ALASKA SYNOD
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Seward Peninsula Lutheran Ministry (SPLM) Endowment

​God is at work among the six ELCA Seward Peninsula congregations in Alaska. Five congregations are located on the Seward Peninsula in remote Northwest Alaska in Nome, Brevig Mission, Teller, Shishmaref and Wales. Another SPLM congregation serves Alaska Native and Caucasian populations in Anchorage. Together, these congregations serve God and their communities with their deep faith, rich cultural heritage and commitment to community.

 
The Seward Peninsula Lutheran Ministry Endowment Fund was established in the 1990s to support the work of these vital ministries. Learn more about the people of the Seward Peninsula, the ministries, the challenges and opportunities to support God’s work on the Seward Peninsula.   Keep current on God's work through this ministry by subscribing to the quarterly Seward Peninsula Lutheran Ministry e-newsletter below.

PARTNER WITH SPLM

Your gifts can assure that the ministry of Jesus Christ continues in this treasured land for years to come. Call the Synod Office to set up recurring monthly payments direct from your bank or send gifts to:

SPLM Endowment Fund                        
Alaska Synod, ELCA
1847 W. Northern Lights Blvd.  #2            
Anchorage, Alaska 99517-3343

Donation Form

Direct Thrivent Choice Dollars to support SPLM

SPLM Brochure
​

Subscribe to the SPLM Newsletter

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

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​THE PLACE AND THE PEOPLE

“The songs teach people how to be strong. Songs help the younger people live the right way, more truthful to themselves and others. Church has a lot of meaning for young people. Church brings out gifts in people they didn’t know they had. When they realize their gifts they can bring their lives back into line." 
Seward Peninsula elder
​
These words from an elder ring with the history, the deep faith and the understanding that comes from years of experiencing the life of the Lutheran Church on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. These words reflect the struggles and victories which have been the story of the Inupiat Eskimo people and their faith since they first welcomed Lutheran missionaries in 1894. 

The Inupiat people have lived on the Seward Peninsula for more than 10,000 years. These deeply spiritual, indigenous people have developed a Christian faith that is tested daily against the harsh arctic environment. This faith resulted in the establishment of congregations in villages just below the Arctic Circle in Wales, Brevig Mission, Teller and Shishmaref, and in larger cities of Nome and Anchorage.​

​These Christians live out their faith by serving each other and village neighbors. They have trusted God through huge physical and socioeconomic challenges. Congregations have become the social and spiritual centers of community life, a stabilizing presence in the midst of chaos. Members of Seward Peninsula congregations live out traditional Inupiat values in conjunction with their faith – sharing, humility, cooperation and respect for others, elders and nature, among other values.
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THE MINISTRIES AND IMPACT

Five Seward Peninsula congregations are served by an ordained pastor, with one served by a trained and lay pastor. Congregations meet for weekly worship and some hold Sunday school and Confirmation classes. These congregations also gather frequently for special worship services of song and testimony called “Singsprations.” These are held monthly in some areas and often held to honor someone who has died. Singspirations draw in lifelong community members across Alaska and are part of the evangelical outreach of these dedicated ministries.  Congregations sing and pray both in English and Inupiat, thus encouraging cultural and language preservation. In most villages, the Lutheran church is the only church in town, so pastor and members serve to minister to all those who are sick and dying, as well as those in need  of wedding ceremonies and funerals for long-time community members.  Pastors also serve other functions in villages – visiting, supporting school events and providing comfort, prayer, and a listening ear when needed.

The congregations gather as a cluster twice each year for Spring and Fall Conference.  These 3-5 day events are full of worship and praise, singing, testimony, fellowship and business meetings for the clusters.  All are welcome at these joy filled events; Please contact the synod office if you’d like to attend an upcoming conference.

Enjoy "Blessed Jesus, Hold My Hand" at the SPLM Spring Conference in Shishmaref, Alaska in Spring 2013.

Another cluster highlight is the shared Salmon Lake Bible Camp experience for youth in upper elementary through high school.
​
The Salmon Lake Lutheran camp is located outside of Nome and runs for three weeks each summer. Pastors and adult leaders facilitate this camp, supported by many other volunteers. Each village sends youth, who report camp as a highlight of the year. Students engage in Bible study, small groups, singing, fellowship, games and outdoor activities. Emphasis is also placed on cultural traditions and activities.


ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHALLENGES

Throughout the history of these churches, economic and social realities have been a constant barrier to the ministries. Consider:   
  • Most people in villages live below poverty line; three villages lack running water and flush toilets
  • Most live a no-cash or low-cash subsistence lifestyle: fishing, hunting, and gathering
  • Cost of utilities, air travel and airfreight, and building maintenance has skyrocketed
  • Many struggle with issues around cultural preservation v. assimilation
  • Villages struggle with high rates of depression, suicide and domestic violence
  • Congregations cannot sustain ministry costs on their own
  • ELCA churchwide support has been vital for years, but has decreased
  • Mission Partner congregation gifts have been vital, but are not enough
  •  Current SPLM Endowment interest distributions are helpful, but still small

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​OPPORTUNITY AND BENEFITS

After its launch in the 1990s, the Seward Peninsula Lutheran Ministry Endowment Fund slowly grew, thanks to contributions from congregations and individuals. Significant gifts were contributed by Seward Peninsula individuals and congregations. In the mid-2000s, synod leaders launched a campaign to bring the endowment over $1 million. This successful campaign led to the beginning of interest distributions from the fund. The six congregations evenly split a portion of the interest income each year, and a portion is set aside as a shared pool for capital and emergency expenses. Currently, congregations use their portion of the interest disbursement on: fuel costs, ministerial support and program expenses. While the disbursements are small, they are already making a big difference. The goal is that the endowment would eventually enable the congregations to be self-sufficient. The endowment corpus would need to double or triple to reach this benchmark. With your help, we can do it.

Our hope for the future is that the ministries of these Alaska Native congregations will continue for years to come, as children and adults continue to grow in the Lutheran Christian faith.  Alaska Native peoples enrich the wider church with their strength of spirit so freely offered in hospitality, faith stories and music. They help build bridges of understanding and reconciliation between peoples.

We have the opportunity to enlarge the capacity for sustainability and growth in these congregations. In addition to the ways the interest income is already being used, congregations hope that greater disbursements someday would allow them to deepen and grow the ministries in areas like: 
  • Leadership development
  • Training to emphasize being fully Native and fully Christian
  • Training lay leaders in worship, youth, children’s education 
  • Training toward ordination
  • Ministry Development
  • Outreach, particularly to Alaska Native peoples in urban areas 

 The mid-2000’s endowment campaign title was chosen with great care: A Future and A Hope (Jeremiah 29:11) Affirming the Past ...Securing the Future for the Seward Peninsula Lutheran Ministries (SPLM). Those words which the Prophet Jeremiah spoke so long ago are true today. There is a Future and a Hope for these faithful congregations and their villages. It is God’s promise to them and to us.

Historic SPLM Brochure

SPLM Quarterly Dec. 9, 2015
File Size: 343 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

SPLM Quarterly Sept. 2, 2015
File Size: 190 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

christmas_in_shishmaref.pdf
File Size: 268 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

quyana_from_b._weyauvanna.pdf
File Size: 266 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

fall_conference_renews_faith2.pdf
File Size: 269 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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​Office of the Alaska Synod
​1847 W. Northern Lights Blvd.
Suite 2
Anchorage, AK 99517

(c) Alaska Synod

​Office (907) 272-8899
Fax (907) 274-3141




​Bishop Shelley Wickstrom

aksynodbishop@gmail.com

DEM Pastor Lisa Smith Fiegel
alaskadem@gmail.com

Chris Aquino,
​    Office Manager

elcaalaska@gmail.com
  • Home
    • About the Synod
    • Around the Synod
    • Giving
    • Region One Financial Services
  • Leadership
    • Becoming a Pastor or Deacon
    • For Pastors and Deacons
    • Partners
    • SAM Process
    • Synod Constitution and Policies
    • Synod Council
    • About the Bishop and DEM
  • Mission
    • First Fruits Grants
    • Mission Funds >
      • Seminary Support Funds
      • SPLM Endowment
      • TEAM and TEAM Grants
    • Mission Table
    • Rooted and Growing in Christ
    • Synod Ministry Plan
  • Congregations
    • Call Process
    • Congregational Transitions
    • Congregational Annual Reports
    • Congregations by Cluster
    • Prayer Concerns
    • Rostered Leader Annual Reports
    • Resources for Congregations
    • Tips on Facebook for Congregations
  • Groups
    • AK Child & Family
    • ASWO - Women of the ELCA
    • For Youth
    • For Youth Workers
    • Hunger Team
    • Kuwaa Mission
    • Lutheran Men in Mission
  • Resources
    • ACEs in Alaska
    • Bible Studies
    • Building Community Now
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Coaching
    • Compassionate, Nonviolent Communication
    • Consultation to Clergy
    • Disaster Preparedness
    • ELCA Social Statements
    • Forms
    • Generosity and Stewardship
    • Links to other helpful resources
    • Online Worship and Engagement
    • Shaping and sharing stories of God
    • Spiritual Practices
    • Staff Booklist
    • Suicide Prevention
  • Events
    • 2023 Assembly Registration
    • 2023 Assembly Home-stay
    • 2023 Assembly Display Space
    • 2023 Pre-Assembly Workshop Registration
    • 2023 Assembly Resources
    • 2023 Collegium Registration
    • Preaching: SAM Unit
    • Digital Classes
    • Loss, Grief and Nostalgia
    • Free Series on Luther
    • Telling our Stories in the World Workshop