Covenant News

ECCAK Partnering With Danish in Greenland

ILULISSAT, GREENLAND (April 6, 2001) - The Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK) and the Danish Covenant Church are combining forces to minister to a group of Inuit Covenanters in Greenland, with four Alaskans traveling April 18-27 for what one administrator calls an "idea exchange."

Nathan Toots, ECCAK associate field director, will travel to Greenland with Jeffrey Siemers of Hooper Bay, Tom Mute of Bethel and Eva Oyoumick of Unalakleet, three members of Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYA). Oyoumick was recently named the dean of women at the newly formed Alaska Christian College.

The Danish Covenant Church, which is involved in ministry in Greenland, contacted the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Department of World Mission to see if Inuit Covenanters from Alaska could go to Greenland for a cultural exchange - to learn more about each other, Toots said. Before heading to Greenland, ECCAK representatives will meet with leaders of the Danish Covenant Church in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There are 30 Inuit natives affiliated with the Danish Covenant Church ministries. Only a handful of them speak English - Inuit is their primary language. Although the visiting Alaskan Inuits only speak English, they have a good understanding of the Inuit culture, which should prove helpful in the development of ministries to the Greenland Inuits, Toots believes.

Greenland is a sparsely populated area - about 56,000 predominantly Inuit inhabitants - with a limited transportation infrastructure. Towns are isolated from each other and are generally reachable only by plane or boat. Given the rural nature of the area, it is not surprising that there are more computers per capita than any other country in the world, according to travel bureau statistics.

Toots said he feels honored to be involved in such a special project with the Danish Covenant Church. "I feel this is the Lord's leading and He has the master plan," Toots said. "We only see a small speck of it. If possible, we hope to have an influence there. Other people have explored the Greenland church, but they have returned. Please pray for us during our time there. We have some expertise, but we're really there to learn."

For more information about ECCAK and its upcoming trip to Greenland, contact Toots by telephone at 907-694-6348 or by email at eccak@alaska.net. Additional information about ECCAK may be found by visiting its web site at www.alaska.net/?eccak.

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