 Andrew Palau with Wayne and Virginia Clark during “Fairbanks CityFest with Andrew Palau”How is the Lord preparing YOU to impact your city?Mission ConneXion Alaska was birthed in 2005 in Fairbanks, Alaska, three years after we had launched in Portland, and by the fall of 2007 I received an unusual request from my friend, Wayne Clark, its director. He knew I was working out of the Luis Palau Association (LPA) headquarters by then and wondered if I might have any access to resources that could move believers toward evangelism. They were experiencing a level of unity and cooperation among the churches of Fairbanks as a result of churches participating in Mission ConneXion, and he wondered if it could be harnessed toward city-wide evangelism. That started some conversations among the staff at LPA.A year later, in November 2008, Colin James of LPA, along with Andrew Palau, and I flew up to Anchorage, where Dr. Dan Jarrell, pastor of ChangePoint Church in Anchorage, had pulled together a series of pastor gatherings there and in Wasilla to give clergy an opportunity to get better acquainted with Andrew. Timing was not ideal to consider starting anything, so active pursuit went dormant for a number of years while Palau staff stayed in contact and, on occasion, traveled up to meet various leaders. Andrew spoke at Mission ConneXion in Fairbanks in 2010, and that same weekend preached the gospel at the largest church in the city. When men responded to his invitation, the pastor of the church began to feel an urgency that perhaps the time was ripe for a city-wide, public proclamation of the gospel in Fairbanks. Pastors from all across the region then extended an invitation in the fall of 2013 and Luis Palau came and shared a vision for how God could use a united church effort called “Love Alaska with Luis Palau” in Anchorage and “Fairbanks CityFest with Andrew Palau” in Fairbanks, Alaska.Beginning in late May and extending through to the final weekend of June 7-8, the gospel was declared throughout Alaska – first by LPA’s partner Next Generation Alliance evangelists, and finally by Andrew Palau in Fairbanks (June 7) and Luis Palau in Anchorage (June 7-8). Some of the largest crowds either city had ever seen, assembled as churches worked together in unity and in conjunction with city officials, for the wholesale proclamation of the gospel. In the lead up to these activities, both Luis and Andrew Palau stated publically that Mission ConneXion Northwest had opened a door for the gospel, and for the Luis Palau Association in Alaska. However, much of the momentum began when Fairbanks businessman, and owner of Graphic North Printing, Wayne Clark, approached us for evangelistic “resources” early in 2007. He had no idea how his simple, heartfelt request would impact the largest State in the USA.
How is the Lord preparing YOU to impact your city? |
Luis Palau Association – Love Alaska with Luis Palau