Who’d have thought that a community gospel-music concert would pack the Tok Adventist Church! Approximately 73 people crowded into a church that seats 35. They came representing most of the community churches, and many came who had no church affiliation, both native Alaskans and Anglos.
It all started as an idea to encourage interaction between Adventists and the Tok community. Knowing that Tok is the home of several Christian country-music artists, Jim Kincaid asked for their participation in this community gospel sing-a-long. During the practice a few hours before the concert, the diverse group of artists quickly learned to complement each other. Near the end of the concert, one of the Sunday-church guitar players testified, “This is the first time that the barriers between churches have been put away for the glory of God.”
The music and preaching event at Tok was the first of 11 such events planned for this winter and spring. The list of sites reads like the Alaska Magazine news section entitled “From Ketchikan to Barrow, from Kotezbue to Haines.” In alphabetical order the towns visited were: Barrow, Bethel, Delta Junction, Dillingham, Gambell, Nome, North Pole, Savoonga, Selawik, Togiak, and Tok.
One of the constants of this entire spring itinerary was the mode of transportation. N8287Q, Adventist World Aviation's Cessna 206, was the vehicle that carried the musicians, the instruments, the electronic equipment, and the survival gear for the entire crew of four, sometimes five, to each site.
Without such aircraft, this particular mission would not have happened. We praise God for the donors who gave the time and money to place this aircraft in service.
N8287Q, the Cessna 206 provided by Adventist World Aviation, provides much-needed transportation for the Alaska Conference as it fulfills its mission to the far-flung communities in Alaska.
Community singers and musicians joined in a gospel sing-a-long in Tok, Alaska, designed to encourage interaction between Adventists and the wider community.
