The Diocese of The Arctic has been working with our friends at ShareWord Global (formerly The Gideons) to better equip and resource churches across the North to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to those in our communities. In addition to providing printed scripture resources, ShareWord also organizes “GO Trips”, bringing teams across cultures to share the gospel and build up the Church.

This Spring, ShareWord’s Director of Ministry, Artur Borges, travelled to Pond Inlet to meet with local leaders about how we could work together to strengthen and encourage them. “We welcome any help with our youth ministry” was the response from Molleen Anaviapik. “There are so many young people looking for purpose in their lives, and too many suicides like in many communities.” Rev. Caleb Sangoya and Rev. Joshua Arreak were very supportive of the request.

Within weeks, Molleen and Jacintha, two Pond Inlet youth group leaders, were on their way to Burlington for a national Youth Conference hosted by The Gospel Colalition (Canada). Molleen reported back to ShareWord saying “It was so good… I hardly even know how to say it! It opened my eyes to different ways of doing youth ministry!” Bishop Alexander said “this aligns with one of my big hopes for these partnerships. We have great and gifted people in the North, but one of the things that we sometimes lack is what I’d call ‘informed imagination’. In many cases we just haven’t seen what faithful Christians are doing outside of our own diocese, which is a big part of discerning how to expand our own mission and ministry closer to home”

In July, a guest teacher from an evangelical Anglican church in Ontario is heading to Pond Inlet for a mid-summer “Foundation of Faith” course, and we’re excited to see where this partnership goes!