the Sinew--Winter 2025 by Alaska Conference Publications

ECC President to Attend Annual Meeting Conference

First Covenant to Host April State-wide Gathering of

Registration is open for the Annual Meeting Conference to be held at Anchorage First Covenant Church April 2-5, 2025. The conference will be co-hosted by Chugach Covenant Church as well as Mountain View Hope Covenant Church and will center around the theme “Moving Mountains.”

“My hope is that we will be spurred on and encouraged in our faith in Jesus to move the mountains in our midst,” said Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff. “Jesus exhorted us in Mark 11 to pray in faith and expect God to show up. We are praying and planning for an impactful time together.”

ECC President Tammy Swanson-Draheim will be in attendance, will speak during the Friday night worship service, and will join the women’s gathering held on Thursday afternoon.

Delegates and general attendees will gather for worship, workshops and meals during the four-day conference. The Alaska Conference executive board and ministerium will meet on Thursday, and the 2025 Annual Meeting will be held Friday morning and afternoon. A joyful potluck gathering will be held at First Covenant Church on Friday evening, prior to the evening service. The evening services will be broadcast live on KICY radio (AM 850) and are open to guests as well. The annual Covenant Women’s Craft sale will also be held on Friday. Registration and information can be found on the conference website.

Churches

Curtis Ivanoff Honored as North Park Distinguished Alumnus

Rev. CurtisIvanoff, superintendent, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from NorthPark Theological Seminary (NPTS) at the Midwinter Conference inDenver, Colorado. Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, dean of the seminary and vice president of churchrelations, introduced Ivanoff topresent himwith the award.

“Curtisis a shepherd for the churches of Alaska,” said Edwards. “Curtisis a storyteller and remindsus of the faithand fortitude of many inthisdenomination, especially those fromAlaska, even before it was a state. He represents not only Alaska well, but our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ivanoff beganby thanking hiswife, Kristi, the rest of his family, and his hometownof Unalakleet. “It’s a little uncomfortable to be up here,” he said, noting that in his tradition one does not elevate oneself over the rest of the community. “I give thanks toGod for my community and my church that raised me.”

Ivanoff alsomentioned those whocame before him, specifically paying tribute tohisgreat made a similar journey early in the 20thcentury to be trained in the ministry of the gospel, taking a boat from

Unalakleet, thena ship to Seattle, thena train toChicago. Ivanoff noted Ephesians2, previously quoted by North Park President Mary Surridge, remarking that God made

concluded by highlighting the role that previous Covenanters have played in helping toform our current multiethnic mosaic.

North Park University President Mary Surridge and Dr. Dennis Edwards, dean of North Park Theological Seminary, presented Curtis with the “Distinguished Alumni Award” at the ECC Midwinter Conference in January.

“There was a manfromSwedenwhoknew no Eskimo, noInupiaq, noCup’ik… just Swedishand Russian. He met people whoknew our Eskimolanguage and Russian. There waslinguistic connection, and God’s

According toIvanoff, “Whenour last traditional chief died in1942, a man named E.B. Larsonwrote [about the chief]in hisjournal… ‘He received the missionarieswith kindness, and they remained friends.’”

He alsoexpressed hope for the future, highlighting the other Indigenousbelieversin hiscircle and the strides they are making, including his sister infaithTamara Ravelo, whoisslated tobe the first Indigenouswoman ordained by the Covenant thissummer.

“I rejoice and give thanksto God for the way that God is shaping our church to reflect the mosaic of hiskingdom, togive a representation tothe world of hope, of life, and

ThisarticlewasreprintedfromtheJanuary29 editionofthe“CovChurchnow”newsletter.

From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Alaska Covenant Oral History Project Continues: Visit to Unalakleet Adds Six Interviews to Collection

by Pastor Cheryl Takabayashi, Wellspring Covenant Church, Honolulu, Hawaii

The first time my husband Nathan and I visited Alaska in November 2023, we loved it. I knew we would be back, being faithful to God’s vision. Only this time, I brought a video production crew from our church, Wellspring Covenant Church on Oahu, to capture the beauty of Alaska’s people and places. Looking out from the window of the twin-engine turboprop plane as we approached the village of Unalakleet, I wondered about the stories our Hawaii team would hear from Alaska Natives and mission friends who had grown up in and with the Covenant Church. It all began as a simple conversation with Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff in one of my history classes in seminary. What if we were to gather the stories of God’s faithfulness at work in Alaska? What if we could capture these stories on video, and archive them for future reference and teaching? What if Alaska and Hawaii (who have a lot in common) could share meaningful friendships and ministry opportunities together? Having been able to collect the oral histories of beloved and respected elders in 2023, including Ellen Slwooko, Anna Walters, Hilma Shavings, Joel & Olga Oyoumick, Jeanette Klodt, and Stan and Beth Summers, we were ready to listen and learn more.

Erickson, and Chip & Joanne Swanson. Each spoke how their lives had been shaped growing up with village especially for those who attended Covenant

In August 2024, with Curtis’s supervision and leading, our Hawaii team (me, our video productions expert Patrick Pai, and our spouses Nathan Foo and Donna Pai) continued living into this vision of preserving important stories and experiences of those in Alaska who had grown up and/or served in the Covenant for most of their lives.

This time around, we began our interviews in Anchorage with Lloyd & Christina Perrigo (Nome), and Henry Oyoumick (Unalakleet). In Unalakleet, we interviewed Clarence & Linda Towarak, Heidi Ivanoff, Jeff & Donna

When the cameras were not rolling, we received hospitality, invited in from the cold to enjoy the most of our team, it was the first time tasting moose, We not only ate salmon fresh from the Unalakleet salmon fishing, thanks to Curtis taking us out on

sat in Unalakleet Covenant Church, interviewing feeling honored to be in this sacred place.

Even when we were fogged in and could not fly complained. For me, our experience in Unalakleet life-giving. Alaska, her people, her culture, and her into my ministry and seminary experience in transformative we will be back, for what we in Hawaii call “talk welcoming us, Alaska. For now, we say, “A Hui Hou” again…. ”)

Recordingsoftheinterviewsareavailableon websiteatwww.alaskacovenant.org/oral-history

Center: Pastor Cheryl Takabayashi of Wellspring Covenant Church in Honolulu, HI, experienced hospitality and fishing at its finest during a summer trip to Unalakleet project begun in November of 2023. Pat Pai, also of Wellspring, provided videography and editing expertise to this phase of the project. Donna Pai and Nathan also participated in the trip experiencing many facets of village life, including catching and processing salmon, as well as being weatherbound beyond the original Below: Interviews were videorecorded of Lloyd and Christine Perrigo of Nome, as well as Unalakleet residents Heidi Ivanoff, Joanne and Chip Swanson, Henry Towarak and Jeff and Donna Erickson.

Continues: Collection

fly out as planned, none of us Unalakleet had been life-changing and her relationships, have spoken transformative ways. God willing, story” time. Thank you for Hou” (“Until we meet

ontheAlaskaConference history-interviews

In June of 2024, my husband and I served at the high school Bible Camp in Unalakleet. He worked in the kitchen and I was a part of the brand-new care team, both important functions of camp to make the experience meaningful for the campers. As a licensed counselor the majority of my professional career involves extensive training and treatment in self-harming behaviors and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Mekoryuk. She structured the weekend with the focus on being worthy in Christ. I taught a few behavioral health skills to help them regulate their emotions when they are struggling with feeling worthy. The kids met in small groups with adult leaders to discuss the lesson and skills to reinforce the message of being worthy.

“It was a fun and powerful weekend where the kids learned that there is hope, even when they feel hopeless.”

At camp, Pastor Lauren Thurston, of Mekoryuk Covenant Church, and I started to discuss ways to integrate behavioral health skills in conjunction with teaching God’s word. In November, I joined a small CYAK team and flew to Mekoryuk to assist Pastor Lauren in a weekend youth retreat for the middle and high school students of

Throughout the weekend, they painted a tile, broke it, and glued it together with gold mixed with glue. We wanted them to know that beauty can be made out of brokenness. As the weekend closed, the kids started to share more, and those that struggled with thoughts of self-harm met with me individually. It was a fun and powerful weekend where the kids learned that there is hope, even when they feel hopeless.

Cindy MacLearn, of Eagle River Community Covenant Church traveled with a CYAK team to Mekoryuk Covenant Church. She and Pastor Lauren incorporated behavioral health skills and Bible teaching into the weekend youth retreat on “Being Worthy in Christ.” The team was made up of Alaska Christian College staff, CYAK staff, and Native Intervarsity staff.

Unalakleet to continue an oral history

Nathan Foo of Wellspring Covenant Church original trip timing.

Henry Oyoumick, Linda and Clarence

Koyuk & Shaktoolik Get Together

January 22-24, 2025

The worship and fellowship in the church, as well as in homes, was rich as the theme centered their hearts on John 14:13-14:

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”