Northern church grows and matures
AKULIVIK, QC – The ground might still be frozen at the end of April, but the people's hearts are not. As visitors descend on the village of Akulivik, just below the 61st parallel on the west coast of the Ungava Peninsula in northern Quebec, they are welcomed with warm hugs and friendly greetings by the Christians who are hosting them.
They are gathered for an annual week-long Bible conference, practically doubling the population of Akulivik and boosting the business of the one store in town.
But here "conference" is a relative term. There is no printed program, no list of keynote speakers, no admission fees, no workshops focused on church growth or Sunday school curricula. Instead there is a melding of Bible teaching and preaching, spontaneous worship and prayer, lots of singing, many calls–and many responses–for repentance.
Eighty percent of it takes places in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. The handful of southerners present, including Roger Armbruster of Harvest Field Ministries in Niverville, Manitoba, and Dave Ellyat, a pastor with the Independent Assemblies of God in London, Ontario, are there primarily as helpers rather than leaders.
Growing independence
It is clear that the church in the eastern Arctic is coming into its own. A charismatic renewal has swept through the north over the past 20 years, and the church is growing in numbers and strength.
Christianity first came to Canada's North in the mid-19th century through Anglican and Roman Catholic missionaries. In this part of the Arctic, it is hard to find a soul who was not baptized into the Anglican church. But a few decades ago, when pentecostal preachers started visiting the area, many people began to feel that their relationship with God was not deep enough, or even non-existent.
Now up to 60 percent of the people in a community might refer to themselves as "born again" and "spirit-filled." And this fervent faith has made a significant difference in many places: observers see a drop in alcoholism and related violence, as well as a drop in suicide rates.
The burgeoning new movement has also led to conflict between the established, Anglican church and the Full Gospel congregations springing up in homes. Each has criticized the other: some charismatics see the Anglican churches as lifeless; Anglican leaders who have seen their members leave in favour of the charismatic gatherings resent the inference that Christianity is a "new thing" in the Arctic.
Growing unity
More recently the two groups have begun to acknowledge each other's role. The seeds planted by faithful Anglicans many years ago are growing and reaching maturity. Many of the Anglicans now are just as charismatic as the Full Gospel Christians. Denominational walls are coming down, and communities where there is more than one church frequently celebrate special occasions together or use each other's facilities.
In Akulivik the Bible conference is hosted by the Anglican church, the only church in town, although there is also a Full Gospel pastor. Because of the numbers attending the conference, it takes place in the community centre. On the first night, the crowd (including many babies, teens and children) is welcomed by the mayor, Adamie Alayco, and the semi-retired Anglican minister, Simon Aliqu.
"Let's all have one heart when we're here," said Alayco in Inuktitut, "because we have one creator and he is the one we will be focusing on." Alayco is one of several Christian mayors in Nunavik and Nunavut. It's not unusual for a person to be both mayor and pastor. One woman, Eva Deer, is mayor, school principal and pastor of her community.
Aliqu, almost 76, talked about how his family was the first to settle in Akulivik. He also boasted that he was one of the first persons in the area to see a "qallunaat," the term used for missionaries or traders but which now generally applies to white people.
After describing a vision he saw before the conference of the devil disguised as a lion going after prey, he encouraged people to continue to grow in the Lord so they can stand against the devil. "I've had many years in my life but I'm still learning about Jesus," Aliqu added.
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