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KETCHIKAN, Alaska—

Alaska is a vast expanse of pris- tine beauty, sparsely populated by human beings but teeming with an amazing assortment of wildlife. At two cents an acre, it has been declared the best land acquisition ever made by the United States. The Inupiat Eskimos, the Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Indians all call Alaska home. In 1952, the Church of God called it a mis-

sion field.

That year a young Florida minister, 19-year-old Bill White, drove from Miami, Florida, to Palmer, Alaska, to work with then Superintendent J. H. Davis. White’s previous ministe- rial experience came largely by assisting evangelist Robert Johnson in Johnson’s tent-revival campaigns. During one of those meetings, God gave White a vision for ministry in Alaska. For five years, White lived in Palmer and faithfully served

alongside Davis, working in the superintendent’s sawmill, help- ing build churches, preaching, and generally supplying what- ever manpower Davis needed. Davis later told him that he had prayed for God to send him any man that could just hold up the end of a plank, but the Lord had sent him one man who could do the work of two.

After returning home in 1957, White became engaged to a beautiful and talented minister’s daughter, Margaret, whose maternal grandparents, Heartly Bernard and Mizpah Roberts, were charter members of the first Church of God con- gregation established outside the U.S., in the Bahamas, in 1913. On June 7, 1960, after only two years of marriage and with a small daughter, Kathy, the Whites arrived on the distant Alaskan island of Revillagigedo, their hearts filled with big dreams and facing big hurdles.

This compilation of news is to acquaint our readers with what is happening in the church world. The Evangel does not necessarily endorse the activities reported.

COMPILED BY LANCE COLKMIRE

lance_colkmire@pathwaypress.org

VISION REALIZED: 50 Years in Alaska

The small congregation in Ket- chikan, an enchanting town of some 15,000 people, had existed as part of the Church of God for only a short time. The church building itself, small and not very functional, sat on the side of a heavily wooded moun- tain overlooking the icy waters of the Pacific, and in an area randomly carved with impass- able gullies. The Whites quickly

process, provided years of foster care for several children—a min- istry that required much of Mar- garet’s time, energy, and com- passion. Additionally, the Whites have hosted numerous college students for summer ministry and developed an outstanding prison ministry.

Bill and Margaret White

Church of God

28 EVANGEL • JUNE 2010

Ketchikan

discovered that fulfilling Bill’s God-given vision from years earlier would require steadfast commitment, unwavering faith, and tireless hard work. The last five decades have found the Whites embracing Ketchikan, Alaska’s Inside Pas- sage, and western British Colum- bia as their mission field. During their 50-year pastorate, they have reached innumerable people and continuously added facilities to the original Ketchikan Church. Through the direction of the Holy Spirit, Bill started congrega- tions in Metlakatla; Juneau; Craig; and Terrace, British Columbia. Together, Bill and Margaret began a Christian school that served the church and commu- nity for many years and in the

With the acquisition of a scenic parcel of land some years ago, land tucked away inside a peaceful cove on Prince of Wales Island, the Ketchikan Church began operating a youth camp, drawing many young people from the wide-ranging sur- rounding region. The Whites reared two children, Kathy and Jeff; received into their close-knit family a son-in-law, Mike, and a daughter-in-

law, Marie; and poured them- selves into five grandchildren— Jonathan, Valerie, Kyle, Dana, and Chris. Today, all work in the many ministries of the Ketchikan Church of God alongside Dad and Mom, including two rela- tively new granddaughters-in- law, Summer and Samantha. A reporter from the Ketchikan Daily News once asked Bill White about the success of his pastor- ate. He responded, “I’ve always made sure God had the heavy side, and that He received the glory. I tried never to short- change God.”

He continued, “You must seek first the kingdom of God and let Him add His blessings. . . . It’s a choice you have to

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