Thursday, August 30, 2012

EUM CHURCH SERVES SUTTON, ALASKA

Alaska is a state of pristine wilderness and rivers, glaciers that stretch over miles and miles of land, and wildlife that roam the mountains and survey the land around them. While there is beauty in Alaska, there is also poverty, addiction, and unemployment that can make the most experienced traveler question that these issues are right in the backyard of the United States.

EUM Church’s Destination Known mission team partnered with Eaglecrest Alaska Missions in early August for its first trip to the 49th state in the US. After landing in Anchorage, a team of 26 servants traveled just over an hour north to the town of Sutton, Alaska. Sutton is a community of 1,500 people who face poverty, addiction and unemployment. These issues are faced head-on by the founders of Eaglecrest and provide an opportunity for mission teams such as EUM to provide hands-on work and other needed skills for families who may otherwise not have help.

Work projects included week-long projects of building office spaces for a local nonprofit, constructing a root cellar to store and cool vegetables and other produce for the community, and the cleaning and upkeep of properties through moving rock, painting and splitting wood. Other short-term projects included weeding a community garden, mowing and landscaping yards, and staining or painting homes. Having a servant’s heart and being the hands and feet of Christ to families in need strengthened Eaglecrest’s ties to the community while at the same time providing EUM Church connection points for other mission opportunities beyond the familiar surroundings of Darke County.



During the weeklong mission trip, the team found a balance between service and fun by having once-in-a-lifetime chances to hike a glacier, trek through woods, and tour God’s creation via bush plane. Looking out over the expansive beauty that surrounded Sutton, Alaska, one can’t help but know that this marvelous world was created by an awesome God. As the week came to an end, blessings abounded; and both server and recipient were grateful for a chance to connect and spend time together through mission work.

Destination Known is a ministry of EUM Church. Our worship services are Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8:15, 9:45, and 11:15 a.m. at our Worship Center located at 1451 Sater Street (corner of Sater and Sebring-Warner Road) in Greenville, OH. The Downtown Campus, 111 Devor Street, houses our offices and preschool. For more information, go to www.eumchurch.org or call 548-3211

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