From the Youth Minister: Service Trip to Alaska 

Long before we arrived in Anchorage on Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit was at work to make this summer’s youth service trip a serendipitous, worldview-altering week. Over a year ago, Rev. Michael Burke invited our diocesan Young Episcopalians in Service group to his parish of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage, Alaska. From those initial emails, a plan was hatched, youth applications were submitted, and Episcopalians across the state, including many of you, generously contributed to make it all possible. 

 Alaska, known for its grandeur, beauty, and wildlife, happily put on its best show for us. Just a few hours after landing, we witnessed a mama black bear and her three cubs sauntering through the woods. Later in the week, glimpses of a mama moose and her calf, bald eagles in multitudes, sea lions bobbing along the coast; every sighting like a cosmic play button. Even the weather proved miraculous, unleashing enough rain on Monday to make us profoundly grateful for the sunshine that would follow us for the entire remainder of the week. Not to mention the blessings of radical hospitality, a budding community, and friendships. God’s handiwork was evident. 

Being from Colorado, the importance of creation care is evident. This trip to Alaska brought a whole new urgency to this important topic. The Native Alaskans’ rich culture and people rely on its protection. Our host site, St. Mary’s does what it can with what it has, which happens to be 15-acres of forested land in the heart of Anchorage. Our team spent the service days getting our hands dirty: tending to gardens, breaking trails, and planting trees to make the ecosystem more hospitable for humans and non-human animals alike. We used our evening formation time to reflect on the seven-day creation story itself; unpacking the ways scripture speaks of our relationship to the environment. In June in Alaska, dawn and dusk are the darkest it gets. So by the fourth day, when God separates the day from the night and calls it good, the absence of darkness felt poignant. 

With endless daylight and blessings enmasse, darkness showed up in unexpected ways. Whether it was acknowledging the participation of Episcopalians in the Indigenous boarding schools, witnessing the profound glacial recession in Kenai Fjords National Park, or receiving the news of the first ever heat advisory in Alaska, harsh histories and uncertain futures weighed heavily on our group. These issues highlight the existence of human evil, even in our own tradition, and the consequences of disregarding the sacred. For youth especially, the urgency to make sense and respond to these issues is real. However, these problems could not be healed or solved in a week of service, and maybe that is the point. 

Last week, on the Saturday before our departure, Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber published a timely article in her newsletter, titled, “​​What to do if the world is ending (answer: plant a tree).”  In her letter she says, “The promise that God is not done and we will not be left alone still holds.” We planted trees last week without the promise of each one surviving, or that these trees could save the planet, but in the hopes that they could one day– and for the time being, bring a community more vitality and joy.  

The week’s moments of intense joy and light necessitated us to welcome a space for deep grief and darkness. Without the laughter, budding friendships, and safe community, we might not have felt brave enough to go to those harsh places. Without witnessing the people and creatures moving through the space, we might not have cared as deeply about tending to the place. As Christians, we know what it means to hold beauty and grief together, but putting it into practice is something entirely different. This trip to Alaska presented an invitation to go deeper into the essence of our Scripture and of nature, the relationship between light and dark, something only the Holy Spirit could do. 

There is still a lot to glean from our trip to Alaska, and maybe one day, years from now, it will be fruit. 

Profound gratitude to the clergy and community of St. Mary’s for hosting us, for Kimberley Hubbs for planning, and the Office of the Bishop for sponsoring this trip. Extra shoutout to the incredible thirty youth participants from around Colorado, including 7 from Saint John’s. Special thanks as well to the ten adult leaders including Deacon Jack who made this trip possible. 

If you are interested in learning more about Young Episcopalians in Service, click here.