Blog Posts

Building to Last: Southeast Alaska Campmeeting 2025

8/31/2025

A look at the congregation from the front

Pastor Rodney Mills sharing about Nehemiah on Sabbath

The 2025 Southeast Alaska Campmeeting brought together believers August 1-2 around the powerful theme "Build to Last: Kingdom Building Through the Eyes of Nehemiah."
Pastor Craig Hamilton, who serves the Ketchikan and Craig SDA churches, opened Friday night with an engaging presentation on the background of Nehemiah and Ezra, emphasizing the foundational role of prayer in rebuilding. Pastor Rodney Mills, President of the Alaska Conference, continued the theme during church time and Sabbath evening, focusing specifically on Nehemiah's prayers and their relevance for today's church.

Attendees were invited to participate in a 40 days of prayer initiative beginning September 7 for the Alaska Conference, continuing the campmeeting's emphasis on prayer as the foundation for lasting ministry.

The weekend featured a children's ministries spotlight showcasing the new "Alive in Jesus" curriculum, designed to engage young hearts in meaningful discipleship. A special offering was taken for Camp Lorraine, with volunteers present to share the camp's ongoing ministry needs.

Each program included dedicated time for local churches to share their current ministries and outreach efforts. Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan churches each highlighted their unique community initiatives, fostering connection and collaboration across Southeast Alaska's SDA community.

The campmeeting reinforced that lasting kingdom work, like Nehemiah's wall, requires both divine guidance and community commitment.

SouthEast Campmeeting Sermons Here

Camp Lorraine Mission Team Baptism

7/20/2025

Archer McGill (L) and Pastor Craig Hamilton (R) after baptism.

On Sabbath, July 12, the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist Church celebrated as Archer McGill was baptized by Pastor Craig Hamilton, who serves both the Ketchikan and Craig congregations.

For several years, Archer has been a dedicated member of the mission group from White Salmon/Hood River, volunteering at Camp Lorraine, a children's camp in Southeast Alaska. Through his faithful service, Archer has become a treasured part of our community.

Archer shared that he had been contemplating baptism for quite some time, but this year felt different. "It was easy with no hesitation," he explained. For him, Camp Lorraine is his "happy spot," where his faith has grown through meaningful work and fellowship.
Originally hoping to be baptized at the camp itself, poor weather necessitated moving the ceremony to the church. Despite the venue change, the significance remained unchanged.
Those who know Archer recognize his exceptional work ethic and dedication to Camp Lorraine's mission. His commitment is legendary, particularly remembered for the year he strapped himself in to work safely on the camp's steep roofs – a testament to his skill and willingness to tackle challenging projects.

Following the baptism service, the congregation gathered for a potluck meal in celebration. While Archer was baptized here in Wrangell, he will be joining his local Seventh-day Adventist church back home, carrying with him the spiritual growth fostered through his years of service at Camp Lorraine.

Archer's story reminds us that God works through service and community, drawing hearts to Him through faithful witness.

Wonder Junction VBS: Community VBS

7/15/2025

Brooke Reynolds on her nightly walk to Wonder Junction

Something wonderful happened in Wrangell from July 7-11, and it wasn't just the kids having a blast at Vacation Bible School. Our community witnessed what can happen when churches set aside denominational differences and work together for a common purpose.

This year's VBS theme, "Wonder Junction," brought together 25+ children each night from kindergarten through fifth grade. What makes Wrangell's VBS truly special isn't just the enthusiastic kids or the creative activities—it's the unique partnership between our local churches that has developed over the years. Harbor Light Assembly of God spearheads this yearly effort. In addition, welcoming mission groups from Arkansas and Alabama, who brought fresh energy and perspectives.

Our own Brooke Reynolds jumped in to help with the fifth graders and shared her experience: "Despite the weather, it was a wonderful week (pun intended). One girl even gave her heart to Jesus and I missed it because it was the one night I was not there." Stories like this remind us why community ministry matters.

This collaborative approach proves that being a smaller church doesn't mean sitting on the sidelines. When we join forces with other believers, we can accomplish far more than we ever could alone. The children of Wrangell benefited from resources, volunteers, and enthusiasm.

As we look toward future community events, let's remember the lesson of Wonder Junction: God calls us to participate, not isolate. Our size doesn't determine our impact—our willingness to work together does.

Nehemiah VBS goes to Bethel

6/18/2025

The Wrangell VBS team embarked on their annual mission trip to Bethel SDA Church in early June, marking their 11th consecutive year (albeit missing 2020) of faithful service to this community. This year's Vacation Bible School centered around the inspiring theme of Nehemiah, exploring themes of rebuilding, restoration, and God's faithfulness.
Over the course of five days, three dedicated team members worked alongside two local volunteers to provide a rich program for up to 20 children. The week was packed with engaging activities, including crafts, story time, nature exploration, and community service projects that helped children understand Nehemiah's mission of rebuilding. A highlight was the prayer wall, where children could share their hearts with God.
New this year was "Nehemiah's Good Booth," a creative addition that taught kids about healthy eating through exploring fruits and vegetables. One of the most memorable moments came when children successfully learned a particularly challenging memory verse, demonstrating their eagerness to grow in God's Word.
"It may seem chaotic at time, but this is why we come," reflected one team member, capturing the beautiful reality of ministry—that God works powerfully even amid busy, energetic moments with children.
The strength of this ministry lies in its consistency and unwavering focus on children. After 11 years, the relationship between our churches has deepened through faithful service and shared mission.
We invite others to consider joining this meaningful ministry, especially youth who are seeking mission trip opportunities. There's always room for more hands and hearts in this vital work of sharing God's love with the next generation.
Visit our DIY VBS blog for ideas on VBS.

KWRG 99.9: Sharing God's Love Across Wrangell

5/27/2025

KWRG 99.9 FM is a special low-power radio station housed right here at Wrangell SDA Church. Our mission is simple: to spread God's word through the airwaves across our beautiful island community.

You'll hear a wonderful mix of programming on KWRG, including uplifting hymns and sermons from well-known Adventist speakers like John Bradshaw and Doug Batchelor. We also feature programs like "Your Story Hour" for children, "Authentic" with Shawn Boonstra, and several shows focused on healthy living and wellness.

In recent years, we've been excited to add more local content to our programming lineup. We now record sermons from our own church services and air them weekly. Each year during Thanksgiving week, we broadcast our annual Week of Prayer services. We've also had the privilege of recording and airing Southeast Campmeeting, sharing these special gatherings with our wider community.

A dedicated five-person board works diligently to keep our station running smoothly, supported by our trusted radio programmer who works remotely from Nome. Time and again, we've witnessed God's provision – whenever we need funding for equipment or programming, the resources appear in our account without any advertising revenue. Over the years, we've been blessed with new recording equipment and programs, and this year we're especially grateful for a new computer that helps everything run more smoothly.

We occasionally hear from listeners in our community who share encouraging words like, "Your programming is so calm and peaceful." To comments like these, all we can say is "Praise God!"

We're honored to serve the Wrangell community through KWRG 99.9 FM, and we're grateful for the opportunity to share hope, peace, and God's love through the power of radio.

KWRG 99.9 Radio

Health is a Gift

4/24/2025

Seventh-day Adventists have a rich history of focusing on holistic health. In February, Brooke Reynolds, Wrangell elder, launched an wholesome series highlighting three critical components of wellness: rest, exercise, and nutrition.

In her first sermon titled "Come Rest," Brooke presented compelling data about how rest—or its absence—impacts overall health. Drawing from Scripture, she emphasized God's invitation to rest, noting that true restoration extends beyond mere sleep.

Her second sermon, "Let's Move," addressed exercise—one of the most common New Year's resolutions and often one of the most challenging to maintain. Brooke again turned to biblical teachings, highlighting our calling to be good stewards of our physical bodies.

In the final sermon, "Let's Eat," she thoughtfully acknowledged the diverse approaches to healthy eating. With engaging humor, including an anecdote about someone referring to black pepper as "the devil's dust," Brooke consistently emphasized God's desire for balance and perspective in our approach to health.

To hear these insightful messages, please click the links below.

The Miracles of Jesus Continues

3/31/2025

March 22, 2025 saw the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist Congregation interacting with part 7 of the Miracles of Jesus sermon series. This series was start last April (see blog post here) with the elders leading the congregation chronologically through the stories about Jesus’ miracles. The congregation continues to respond well to the more relaxed sermon style.

This past weekend, Brooke Reynolds, elder, lead with two miracles around blind men, the blindman at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26) and the man born blind (John 9:1-12). She pointed out that both these stories point to Jesus individualizing his approach to healing. Then Marlin Benedict, elder, picked up with the stories of the boy with the unclean spirit (Matt. 17:14-20) and the miraculous temple tax in the fish's mouth (Matt 17:24-27). Being a fisherman too, Marlin shared that it would be one thing to find a fish with something in its mouth but it was miraculous to find the exact amount needed. The congregation shared their thoughts at intervals, including what these miracles tell us about who God is.

There are only 3 more sermons in the series before it wraps up. All sermons in this series can be found at www.wrangellsda.org/sermons-2025 or www.wrangellsda.org/sermons-2024 look for the graphics that say “Miracles of Jesus.” The church looks forward to the next series.

Alive in Jesus Continues to Roll Out

2/26/2025

On April 2, 2025 Brooke Reynolds (Wrangell Lead for Southeast AK (Children's Ministry Team Lead)) and Jerilyn Burtch (Palmer Lead for Southcentral/Valley) participated in the 2nd year of Alive in Jesus (AIJ) Training on behalf of the Alaska Conference. The morning started with an introduction to the new curriculum for Kindergarten and Primary. Both of which will be available starting January 2026. The day progressed with learning about ways to utilize the materials so that it is accessible and fun to all learning styles and abilities.

At the lunch break, Brooke and Jerilyn, got to speak with Sherri Uhrig, Children's Ministry director for the North American Division, about the challenges and amazing ways that God is leading in Children's Ministries in Alaska. In the afternoon, the AIJ team did a live demonstration on using the Kindergarten and then Primary curriculum. This included an interactive mission story and some games. At the end of the training Brooke and Jerilyn were inspired to write down some ideas to share with the rest of Children's Ministries team in Alaska. They look forward to helping train and implement AIJ across Alaska.

Alive in Jesus is the new sabbath school curriculum. Babies and Beginning materials is now available. Training is happening each year as the curriculum rolls out so that churches can be ready. See the post about last year's training: here.

The New Year Starts with Communion

1/28/2025

January 4, 2025, was the first Sabbath of the New Year and a communion Sabbath. The communion service is a time to reflect on the sacrifice/death of Jesus our Savior on the cross. In that service we have three elements footwashing, taking of the bread, and the grape juice ("wine"). The footwashing reminds us of Jesus' last night, before His death. He washed the disciples' feet as an example of His servant leadership. We partake of the bread that symbolizes His broken body for us. And then the grape juice as the blood of His sacrifice.

At this most recent communion, elder Marlin Benedict reminded the congregation that communion was a time of reflection and gratitude. It is a time to recall that the story does not end at the cross either. After this, the rest of the service proceeded as usual with, as mentioned above, footwashing, the bread, and the grape juice. A closing song was sung to remind everyone of the occasion's solemnity.

Many people skip church when they hear that there is going to be communion. There are a variety of reasons that we'd heard, "I'm uncomfortable with having someone wash my feet," or "I am not spiritual enough to take communion." The good news to all of that is this... That is the point! We aren't good enough or worthy by ourselves and communion reminds us who is. Jesus paid it all so that we could have a fresh start through Him. May we start this New Year afresh in Christ.

To learn more about what Seventh-day Adventist believe about communion see the video below.

For the sermon from this past communion click the picture above.

Cookie Gifting

12/29/2024

Sunday, December 1, the roads were icy to the Wrangell Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. Nevertheless, a few brave and determined women decided to meet anyways to carry on the cooking making tradition.
This year the group was tasked with making cookies for the local schools, as a part of the Wrangell Ministerial Association project to show support for the teachers. This made getting the cookies done all the more imperative.
The women quickly took inventory of where else they would be making deliveries, including the local medical clinic, mental health office, and senior apartments, to name a few.
The cookies were mixed, cut out, and baked in what felt like record time. Then the fun of decorating began, while a Christmas movie played in the background. Once that was completed the cookies were boxed up and slated for delivery.
The next day during delivery, a cookie recipient shared, "We look forward to these cookies!" The women believe their time was well spent despite the ice to bring a little bit of cheer to the community.

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.

Our hope is that you get to know us a little better. We'd love for you to join us!

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