MISSIONS

Marc & Angela Lantz – Amundsen Educational Center

Marc joined the staff of AEC in Fall 2022 after serving with our ministry partners at Covenant Youth of Alaska (CYAK) since 2018. He has over 15 years of vocational ministry experience, most of those pastoring youth and young adults in rural Northern communities. He enjoys organizing people and projects to accomplish a mission while fostering a deeper sense of purpose.  Before moving to Alaska, he served for nine years as a youth pastor in a small village church in Alberta, Canada. During this time, he got married to Angela and they had three children: Emma, Brooks, and Ellie. Most of them are true hockey fans. Marc and Angela sense a strong calling to invest in the discipleship and spiritual growth of others as they grow deeper in their faith. They actively serve in their local church and seek to serve other churches in rural Alaska. They appreciate the holistic learning lab that AEC provides through its vocational and life skills training in Christian community. You can find them spending their summers outside at their home in Palmer, on campus at AEC, or exploring the state through subsistence activities like fishing, berry picking, and hunting. 

Connecting Neighbors to Jesus:  The Oasis, Fort Collins, Brian Frable

What we do:  To connect people to Jesus, drawing them one step closer to God, one prayer, one caring act, one conversation at a time.  The ministry operates in three spheres: previously (and newly) established relationships, neighborhood, and public spaces.  AVAILABILITY and TIME are key.  Whatever it takes to meet with people to fit their needs and schedules.  The Oasis is geared to be relentlessly available to the unchurched/dechurched, the uninformed moralist, and those not currently being discipled, making the most of every opportunity to draw people into relationship with Jesus.  This is the kind of love that speaks volumes to those forgotten, neglected, snubbed, overlooked, and unappreciated.  The Oasis exists to give people the time they need to talk, process, and be cared for.  Because we are laser focused on connecting people to Jesus, a majority of time is devoted to conversations and activities that focus on God’s loving presence.  The message: “You matter.  God loves you.  Because of Jesus, I’m here for you.  Take all the time you need.”  There is a strong resolve to be connected to, and help, the poor who are financially vulnerable (homeless, near-homeless, and those living month to month), and those living in assisted living facilities for the poor.  I would categorize our ministry as discipleship with an outreach emphasis.

How 4Cs Partners: We share our space for Oasis to worship and office. We support this church plant financially and with encouragement and prayer.

Sharing Jesus with Alaskan Teens:  Covenant Youth of Alaska—James & Rachel Ventress

What we do:  Pastor James (Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries) wife Rachel and their children have made Alaska their home for the last 11 years.  In 2014, he became the Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries for Nome Covenant Church. He is also the director of Checkpoint Youth Center, the church’s outreach drop-in center open to any and all jr. and sr. high school students in the community.  James and Rachel have big hearts for youth, especially those who are hurting or vulnerable.  The vision for their ministry at Checkpoint began in their 900 sq. ft. house in 2012, when Rachel’s students from the junior high school began stopping by to visit and eat dinner.  James and Rachel began a weekly “Bible Club” in their home where students came to eat dinner, play games, and listen to a Bible presentation about the gospel. The ministry grew to where the entry way was filled with shoes as students sat on any open space, including lining the spiral staircase, to hear about Jesus, His love for them and His plan for their lives.  In 2014, the ministry moved to Checkpoint where there was more room to accommodate the growing number of Nome youth seeking the Kingdom of God and His love.  He is often found serving youth in the Norton Sound Region at Covenant Bible Camp and Fall Blast, as well as in his living room, at Checkpoint, at the bike repair shop across the street from the church, and at community events in Nome.  They would describe their ministry as apologetics and evangelism for third culture youth in rural Alaska. 

Andrew & Jena Brown – CRU, campus crusade, university of Virginia

What we do:  Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Cru is a campus ministry that is about two things: Jesus and Community.  We think that Jesus is the greatest person to ever live and that our relationship with him is the most fulfilling thing on earth.  We believe this so much that we want everyone at UVA to have the opportunity to know him too.  In fact Jesus is really the whole reason we exist and he is the focus of our mission:  Cru is a community where the gospel captures hearts, transforms lives and launches men and women into a lifelong adventure with Jesus.  We want to experience Christ, embrace the gospel, be on mission and extend God’s love.  The second thing we are about is community.  Nobody likes to be alone and so we make it a priority to have an incredible community.  While the Large Group meetings may not give you a chance to meet everyone well, there are many interconnected groups of close-knit friends. We want our community to grow, which is where our love for Jesus and our natural desire for community come together.

Sharing Christ’s Loving Mercy with Kids: NAOMI House, Arizona

Our Mission:  Native American Outreach Ministries Inc. is a non-profit mission home dedicated to providing a safe and loving home for Native American Children.

What we do:  We are told that it takes a village to raise a child.  However, when a child has been abused and wounded, it takes more than just one village—it takes many.  NAOMI is one small village, working with many others to help hurt children recover from child abuse.  The reason NAOMI exists, is to share the healing love of Jesus Christ, with hurting children that desperately need His healing touch.  NAOMI was established as a non-profit home for abused and neglected Native American children and we moved into our present home in January of 1995.  We strive to maintain an atmosphere that not only looks like home but also feels like home.  We are a family.  For the sake of the children, we avoid all appearances of institution and endeavor to be as culturally appropriate as possible.  Meeting the  diverse and complicated needs of sexually abused children as soon as they have been hurt enables them to heal and come to terms with their abuse.  We aspire to help end child molestation one child at a time, by removing wounded children from the vicious cycle that led to their abuse.  N.A.O.M.I. is a non-denominational Christian Ministry.  We minister primarily to Native American Children and their families. Our main thrust of ministry is the Children’s Home we operate in Joseph City, Arizona.

How 4Cs Partners:  We send annual short-term groups to encourage and support the kids and staff at NAOMI House.