Success Stories

The Covenant Church in Shaktoolik, Alaska, was excited to be chosen to host the Covenant’s Alaska Conference annual meeting in April 2024, but they faced some challenges. Located on the shores of the Norton Sound in Western Alaska, Shaktoolik gets an average of 78 inches of snow each year and in April the average high temperature is only 35 degrees. The harsh climate had taken its toll on the church’s building and their front porch had separated from the main building.

The main entry was not accessible to people with disabilities and the door was not wide enough for a casket. If they had a funeral, the body needed to be removed, the casket turned vertical to get through the door and then the body was returned to casket. The entire process was very distressing for a family grieving a loved one. “What we have to do with the casket for a funeral shows great disrespect for our elders, but there has been no other option,” said Lynda Bekoalok, a leader in the church.

A church from Alabama was willing to come up to help put in a new, wider entry door and add a ramp to make the space more accessible. The church had some cash on hand but was concerned about using all of it on this project. NCP, the Covenant denomination, and the Alaska Conference came together to discuss options with the church. It was decided that the best course of action was a small loan from NCP.

The work was completed in the summer of 2023 and this past April, despite a snowstorm that made travel to Shaktoolik difficult, the 2024 Alaska Conference annual meeting took place and those in attendance enjoyed fellowship and heard from Rev. Grace Shim, executive minister for Serve Globally, and Dr. Dennis Edwards, dean of North Park Theological Seminary. “We were blessed to be in Shaktoolik for our annual conference, and we are grateful for the hospitality and warm welcome we received from the church,” said Rev. Curtis Ivanoff, superintendent of the Alaska Conference.

The church is excited about how this project will increase their ability to serve their members and the community. “The project will make the church more accessible for all and hopefully bring more people into the body of Christ, giving us more options for the church to be an instrument to share the love of Jesus with our village,” said Lynda Bekoalok.