About the Trip (Application Forms)

Syosset, NY - Imagine hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of people coming to your door this summer inquiring about Orthodoxy! While many of us in the "lower 48" must painstakingly labor at new and creative ways to witness our Holy Orthodox faith, we can scarcely imagine car loads... no, bus loads... no, CRUISE SHIP LOADS(!!!) coming to us, asking the "reason of the hope that is in you..." (1 Pet. 3:15). Like no other place in North America, Alaska has the potential to evangelize the people from all over the world each summer - to at least plant seeds of the richness, depth, beauty, and integrity of Orthodox Christianity in the minds and hearts of numberless tourists.

Near to Anchorage, this summer the village of Eklutna, with St. Nicholas Church and its accompanying "spirit house" cemetery, will host thousands of visitors. Sadly, the cemetery is in great need of repair. Harsh weather and the lack of people to maintain it in recent years have turned the cemetery, with our "departed fathers and brethren" buried therein, into a wonderful opportunity for young adults to come together and restore the dignity and beauty of our Faith it once presented to our tourist guests.

Building upon the commitment of faith expressed by the over 100 young adults who attended the 13th AAC, the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry is announcing a Young Adult Service Trip to Alaska to help repair the Eklutna Cemetery. "One of our goals at the All-American Council was to offer more opportunities for the young adults of our Church to gather together, serve the Church, and build friendships," says Fr Michael Anderson, Department Director. "When we presented this idea to the young adults at the Council we were thrilled to find that so many responded so positively."

Why Eklutna?
Dating back to 1650, Eklutna is the oldest continually inhabited Athabascan site in the Anchorage vicinity. It is located at the junction of several traditional native Alaskan trails. The Dena'ina people first encountered the white man in the late 18th century with the explorations of Vitus Bering and Captain James Cook. The Russian Orthodox missionaries came in the early 1800's, bringing the Orthodox Christian Faith to the indigenous peoples of Alaska. Today several families live in Eklutna, where they maintain as much of a traditional lifestyle as possible in such close proximity to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska.

The Eklutna Cemetery holds the colorful and decorated "Spirit Houses" over the grave of a deceased relative. This custom comes from the melding of Athabascan and Orthodox Christian beliefs and practices. Often a family uses specific colors for their Spirit House to identify their clan. You will see an Orthodox cross on the graves of members of the Orthodox Church.

St. Nicholas Church was originally built in the 1830's, and reconstructed in the 1970's. It is the oldest standing building in greater Anchorage, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Inside the Church are centuries-old Russian icons, which are still a part of worship services today. Next to the original structure is a newer church, built in the 1960's by the people of Eklutna. Regular services are still held here.

After a recent visit to the site, Fr Anthony Karbo, a member of the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry, remarked, "This summer we have the opportunity, even obligation, with the fruits of our labor, to show forth the Orthodox Christian Faith in this land of Saints, by restoring the Eklutna cemetery to its rightful beauty - both removing a potential stumbling block (disrepair), and witnessing the beauty of salvation in the Orthodox Church."

About the Trip
The group will travel to Alaska from June 12-20, 2003 and participation is limited to 10-15 young adults (ages 18-27) from the Orthodox Church in America. Since the trip is service in nature, interested participants will receive a packet of information to help enlist sponsors to support them in this ministry. Estimated costs for attending are approximately $1,000 (depending on airfare). Cost includes airfare, meals, housing, and some tourism. Any funds that are raised above the trip expenses will be donated to Outreach Alaska, the humanitarian project of the Diocese of Alaska (www.alaskanchurch.org) that funds programs of education, sister parish sponsorship, and church building/restoration.

Sign-up
Interested participants must send in the Application Forms by May 10th, 2003 with a $100 deposit to the Department at yyadept@oca.org, FAX: 516-922-0954, or USPS: PO Box 675, Syosset, NY 11791 to guarantee their place on the trip.

• Click here for the Application Forms in Microsoft Word format.
• Click here for the Application Forms in .pdf format.