Active in Ministry

Miracle of Jesus- Week of Prayer 2024

11/30/2024

The Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church's annual week of prayer aired on KWRG 99.9, the week of November 24-30, 2024. This year's theme was the "Miracles of Jesus." It is a special subject for the church family. Since they are without a pastor right now, the church looks for creative ways to have sermons that didn't involve watching a prerecorded sermon from the internet. For several months, the two elders, Marlin Benedict and Brooke Reynolds have been jointly sharing with the congregation a couple of miracles a month (in chronological order). The congregation was then invited to share what they learned about God from these miracles.

This same series was then turned into this year's week of prayer. Over the seven days a selection of miracles were covered. This included the miracles of the miraculous catch of fish, the Centurion, and the crippled woman. Marlin and Brooke anchored the 20 minute episodes by sharing straight from the Bible and bringing in what had been learned during the series at the church. The series can be listened to here: Week of Prayer 2024.

Significant Women's Retreat

10/27/2024

The weekend of October 18-20, 2024 was a busy one for the Wrangell SDA Church. Several church members helped with the community health fair in town. While others headed south to Ketchikan for the first annual women's retreat in Southeast Alaska. Ketchikan Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church graciously hosted the event. And in addition to Wrangell, ladies from the Craig SDA Church joined. All attendees made it to the event on time despite a delayed plane from Wrangell.

After introductions and music, a round of "comparison bingo" was played to illustrate the speaker’s, Brooke Reynolds, topic for the evening. Brooke’s talk was entitled “The Comparison Game” in which she talked about the story of Leah (Genesis 29). Brooke’s main point was that comparison gets us nowhere and we should put our focus on the One that really matters and knows us, God.

Sabbath morning, the women participated in the Sabbath School at the Ketchikan SDA Church service. Special music was shared by some of the ladies from Craig. Kari Defreest, elder at the Ketchikan SDA Church, gave the sermon on Leah called “Learning to Praise.” Kari talked about how praise can be incremental. Sabbath afternoon those who wished to went for a hike around Ward Lake and were blessed with some decent weather.

In the early evening, Janet Fairchild-Hamilton (in ministry with her husband at the Ketchikan and Craig SDA Churches) lead a discussion on legacy. Janet read passages in Genesis 29 and reminded everyone that God used several of Leah's children in a special way. Janet emphasized that from Leah’s son Judah Jesus our Messiah would be born. To end the retreat, after sundown the women watched the movie Unsung Hero, the story of the Smallbone family. The movie brought the point home that our significance is provided by God.

The group hopes to meet again next year with more women including those from other Southeast Alaska communities. See you in 2025!

Wrangell SDA at the Health Fair

10/20/2024

Some of the goods that were available at the booth.

Wrangell SDA Church Volunteer, April, shows off some of the goods that were at the booth.

The Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church participated in the local health fair on October 19, 2024. They had several books available including Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge, the story of Desmond Doss (see below if you are interested in a copy being mailed to you). Glow Tracts were available on a variety of health topics. Church member, Marilyn, who is known for her healthy cooking, shared two recipes and provided samples for the crowd. The pumpkin spice muffins were a big hit. Some folks were more skeptical of the brownies made with dates but several church members attested to their deliciousness. There were two prize drawings. One for kids and the other for adults. The kids' cookbook is pictured in April's hand in the photo to the left. April reports that the booth went well and that several people came by to say hi. She also passed out some flyers for the newly formed Adventurer club. Additionally there was a shepherd and sheep craft available for kids to take home. The annual health fair is a highlight for the church and a great opportunity to share with the community about the importance of spiritual and physical health.

Adventurer Club Begins

9/29/2024

Adventurer Club Leaders

Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist Church knew something had to change. The church has a heart for children’s ministries but unfortunately hasn't had an active children’s ministry in many years. In the past few years, members of the church have helped with Camp Lorraine and have gone to Bethel, AK to put on a Vacation Bible School. While these activities are important, they only happen once a year. Church members knew something had to change.

The church board decided to rectify this problem by daring to start an Adventurers club. Some people might ask, "Why not start a Pathfinders club?" After prayerful consideration the board realized that there were many activities already in the community for Pathfinders age kids (5th grade and up) and by comparison not as much for the younger kids.

Taking a step of faith, the team began to research how to set up and run a Adventurer Club. Brooke Reynolds, Adventurer Club Director, shared, "I had never been in either Adventurers or Pathfinders, so it was entirely new to me as to how to do this. However, I can see how God has been leading us to this moment."

On September 14, the Wrangell Adventurer Club launched. At the first meeting, one brave child showed up and was willing to stay for the whole program. She let the team know that she had a good time. At the second meeting, the club had quadrupled to four members. The church is thrilled to start with this humble beginning. As of this post, there is word that more children are interested in coming. Please pray with us as we go through our first Adventurer Club year together.

If you'd like to learn more about our club click HERE!

Local Food Bank Donation

8/30/2024

Reading the local newspaper, one church member came across an article about how the local food bank was in desperate need of nonperishable items, especially after the landslide last year. Inspired the church member talked to one of the elders of the church about starting a donation drive.

During the months of April and May the church set out to collect items. Many food items were donated such as soups and cereals. Additionally, feminine hygiene products were rounded up. These items are often overlooked but are a basic necessity.

By June the church had enough items ready to donate. Four full boxes were taken to the Salvation Army in Wrangell. They greatly appreciated the additional supply to their stock. If you live in Wrangell and would like to donate please contact: (907) 874-3753 or stop by the Salvation Army for more ways to donate.

Wrangell SDA Church is happy to partner with other churches and the local community to meet everyday needs.

Happy 10 years of Vacation Bible School

7/28/2024

It's been ten years since the Wrangell Vacation Bible School Team set out for their first visit to Bethel, AK.

As part of the celebration we'd like to share some highlights from each year.

2024 (Good Shepherd)- One of our smallest teams to go and yet the most consistent number of children to attend. The kids loved the theme song "I Just Wanna be a Sheep."

2023 (Good Soil)- An abbreviated version of the standard VBS. The team got to go to Kasigluk, AK as well as Bethel. Making the tissue paper flowers was the best craft.

2022 (Jonah, Overboard)- Wrangell VBS team was join by volunteers from Anchorage and Kennewick, WA. The engineering of props was next level thanks to coordination of some of the men on the team.

2021 (God Makes Me Brave)- Alaska Camps sent over 3 staff member to join the Wrangell and Anchorage team to share the story of Joshua. The skits for Joshua were fun and interactive. The kids loved when they got to march around the walls of Jericho.

2020 (VBS Podcast)- We had been making plans to go when COVID hit. Instead we were able to use this time to create a podcast about how we make a DIY VBS every year.

2019 (Jesus, Water of Life)- Along with the usual trip to Bethel the team went to Trout Creek, MT. It was unanimous that doing the water crafts was the most entertaining place to be during VBS.

2018 (Prayer Warriors)- The team goes once again to Bethel, Craig, and Ketchikan. It was a hit to create a program in which the kids follow along a new believer who is learning to be prayer warrior with the story of David.

2017 (God Leads His People)- The team goes once again to Bethel, Craig, and Ketchikan this year. It is agreed that Old Testament News is a hit. This is confirmed by reports from parents that kids were going home trying to re-enact their own new stations featuring Bible Stories.

2016 (Lost and Found)- VBS team is in Bethel and Ketchikan. One of the rotations included a nightly Lost and Found Treasure hunt. The kids loved it!

2015 (Faithful God)- One of the largest VBS teams arrives in Bethel with the totes to prove it. The youth group got to re-use an idea from their drama group to create the women of the Bible Old Testament version. The kids were enthralled with the idea.

2014 (God's Creation)- The first year the team goes to VBS. They have little idea what would work and thus they chose to start at the beginning in Genesis. It is slow going with two kids the first night but slowly builds up to 12 by the end of the week. They learn valuable lesson and make enduring connections. The team makes plan to return.

The Wrangell VBS team wishes to thank all the volunteers who have helped with VBS during the last 10 years!

Outdoor Church with Missionaries

6/30/2024

Pre tear down 2022

From mission trip 2023

June 29, 2024 saw the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church out at Vank Island for Outdoor Church. It was a special Sabbath, as not only our fellow members from Petersburg were there, but we got to visit with a special group of missionaries. For those who don't know for many years a group from White Salmon, WA and nearby areas have dedicated time to various building projects at the camp. Through the years they have worked on cabins, the bath house, the gym, and the lodge. The last several years they have been focused on the caretaker's house. This year they got even closer to finishing as windows were put in, wiring/plumbing started, and the kitchen got a jump start. The current camp caretakers, James and April Eilertsen, are excited at the progress being made.

This special Sabbath we were able to fellowship together. The Sabbath School lesson was about the end of Revelation and participation was good among the group. The Wrangell SDA Church continued in a series they started called "The Miracles of Jesus" which also allowed more participation from the congregation. The potluck was a delicious potato bar/haystack lunch. The weather was clear, so in the afternoon people were outside talking or taking a walk on the lawn.

We want to say a special thanks to the White Salmon Missionary group for their dedication to camp. And for giving us an good excuse to have outdoor church at Vank Island!

The Good Shepherd VBS

5/31/2024

VBS team from Wrangell

This year was the 10th year of Vacation Bible School with the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Company in Bethel, AK. The theme was Good Shepherd. The stories included Beyond the Good Shepherd, the Lost Sheep, the Unmerciful Servant, the Good Samaritan, and Psalms 23. Each night 20+ kids came to share in songs, Bible movies, games, crafts, and Bible puppets. Many kids by the end of the week could quote the memory verse, which was Psalms 23:1. The kids also enjoyed enthusiastically singing the theme song, "I Just Wanna Be a Sheep." The team was blessed in so many ways including getting air miles to use for travel and having a place to stay in Anchorage for free. The team wishes to thank everyone who provided support for this year's endeavor.

The Miracles of Jesus Begin

4/30/2024

April 27 saw the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist Congregation starting their new monthly collaborative sermon series. As previously mentioned in this blog, since the church does not currently have a full time pastor it falls on the elders and other lay members to provide the weekly sermons. One way that they have resolved to fill in the gaps is by having a monthly testimony service or in this case a collaboration with the congregation and the speaker. This month they started going to go through the miracles of Jesus in chronological order.

Brooke Reynolds, one the elders, begin by reading the first parable of Jesus where he turns water to wine (John 2:1-11). The congregation was then invited to share their thoughts on the miracle. One person mentioned that Jesus' first miracle was for a couple who didn't even know the miracle was happening at their wedding. Next someone read the second miracle, the healing of the official's son (John 4:43-54). And again the congregation shared their thoughts and questions on if miracles only happen for those who have faith in them.

After a special music, Marlin Benedict, another elder, picked up with the third (Mark 1:21-27) and fourth (Mark 1:29-31) miracles. In the miracle of the evil spirit leaving the man, the congregation was remind that Jesus is Lord of all the physical, mental, and spiritual. In the final miracle (4th) of the sermon, the healing of Peter's mother in law, it was pointed out that the woman was so grateful that she began to serve. Jesus didn't heal her just to make her do something for them.

So for the next few months, one weekend a month the congregation will join together to look over the miracles of Jesus. As they do they hope to grew in understanding and be able to share with others what they have learned.

The Blessing of the Parables

3/24/2024

The beginning of April will mark the end of a several month study of the Parables of Jesus. The Friday night Bible Study group has enjoyed, reading alongside the parables, the book Christ Object Lessons. Participants in the study have said it was life changing and drew them closer to God.

Of note the parables of The Sower, The Lost Son, The Unmerciful Servant, and The Good Samaritan were especially insightful studies. In the parable of The Sower we are reminded that God grows the seeds and we are along to help him. The Lost Son reminded us that God never gives up on us. The parable of The Unmerciful Servant gave us the challenge to extend forgiveness to others in our lives. And lastly The Good Samaritan gave us pause on thinking too highly our own work that we neglect to meet the needs of those before us.

As a way to share this blessing further, March 23 Sharing Service, the congregation was invited to share their favorite parables. Many parables were shared including The Net, The Two Sons, and The Laborers. One Bible Study participate gave a ringing endorsement of how the parables have challenged and changed her. The Friday Night Bible Study looks forward to the next set of studies beginning in April.

Active in Ministry Blog

Welcome to the blog of the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The purpose of this blog is share what is going at our local church. We are a small church and active in endeavors to share with others.

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