Poster February 1, 2012
Summer 2012 / Volunteer Needs in Alaska
Hatcher Pass Baptist Association, Alaska is seeking and has an urgent need for 2012 summer volunteers, summer missionaries and summer mission teams. Thanks for your help in getting this information to all possible volunteer missionaries!
Summer Ministries Coordinator
The association is seeking a volunteer Summer Missions Couple(s) who will work with Associational Missionary Gary Bearce and coordinate our Evangelistic Block Party Ministry during the summer of 2012. This couple(s) would assist in the coordination, scheduling, maintenance and placement (towing) of our ministry trailer. We assume this couple would use their own tow vehicle and the association would provide a mileage reimbursement while traveling within the association. Note: this request is for one couple (or perhaps two couples, working together) who could drive their RV(s) to Alaska, but a past summer's couple flew up, borrowed a church van to use as the tow vehicle and found a house-sitting opportunity, so some options might be available. The couple would assist churches, church planters, summer missionaries and mission teams with evangelistic block parties that include large inflatable bounce houses that are used for attracting children and families. Some heavy lifting may be necessary. The couple would assist with summer evangelistic outreach at community festivals throughout the summer as well as help to launch Vacation Bible Schools, summer camps and church planting efforts and then close out their summer by coordinating our “Christmas Cards for the Troops” evangelistic outreach at the Alaska State Fair. This couple should expect to be very busy during the weekends with some free time during some weekdays to enjoy the outdoors and fish. Arrival and departure dates are flexible, but we usually begin block parties by June 1 and the State Fair booth is usually all put away by September 6. The Hatcher Pass Baptist Association, Palmer / Wasilla, Alaska is located in the beautiful Matanuska Valley 40 miles northeast of Anchorage.
Summer Interns
Gary Bearce will supervise and encourage the summer interns (usually college students or older) sent to us by local churches. A cooperative agreement between the intern, his/her local church and the association is necessary as well as a strong recommendation from the intern’s sending church’s pastor or ministry staff. These summer interns will have a strong focus on church planting and will work alongside our church planters, block party leaders and children’s camp leadership teams. The sending church should provide for all travel expenses to and from Alaska, all insurance coverage and compensation, if any. The association will provide housing and meals in homes of our church members and some assistance with travel in state. The association has no stipend or air travel funds for these missionaries.
North American Mission Board Summer Missionaries
Gary Bearce will also supervise and encourage summer missionaries (College Students) sent to us by the North American Mission Board. These summer missionaries will have a strong focus on church planting and will work alongside our church planters, block party leaders and children’s camp leadership teams. These missionaries must apply with the North American Mission Board at http://www.namb.net/summer, and are appointed and placed by them. NAMB does provide a small stipend and air travel expenses to and from Alaska.
Mission Teams
All mission teams/groups from outside the association and working directly with Hatcher Pass Baptist Association and our church planters will come to us through the coordination of Global Partnership Ministries, directed by Scott Kirby. Global Partnership Ministries will assist each team/group with logistics such as advanced planning, communication of details, housing, meals and in-state travel. The Hatcher Pass Baptist Association will work alongside the Global Partnership Ministries Team to arrange for local ministry work assignments and local church partnership, team hosting and follow-up. Some flexibility is essential and some creativity and well-communicated customization is greatly appreciated but most mission team assignments will fall under one of the three basic assignments list below; Projects, Camps, or State Fair.
A. Summer Projects for Mission Teams - Local Summer Ministry Assignments may involve any of the individuals and teams listed above. Some of these projects will be going throughout the summer, others may be offered only once.
- Evangelistic / Church Planting Block Parties – the association has a well-equipped block party trailer that will frequently be set up at city parks, in subdivisions and in parking lots to share God’s love in practical ways.
- Children / Youth / Adult Day Camps advertised to the community – mission teams might help us with culinary training (i.e. - bake bread together in order to share the bread of life) photography training (i.e. – teach persons to use their digital camera in order to share a picture of who Jesus is) or beginning guitar (again, to share Jesus). Maybe even summer tutoring.
- Clinics for the community – these sessions for adults might include marriage enrichment, parenting, financial freedom, or other helping sessions, based on the leadership skills volunteer missionaries bring.
B. JAM Camp - Hatcher Pass Association and Global Partnership Missions are seeking volunteers to serve in JAM camp July 22 through 26, 2012, with leadership orientation on Saturday, July 21. Jesus, Arts, and Music Camp is a residence camp for children who have just completed grades three thru nine. We not only have a focus on music and worship but also a focus on evangelism. This camp, limited to 70 campers, with a counselor pupil ratio of 1 to 4, will result in a mission trip par excellent! We are still seeking music professionals sent by their church and adult mission volunteers who enjoy working with children. Music skills are not essential. Enjoying work with children is! This camping experience takes place at Laverne Griffin Youth Recreation Camp on beautiful Kalmbach Lake near Wasilla, Alaska. This camp, sponsored by Hatcher Pass Baptist Association, has a need for cabin leaders and recreational assistants. Teachers and music leaders guide the campers in choral music, drama, puppets, rhythm, water color, photography, choreographed music, percussion, beginning stringed instruments, beginning guitar and more. All mission volunteers must apply for a cabin leader, teacher or recreation leadership position in writing and be approved before arrival. You can download the application at our webpage: www.hpbaak.org. Our minimum age requirement for camp leadership is 18. Each volunteer must have the recommendation of their pastor and complete a criminal background check. All cabin leaders and recreational leaders will need to cover their total room and board cost of $220, plus their transportation to Alaska. Cabin leaders are expected to remain on the campus during the entire camp but tour guides will be available, if needed, to assist our leadership with sightseeing following camp. We have two special needs:
1. JAM Camp Registered Nurse - We are seeking a registered nurse or EMT for July 22 thru 26. Please call Gary (907 982-0133) for more information.
2. JAM Camp Lifeguard(s) We are seeking a certified Red Cross Lifeguard(s) with lake front qualifications for July 22 thru 26. Please call Gary (907 982-0133) for more information.
C. The Alaska State Fair Ministry Our Christmas Cards for the Troops Ministry will take place August 23 through September 3, 2012 in Palmer, Alaska and will require mission teams from the lower 48 working alongside our Alaska churches. We anticipate TEAM ONE (the best team size is 6 to 10 persons) serving August 22 through August 29 and TEAM TWO serving August 29 through September 4. Our outreach efforts at the 2012 Alaska State Fair will use “Christmas Cards to Our Troops” to draw card signers to our booth. Alaska has a large military population and a strong appreciation for those serving oversees. This is the second time we have used this outreach approach which was very successful last year. Hatcher Pass Baptist Association has had a booth at the state fair for at least 10 years. Each day of the state fair we will place one unique 20 by 30 inch professionally designed Christmas Card on a table in our booth and seek to acquire at least 1000 signatures with the card, thus wishing troops a Merry Christmas. Each of the twelve cards will be shipped to a military chaplain in Afghanistan or Iraq after the fair. The card will contain the plan of salvation and every person who signs the card, whether age three or ninety three will receive a small replica of that day’s Christmas card. In some cases, people may have to stand in line to sign the card, which may give us an opportunity to greet them, encouragement them and, hopefully explain the Christmas card, reminding them of why Jesus came to earth. Behind the tent is a small counseling area that some encouragers will have the opportunity to use for sharing the gospel in more detail. As volunteers, all mission team members will be responsible for their transportation to Alaska, their travel to the fair each day, their daily state fair entry pass ($10 per day), meals (fair food is great but expensive), etc. Housing options include sleeping on the floor in a church where some meals could be cooked, renting motel space and eating out, or coming in RVs. Hatcher Pass Baptist Association and the Alaska Baptist Convention will cover the cost of renting the state fair booth space, production of the gallery quality Christmas cards and the printing of the miniature cards we will distribute, although donations to assist with these expenses are welcomed.
Current long-term missions needs.
- Pastor in Western Alaska. This is a Mission Pastor position in remote Western Alaska(off the road system in Bristol Bay Area, one air flight from Anchorage). This mission shepherd with be called by the First Baptist Church, Wasilla, Alaska with the support and consultantion of the mission congregation. The minister must be evangelistic and family ministries oriented and able to relate to people in rural Alaska. He will develop and guide an overall plan for the mission church that includes pastoral care, discipleship and missions outreach to the community and beyond. This will require a bi-vocational or a self-support situation (bi-vocational jobs are very, very limited). Must understanding remote Alaska with a mission heart for people from various walks of life. The Missions Pastor must be supportive of the home church, the Cooperative Program and mission offerings. Requirements include the Call of God to mission service, cooperative minded teamwork, self-starter, Shepherd, love of people, strategic in direction, facilitating ministry, achieving Kingdom results.
- Church planters – as churches develop a sense of call to mission work in Alaska we trust that they will send out a mission pastor / family to help us plant a new evangelism/discipleship ministry or a new church plant in our area. These efforts may require several years of preparation and preliminary work from both Hatcher Pass Baptist Association and the sending church. Let’s communicate! Call Gary and let’s begin that planning process.
For More Information about any of these requests please contact Associational Missionary / Church Planting Catalyst - Gary Bearce, 907 982-0133 gary@hpbaak.org or Missions Mobilizer - Scott Kirby, 907 440-4974 missionmatch@aol.com.