Happy New Year to each one of you! And a belated "Merry CHRSTmas" as well.
It's official. Kris and I have changed our status with Arctic Barnabas Ministries to Associate Staff. Associates are involved in ABM as a secondary line of ministry and have other "jobs". This also means that ABM will no longer pay us a salary. In effect, we are now volunteer staff. This will not deminish our involvement.
But for us, the other "job" is a LATERAL transfer to another missionary position with a partner ministry, Alaska Christian College. What follows is the letter we have sent out to all our supporters at the end of December. Please take the time to read it, and PLEASE communicate with us if you have any questions or concerns.
If you have not received this letter by now, we really do apologize. We would much rather communicate this kind of an announcement OTHER than via e-mail. But we also need to get this information out as soon as possible. One of the following three things may have happened regarding you not having received out letter via snail mail:
- The mail service has not got it to you yet due to the holidays (We sent it out the Monday before Christmas.)
- You partner with us in prayer and have not sent ABM any money in regards to our ministry. (This letter targets only financial partners, due to the need to have them consider re-directing support checks)
- We messed up and somehow left you off the list.
There will be additional communications to you in the near future bringing you up to speed on this exciting news. Also, our first 2005 newsletter, which is mailed out to a much larger audience, will also contain a similar announcement.
The letter follows . . .
Dear Praying Friends,
We know all of you understand our commitment to those in remote villages of Alaska. Well, effective January 1, we are shifting (or should we say "fine tuning”) the focus of our ministry from Arctic Barnabas Ministries to join the staff of Alaska Christian College (ACC) (www.akcc.org) in Soldotna, Alaska as their first "missionaries in residence." Specifically, Kris will be on staff with ACC's New Hope Counseling Center serving in a mentoring role to native young ladies attending Alaska Christian College, and helping as an administrative assistant. Gary's role is still being defined and he will also continue to work on the side as necessary to support our ministry. ACC targets native young people (primarily from Alaska Bush Villages where we served with ABM!) for discipleship and life preparation in a small family-oriented environment. We have been involved with this ministry from its inception in 2000, and Kris has worked for ACC part time. ABM considers ACC to be partners in ministry. We have seen ACC answer to the other side of the complex equation of the body of Christ in rural Alaska: ABM targets the missionaries & pastors to keep them there long term, ACC targets the college-age students of today and prepares them for leadership in their respective villages tomorrow.
There are 4 reasons for the change in our emphasis.
1. In our years of ministry, God has given us a terrific love and burden for native Alaskans. In addition to our many contacts in native villages, Gary has worked with native students in "Youth Employability Skills" mentoring and Kris is already involved at Alaska Christian College's New Hope Counseling Center as a mentor. Also, both of us have had training in child abuse issues.
2. We have determined after much prayer, counsel, and reflection, that we need to encourage Kris in her ability to establish one-on-one relationships with young women.
3. We won't really be leaving Arctic Barnabas Ministries! That's right. God is raising up other couples to help in the ministry of ABM. A woman with great organizational skills will take over the role of Director of Woman’s Ministries. But we will both stay involved as Associate Staff and Kris has been asked to continue making her Woman’s Trips & be involved in one-on-one ministry with the ladies ABM serves. Maybe she will even be able to take ACC students to assist her in her ABM role!
4. Currently, we are dealing with issues related to our daughter’s health and believe that focusing in on a ministry at Alaska Christian College will be best in terms of keeping both of us from spreading ourselves so thin. Again, it’s about focusing on one area of ministry (the area in which we are best gifted to serve).
Gary will apply his administrative and computer/organizational skills for ACC wherever he can (as well as continuing to assist ABM and maintaining contact with “focus families” in the bush). But he will also continue in his “tent maker” role, working off campus as necessary to make ends meet financially. In the Fall of 2005 we will make another support raising trip to the lower 48 in connection with seeing Chelsie off to college in Washington State.
We realize this may seem somewhat sudden to you. But for us, it is the result of months of praying, seeking counsel, and focusing in on our gifts in building the Church of Jesus Christ. This transition is taking place with the full blessing of both Alaska Christian College and Arctic Barnabas Ministries.
We hope you will continue in your financial support of our ministry. Alaska Christian College is a small school and we will be the first Resident Missionary Staff. We want to live out a life of faith to the students we will serve and we need your continued financial partnership. Without your partnership, Alaska Christian College & New Hope Counseling Center would not be able to have us on staff.
Please tear off and return the bottom portion of this page. It’s a “Response Card” (Not included in this online version) - A way of acknowledging this change and confirming your continued support. While we hope you will stay with us, please send the response card back if you decide otherwise (and maybe place a brief explanation on the back.) Pease call either of us to discuss this further. Our home number is 907-283-2778. Gary's cell is 907-252-1574 and Kris' is 907-252-0670. And if you still wish to direct your support to Arctic Barnabas Ministries, please communicate your intention both to them and to us, in order to maintain clear fiscal responsibility. Any checks received by Arctic Barnabas Ministries after Jan 15, 2005 that are not clearly designated for the continued ministry of ABM will be handed over to us to follow up with those sending the check(s). This letter is going out to everybody who has partnered with us financially, but we are sure there might be some cross over in the mail due to the Holidays. This is the best way to honor your commitments.
Along with the response card and a return envelope, we are including brochures for both Alaska Christian College and New Hope Counseling Center. You can find out more about Alaska Christian College by visiting the website at www.akcc.org. Also, both of us will be keeping our ABM e-mail addresses, but will also have e-mail addresses with ACC. kris@akcc.org and gary@akcc.org.
We have considered you as partners with us in ministry. Please continue in your partnership. Our salary with Alaska Christian College is TOTALLY DEPENDANT on your continued financial support.
With Much Love,
Gary & Kris Harris
Alaska Christian College
“Preparing People for Whole-life Discipleship”
35109 Royal Place
Soldotna, Alaska 99669
