Winter 2025
ECC President to Attend Annual Meeting Conference First Covenant to Host April State-wide Gathering of Churches Registration is open for the Annual Meeting Conference to be held at Anchorage First Covenant Church April 2-5, 2025. The conference will be co-hosted by Chugach Covenant Church as well as Mountain View Hope Covenant Church and will center around the theme “Moving Mountains.” “My hope is that we will be spurred on and encouraged in our faith in Jesus to move the mountains in our midst,” said Superintendent Curtis Ivanoff. “Jesus exhorted us in Mark 11 to pray in faith and expect God to show up. We are praying and planning for an impactful time together.” ECC President Tammy Swanson-Draheim will be in attendance, will speak during the Friday night worship service, and will join the women’s gathering held on Thursday afternoon. Delegates and general attendees will gather for worship, workshops and meals during the four-day conference. The Alaska Conference executive board and ministerium will meet on Thursday, and the 2025 Annual Meeting will be held Friday morning and afternoon. A joyful potluck gathering will be held at First Covenant Church on Friday evening, prior to the evening service. The evening services will be broadcast live on KICY radio (AM 850) and are open to guests as well. The annual Covenant Women’s Craft sale will also be held on Friday. Registration and information can be found on the conference website.
For information and registration visit www.alaskacovenant.org
Curtis Ivanoff Honored as North Park Distinguished Alumnus Rev. Curtis Ivanoff, superintendent, was honored with Unalakleet, then a ship to Seattle, then a train to Chicago. the Distinguished Alumni Award from North Park Ivanoff noted Ephesians 2, previously quoted by North Theological Seminary (NPTS) at the Midwinter Park President Mary Surridge, remarking that God made Conference in Denver, Colorado. Rev. Dr. Dennis us alive in Christ and created us for good works. He Edwards, dean of the seminary and vice president of church relations, introduced Ivanoff to present him with the award. “Curtis is a shepherd for the churches of Alaska,” said Edwards. “Curtis is a storyteller and reminds us of the faith and fortitude of many in this denomination, especially those from Alaska, even before it was a state. He represents not only Alaska well, but our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ivanoff began by thanking his wife, Kristi, the rest of his family, and his hometown of Unalakleet. “It’s a little uncomfortable to be up here,” he said, noting that in his tradition one does not elevate oneself over the rest of the community. “I give thanks to God for my community and my church that raised me.” Ivanoff also mentioned those who came before him, North Park University President Mary Surridge and specifically paying tribute to his great-grandfather, who Dr. Dennis Edwards, dean of North Park Theological made a similar journey early in the 20th century to be Seminary, presented Curtis with the “Distinguished Alumni Award” at the ECC Midwinter Conference in trained in the ministry of the gospel, taking a boat from January.
concluded by highlighting the role that previous Covenanters have played in helping to form our current multiethnic mosaic. “There was a man from Sweden who knew no Eskimo, no Inupiaq, no Cup’ik… just Swedish and Russian. He met people who knew our Eskimo language and Russian. There was linguistic connection, and God’s Spirit moved.” According to Ivanoff, “When our last traditional chief died in 1942, a man named E.B. Larson wrote [about the chief] in his journal… ‘He received the missionaries with kindness, and they remained friends.’” He also expressed hope for the future, highlighting the other Indigenous believers in his circle and the strides they are making, including his sister in faith Tamara Ravelo, who is slated to be the first Indigenous woman ordained by the Covenant this summer. “I rejoice and give thanks to God for the way that God is shaping our church to reflect the mosaic of his kingdom, to give a representation to the world of hope, of life, and how walls can be torn down.”
This article was reprinted from the January 29 edition of the “CovChurch now” newsletter.
From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16