval of the Annual Meeting, may establish standing commissions to coordinate and make recommendations on Conference ministries assigned to them. The Executive Board shall delineate the scope of the responsibilities for each commission. Each commission shall consist of at least six members. The Annual Meeting shall elect members to each commission for terms of three years, except as provided in the Bylaws. The Executive Board may appoint such ex officio members and advisors as may be appropriate. No elected member shall serve for more than two consecutive full terms. Each commission shall establish working rules and submit them to the Executive Board for approval, meet at least once a year, submit recommendations to the Executive Board, present reports to the meetings of the Executive Board, and present a written report to Annual Meeting. Each standing commission shall not exist for more than five years unless the Annual Meeting takes action to extend the life of a commission for another period not to exceed five years. A commission may be renewed an indefinite number of times. During the fifth year of a commission’s term, it shall have opportunity to present a rationale to the Executive Board for its continuance or dissolution, which shall then make recommendation to the Annual Meeting. The list of standing commissions shall be kept current by the secretary and published annually.

Section 5.3. Special Commissions. a. The Annual Meeting or the Executive Board may establish special commissions to coordinate, study, and make recommendations on matters assigned to them. A special commission shall be responsible to the body that established it. b. Each special commission shall be limited to a specific period of time, but may be extended by the body that established it. c. The members of a special commission shall be appointed by the Executive Board. d. A list of the special commissions shall be kept current by the secretary and published annually. Section 5.4. Permanent Commissions. a.

The Annual Meeting may establish permanent commissions. These shall be identified in this article of the Bylaws, including responsibilities, composition, selection and accountability. b. Nominating Commission. i. The Nominating Commission shall prepare the ballot for the Annual Meeting with at least one, but no more than two, nominees for each elected Executive Board position and each elected Commission position to be filled. (a) One additional candidate may be nominated from the floor, for a maximum of three candidates per elected position. If more than one additional candidate is nominated from the

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floor, a vote shall be held among those so nominated. The nominee with the plurality of votes shall stand on the ballot along with the Nominating Commission nominee. (b) Voting shall be accomplished by written ballot. A majority vote shall be needed for election. In the event of more than two nominees where no majority is received, a runoff shall be held between the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes. ii. The Nominating Commission shall make recommendations to the Executive Board for any appointed positions on boards or commissions to be filled. iii. The Nominating Commission shall be appointed by the Executive Board. It shall consist of an Executive Board member as chair, two additional clergy members of the Conference, and two additional lay members of the Conference. ARTICLE VI

Institutions, Corporations, and Associations

Section 6.1. Institutions and Corporations. Upon recommendation of the Executive Board, the Annual Meeting may establish institutions and corporations to help accomplish the mission of the Conference. These Bylaws shall be amended to add and include the name, purpose, matters requiring Executive Board approval, and matters requiring Conference Annual Meeting approval, for each institution or corporation established. a.

Reserved Powers. The Executive Board shall serve as the Member of all affiliated corporations of the Conference. For the current affiliated corporations, the Conference shall have the following reserved powers, which may not be changed or amended by the affiliated corporations without the express approval of the Conference: i. Arctic Broadcasting Association (ABA) a) Appoint and remove directors; b) Amend the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution and Bylaws; c) Ratify the appointment of a General Manager and to consult with the General Manager and board of directors on the policies of the corporation. d) In the event of a transfer of Membership, or sale or transfer of the Corporation to any non- Evangelical Covenant Church related entity, the Corporation, by twothirds vote of the Board of Directors, shall recommend such transfer or sale to the Member. Prior to making this recommendation, the Directors shall consult with the Member. ii. Alaska Christian College (ACC) a) Appoint and remove Trustees; b) Amend the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution and Bylaws; c) Ratify the appointment of President by the Board of Trustees of ACC, and to consult with the President and Trustees on the policies of the corporation. d) In the event of a transfer of Membership, or sale or transfer of the Corporation to any non-Evangelical Covenant Church related entity, the Corporation, by twothirds vote of the Board of Trustees, shall recommend such transfer or sale to the Members. Prior to making this recommendation, the Trustees shall consult with the Members. e) In the event the Members accept the recommendation of the Corporation, they shall recommend such affiliation to the Executive Board of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Prior to making such affiliation/transfer or sale, the Members shall obtain the approval of the Executive Board of the Evangelical Covenant Church. iii. Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK) a) Appoint and remove directors; b) Amend the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws; c) Ratify the appointment of an CYAK director and to consult with the CYAK director and directors on the policies of the corporation;

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iv.

d) Approve the purchase or sale of property; e) Approve the mortgaging, pledging or leasing of property; f) Approve the incurring of liabilities or borrowing of money. Covenant Bible Camp (CBC) a) Appoint and remove directors; b) Amend the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution and Bylaws; c) Ratify the appointment of an Executive Camp Director and to consult with the Executive Camp Director and directors on the policies of the corporation; d) Approve the purchase or sale of property; e) Approve the mortgaging, pledging or leasing of property; f) Approve the incurring of liabilities or borrowing of money.

Section 6.2 Associations. Associations are self-governing groups of individuals, congregations, and ministries united for the purpose of fellowship, encouragement, and the advancement of a specific mission. a. The following are Alaska Conference associations: i. Covenant Ministerial Association of Alaska ii. Covenant Women b. A group seeking to be recognized as an official association by the Conference shall make a written request for approval by the Executive Board. The Executive Board may withdraw recognition of an association. c. Associations shall operate under their respective Constitutions as approved by the Executive Board and shall be subject in their activities to its approval. d. Each association shall submit such written reports to the Executive Board as may be required but not limited to, annual financial review, annual operating budget and plan, and interim financial statements and operating results. A copy of the minutes of all meetings and associations shall be filed with the Conference Superintendent. e. Each association shall submit a written report to the annual meeting of the General Assembly. ARTICLE VII

Amendments

Section 7.1. Proposed amendments shall be in harmony with the ECC Constitution and Bylaws. Section 7.2. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in the following ways. a.

A delegate may introduce a proposed amendment to these Bylaws in writing at an Annual Meeting. Such proposed amendments cannot be acted upon until the next Annual Meeting.

b. The Executive Board may propose an amendment to these Bylaws in writing at least 120 days prior to the Annual Meeting for action at that Annual Meeting. A delegate may forward a proposed amendment to the Executive Board prior to that time for Executive Board consideration. Section 7.3. At least ninety days before the Annual Meeting when final action is to be taken on a proposed amendment to these Bylaws, the secretary shall send a copy of each proposed amendment to each congregation and shall cause the text of each proposed amendment to be published in an official print publication of the Conference and in any electronic media that the Conference regularly uses for communication with congregations and members of congregations. Section 7.4. A proposed amendment shall be adopted upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the delegates present and voting at the Annual Meeting.

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ARTICLE VIII

Indemnification and Insurance

Section 8.1. As permitted or required by applicable law and as provided in these Bylaws, the Conference shall indemnify and provide liability insurance for any person acting as an officer, director, employee, or agent of the ECC or of any corporation or other entity established by the ECC. The Executive Board of the ECC shall adopt such policies and take such actions as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. ARTICLE IX

Fiscal Year

Section 9.1. The fiscal year shall be determined by the Annual Meeting upon recommendation of the Executive Board. ARTICLE X

Annual Financial Review

Section 10.1. The accounts of the Conference shall be reviewed annually by individuals appointed by the Executive Board.

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March 2021

Covenant Executive Board

Member Summary

“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Reflections from Chair Jon Bonkoski Thanks be to God for His provision and grace during our first hybrid meeting just one year after our first fully virtual meeting due to travel restrictions! This was the first time the Covenant Executive Board had met in person for over 17 months. We are grateful we were able to meet to attend to the Lord’s business and safely connect with mission friends. We had a full agenda beginning Friday, all day Saturday, and wrapping up Sunday afternoon around 3:00pm. I am grateful to each of you. The Holy Spirit moved and continues to move throughout our denomination in big ways. I am reminded that transcending power belongs to God (2 Cor. 4:7-11). …..

Meeting Highlights Brandi Sanders, a member of our denominational team, opened our time Saturday morning with a devotion focused on “Choosing God” and referenced 2 Chronicles 29: 1-11; 16-19. She reminded us that it took Hezekiah 16 days to consecrate the temple and remove things that had defiled the temple. She challenged us to think of ways that we need to Choose God in this season. John Wenrich’s report noted that although no one will soon forget how difficult 2020 was, may we be reminded that God is faithful! The ECC should live out the two greatest commandments: Love God and Love our Community (Neighbor). Our goal is to become more missionally effective in a financially sustainable manner. John also introduced the Spring 2021 Mission &

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CEB Meeting Guests We are grateful to Esther Lin who served as Parliamentarian for our March 2021 Meeting. Gordon Smith, facilitated our Board Leadership Coaching Session—Six Rules of Good Governance. The weekend kicked off with a coaching session he led and he worked to answer the question: Are we fulfilling the mission? His 6 rules are: 1. Governance is the capacity to fulfill that to which we are called; 2. Shared power; 3. Know your system and know your role within that system; 4. Accountability and Transparency; 5. Protect the voice of the minority and majority; 6. The Human Factor.


Ministry video that will be shared with our Covenant constituency during the upcoming Conferences’ gatherings.

OUR MISSION We join God in God's mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world.

Rebecca Gonzalez reported Annual Meeting Officers and production teams had been meeting since December 2020 to prepare for Gather 2021. She announced that registration was open and encouraged all board and COA members (ECC delegates) to register early. Gather 21 production hub will be in MN @ Crossroads Covenant Church from June 22-26, 2021, and the CEB board will be held on June 24th. CEB approved the following actions pertaining to Covenant Events: The 135th Annual Meeting Agenda and the 135th AM Standing Rules of Order while remanding additional edits to AM Officers. Hold the 136th Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO on June 23-25, 2022 and to hold the 137th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA on June 29 through July 1, 2023. CEB granted their concurrence to the Board

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Angela Yee reported on the ECC Vision Points. Her report reflected a 3StrandStronger denomination and showed people being transformed, people being discipled, and churches being strengthened. She highlighted developments with 30 for 30; Planting 500; Women’s initiatives; Evangelism cohorts, and Justice Experiences. And, thanked LMDJ and Serve Globally for the Launch of the FREE initiative. Steve Klimkowski reported that due to high capital markers returned, ECC undesignated giving was only down 0.6% and a total expense reduction of 7% vs 2019, FY 2020 Financial results were more favorable than projected. Preliminary FY2020 Resulted in a deficit of $17,985 (this is including the PPP loan of $1.7 million). For additional details, you may see the slide deck provided by Steve in BoardEffect in the folder linked here. Together with the Finance Committee, the Finance Team continues to collaborate on their goal of fostering greater financial sustainability by FY2024 budget proposal. Additional highlights from the BBS and Covenant Retirement Plans Reports: • 113 (<4%) plan participants were diagnosed with COVID. • <$500k claims from COVID. • Services for telemedicine were enhanced. • 4 out of 5 claims were mental health related so the pandemic was very hard on individuals’ mental health. • Plan membership declined 3.4%. • Covenant Pension Plans funded @ 104%. Gayle Gilreath provided an EOY Report on Advancement efforts. She reported that the change to the FY (FY being shorter in FY20) meant the numbers were not comparable to the prior year. For the shortened FY, total undesignated giving increased by 2%, church giving decreased by 2.98% & individual giving increased by 34.19%. We had a $250k reduction in giving to designated projects. Gayle reported on 100% participation by the CEB members. Gayle celebrated the onboarding of Keith Carpenter and Kreig Gammelgard to the team and their focus on church & Individual giving, respectively.

The Covenant Executive Board gave their concurrence for the renomination efforts of Greg Yee and Garth Bolinder to serve another term as superintendents of the Pacific Northwest Conference and the Midsouth Conference, respectively. An update and written report from the Freedom, Unity, and Responsibility Resource Paper was provided by Lance Davis via the meeting notebooks. Chair Bonkoski referenced the report but their were no questions from the floor.

Highlights from the Affiliate Reports North Park University President, Mary Surridge reported that there will be an in-person commencement this year, which will be very exciting and important for all the graduates. Dave Kersten, dean of the seminary, reported that North Park University Theological Seminary’s first IGNITE class will graduate this year! 80


Renee Hale, executive director of PCP, reported that there had been no delays in projects due to Covid-19. PCP opened a new pediatric medical ward in February 2021. The Karawa Coffee Project, continues to be a main focus as the support from seed to roasted bean has provided the training and equipment to revitalize the economy. You can order coffee beans by visiting www.paulcarlson.org and clicking on the order Karawa coffee button. Ann Wiesbrock, president of CTC, reported that as the year closes, $1.1B in assets have been managed. They celebrate new team members, completing their move to downtown Chicago, launching a new CTC website, a new logo and brand, and updating their technology to serve constituents better.

of Nominations 2021 Ballot; and to the recommendation reducing the 2020 Ballot’s board terms by 1 -year to allow for a smooth board transitions going forward.

Todd Slechta, interim president of CMB, reported that they just concluded the first phase of strategic planning and were excited to report the progress on Jessica’s House and that Covenant Living Communities’ vaccinations are outpacing the national average. Peter Hedstrom, president of NCP, reported that they were able to provide financial assistance to many camps and provide 287 loans and $300M in loan commitments this year. A priority for them in 2020 was relationship-building and he proudly shared that they were able to connect with 425 church leaders virtually. Juan Martinez, president of CHET’s president, shared that there will be 76 new graduates this year, and he is celebrating a cleared budget and the receipt of grants that provided additional and necessary funding for the year.

We opened the meeting Sunday with worship and hearing from Benjamin Vazquez, director of social enterprise with LMDJ Team, on Galatians 5:22-23. He focused on the need for the Holy Spirit and encouraged everyone to focus on the things that reflect the fruit of the Spirit. He challenged the Covenant Executive Board to prioritize being led by the Holy Spirit in everything

Standing Committee Highlights Committee meetings were held Saturday and Sunday and reports from each committee chairs shared reports on Sunday. The Advancement committee presented that they were excited to report the Covenant Executive Board had 100% giving participation. They shared that the Advancement team had grown with additional team members added and that they are desiring for the board to become more active ambassadors of Advancement.

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All videos and reports from our meeting have been placed in the BoardEffect Library Folder linked here for easy access and viewing.

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The Marketing and Communications committee shared that they spent time with theinew ED of Marketing and Communications, Jennifer McIntyre. They presented a motion to update the charter to reflect the new name: Marketing and Communications (MARCOM) Committee. They also reported that there has been some movement regarding the Covenant brand audit: moving from a house of brands to a branded house, and updating the Covenant identity guidelines. New Guidelines and Brand Audit were shared with the Board. The Develop Leaders committee shared that there has been a tremendous impact from COVID on pastors and chaplains emotionally. The committee will be holding our pastors, chaplains, and the DL staff in prayer. The Finance committee shared that it will be moving forward with the ECC Corporations and Affiliates Consulting Project specifically in the area of missional, financial, and governance relational matters. The Love Mercy and Do Justice committee reported on the increased responsibility from the team to respond to social justice developments in our nation and communities. The team is also working on educating the denomination in anticipation of the presentation of the Resolution on the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery at Gather 2021. The Make and Deepen Disciples committee reported that they have launched BLESS in Living Color: speaking to those who are not like you. And, they asked for prayer for Michelle Sanchez as she continues to write her book focused on anti-racist discipleship. They also shared that there is a new addition to the team in Kevin Smallacombe, who is the new Director of Discipleship and Resource Development. The Personnel committee reported that they met twice throughout the weekend and have been meeting regularly since their meeting in October. They spent time with Angela and John focused on the transition plan and how to care for our employees if SAT is approved. They also focused on updates in regards to technology and resourcing field staff employees. The Serve Globally committee reported on many exciting initiatives including the Mission Author Chats for those interested in learning more about what is being written about global mission and people abroad. They also shared about the recent uptick in violence against AAPI people. Al Tizon is now a part of an advisory group focused on issues related to race, particularly in the area of hate crimes. The Start and Strengthen Churches committee reported on how Paul Lessard has been encouraging the team to engage in a pivot mindset. They are celebrating that there have been an additional 26 church plants approved and that they have grown to two bilingual staff on their team.

CEB Connections: A total of 3 connections were provided for CEB members to connect and engage, including through the ministry update briefs. Ministry update briefs were facilitated by Serve Globally and Make and Deepen Disciples. SG shared on the FREE Initiative and MDD shared on Crescendo and BLESS: In Living Color. Additional Information can be found via these links. Free Initiative BLESS: In Living Color

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Additional ministry efforts on the horizon MDD is launching “Designed,” discipleship cohorts for women, on May 10 and they also will be hosting the Unite for Hope event on April 28 for teenagers to join together. SSC will be holding a workshop entitled “Living in the Light of the Covid Apocalypse” with Alan Hirsch on April 29 and May 1. SG is changing the order of child sponsorship through a bold initiative called “Chosen,” in which the child chooses his or her sponsor! For the first time, the children in the DR Congo will have the chance to choose who will get to sponsor them from your church. Among many other initiatives happening around the Covenant, we ask you to hold these upcoming ministry efforts in your prayers.

Prayer Time

The CEB spent time in prayer for ECC’s Mission and Ministry as well as ministry leaders. We welcome you to continue to hold in your prayers: • Covenant Personnel. • Covenant Churches and Conferences as they continue to lead and manage impacts of the COVID pandemic. • SAT Recommendation and Communication efforts. • Gather 2021 preparation efforts and the 135th Annual Meeting. • God’s grace and mercy on Domestic and Global Ministry Partners; and on all our global mission & ministry efforts underway. 82


ANTIRACISM DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAYS

WHAT ARE THEY?

WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?

The Antiracism Discipleship Pathways (ADP's) are year-long formational experiences designed with articles, books, films, videos, spiritual practices, and praxis exercises intended to facilitate spiritual growth and deepen your understanding of racial righteousness. These pathways will connect you to the lived experience and Purposeful Narrative of your ECC sisters and brothers, offering substance to the 5th “P” of The Six-fold Test for Multiethnic Ministry. Finally, these pathway offer a unique opportunity to build community and a more robust fellowship with your ministerial peers who are also on a journey to love God and neighbor more faithfully.

You will meet with your cohort for 75 minutes every three weeks for one year. Pathways have a rhythmic flow. Every section begins with a centering reflection question that prepares you for the content. Generally, you will read a book or a book excerpt one month, and then you will engage online resources (films/videos, and/or a lecture) that connect the content to lived experiences of your neighbor.

WHAT IS THE COST? The cost of a one year pathway is $125. This amount only covers a fraction of what the pathways will offer you, from a number of personal assessments to a day-long retreat. LMDJ, NPTS, and the ECC Ministerium are subsidizing the remaining cost as an investment in your leadership. Beyond this minimal fee, you will also be purchasing a few books and resources for pathway content. If money is still a hinderance, please email Dominique.Gilliard@covchurch.org for scholarship opportunities.

WHO ARE THEY FOR? The pathways are designed for ministers who hold an ECC credential, are pursuing credentialling within the ECC, or hold a clerical position within an ECC institution (i.e. chaplains, camping staff, global personnel, retired ministers, etc.)

WHAT DO THEY ENTAIL? The pathways involve reading and viewing content, doing personal assessments, spiritual practices, praxis exercises, and reflection questions. They also involve meeting with your cohort once every three weeks.

WHAT ARE PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS SAYING? Of the 375 participants in 2020-21, 70% participated in a survey illustrating the pathway’s fruitfulness:

WHAT ARE THE PATHWAY COHORTS?

97% agreed their knowledge about the Purposeful Narrative of their sisters and brothers in Christ had increased 94% agreed they had a better understanding of how to stand in solidarity with, and advocate for, the multiethnic mosaic 95% agreed they learned how to share in the suffering of others and were enabled to more faithfully Practice Solidarity 98% agreed they had received resources that helped them grow – both ministerially and in their personal pursuit of antiracism 97% said they would recommend this pathway to their friends

Participants are placed in a cohort of ministerial peers to walk and process with for one year. Cohorts are composed of 5-9 ECC leaders, and they are guided by a trained ECC facilitator. During meetings you will discuss, process, and reflect on pathway content.

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting

CHRISTIAN ACTION COMMISSION ECC Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery “Let us make humankind in our image.” —Genesis 1:26 “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” —Ephesians 2:10 “There was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.”—Revelation 7:9

ABSTRACT/OVERVIEW This resolution briefly explains the Doctrine of Discovery and outlines its long-lasting impact in the U.S., as well as the damage and trauma it has inflicted on Indigenous peoples. We turn to Scripture to remember that God has created all humans in God’s own image and imbued each individual with God’s image (imago Dei). We confess with our Indigenous brothers and sisters that the whole of creation is the work of God, and we acknowledge the damage done to the Indigenous inhabitants of the Americas through the taking of rights, property, and land. We acknowledge the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples through sustained and systemic acts of injustice. We acknowledge the complicity of the Christian church (including the Covenant Church) in that dispossession, subjugation, and relegation. We the Evangelical Covenant Church hereby repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery as fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will seek to support Indigenous people as they identify ways to affirm their inherent human rights and resolve wrongs.

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting INTRODUCTION The history of the Indigenous people of North America is not fully understood or taught in public schools or mainstream culture in the U.S. This history is difficult for many to face, especially in light of the complicity of the Church. The violence and brutality of colonization in U.S. history stripped Indigenous people of their land and culture, and it was done “In the name of Christ.” For more than five centuries, the Doctrine of Discovery and the laws based upon it, have legalized the theft of land, labor, and resources from Indigenous Peoples, from which the dominant culture continues to benefit. This doctrine originated with the Christian church in the 15th century. It is now the Church’s responsibility to refute it. The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is a multiethnic denomination and committed to the Six-Fold Test for Multiethnic Ministry,1 which includes Practicing Solidarity. This resolution seeks to raise awareness around the injustices caused by the Doctrine of Discovery in the United States and throughout the world, and to offer ideas for meaningful individual and corporate action toward healing. As a people who affirm imago Dei, believing that all people have inherent value as created in the image of God, we seek to be a part of Christ’s healing work where imago Dei was rejected. We must hear the truth and lament the complicity of the Church and its marginalization of Indigenous people. The Doctrine of Discovery has been the seedbed of racism and colonialism in North America for centuries. WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY? The Doctrine of Discovery, also known as the doctrine of Christian discovery,2 is a set of legal and theological principles derived from a series of papal bulls, or decrees, issued by popes of the Catholic Church in the 15th century. The papal bulls provided theological justification for European monarchies to “discover” and claim lands inhabited by non-Christian peoples. In 1452, Pope Nicolas V issued the papal bull Dum diversas to King Alfonso V of Portugal, authorizing him to “capture, vanquish, and subdue the Saracens [Arab or Muslims at that time of the Crusades], pagans, and other enemies of Christ,” to “put them into perpetual slavery” and “take all their possessions and property.” Under this sanction, Portugal trafficked slaves from west Africa and claimed land along its west coast. A pattern of dehumanization and genocidal conquest had begun in the name of Christian discovery. Pope Alexander VI issued the Inter caetera papal bull in 1493 at the request of King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, retroactively sanctioning the “discovery” of Guanahani Island (modern-day Bahamas) by Columbus in 1492, and the brutal conquest of the Taíno Indigenous inhabitants in the Caribbean. “This doctrine on which all European states relied thus originated with the arbitrary and unilateral establishment of the Iberian monarchies’ exclusive rights under Christian canon law to colonize foreign peoples, and this right was later seized by other European monarchical colonizing projects.”3 The papal bulls served to grant Christian nations the divine right to claim absolute title to and ultimate authority over any newly “discovered” lands and their non-Christian inhabitants. The ideology and practice of the Doctrine 1

https://covenantcompanion.com/2020/07/09/six-fold-test-summit-what-does-it-mean-to-practice-solidarity/ Steven T. Newcomb, Pagans in the Promised Land (Golden: Fulcrum, 2008), xxii. 3 Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States (Boston: Beacon Press, 2014), 199. 2

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting of Discovery reveal that Christian powers regarded Indigenous peoples as less than human, without human rights. In its colonization of North America, the young United States claimed the discovery doctrine as a birthright from Great Britain and followed the same pattern of genocide and conquest in the name of Manifest Destiny. Even though the land was already occupied by hundreds of Indigenous nations, the doctrine offered a sanctified ideology of dehumanization along with a misappropriation of divine will. Considering themselves the chosen people in the promised land, inheritors of a divine command to capture, vanquish, and subdue non-Christian inhabitants, the United States claimed the inhabited land with violence. Manifest Destiny justified forced removal of American Natives from their homelands. The doctrine was first established into U.S. federal law with the Supreme Court decision of Johnson v. McIntosh in 1823, which found that Native inhabitants have only the right of occupancy in their homelands, with no title rights to land. With Native land title extinguished by legislative authority, President Andrew Jackson authorized the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Trail of Tears is notably mentioned in American history, but many more such death marches occurred as land was cleared of Native inhabitants for western settlement.4 The Johnson v. McIntosh decision is the cornerstone of U.S.–Indian policy and property law today and continues to suppress the rights of Native Americans, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians. A note on Canada: The Doctrine of Discovery fostered and justified nationalism among countries throughout the world. While Canada and First Nations people have their own story distinct from the U.S. embrace of Manifest Destiny, we recognize that Canada bears its own scars of nationalism, that also result from the legacy of this doctrine. BIBLICAL FOUNDATION We see the uniqueness of humanity emphasized in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make humankind in our own image, after our likeness.” Every human being is endowed with inherent dignity because humanity is imprinted with God’s own image. The image, suggests Covenant theologian Donald Frisk in This We Believe, contains both a substantial property and a relational one. We possess, in the very structure of our being, image—something like the imprint of the presidential likeness on a United States coin. It is easy to see how such an image may become so worn as to be almost obliterated, but nonetheless remain a part of the coin itself. Likewise says Frisk, the image is relational, “like the reflection of the moon in the mirror-like surface of a mountain lake.” There are elements of truth in both positions; image is substantial, and it is relational. Our biblical understanding of the image of God is further amplified in Genesis 1:27: “So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” We note here the implication that God created us for community, for relationship. To be in the image of God is to be in responsible relationship with others. Moreover, our vocation or calling as human beings is to be agents through whom the entire creation can reflect the glory of God, praising him and glorifying his holy name. Image-bearing then, takes on both individual and communal meaning.

4

Mark Charles and Soong-chan Rah, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019), 107-113.

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting The powerful imagery of the coin, however, reminds us that the imago Dei is easily marred. As with the imprint of the presidential or monarchal likeness on a coin that becomes worn over time, so as to become nearly unrecognizable, the essence of the imago Dei in us as well as in others can become worn. Moreover, as a sinful and broken humanity, we can have a tendency to mar the image of God in others; to relegate, dismiss, or discount it altogether. This marring has been evident in the historic legacies of colonization, conquest, and the marginalization of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and internationally, the theological justification for which was grossly misinterpreted in the Genesis narrative. Genesis 1:28 states, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’” This text became the false narrative and biblical justification for subjugating Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and led the west to place itself above and apart from the rest of creation and even above and apart from the rest of humanity. Such interpretation misses the essence of dominion as stewardship rather than ownership; yet divine dominion became the scriptural basis for propelling the Doctrine of Discovery—the divine right of conquest, superiority, Manifest Destiny, theft of land, and the brutalization of thousands of Native peoples who occupied the space before “discovery.” Image marred, in both parties, so worn as to be almost obliterated, but nonetheless, remaining a part of the coin. Just as the meta-narrative of the Genesis and indeed, the entire biblical story reflects the paradigms of creation, sin, redemption, and reconciliation (i.e., Genesis 1:26; 4; 11; 18:22), so it is with the substantial and relational enterprise of image-bearing. Image created, and subsequently marred, is redeemed by God in Christ. As Frisk reminds us, “Only by turning away from ourselves to God, or more accurately, to Jesus Christ, who ‘is the image of the invisible God’ (Colossians 1:15), the Word made flesh for us (John 1:14)”—can we be restored to the ‘wide space’ (the overarching narrative of the Gospel, Matthew 22:34-40)—the space of shalom, harmony, and justice, as theologian Walter Brueggemann alludes. Pursuing the shalom, harmony, and justice of God as it pertains to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples is about making the shift from mere image bearers to image protectors. As Frisk reminds us, “We participate in truly human existence through faith in Christ, the Word. In Him, we ‘put on the new nature,’ created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). True existence is nothing less than living in God’s love, in his forgiveness, in his service which is our true freedom,” and in right relationship with all of humanity. As a people who affirm the doctrine of imago Dei, believing that all people are created in the image of God and have inherent value, we seek to be a part of Christ’s healing work where imago Dei was rejected. We must hear the truth and lament the complicity of the Church in the marginalization of Indigenous people. Further, it is the very essence of imago Dei which compels us to reject the dehumanization of Indigenous peoples and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. ONGOING IMPACT OF THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY The legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery in the U.S. and Canada today has created historical intergenerational trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder and historical trauma response)5 due to genocide, forced assimilation, removal, loss of homelands, and loss and repression of language and religion. These effects are directly related to conditions of excessive poverty on reservations, disproportional youth suicides, addiction issues 6-12 times higher than the rest of the U.S. population, extreme incidences of Type II diabetes from loss of traditional diets, and some of the highest unemployment rates in the United States. Similar conditions exist in Canada as well.

5

Charles and Rah, Unsettling Truths, 68-172.

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting One example of forced assimilation in the U.S. and Canada is the tragedy of Indian boarding or residential schools. Following the Civil War, Native American and Native Alaskan children were often forcibly taken from their families and sent into boarding schools to undergo rigorous civilizing and “Christianizing” in an effort to “induce assimilation.” Army Captain Richard Pratt modeled the flagship boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, after prisoner of war camps he designed during the Civil War. The schools were designed to implement a philosophy of “kill the Indian, to save the man.”6 Too often, however, they killed the child. Children suffered from starvation and disease, as well as mental, spiritual, and sexual abuse in boarding schools. From the years 1883 to 1918, 500 deaths were reported at Carlisle alone.7 In 1872 in the U.S., the Board of Indian Commissioners assigned 73 Indian agencies to various Christian denominations who administered the boarding schools. Twelve Christian denominations administered 357 schools in 30 states.8 In Canada, there were over 130 residential schools administered by three denominations from 1831 through to 1996. (https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools) Native identity was attacked in boarding schools by eliminating cultural food and dress and inflicting harsh punishment when children spoke their native language or practiced any cultural customs. Children were institutionally reared in fear and neglect. Those who survived boarding schools often carried with them shame for their Native cultures. The legacy and residual impact of the Doctrine of Discovery also gave rise in both countries to federal policies that led to genocide, assimilation, removal, the Indian reservation system, reorganization, termination, and relocation. Many reservations and reserves were targeted for nuclear testing sites and waste storage, uranium mining, and other mineral extraction that leaves toxic waste. Natives have persevered, but many Native tribes continuously suffer ill-health due to such environmental racism. As recently as 2014, an Arizona congressman referred to Natives as “wards of the federal government” at a public hearing regarding his bill seeking to open Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site, to copper mining.9 The ideology of the discovery principle has been so pervasive as to become institutionalized. The effects of extraction industries on or near Indian reservations have resulted in disproportionate rates of murder, missing persons, and sexual trafficking, a phenomenon known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.10 The National Institute of Justice states that more than 80 percent of Native American women have experienced violence in their life; one in three have suffered rape. The effects of Doctrine of Discovery extend beyond Indigenous people to impact every immigrant group in the U.S., including the white majority. The doctrine was an antecedent to chattel slavery, informing the transatlantic slave trade and perpetuating a nationalism that degrades the image of God into something far short of the fullness of humanity we see in Revelation 7:9.

6

www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2013/native-american-education/history-of-american-indian-education.html Native American Rights Fund Legal Review, Volume 38, No.2, Summer/Fall 2013. 8 www.boardingsoolhealing.org/education/resources 9 Roxanne Dunbarr-Ortiz and Dina Gillio-Whitaker, All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans (Boston: Beacon Press, 2016), 87. 10 www.nativewomenwilderness.org/mmiw 7

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting THE COMPLICITY OF THE CHURCH In the most basic terms, the Evangelical Covenant Church has been complicit in the Doctrine of Discovery by establishing churches on land that was made available by removing the original Native inhabitants and denying right to title. Number Nine Above Specifically, one era in our history is particularly egregious. Between the years of 1898 and 1910, the Evangelical Covenant Church and Covenant missionaries participated in the Alaska gold rush. A group of Covenant leaders in Chicago formed the Good Hope Mining Company, which prospected and staked more than 300 claims. Missionary Peter H. Anderson became involved in two claims, “Number Eight Above” and “Number Nine Above,” near present-day Nome. Both were originally held in the names of Constantine Uparazuck and Gabriel Adams, two young Native Alaskans. At the time, Eskimos were classified as “aliens,” and Congress did not grant them citizenship until 1924. Anderson paid $20 for the Number Nine claim. When Number Nine began to pay off, the Covenant sued Anderson for rights to the proceeds. In response, Anderson offered the denomination $54,000 to settle out of court. The Covenant Executive Board countered by asking for $100,000, plus half of all future proceeds. Anderson refused and demanded. The Covenant eventually accepted the $54,000 and signed a release acknowledging Anderson as rightful owner to the claim. North Park received $29,000, and $25,000 was designated for a hospital in Chicago. Later, however, the Covenant sued Anderson again over ownership of the claim. A legal battle strung out over a decade, the case going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Upon appeal, Anderson’s claim was upheld.11 Throughout these events, Covenant missionaries and denominational leaders who were called to serve Indigenous people in Alaska participated in land grab over the mines and succumbed to the lust for gold. At best they became greedy; at worst they were exploitive of Indigenous Alaskans in their pursuit of wealth, exploitation that flowed right out of the heart of the Doctrine of Discovery. Listening to Our Indigenous Leaders In 2017, a historic event took place among Covenant ministers. One evening during the Midwinter Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, more than 200 people packed a hotel conference room to listen to three Covenant ministers speak of their experiences growing up in the church as Indigenous people: Journey to Mosaic facilitator Lenore Three Stars (Oglala Lakota), Alaska Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff (Native Alaskan), and Pastor Jim Sequeira (Native Hawaiian). Curtis Ivanoff, a Native Alaskan, spoke of the pain and trauma caused by the long history of the marginalization of Indigenous people in the United States. He likened the pain of the Indigenous people to the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, saying that the pain and trauma Native and Indigenous people carry is like that massive oil leak, leaving behind a path of destruction and death. Yet in contrast to the public’s reaction to that oil spill, very little effort has been made to stop the catastrophic effects of the Doctrine of Discovery. “There will be no [peace] or healing until we attend to the leak; until we deal with the injustice,” he said.

The story of Number 9 Above is told in Leland Carlson, An Alaskan Gold Mine: The Story of No. 9 Above (Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2015), and in Karl Olsson, By One Spirit (Chicago: Covenant Press, 1962), 373-378. Thanks to Krisann J. Foss for her research on these sources. check. 11

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting Native theologian Randy Woodley (Keetoowah Cherokee) writes, “Shalom is always tested on the margins of a society and revealed by how the poor, oppressed, disempowered, and needy are treated.”12 The prophet of ancient Israel cried out for justice when the people’s ability to live in the land they called home was stripped from them, crying out, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). CALL In recent years, Christians are finally beginning to acknowledge the harm caused by the Doctrine of Discovery. Denominations and organizations have issued statements repudiating it as inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and others.13 In September 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples. Although the United States and Canada were two of four countries that did not vote to adopt it at that time, President Obama endorsed it in 2010 as an ideal that was not legally binding. And in 2016, Canada adopted the declaration promising to implement resolutions fully.14 The declaration recognizes inherent human rights bestowed by Creator Jesus on Indigenous peoples, politically, economically, culturally, and socially, with rights to their lands and resources. While it is true that the Declaration is not legally binding, if supported, it can change unjust norms. In February 2012, the World Council of Churches issued a statement denouncing the Doctrine of Discovery and affirming the human rights of Indigenous people. This resolution calls upon the Evangelical Covenant Church to recognize and confess our complicity with the Doctrine of Discovery, to repudiate its unjust origin and narrative, and to partner together to support efforts on educational, environmental, and social justice in order for the Church to engage in restoration and reconciliation of broken relationship. We also recommend the following commitments: 1) That resources be committed to develop, under the leadership of Indigenous peoples, an Indigenous crosscultural exploration and immersion journey (a “Trail of Tears” similar to the “Sankofa” journey) to be offered annually for raising awareness, forging understanding, and deepening commitment. 2) That resources be committed to support Indigenous efforts on reservations in proximity to the Covenant Church, such as the ongoing Turtle Mountain church plant, in order to live into the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons. This would include language preservation and economic and environmental priorities with respect to solar and wind power and clean water (i.e., Covenant World Relief designed water pumps for developing countries). 3) That the Covenant demonstrate ongoing respectful recognition that ours is a “guest status” in the land, and in order to deepen our relational connection with Indigenous peoples, the Covenant commit, at each national event, to honor the “host” peoples whose homeland we are meeting upon.

12

Randy Woodley, Shalom and the Community of Creation (Grand Rapids: Erdmans, 2012), 15. https://religionnews.com/2018/08/22/denominations-repent-for-native-american-land-grabs/ 14 https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2020/12/government-of-canada-introduces-legislation-respectingthe-united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html 13

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting

RESPONSE We confess with our Indigenous brothers and sisters that the whole of creation is the work of God, that all humanity is created in the image of God, and that God declares it all good. We confess that Christ came in the flesh to show God’s love and mercy to humanity and all creation, and we lament the ways in which we have been complicit in marring the imago Dei in Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge the damage done to the Indigenous inhabitants of the Americas through the taking of rights, property, and land. We acknowledge the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples through sustained and systemic acts of injustice. We acknowledge the complicity of the Christian church (including the Covenant Church) in that dispossession, subjugation, and relegation. We lament and repent of our complicity in the continuing oppressive effects of subjugation, relegation, and theft of culture and land, including but not limited to emotional, psychological, physical, sociological, educational, and economic damage. We repent offering our Indigenous brothers and sisters a theology of assimilation rather than a theology of wholeness. We commit to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, pursuing a renewed strategy for mission together with a particular commitment to forging lasting partnerships of mutuality and nurturing a practice of accompaniment with, rather than missionary endeavor to, in all areas of ministry and at all levels of the Covenant Church. We commit to develop resources to help our congregations and people understand and reduce the negative impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery and its consequences for Indigenous peoples in North America. We commit to honor and follow the lead of Indigenous members and leaders in the Covenant Church as we seek truth, healing, reconciliation, and transformation. We commit to long-term, stable funding for Indigenous ministries within the Covenant as a means of affirming and healing the imago Dei of Indigenous peoples. One measure already in place is the full recognition of the Indigenous Ministers Association of the Evangelical Covenant Church, to be seated as a full member and participant at the table of the Mosaic Commission with all of the rights and responsibilities therein. We the Evangelical Covenant Church hereby repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery as fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Further, we condemn it as a marring of the image of God and as a violation of the inherent human rights that all peoples have received from God. We the Evangelical Covenant Church will work toward eliminating the Doctrine of Discovery as a legal means for the continued subjugation of Indigenous peoples of their rights, culture, property, and land. We the Evangelical Covenant Church will seek to support Indigenous people as they identify ways to affirm their inherent human rights and resolve wrongs in accordance with the 2007 United Nations “Declaration of Indigenous Peoples,” signed by the U.S. in 2010, which repudiated the validity of the Christian Doctrine of Discovery.

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Resolution to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery for the 2021 ECC Annual Meeting BIBLIOGRAPHY Adams, David Wallace. Education for Extinction—American Indians and the Boarding School Experience 18751928. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1995. “American Indian Boarding Schools.” Wikipedia, accessed September 21, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_boarding_schools Bear-Barnetson, Cheryl. Introduction to First Nations Ministry. Cleveland, Tenn.: Cherohala Press, 2013. Carlson, Leland. An Alaskan Gold Mine: The Story of No. 9 Above. Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2015. Charles, Mark and Soong-Chan Rah. Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2019. Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States. Boston: Beacon Press, 2014. Dubar-Ortiz, Roxanne, and Dina Gilio-Whitaker. All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans. Boston: Beacon Press, 2016. Echo-Hawk, Walter R. In the Courts of the Conqueror: The Ten Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum, 2012. __________. In the Light of Justice: The Rise of Human Rights in Native America and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum, 2016. Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus. New York: Vintage, 2006. Mohawk, John. Utopian Legacies: A History of Conquest and Oppression in the Western World. Santa Fe, N.M.: Clear Light Publishers, 2000. “Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.” Native Women’s Wilderness. www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. https://boardingschoolhealing.org/education/resources/ Newcomb, Steven T. Pagans in the Promised Land: The Roots of Domination in U.S. Federal Indian Law. Golden, Colo.: Fulcrum, 2011. https://doctrineofdiscovery.org/the-doctrine-of-discovery-unmasking-thedomination-code/ Olsson, Karl A. By One Spirit. Chicago: Covenant Press, 1962. Reyhner, John. “1819-2013: A History of American Indian Education.” Education Week, September 11, 2019, www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2013/native-american-education/history-of-american-indianeducation.html. United Nations General Assembly. “United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” 2007. Woodley, Randy S. Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2012. Documentary/Film Resources (annotated) End of the Line: Women of Standing Rock, https://intercontinentalcry.org/end-line-women-standing-rock/ “They are the daughters and granddaughters of brave survivors. People who escaped genocide, only to be robbed of their lands and herded onto reservations. Children who were taken from their families and placed in non-Native boarding schools and foster homes where they suffered further abuse. Today, these women tell their own tragic stories. Stories ranging from forced sterilization to substandard medical care.” Indian Horse, https://www.indianhorse.ca/en/film “The dark history of Canada’s boarding schools or Indigenous Residential Schools and the indomitable spirit of aboriginal people.”

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Somebody’s Daughter: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, https://www.somebodysdaughtermmiw.com/ “With historical points of reference, the victims’ and their families’ stories are told through the lens of the legal jurisdictional maze and socio-economic bondage that constricts Indian Country.” Dawnland, https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/dawnland/ “The untold story of Indigenous child removal in the U.S. through the nation’s first-ever governmentendorsed truth and reconciliation commission, which investigated the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on the Wabanaki people."

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Shalom is the Hebrew word that sums up the biblical understanding of “what life should be like.” It is often translated as “peace” in our English Bibles. But the meaning of shalom is more than simply lack of conflict. The term comes from a root word meaning “to be complete” or “to be sound.” Shalom, then, is a peace that comes from everything being complete and whole. The purpose of justice in Hebrew society was to restore and sustain shalom. The people with the least amount of power needed special protection. That’s why the Old Testament contains so many reminders to do justice to the poor, the widow, the immigrant, and the orphan. And doing justice meant not only avoiding doing wrong—it meant actively doing right and restoring what is broken. As Christ followers, we are called to make God known; justice is both God’s brand and God’s signature. As the psalmist reminds us, “God is known by his acts of justice” (Psalm 9:16). One way we can make God known is to pursue communities of completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace—communities of shalom. Love Mercy Do Justice introduces Shalom Circles: an initiative to develop communities, or “circles,” of advocates who are committed to advancing shalom through the pursuit of biblical justice. This effort is intended to serve rural, town and country, suburban, and urban contexts. Within these contexts, Shalom Circles in each conference will engage to: Pray, Discover, Advocate, and Connect.

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Within these contexts, Shalom Circles in each conference will engage to: Pray, Discover, Advocate, and Connect.

pray

connect

• Pray for discernment as we seek

opportunities to join God in the work already happening in our community.

• Pray for partnerships to create a

“fabric of faith” to hold and lift up the most vulnerable in our community.

discover We seek a deeper understanding of our community in an effort to make a plan for wholeness.

• What efforts are being done by local

churches or organizations to support systems that are working and reform those that are not?

DEVELOPMENT

• Create a Shalom Circle plan that flows

from prayerful discernment, discovery, and dialogue with key stakeholders in the community, including those who are most impacted.

advocate • Establish and strengthen Shalom

ASSESSMENT

• W ho lives here (including the ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, education, and age of residents)?

• Where is the greatest need? What

systems are working for or against those who have the greatest need?

Circles within individual congregations.

• Partner with other local churches to

• Connect people in need with people or organizations who are positioned to help.

•C onnect local churches and groups

with curated resources from LMDJ or other sources aimed at raising awareness, educating, or promoting action toward more justice—more shalom.

•C onnect the local conference and

larger ECC family with stories of hope and transformation derived from acts of shalom.

• Connect LMDJ with local ministry

leaders who are working to contribute to communities of shalom.

raise awareness of community needs.

• Partner with organizations who align with our mission and are already working in the community.

• Promote efforts by raising awareness, continuing to learn, and loving in action.

Shalom Circles is a tool for evangelism and discipleship across the U.S. and Canada. We are seeking input as well as recommendations of leaders to participate in the network. For more information or to recommend a participant, contact lmdj@covchurch.org, or go to covchurch.org/justice. 95


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Rollie Per sson Vice President, Real Estate Services rollie.persson@nationalcovenantproperties.org (952) 356-6640


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