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A Week of Thanksgiving
Christmas at KBM
The Bazaar
Currier and Ives Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration
KBM Needs
Return to Kodiak Baptist Mission Home Pages
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope. Ephesians 4:3,4
It felt a bit strange at the mission the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nothing was going on. Nothing. The Preschool was closed for Thanksgiving vacation, since it follows the same schedule as the Public Schools. Most everyone had that Friday off that worked, so the Daycare was not in operation. There were no pick-ups or distribution at the Food Bank and it looked silent. There were not even cars going to the shops or the gym. Even the residents of the Mission were quiet. Doris and Vera went to Ouzinkie to celebrate Thanksgiving with Joyce Smith. Rachel went to Cordova to pick up some boat engines. It was strangely quiet.
I had not seen it this quiet since 1996, when we went through the drastic change of program that set us on our current mission. At that time all but four of the staff left. The mission seemed empty and gray. It was difficult to even keep the grass cut. On this Friday, I remembered the circumstances of those dark days. I also was reminded of God's faithfulness through his servants and churches. It seemed strange to me this Friday because now the mission is filled every day with happy voices of children and people.
The day starts with prayer and hearing God's message for us for the day from the Scripture. It builds as we take time to lift anthems of praise to our Master and Savior. We add our light with that of our fellow-workers to dispel the darkness of the long Alaskan nights. It will be a half-hour before the sun rises and our little basement chapel is dark as candles are lit by the worshippers. Some of the children at the day care have been here an hour already. Others are arriving as we pray for them. Soon they will start their day with instructions from their teachers. The Before School children will have already prayed and been bused to their respective schools. They will return in the afternoon for the After-School program.
People will be coming for food from the food bank. Every store that sells food in Kodiak is now donating food to this ministry. It is a wonder how this ministry has grown. The Food Bank is serving about three hundred people now. Over twenty tons of food has been distributed to those who meet the income guidelines. Some local pastors have done a wonderful job with this especially the Korean congregation's pastor. He speaks several languages and has given hope to so many people.
The mission is a busy place now. Four years ago we could have only dreamed that these buildings and grounds would be used in so many ways. I thank God for a Friday of rest when nothing is happening. I also thank Him for the last four years. He has shown us great and mighty things that we did not know. --Evan Jones, KBM Chaplain
Christmas at KBM is
quite an event. It starts early with the lighting of the majestic Sitka spruce
near the gym. The children from the daycare usually gather at the fifty-foot
tree and the lights come on. At the mission we believe that Christ is the light
of the world, and we use lights symbolically all through the advent season. Our
early morning prayer will be accompanied with an advent wreath that demonstrates
the light that the coming of the Lord brings into our lives. Each day at the
preschool we have a children's advent wreath. The children learn about the real
meaning of Christmas.
"Who makes all this stuff?" the man asked. Everyone was busy at the booth but the question deserved an answer. Women from all over the United States that want to help the work of KBM. And they really do help. This year the Bazaar raised over $2300 for the mission. It is a small amount in reality when you see all the love and work that goes into the various offerings. Each and every article sold is a labor of love. We thank God for the faithful women that have done so much for the children that they will in all likelihood never see face to face. As we look at the intricate work, each piece tells a story. We would like to add to the story. Next year, we hope you will send us pictures of your circles and individuals that made the items for sale. We would love to know about you and to post your pictures as we sell the items.
Each year the amount of goods
we have to offer is a little less. We get letters saying that the numbers in the
circles have dwindled and it is difficult to make the items. It is a sad story
in a way. We thank God for the mighty army of committed people who have
supported us so well in the past. We want to encourage you who have been so
faithful, your work is really appreciated. It is not only the dollars that are
raised through your efforts. It is you. You are infinitely more valuable than
anything you will make or do. These things you send bear with them a message of
care and concern for the staff here at KBM. It is easy to tell you how much we
earned at the bazaar. It is more difficult to convey what we as a staff feel
about you and how you buoy our spirits with your gifts.
Your gift does something else too. On one Saturday a year the high school is turned into a community marketplace. Nearly everyone in Kodiak will show up. It comes at such a good time, right before Christmas. The spirit of the crowd is loud and boisterous as big as life in Alaska. And you are there. Your presence is unmistakable. There are hundreds of items made with human hands and people ask, "Who made them?". A company of committed people from all over. Bound together by the Spirit of Christ and a love for the children for whom He died.
They are tired. Their feet are bruised and sore from walking over dirt, pebbles and rocks. The young couple have not traveled incredibly far, but given the woman's condition it has taken much longer to cover the distance. The need for such a trip could not have come at a worse time. Leave it to the government to interrupt life, and yet, life continues. The baby was going to come regardless of census decrees and government regulations that required travel to your place of birth. Perhaps all that walking and riding the donkey would help speed the process.
Thoughts such as these may have
passed through the minds of Mary and Joseph as they made their way from Nazareth
to Bethlehem. Imagine how they must have felt when they arrived and were turned
away at every door they tried. No Vacancy! No more room! They heard time and
again until finally one innkeeper had compassion and let them bed down with the
animals. The rest of the night must have been a blur; the birth, the shepherds
with their wild story about an angelic proclamation and the star.
Two thousand plus years later we can only imagine what that night must have been like for Mary and Joseph.
For the last five years KBM has hosted the Currier and Ives Old-Fashioned Christmas party. This important ministry allows families to step back in time and spend an evening together in the middle of a very busy season.
The evening includes a bonfire, ice-skating and horse-drawn sleigh rides (weather permitting), Christmas caroling, refreshments, Harbor Stars Fleet Parade and Live Nativity.
The Harbor Stars Fleet Parade is sponsored by the Harbor Masters Office. KBM's location on the channel affords a perfect view of the staging area. Coast Guard Cutters and Buoy Tenders, fishing vessels, kayaks, and pleasure craft are all decorated with Christmas lights. Some launch fireworks and include carolers. The parade continues down the channel and there is even a contest to judge the boat decorations.
The highlight of the evening is the Live Nativity. As the Live Nativity has developed over the course of the last few years, it allows guests to catch a glimpse of the mystery and wonder of that long ago night when the Christ Child was born in a stable.
KBM conducted a community wide search for a couple with a one to three month old baby to play the part of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus. A special gift will be given to the family on behalf of the infant in the form of an U.S. Savings bond.
The very first year participants listened to the Nativity as told by Charlie Brown (Karrol Clark) in the KBM Lounge following the skating and hayrides. Year two saw guests huddled together in the barn with the horses in their stalls. Rev. Evan Jones Sr. recounted the Nativity story by lantern light.
The next year goats and sheep
made their appearance along with a very pregnant Mary (played by Cindy Jones)
and Joseph (Evan Jones II). Shepherds and a small angel choir were also present
thanks to the participation of the young men from St. Innocent's Academy. When
asked about her role Cindy Jones said, "I just remember being in the barn,
the animals, the smells and how crude it was. Then the shepherds came. It was
very special. I'll always remember that evening."
Last year, one and a half month-old Luke, son of Mary and Les James joined his Mother and Father in the stable scene as Baby Jesus. Luke's big brother Blake helped fill the ranks of the shepherds and the angel choir grew with additional voices from the Bible Chapel youth choir.
"Each year we try to make the evening a little bit better, by developing different aspects of the program. The weather hasn't cooperated for the last three years for ice-skating, but it sure hasn't put a damper on the spirits of those who come or on the sense of awe and amazement I feel when watching and hearing the true story of Christmas."
Where is your heart this Christmas? Have you allowed yourself and your family
to get lost in the commercialism and materialism that society has turned this
blessed time of year into? It is our prayer that you will find your way to the
stable, that smelly dirty cave barely fit for animals that God chose as the
birthplace for His Son.
--Heather Norton Director, Christian Activity Center
· Prayer Support
· Contribute to sponsorship of Faith Bancroft, Food Bank Coordinator, minimum
monthly wage, $780. Faith has given one year as a volunteer and must receive
support to continue.
· Volunteers-dedicate a month or more of your time to help with programs,
carpentry, maintenance, re-sale house, etc.
· Heating oil--$1.74/gallon
· Back-up skiff motor-approximately $3500
· Rolls of clear contact paper for the preschool
· Perler fuse beads for the preschool
· A gift of $32.50 can purchase 10 cans of tennis balls for the Summer Day Camp
· $128 can purchase 8 kayak paddles for Summer Day Camp
· $15 can purchase a synthetic leather soccer ball for Day Camp (need 6)
· $3.25 can purchase game cones (need 10 to 20)
· $30 can purchase 100 sheets of water color paper for Day Camp
Think about leading a label collection drive for your church and ask to have this printed in your church bulletin. For more detailed information just write or call KBM.
If you would like to provide for one of KBM's needs, please let us know by contacting KBM via e-mail, phone or a letter.
