Dear Friend,
12/17/2019 I write to you from Unalakleet where I have been traveling this past week to support and encourage our Covenant churches and leaders here in Western Alaska. It is evident how God is moving in and through our people, and I’m also aware of the great needs facing many of our congregations. I want to again invite you to partner with us and to consider giving a year-end gift to the Alaska Conference general fund. I want to share in this letter a little of what gifts to our general fund help to accomplish. Start and Strengthen Churches is what this trip has been about, and where I spend much of my energy on behalf of our 19 churches. On this trip, I also visited Shaktoolik to spend time with leadership of the church. Shaktoolik’s pastor had to unexpectedly conclude, so they have felt the impact of losing their pastor. James has been in Nome, Elim and White Mountain this week caring for the churches there. Travel to rural Alaska is costly but absolutely necessary for the health and encouragement of our pastors and lay leaders. A gift to the general fund keeps us flying, so we can be present in good times and hard times. Western Alaska Ministry Training (WAMT) falls within our Develop Leaders ministry initiative. WAMT has been focused on equipping our own people, in our own “back yard” in various areas of ministry. Jack Brown, of Golovin Covenant Church, has been attending the courses over the last five years. In September, he accepted a call to serve as pastor in Elim through the end of the year. His heart was first stirred toward pastoral ministry in his teens. He shared this longing during the last WAMT course, and a classmate shared this with his home church. A few months later, Jack was preaching and serving in the neighboring village. A gift to the general fund helps us bring ongoing theological education and ministry equipping for developing leaders within our ministry locally. Within the Love Mercy Do Justice Ministry priority, Kristi Ivanoff works with Laura Eben to develop the work of AVA (907)—the work of Advocates for Victims of Abuse. Earlier this fall, Kristi received three requests in one day for referrals, from three of our churches, in how to resource someone in an abusive situation. Six people, representing five of our churches attended Journey to Mosaic learning experience. “Invitation to Racial Righteousness” will be held in the Anchorage area in April, as we work so the church will be a united force in dismantling the walls of racial separation. A gift to the general fund provides for more people to receive care and equipping related to difficult issues facing our people. “Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom” is our theme for our conference-wide gathering and annual meeting to be held in Bethel. We will turn our hearts toward wholistic visioning to Make and Deepen Disciples. Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK) is committed to growing disciples among our youth, and Covenant Bible Camp in Unalakleet is one ministry so near and dear to my heart, as it is where I gave my heart to the Lord in 1982. A gift to the general fund helps build “kingdom people” of all ages. One of our primary Serve Globally ministries happens in Nome through the ministry of KICY, as the radio signal gets pointed east at 11 p.m. each night and delivers the good news of Christ in Russian into the Russian Far East during their daytime. I serve on the Arctic Broadcasting Board and will travel to Nome in April as KICY will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. A gift to the general fund has impact in “the uttermost parts of the earth.”
Thank you for those of you who pray regularly for us as we labor. Advent is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the coming of Christ, by being born in a manger, and that we anticipate his coming again. We are also keenly aware of the longing that comes in waiting. We hope that you are blessed in this season as we look not only to the manger, but also to the living hope that we have in Christ. Happy New Year!