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Alaskan Conference Reports Growth
NOME, AK (March 20, 2000) - The Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK) kicked off conference annual meetings among Covenant churches March 9-12 as 250 attended the event hosted by Nome Covenant Church.
"I was overwhelmed with praise and thanksgiving to God for what He did," said Nathan Toots, associate director for ECCAK. "The conference went beyond my expectations. We had smaller numbers, but the quality of the group was incredible," he continued. "Pastors, department heads and youth leaders challenged us to dream big, and I was pleased with the spirit of the conference."
Field Director Paul Wilson shared his excitement over the future of ECCAK, stating that there are nearly three times as many pastoral staff members in the conference compared to six years ago. Thanks to a cooperative agreement reached recently with Regent College in British Columbia, Canada, there will now be the opportunity for graduate level education for Alaskans seeking a Masters degree.
Among ECCAK goals during the next five years are:
- Opening of a vocational and leadership-oriented bible college in the conference
- A more extensive vocational ministry training program for Native American
teens through the area's youth ministry program Covenant Youth of
Alaska (CYAK)
- Continued growth in church attendance and church ministries in the conference
Reconfiguration of the field director role to a team approach has been well received by ECCAK churches, Wilson reports. Nathan Toots, Wassilie Mute, and Curtis Ivanoff serve as associate directors, each having specific regional responsibilities. Toots and Mute work with various region churches, while Ivanoff serves as director of CYAK and Wilson focuses on leadership development. The four, pictured in the accompanying photograph, are (from left) Mute, Ivanhoff, Wilson and Toots.
"The Covenant church has grown more in the past six years than it had in the first 100," said Wilson. "Because of that, we've experienced lots of positive energy. A gathering like this is analogous to the 1800s when people traveled by covered wagon hundreds of miles for camp revival meetings," he observed. "Many villages are so isolated that this conference seems like a
mega-church. This is very encouraging."
Wilson said many at the conference were encouraged by the emergence of young Eskimo leaders between the ages of 20 and 30. "It has come about through an innovative strategic evangelism
and mentoring program," he said. "We believe in evangelism by community - through developing trusting relationships, we've found an open door to people's lives."
Harold Spooner, director of compassion ministries for the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), discussed goal-setting and suggested ways in which his department can partner with the conference. Keynote speakers were Art Greco, director of prayer and evangelism in the ECC's Department of Church Growth and Evangelism, and pastor Harvey Friskeaux of Nome Covenant Church.
Additional information about ECCAK and future projects may be obtained by contacting Wilson via e-mail at eccak@alaska.net.
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