“The whole purpose of this book is to show that [Jesus] can take you or me, however an unlikely candidate we may seem […] He can come and live in us and start a relationship that will last for eternity.”

In recent years, it has become common in certain church circles to speak of ‘incarnational ministry’. This view encourages ministers to be ‘with’ those they serve in Christ’s Name because Jesus is ‘God with us’ (Matt. 1:23); to ‘move into the neighbourhood’ where they are called to witness, as in Eugene Peterson’s famous rendering of John 1:14; to become immersed and embedded in that place, preaching and living out the gospel in a way that is authentic and accessible to its particular language and culture.

I confess that I am often uneasy about the use of the term ‘incarnational ministry’, as the Incarnation must always refer specifically to the second person of the Trinity becoming a human being in Jesus of Nazareth, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

But if ever there was a ministry that could properly be termed ‘incarnational’, it would be the remarkable 61-year ministry of the Rev. Mike Gardener and his wife Margaret in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Their amazing story is now recorded in his recently self-published memoirs.

Written in a warm, down-to-earth style that reflects Mike’s personality, and including beautiful colour photographs taken over the years, Called to the Arctic recounts the Gardeners’ time in the south Baffin communities of Kimmirut, Kinngait, Pangnirtung, and Iqaluit.

In the summer of 1955, Mike and Margaret arrived on Baffin Island as a young couple engaged to be married. Bishop Donald Marsh assigned Mike to Kimmirut and Margaret to Pangnirtung, communities which are more than 400km apart.

Mike began his parish ministry in Kimmirut. He was required by the bishop to preach and lead worship in Inuktitut on his first Sunday. Mike recalls, ‘Bishop Marsh had told me that he did not expect me to do anything other than to learn the language and be with the people – to get to know their customs and ways’ (p. 49). Mike endeavoured to learn five Inuktitut words each day as he lived and ministered amongst the people. He travelled between camps, engaged in seal hunting, dogsledding, and iglu building, leading worship and distributing prayer books, hymn books and New Testaments. As Mike says, ‘I felt that I had to be more part of the Inuit culture and not be like some outsider who would just observe people and then go away’ (p. 98).

Meanwhile Margaret served as a cook at St. Luke’s Anglican Mission Hospital in Pangnirtung. They kept in touch weekly via radio to talk and plan their wedding and were married aboard the ship CD Howe at Iqaluit in September of 1956.

The Gardeners’ made their first home together in Kimmirut in the days before plumbing and electricity came to the North. In the coming years, Margaret gave birth to their three daughters, Ann, Pat and Susan, who grew up with Inuktitut as their first language.

Over the next several decades, the Gardeners’ moved to Kinngait and then to Pangnirtung, where Mike served as the Principal of ATTS. His second class of graduates to be ordained included Jonas Allooloo, Andrew Ataagutaaluk and Ben Arreak, who would later translate the Bible into Inuktitut. After their time in Pangnirtung, the Gardeners’ moved to Iqaluit, where Mike served as Dean of St. Jude’s Cathedral.

Several important events in the Gardener family have occurred since the publication of these memoirs and so are not mentioned in the book. Margaret died in the peace of Christ last year. Their grandson, P.J. Akeeagok, became the sixth and current Premier of Nunavut and their granddaughter Jessica was called to the bar as a lawyer in the territory.

Mike is currently living at the Embassy West home in Ottawa where he helps to interpret for the Inuit elders who are also residents there.

The impact of the Gardeners’ decades-long ministry in the South Baffin region is immeasurable. Mike’s memoirs are an important contribution to Eastern Arctic church history and make for an engaging and enjoyable read. But what I personally find most remarkable about this book is that Mike does not simply write his autobiography for its own sake. Rather, like St. Paul in 1 Timothy 1:1217, Mike shares his story to demonstrate the grace and transformative power of God in human lives:

“I was the most unlikely candidate to be sent to the Arctic! However, God never gave up on me, but instead worked in me to provide what I needed to stay and minister in the Arctic. He also did that for Margaret. I believe He will truly do this for you also, when you want Jesus in your life and heart as Saviour and Lord. He wants to win your heart to Him. You can serve Him wherever you are – obviously you do NOT have to be an ordained Minister or go to the Arctic to do this! Whatever happens we must accept His leading. There are so many who need His light to shine into their lives, and He so often uses us for this to happen!” (p. 215-16)

Certainly God has used Mike for this purpose and I am sure that the light of Christ will shine upon you through the pages of his memoirs.

Called to the Arctic: the Memoirs of the Rev. Mike Gardener is available for sale in Iqaluit at Arctic Ventures, or from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle e-book. Review by the Very Rev. Chris Dow.