Alaska: Parish Partners, Alaska Missionary Conference

Summary

Strengthening of local church mission and ministry and launching of new leadership programs.

Description

The Parish Partners project in Alaska subsidizes local church and conference-wide programming in mission enabling the establishment and continuation of new church ministries and strengthening of mission leadership in both parish and community outreach efforts. As the most heavily secular state in the United States, this program enables mission to flourish where there would otherwise be none.

The Parish Partners Advance Special when combined with conference mission sharing contributions, allows the church to be a ministry of presence in a difficult and trying mission environment by means of the strengthening of Native leadership, establishment of new ministries in the territory, witnessing to the Gospel mandates with respect to the use of the land community development in non-conventional ways responding to the critical mission in Alaska; and is premised on the placement of skilled persons, lay and clergy in critical geographical and social contexts.

Alaska has a small population base that is either unwilling or unable to support ministry. It has an extraordinarily large geographic territory for mission with distant outposts not currently reached. Some of the small existing churches are struggling to survive, but continuing to witness in their communities. A significant portion of the population is Native and not currently reached by the United Methodist Church. Specialized ministries are necessary for response to domestic violence, drug and alcohol concerns.

Support beyond the local conference is essential because of current subsistence-level support of the Alaska Missionary Conference in Alaska. Donor appeal resides in participating in a mission program which is both innovative, new and faithful to Gospel mandates. Although the level of giving for the Alaska Missionary Conference is among the highest per capita in the nation, the needs of the Conference far exceed the resources available in Alaska. This project, while primarily the mission of the Alaska Missionary Conference, relates ecumenically to all churches whenever possible, and works cooperatively to achieve common goals.