Alaska United Methodist Conference

“Doors Open in Agape Love”–First UMC, Anchorage

Submitted by Rev. Steve Fisher of First United Methodist Church, Anchorage.

Snow or shine, the doors of First UMC are open, and the beautiful people of God are welcomed into a sanctuary of sacred space and agape love.

2019 marks the 75^th Anniversary of the evangelistic zeal of Methodists in Anchorage Alaska. In the later years of WW II, the city began rapidly growing as a central hub in the Territory of Alaska. Of the civilians who traveled north to what is commonly called “The Last Frontier,” it became apparent there were several Methodists looking to establish a Christian community. On October 22, 1944, the first worship service was held with 33 people in attendance. A church school ministry began just a few weeks later.

Over the years this community of believers known today as, the First United Methodist Church, Anchorage, experienced major growing opportunities as a culturally and theologically diverse community of believers, by sharing the love of God in Jesus, the Christ. The people of First UMC have witnessed and supported the planting of no less than 3 Methodist Churches in the Anchorage area. Today this Body of Christ, continues to mirror the melting pot diversity of Anchorage and maintains a vital role in supporting the needs of various people in a variety of ways.

The United Methodist Women remain a most vital ministry of spiritual development and generous outreach. The forward thinkers, of a few year ago and today, continue to touch the lives of people throughout Alaska with donations from the economic gains of the established First UMC Foundation. Together as the Body of Christ, the generous ministries of First UMC support civic and ecclesiastical groups such as: AK Child & Family, The Magic Yarn Project, Bikers Against Child Abuse, Kids Corps Head Start, rural & remote congregations, development of church camps, and the outreach ministry goals of the local church.

This congregation of Native Alaskans, European Americans, Filipino Americans, African Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Hispanic Americans, Samoan Americans, Japanese Americans and South Sudanese, reach out in ministry to:

Homeless families, as a host of the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter
The neighboring community, A Place @ the Table (free community meal)
Brother Francis Homeless Shelter, with 380 handcrafted sandwiches each month
Clare House Women’s Shelter, with completed meals each month

For the past several years, First UMC has extended the ministries of its facilities to community groups such as:

First Samoan UMC
Alcoholics Anonymous
3 ALANON groups
Co-Op Home School Group
Alaska Prospectors
Alaska Bar Exam
2 Recreational Soccer groups
Other community wide events

It is not as if the people of First UMC live without challenges and brokenness. Our experience through earthquakes serves as a testimony to God’s grace and healing. The church building has withstood two major earthquakes. In March 1964, Anchorage was shaken by “The Great Alaska Earthquake” where the ground separated as roadways and building gave way. Through this earthquake First Methodist’s newly build sanctuary building stood strong and the people of Anchorage rallied to recover and rebuild an even stronger community. In November 2018 another major earthquake rattled the Anchorage community. While the destruction was not as severe, many structures were compromised, some roadways collapsed and many things were broken and seemed lost. Yet, through faith, First UMC placed broken pieces on the altar as we were reminded; when we bring our brokenness before God, we are healed by the saving grace of Christ Jesus our Lord. In Anchorage, God continues to make “Something Beautiful” of our lives.

Come and visit Alaska! During the summer months of tourism; nestled in downtown Anchorage, First UMC is graced with the presence of many visitors from around the United States and the World. While most of these visitors return home for the winter months, First UMC continues to open their doors throughout the cold winter months. Snow or shine, the doors are open, and the beautiful people of God are welcomed into a sanctuary of sacred space and agape love.

Our “sanctuary of sacred space and agape love.”

“A Door for Community” — Douglas Community UMC

Submitted by the Outreach Committee of Douglas Community UMC.

Even the front door to Douglas Community UMC says, “How to build community.”

Douglas Community United Methodist Church is situated on Douglas Island, across the channel from Downtown Juneau. In addition to worship and study, the congregation is focused in four areas of outreach in our community:

Feed the Hungry/Feeding Juneau’s Future
Glory Hall Meals
Food Pantry
Building Community in Douglas.

Feeding Juneau’s Future is the larger group which partners with other churches in the community as well as community organizations. The goal of Feeding Juneau’s Future is to end food insecurity among school aged children in the Juneau Borough. Money from the Juneau Community Foundation Grant as well as the Gaguine Foundation help fund the Backpacks program. program. We also receive grant funding from the state for the Summer Lunch Program. Feeding Juneau’s Future is centered out of our building and DCUMC is the recipient of the grant monies to make the following programs happen.

Backpacks program in area elementary and middle schools providing food to go home on weekends for children identified as needing this service. This is funded through the Community Foundation grant.
Food pantries in the high schools.
Summer Lunch programs at low income housing projects.

In this work, DCUMC (Feed the Hungry) provides backpacks for students at Gastineau School, as well as providing the summer lunch program at Cedar Park Housing.

The Glory Hall Meal is provided for those who are homeless in Juneau one Tuesday a month by members of our church. The food is prepared in our commercial kitchen, transported to the Glory Hall, and served to the people by volunteers from our community.

The Food Pantry at DCUMC is open every Wednesday and Friday from 2-4 PM. Donations come from financial support from the church as well as from members of our church community and of our wider community donating food. There are currently 15-20 people who use the pantry weekly.

Building Community in Douglas is an effort to partner with people in our community to support each other in building a stronger and more caring community in Douglas. In the past year, these are partnerships we are building:

DCUMC and the Douglas Fire Department. The Fire Department has donated food to our food pantry and made a substantial donation after the Fourth of July.
DCUMC and the Fourth of July Committee in Douglas. We partner with them every year to host the Douglas Christmas Tree Lighting gathering on the Friday after Thanksgiving. In addition to refreshments, this year the church is lining up musicians for a small concert in the sanctuary afterwards. We will also be offering to assist with the Douglas Ghost Walk, a Halloween gathering for the children of Douglas sponsored by the Fourth of July Committee.

As we move into the next year, we hope to be able to be responsive to emerging needs in our midst.

“Small Church, Big Heart” — Sitka UMC

Submitted by Rev. Bennie Grace P. Nabua of Sitka UMC.

Small Church, Big Heart

The United Methodist Church is blessed to be able to minister and serve in this beautiful island of Sitka in South East Alaska. This is a town with a population of about 9,000 people, a 14 mile road system, and a rich history of Russian influence. It is home to Tlingit and Haida Alaska Native groups, was the site of the Alaska Purchase, and was formerly the capital of Alaska.

Life in this “rock” as locals say, is serene and simple but it is not without challenges as Sitka is only accessible by plane or boat. High cost of living, difficult access to low cost housing, growing senior population, and substance abuse are also realities that Sitkans face in varying degrees. But being the Alaskans that we are, resilience and community help people cope and thrive. The strong and close-knit community fosters a “we make it happen” spirit that is evident in arts, education, sports, recreation and even mission.

Manna Lunch

The breath-taking beauty of the mountains and the islands cannot hide the other side of the city that shows a growing number of people who live in the margins. The Salvation Army has their Monday to Friday lunches that we support in cash and in kind. Saturday lunch is initiated by St Gregory’s Roman Catholic Church and Sundays is Manna Lunch where five churches take turns in providing hot soup and brown bag lunches.

We serve on first Sundays of the month and the hustle and bustle begins when volunteers come to prepare sandwiches followed by our Sunday school kids packing them. After service at 12:30, volunteers serve at the site and converse with our unsheltered friends.

Children and Youth Ministry

Our young families in the congregation tell of how child-friendly the church is and take note of the love our Sunday school teachers have for kids. Aside from Sunday School, our Vacation Bible School, Advent and Lenten workshops continue to draw kids in the community.

We are excited to have opened The Journey, our Middle School Class and continue on with our BeTween, our pre-teen ministry to provide a safe space for them to explore their growing faith and ready them to face the challenges of teen life.

Sacred Spaces

We have our Choir and Bells ministry that meets on Wednesday nights and two offerings for adults on Thursdays that provide opportunities to carve out sacred spaces in their busy schedules. In the morning, we have an ecumenical group that attends the Contemplative Reading of Scriptures (now in Luke) and, in the evening, a Bible Study (now in the Gospel of Mark). We also have our Choir and Bells ministry that meet on Wednesday nights.

Dream and Work

We dream and work big for our youth ministry and we pray that God will continue to raise adult leaders who will invest in walking along side our young in life and faith. We dream and work to be more rooted in the Word and invested in lives of those who are in the margins. We dream and work to be in connection with God and others to grow our community of faith called to worship and serve this community we love.

The sanctuary where we dream together and work together.

“Neighbors Out the Front Door” — Aldersgate UMC

Submitted by Rev. Karen Dammann, Aldersgate UMC

The doors of Aldersgate UMC in Juneau, Alaska.

Aldersgate United Methodist Church was founded just 33 years ago in 1986. The congregation was intentionally planted in the midst of a low income housing area, to better serve those who live on the margins in the Mendenhall Valley. This setting sees a very high level of transition in and out of the neighborhood, with a high number of people moving in and out on a monthly basis. The congregation is a wonderful point of stability here, but it has not always been easy being off of “the beaten” path in such a rapidly changing environment. The immediate neighborhood has not been able to support the congregation financially over the years, and the next circle of housing is difficult to connect with due the configuration of streets in the area. We have had to employ some creativity in reaching out beyond the immediate setting to engage those who want to participate in our ministries and who can offer financial stability.

A new development of condos is going in across the street. The trees have been cleared and ground has been broken, and we anticipate steady construction through the winter. This will bring home owners to our immediate setting and we are excited about the stability that this will offer. We are looking forward to welcoming our new neighbors and offering them our hospitality.

New neighbors will be moving in across the street from Aldersgate UMC.

Our latest project was an attempt to respond to the serious lack of affordable child care in Juneau. Under the leadership of a member of Aldersgate who is passionate about serving the needs of children and families, we have become a Childcare Center licensed by the State of Alaska. We partner with the State and with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska to provide childcare for over 30 children from very low income families.

We have intentionally sought to be a safe place for the LGBTQ community in Juneau. We host family nights, potlucks, game nights, dances, open mics, and other celebrations, including a Celebration of the Saints of the LGBTQ community, who have lost their lives in the fight for equality.

Stability is our greatest challenge as our members and constituents are constantly moving into and out of Juneau. It impacts our ministry at every level, from volunteers who manage our ministries to our finances. Last year all but one of our newly received members moved to the lower 48. Never-the-less, we continue in the work we are called to in our Mission Field of the Mendenhall Valley and Juneau.

Thank you for your prayers and your support!

“Our Doors Are Open!” — The UMC of Chugiak

Submitted by Rev. David Hall, UMC of Chugiak

At first look, it might seem that our doors are not open. There is caution tape stretched across the main entry to church supporting a sign which reads, “Danger – Use Side Door”. This is certainly not the way we would like to welcome people into our building for worship or for our community programs. Yet, this is how our doors look for now; a product of the large earthquake that shook Alaska in November of 2018. Like many of our neighbors, we spend time working with FEMA and other government agencies to find the funds and the resources to repair what the earthquake damaged. The sign is only temporary. The portico will be fixed and a welcoming entry brought back to life. In the meantime, however, life exists abundantly inside those doors.

Presently, these are the front doors of The United Methodist Church of Chugiak.

The first church building that housed the congregation of the United Methodist Church of Chugiak was built in 1959. Now, I am new to the church and folks may be pulling the new pastor’s leg, but the story goes that the current position of the church was not the approved layout. The contractor that was to set the foundation for the church arrived one morning to lay the footers and upon turning onto the property, he noticed he could see Denali towering over the valley from his vantage point. He thought the church needed to see the view he was seeing as they worshipped each Sunday, so he picked up the markers and rotated them so that the windows of the back of the church would look out at Denali and see the wonder of God’s creation in its full glory as they worshipped. We are lucky he took the initiative!

The congregation of the UMC Chugiak church has been a steadfast member in the communities of Chugiak, Birchwood, and Eagle River, partnering over time with different organizations in different ways to provide outreach and support. Early on, CCS Early Learning Services actually operated out of the UMC Chugiak basement, until they built a separate structure about a mile away. The relationship remained tight and this year UMC Chugiak was nominated by CCS Early Learning to receive an award as “AHSA’s Community Advocate of the Year”. Some lines of the nomination read, “The church has made it easy for CCS Early Learning to meet the needs of many of our families without having to send them to other agencies. They are very generous and willing to help wherever there is a need with our families.” The help mentioned refers to the basic needs of families such as clothes, food, furniture, school supplies, and even gas cards. We are happy to be nominated for this award, but joyful to know that our involvement was meaningful to the families and to the organization it supported. I am pleased to share that we were the recipient of the AHSA Community Advocate of the Year award for 2019 and we look forward to continuing to grow in our support of the local CCS Early Learning facility.

Although the CCS Early Learning school has not met in the walls of our church for a very long time, we still bring the community children through our doors in a different way. It started out as a program called “Homework Haven” and was designed as an afterschool program with an emphasis on helping children who lived locally near the church with their homework. Last year, however, the local school decided that homework was not to be assigned. This allowed the “Homework Haven” program to change its approach and now it offers lessons in “life skills” to the young people who come in from sewing to cooking. There is also quite a bit of fun to be had and games to be played. We also make sure the children are given a good meal before going home.

Denali is seen in the distance from The United Methodist Church of Chugiak.

If you were to come into the church parking lot around noon on any given day, you would see a large number of vehicles in the lot. A local Alcoholics Anonymous support group has been utilizing the narthex of the church for its meetings for many years. The gentleman who leads the group continuously expresses his thanks for the use of the church and we are thankful for his constant support of the folks who come to this gathering. It is a place of transformation, a place of redemption, and a place of forgiveness. I am sure these are things found by those who come for the AA services each day.

I do believe that most of the community surrounding the church would identify the UMC of Chugiak congregation with the “Recycle for a Reason” program. The program was born out of a need many years ago to have a local drop off and purchase place for used items, such as a Goodwill or Salvation Army store. The UMC of Chugiak congregation stepped into the roll and has been operating this service each month for several years. The items are collected and organized by volunteers and then placed out for pick up one Saturday a month. Those who are in need are not asked to provide anything and to take what they need, others are asked to give a donation as they are able. The money raised by the program is then applied to local missions throughout Alaska. It may seem that such a model may not be successful but since 2013, the Recycle for a Reason program has donated $66,779 to local and national missions and $33,389 to missions of the UMC Chugiak congregation.

As we kick off the Fall of 2019, we are in full swing with Sunday school classes for all ages, a Wednesday night Bible Study, a Centering Prayer group, and our Choir. We are also in the early stages of reinvigorating a mission-based youth program that has been well attended in its first two meetings. Life within the doors of the UMC Chugiak church is growing and we look forward to opening our doors up wide for others to explore our worship services and programs. We are also well aware that our doors open for us to work outside as well. We look forward to continued partnerships with local organizations and other churches that help us minister to our community in ways that bring glory to God’s name. We are not averse to trying new things and finding new ways of connecting to our fellow humans and God’s creation.

Our doors are open!