Ten people from Calvary Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, recently returned from Nome, Alaska, and the finish line of the Iditarod dog sled race.
Members of Calvary Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, get their bearings before setting off to minister to people in Nome, Alaska, at the finish line of the Iditarod dog sled race.After months of preparation and prayer, they arrived in Nome on March 19. Following a briefing by Brenda Crim, Baptist collegiate minister from the University of Alaska-Anchorage, they joined 55 other volunteers working out of Nome Community Baptist Church in conjunction with the Alaska Baptist Convention to help with all aspects of the finish of the Iditarod.
The group rode snow machines to Safety, Alaska, the last checkpoint of the Iditarod before the sled teams were to reach Nome. Several from the church got a chance to mush a sled team. They also served during the Iditarod banquet and the Lonnie O’Connor Iditarod Basketball Classic. Church member Claire Duffle and pastor Hans Wunch and another volunteer sang the national anthem before the men’s title match.
The group also worked the lots where the dogs rested after the race and worked the safety patrol to make sure celebrants didn’t freeze to death. They also prayer-walked and conducted a children’s after-school program.
The group experienced the native culture by getting to know some of the locals and native Alaskans. Church members also had the chance to sample some of the local food, including reindeer sausage and Maktak (bull whale).