An increase of outreach ministry continues; one big mile stone is a monthly Wasilla outreach ministry that began in December 2007.  This is expected to touch many new people as seeds are planted for development of a new Moravian fellowship in the valley.  The President of our Alaskan Province, The Rev. Peter Green, rejoices in this new development. 

During late 2007 it was felt that a growing Lay Leader team should meet in a special workshop to celebrate and plan better how to serve the general membership during 2008.  It’s been a year of challenges as well as blessings for leaders, lay leaders and individual members of the Anchorage Moravian Church. 

In order to help the Church grow, an ongoing emphasis is to invite new Moravian families who are moving into the area.  In later winter 2007 we were blessed with a Moravian Lay Pastor Billy Olsen who is unofficially serving as a volunteer outreach pastor with a goal of inviting people to attend our worship services.  By January 20, 2008, officially we have 60 church members; last year at our Church Council it was 55 members.  A goodly number of individuals have recommitted their lives to the Lord either through community outreaches and a number of converts have been won for the kingdom.  While sadly some of our people leave us to go back to their villages, we are fortunate to have more new people coming into our church through the front door.

Again a soft and ongoing emphasis on importance of tithing helped us to exceed the 2007 Church budget assuring for the first-time the ability to maintain a church office, provide salary for a part-time Youth Facilitator, hire an Administrative Assistance and increase financial support for the salary of the Hospital Chaplain.  While the church has enjoyed growth numerically, it is growing in outreach potential.  The following major activities happened during the old year: 

- Spiritual Warfare Training Singspiration held in January 2007 with The Rev. Tom Conrad, Seminary Dean instructing.  This began a local interest for studying finding Freedom in Christ.  This Singspiration was also a fund raiser for the Moravian Seminary & Theological Institute in Bethel, Alaska

- Joint Board and Interview Committee hired Mr. Leon Kiana as Administrative Assistant to the Pastor who began work by mid January 2007.

- One Family day & Party Club at Kinkaid Park on February 10, 2007.

- Pastor Nicholson represented the AncMC as special speaker for the General Bible Conference in Bethel, Alaska, celebrating the 550^th Year Anniversary of World-wide Moravian Church.

- A Marriage Enrichment Class was held October 4, 2007 to talk about identification of problem areas and improving communication with spouses.

- Adult Membership Class was held two times on October 23 & 30, 2007.  This class taught by Pastor Nicholson brought in three new members.

- The biggest yet November 2007 Thanksgiving Turkey and Food basket Outreach touched 16 families, more than doubling last year’s effort.  Fay Romer is to be thanked for overseeing this well-received ministry. 

- Three Fund Raisers for the New Church Building Fund – Fall Holy Spirit Exposure Jubilee and Permanent Fund Drive Stewardship emphasis in September/October 2007 and Fur Rondy Jubilee in late Winter 2007.

- Special Recognition and Potluck on October 28, 2007 for redeploying 2^nd Scout Battalion Soldiers and their family members.  Thanks to Fay Romer who baked a big “Welcome Home” cake for the celebration.

- Continuation of Confirmation Class with four members from October 2007.

- Youth Facilitator, Joyce Ekamrak left for Bethel in May 2007, however thanks to Alice Hess leadership, the Youth Program was able to gain new life by involvement of college-aged leadership, Whitney & Kent Carter.  The youth program continues each Friday night at Alice Hess’s residence and the Carter’s home.

- Sadly “Thank God It’s Thursday” AA group went into recess in late autumn 2007 due to the death of one of it’s founders, Mr. John D. McGeary, who died on September 20, 2007.  This is a program still needed for those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.

- Love Offerings & Benevolence Outreach to at least three families.  One family did not have dollars to pay for heating fuel.

- Draft of a new 2008 Singspiration Lay Leader Listing with 25 individuals to be approved by the Elders on first meeting of New Year 2008.

- Significant action was amending Hospital Chaplain Walter Larson’s contract in December 2007 to provide up to 19 paid hours of work, weekly.  His contract expires May 31, 2009.

- for community outreach we supported, participated in or found ourselves in active support of the following: Anecia Chicklak’s Friday Night Street Ministry; the Dr. Eilene Star Mountain View Thanksgiving project; Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service with Hope Lutheran Church, Turnagain United Methodist Church, Our Lady, and Calvary Chapel; unified Advent Service at Hope Lutheran Church with Moravian Choir singing;  Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Worship Service; Christian Native Gathering with theme of “Hope for Today” (Pastor Nicholson served as Co-Chair for this well attended event at Abbott Loop Community Church), as well as a Spiritual Feast orchestrated by the Manokotak Moravian Church Elders at 1^st Congregational Church.  Both the Gathering and Feast reportedly each had a total of 1,000 Native people attending, and

- Probably the most exciting development is the Wasilla “Rough Around the Edges” Outreach which began on December 8, 2007.  Valley Harvest Church in Wasilla has offered “free of charge” a beautiful, spacious, and new facility, for the AncMC to begin a much needed Native Outreach in the Valley. Leon Kiana is to be thanked for his leadership in this outreach.

While Pastor Nicholson was absent due to military duties and Summer Leave, the following speakers are to be thanked for their service:  Nelson Angapak, Fay Romer, Leon Kiana, August Alexie, Felix Hess, The Rev. David Blanchett, and Bishop Michael Keyes.

The AncMC Non-denominational Singspiration events would not have been such a blessing as they are without a growing number of Lay Leaders who help lead worship.  Each one of the lay people is to be commended for their help.  We desire you to use your gifts of ministry as you feel God’s Spirit leading you. 

Specific pastoral ministrations were performed in 2007 that impact not only our church family, but the extended church family.  They are as follows:

- 8  Infant baptisms

- 3  Reception of Members

- 6  Rite of Confirmation

- 2  Magistrate for the Day Weddings

- 1  Reaffirmation of Wedding Vows

- 9  Memorial/Funeral Services

Pastor Nicholson continued as Co-Chair of the Moravian Seminary Trustees Board during 2007.  Significantly he was able to develop new Seminary Bylaws which were adopted by the Trustees in autumn 2007.  As a result of this action, currently he serves as Chairman of the Seminary Trustees Board.  Noteworthy during 2007 the Moravian Seminary is now sponsored by the Evangelical Covenant Church in Alaska as well as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of American, Alaska Synod.  He hopes that Native students from the Covenant and Lutheran Native Churches will attend the Seminary in Bethel in the near future.

For the Alaska Army National Guard, the Pastor performed Chaplain duty at the Mexican/US border during “Operation Jumpstart” from January 27-February 18, 2007.  Other significant activity was providing invocation and benediction for a Freedom Salute ceremony at Fort Richardson on May 19, 2007.  This ceremony honored the Alaska Guard veterans who returned from Afghanistan and Iraq.  In attendance were Two Star General Campbell and One Star General Katus.  In order to better meet the needs of his family and the AncMC in December 2007, the pastor resigned as 207^th Brigade Chaplain, a post he held since July 12, 2007.  This ends almost eleven years of service as a US Army Chaplain to the Alaska Army National Guard.  The pastor notified the Moravian Church in America, Southern Province, as to this decision because he officially has served the Southern Province as military Chaplain.

The Pastor and Elders continue to look forward and seek the Holy Spirit’s leadership in every area.  Goals for 2008 may include altar calls and prayers for the sick as the Spirit of God moves.  If the 2008 Budget is approved, we hope to invite national known inspirational speakers quarterly to enrich our church and help grow building fund dollars.  Also expected is the possibly to conducting a State of Alaska certified Parenting Workshop with a spiritual emphasis for our families who struggle.  The pastor will be the key-note speaker at the February 2008 Alaska Moravian Church Synod.

The Pastor and Elders of the Anchorage Moravian Church continue to pray for each one of you.   If anyone needs help, please call the pastor.  During the pastor’s time off, which is Friday and Saturday our membership are encouraged to contact an elder.  If there is an emergency, the pastor will always make time 24 hours daily.

2007 Pastor & Elder’s Report Summary and Commentary: 

The Anchorage Moravian Church continues to grow in depth of ministry and spiritually.  This is evidenced by the growing programs, teaching ministries and involvement of the laity.  People continue to be touched by the various worship programs. A special blessing is the growing numbers of lay people who are involved in leadership, which should enhance the Wasilla outreach.  This outreach will need to be prayed for and watched as God’s hand continues to move. 

Individual members of the Anchorage Moravian Church are encouraged to invite people to attend Church regularly. In order to fulfill the programs that are approved by the Elders and Trustees of the Church the general membership is encouraged to give their tithes regularly.  As evidenced by the proactive nature of the Elders board and successful small groups within the life of the Anchorage Moravian Church, it is now clear that our church is seen as among the top spiritually meaningful and Christ glorifying Native Churches in Anchorage, Alaska.  The Hospital Chaplain is providing a much needed service, but due to the heavy weekly work-load, the Pastor who has a primary calling to meet the needs of it’s membership, spends considerable time performing a ministry of presence among the area hospitals, assistive living centers, jails, homes, and wherever the need arises.  

Although we don’t have our own Church building it, it appears that we are growing a Body of Christ that is beginning to understand its’ mission to a world that is needy.  Although we have been proactive in the area of meeting personal needs, one area that we have failed in is developing clear cut goals and objectives for a new Church building.  This is seen in the failed reactivation of the New Church planning committee in 2007.  It may be that we lack a clear goal and vision for the new church.  Possibly we may need to refocus and build on our original RFP approved in January 2004.  In order to continue to evolve and establish ourselves, the Trustees of the Church are now saying that we may need to look at hire of a full-time Administrative Pastor who will do relational fund raising, strategic planning, and erecting a new church.

The Anchorage Moravian Church continues as a full-program church with the aim of meeting the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our congregational membership.  We continue weekly with two worship services Sunday with a third service offered by lay leaders at the Alaska Native Medical Center Conference Room, a Wednesday Night Bible Study & Prayer meeting followed by a Wednesday Night Choir Practice, Thursday Night Women’s Fellowship Group and a regular Friday night Young Peoples meeting, and once monthly outreach to Wasilla, Alaska.

Our membership are thinking of improvements during 2008.  Certainly, we are open to suggestions that will grow the Moravian Church further in its mission for Christ.  One idea shared that may help expand our church is the hire of an Outreach Minister who will be responsible for executing a specific plan for inviting people to Church.  Others have shared that we should have a welcoming committee.  If volunteers are interested in serving in this capacity they are encouraged to either speak with the Pastor or one of the Church Elders.

© Copyright 2006 Anchorage Moravian Church
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