New Church Details
Beginnings of a New Church for Anchorage
By Pastor Nicholson
Apr 10, 2003, 21:54

FIRST MORAVIAN CHURCH IN ANCHORAGE CONTINUES NEW BUILDING FUND RAISING

By Pastor William H. Nicholson, April 2003

The Anchorage Moravian Church is Alaska's newest Moravian Church. It is also the first Moravian Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Heading up this fledging congregation is The Rev. William H. Nicholson. He is an Alaskan Native from Dillingham, Alaska. He is a graduate of Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he received a Masters of Divinity degree in May 1977.

Incorporated and organized in January 2001, the church leadership has a vision that the Anchorage Moravian Church has a big and significant role to play in it's community! The Moravian Church in Anchorage is an indigenous church. A member of the Alaska Provincial Board feels that since the Anchorage Church is an indigenous church, in Alaska's largest city, with the largest Native Alaskan population, it holds bright promise of becoming Alaska's largest Moravian church, if sufficient financial support is forthcoming for a large church facility. It has been said there are about 40,000 Native Alaskans who live in the city of Anchorage, many of whom do not attend church. Those who attend church may be feeling lonely in other non-Native run churches.

The Moravian Church in Alaska has struggled financially, since it became a self-dependent Province in 1982. Today, there are 24 Moravian Churches in Alaska and about 1700 communicant members. Over-all being a small church, it is difficult to fund new Church planting. Raising dollars for erecting or even purchase of buildings is even more difficult. Truly the Alaskan Moravian churches are poor churches, with most of its members living at federal poverty levels, yet it is believed that "with God all things are possible". If God wants to build a church in Anchorage, it will happen!

Christ, our Chief Elder, desires to minister to the many Natives of Anchorage, Alaska. Christ "wept" over Jerusalem. 2000 years ago, our Savior said, as he lay on the cross of Calvary - "Father forgive them for they know not what they do". Many people are blinded by the god of this world and need the blessed hope. They need spiritual support as they live in a city filled with neon lights and literally hundreds of thousands of people. Therefore the Moravian Church in Anchorage has as its primary task to faithfully bring the gospel of salvation to the lost. So too, to give natives (many of them Moravian from southwestern Alaska) a place where they feel a sense of village (a sense of belonging).

Since Pastor Nicholson arrived as pastor in December 2001, he sees the joint boards assuring that we as a church do everything possible to advance Christ. Also through our worship programs, singspirations, monthly potlucks, outreaches to the jails and assistive living centers, and even through special fund raising activities and gatherings it is important to promote a sense of community where each member feels important.

The result of the growing sense of community is that during the January 2003 annual Church Council, the leadership and members rejoiced that the church body is indeed growing! Documenting this growth is that estimates show already about 35 families contributing to the life of the church. Key white and blue-collar workers and a few professional people attend the regular worship services held each Sunday.

During the December 31, 2002, Watchnight Service, an elder of the Anchorage Moravian church board was over-heard remarking - "During our New Year's eve service in 2001, we didn't have enough room in the Turnagain United Methodist Church Confirmation classroom for those who attended; this year on New Year's eve 2002, we moved downstairs into the kitchen area. If it keeps growing like this, we will need a different church for our New Year eve's service on December 31, 2003".

Some of our members feel a bit impatient. A new church worship and fellowship facility is needed now! But the reality is that we still have a long ways to go before we will have sufficient dollars for a new church. But as we continue to pull together, pray together, and seek God's Will, we may have our own church "sooner than we think". For now we continue to worship each Sunday in the afternoon and work around the United Methodist and Samoan Congregation's monthly church schedule.

In order to hasten the day when we will own and manage our own church, stewardship of our talents and our finances is stressed. Over $20,000 was raised in March 2003 in a Rondy Jubilee building fund raiser. Thanks to Natalie Angapak, Church Treasurer, the Anchorage Moravian church financial records are computerized and accountability is assured. A Church budget was passed in January 2003 with general operating and building fund line items identified.

Pastor Nicholson knows a little about fund raising. During his tenure as senior pastor of the Bethel Moravian Church, a new Moravian church was constructed and dedicated in autumn 1999. In December 2001 the Bethel Church symbolically "burned its mortgage", and this church is debt free. He realizes that God has many people who will be touched in a special way to generously donate for the furtherance of His kingdom of love and peace. If anyone feels led to give to the Anchorage Moravian Church building fund, donations can be sent to Natalie Angapak, Anchorage Moravian Church Treasurer, 2204 Country Brook Circle, Anchorage, Alaska 99502.

Until a new church building becomes a reality, the Moravian congregation in Anchorage, Alaska leases the Turnagain United Methodist Church (TUMC) facility located at 3300 West Northern Lights Boulevard, not far from Ted Steven's International Airport. Historically, during the Good Friday Alaska earthquake of 1962, the Turnagain area was devastated. Homes were flattened; some slid into Cook Inlet. In an area just east of Earthquake Park, we continue to build a community of faith. Regular Moravian worship services are held every Sunday afternoon, at 3 PM, and evenings at the Alaska Native Center Conference rooms, at 6:30 PM. During the week, a Youth meeting, Bible Study and prayer meeting, and a Women's Fellowship Group meets at the Turnagain location.

Although the Moravian Church in Anchorage is already touching the area for Christ and souls are being won and families are being uplifted, we feel that we can do a better job for Christ if we have our own operations platform to alleviate deep felt spiritual and social needs. The multi-racial community of Anchorage, Alaska continues to experience devastation in alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, break-up of families, sexual abuse, suicide, and many other social ills.

The vision to deal with the spiritual and social ills and simply to offer a place of worship was felt long ago in the late 1960s. Now it is becoming clearer that the vision of Lay Pastor Al Romer, who began the Moravian Fellowship in Anchorage, in the early 1970s, and Lay Pastor August Alexie, who carried on the vision into the year 2000, will come to pass! The church elders continue to pray along with many others that a special God called, God fearing, and God breathed congregation will grow more.

The Anchorage Church needs to have a facility and become more self-sufficient. Although we are single-minded in the work for the community of Anchorage, we know that more is at stake for the Kingdom of God. The Anchorage Moravian community feels that eventually support is needed for a growing body of displaced Moravians north of Anchorage. Moravian families from southwestern Alaska have lived in this area for a number of years. More families are moving into the communities of Eagle River and Wasilla, Alaska. If a Moravian Church could be firmly established in Anchorage, it may foster a plan for outreaches to the two communities located in the Mananuska-Susitna Valley, north of Anchorage. After all, over 7,000 Alaska Natives live north of Anchorage on the highway system.

Currently, the Anchorage Moravian Church has a new church planning committee not only addressing fund raising, but development of specific plans for a Moravian Church building. Big hurtles must be overcome. The biggest hurtle is capital fund raising of at least two million dollars needed to construct or purchase an adequate facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Along with fund raising, a clear and prayerful goal is to have at least 50 families faithfully attending the Anchorage Moravian Church. This will assure the existence of and future spiritual programs of the new congregation.

A web-site "community bulletin board" of Anchorage Moravian Church activities has been set-up and maintained by Pastor Nicholson. The Internet address is at www.alaskamoravian.org. From this site the Turnagain United Methodist Church (TUMC) picture, street map of how to get to the TUMC church building, the annual church calendar, weekly worship schedules, information on outreach activities, and even policies on Moravian baptism and marriage can be downloaded for family use.

If anyone comes to Anchorage, the leadership of the Moravian Church in Anchorage invites you and your family to visit us. Pastor Nicholson can be reached at (907) 243-3837 if you have any questions.