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ECCAK Partnering with Danish Church in Greenland
ILULISSAT, GREENLAND (May 27, 2001) - The Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK) and the Danish Covenant Church recently combined forces to minister to a group of 30 Covenanters in Greenland.
Nathan Toots, associate field director of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK), traveled to Greenland with Jeffrey Siemers of Hooper Bay, Tom Mute of Bethel, Eva Oyoumick of Unalakleet and three members of Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK). Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) representative Dave Husby, the Asian regional coordinator for the Department of World Mission, joined the group in Greenland for what Toots called an idea exchange.
The Danish Covenant Church contacted the world mission department and asked if representatives from Alaska would be willing to go to Greenland to learn about the church
there. Before heading to Greenland, the ECCAK representatives met with leaders of the Danish Covenant Church in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Although ECCAK representatives have experience with the Inuit population - the primary inhabitants of Greenland - few spoke the native language. Some Inuits in Greenland spoke English, however, with the "language of love" making up for any verbal language difficulties between the two groups, Toots observed.
"The team the Lord put together was fit for the mission," said Toots. "Our CYAK members were readily received and enjoyed. They were invited to visit homes and interacted with several households. In addition to the homes, the entire team was invited for food, prayer and Bible study. Other times the team went on fellowship hikes, prison visitation, school
visitation, dog team rides and commercial tours.
"Despite the language barriers the entire team was used of the Lord in ministries of friendship, prayer, fellowship, encouragement and some late-night fellowship," Toots said. "The team also went to the State Lutheran Church service, which was very different from our style of church services."
Toots said that Greenland, a country of 56,000 people, has a demographic mix in which 87 percent are Inuits and Greenland-born whites. The locals refer to themselves as Greenlandic, not Eskimos or Inuits, and the hymnals and Bibles they use are printed in their Greenlandic dialect, the primary language.
"Although the Christian community in Ilulissat is small in numbers, their reputation of being God-fearing, praying Christians is widespread," said Toots of the Missionshuset Qupalorassuk Church, which was established in 1998. "The age composition of the believers is relatively young as opposed to many of our Native Alaskan Churches today. These are musically talented 30-to-40-year-old men and women who love to express their love for God and faith, very much like our early Native believers during the early introduction of the gospel."
According to local church leadership, the greatest congregational needs are acquisition of a Greenlandic speaking pastor and youth worker. Toots believes that a pastoral presence to meet spiritual and emotional needs may prove more vital, especially since most of the children in the
area are being taught English in school.
Toots says he feels honored to be involved in such a special project with the Danish Covenant Church. Toots gave special thanks to Freddy Mortensen, a member of the Mission Board from the Danish Covenant Church, for his role as a guide and translator.
"The trip to Greenland was a trip that will be remembered for a long time," he reported. "It was exhausting being airborne roughly 40 hours and fighting so many time changes, jet lags and sore bodies, but the reward of witnessing men and women who are truly excited of being the children
of God was an experience to behold. The people of Ilulissat (population 4,500) have experienced the life-changing salvation of God and they envision of sharing the same gospel to their neighboring Greenlanders.
"I believe the ingredients for entering into partnership with the Danish Covenant Church in ministry to the people of Greenland is a real and dynamic possibility," Toots continued. "The spiritual attitude, energy and atmosphere of the core believers I witnessed in Ilulissat makes me believe the Lord has laid the foundation for a spiritual awakening and evangelization of Greenland through its own people and trained resources. I also believe the Lord may be saying through the leadership of the Danish Covenant Church that we in America have the trained resources to help meet the task. I was moved, energized and blessed by this trip."
For more information about ECCAK and its trip to Greenland, contact Toots through the ECCAK office at 907-694-6348 or email the region at eccak@alaska.net. Information also may be found by visiting the ECCAK web site at www.alaska.net/~eccak.
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