Over half of the
congregations of this small presbytery of 1,067 members and
15 churches are indigenous Alaskans, with traditions and spirituality
that enrich the presbytery’s ministry. Recently, the presbytery
was blessed with pastors who came to serve two native churches.
The Rev. Dixie Voss Anders was called to the Craig-Klawock church
on Prince of Wales Island. Dixie, a graduate of Austin Theological
Seminary, comes from a solo pastorate in Iowa. The Rev. Winifred
Inez Willard, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, was
installed as pastor of the Metlakatla Presbyterian Church on
Annette Island, the southernmost island in the presbytery. Previously,
Inez led a ministry of evangelism and discipleship in the Los
Angeles area.
Eighty miles north of Sitka and seventy miles west of Juneau,
in the Lisianski Inlet on the northwest coast of the Chichagof
Island, is the fishing community of Pelican. A preaching point
and boardwalk ministry of the presbytery, much of the community
is built on pilings over the tidelands with a mile-long boardwalk.
The presbytery partners with the Pelican Presbyterian Ministry
under coordinator Deb Spencer to provide worship and pastoral
care.
In response to shifts in the economy and mission funding, three
regional partnerships of congregations have been formed to help
one another meet ministry needs and strengthen connections among
the Presbytery of Alaska’s isolated congregations where
travel is only by air or water. |
