wfn.org | Hearts are warm in the frozen north

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Note #5979 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

GA00033
June 25, 2000

	Hearts are warm in the frozen north

	by Edmund Doogue

LONG BEACH, June 25–The Rev. Roger Kemp’s congregation in Wainwright,
Alaska, has few visitors from outside the town, but if you decide to take
the trip there, prepare to be surprised. "We have Christmas when the
packages arrive, and that can be the middle of  January," Kemp, a
commissioner at the 212th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), said in an interview on the second day of the Assembly.

	Kemp, who is 64 years old and about to celebrate 10 years as pastor of
Olgonik Presbyterian Church, said that the small Native American churches,
in which he has spent 28 years in total, have to be flexible and ready to
adapt. "We have a couple of teenagers in our congregation who have never
seen a tree or a sidewalk and have never been in a MacDonald’s. It’s a
different world and we have to be self-sufficient." Stories in which
children climb trees and pick flowers have to be changed for the local
audience.
	
	Despite the isolation and the difficulties it brings, Kemp loves his work.
The congregation of 78 and the town of 550, where whaling is a major
activity, have no choice but to "get along, because there’s no one else when
you need help." Except in late August, when the ice melts, everything - from
French fries to gasoline - is brought in by air.

	The strong sense of community which results from the isolation is evident
at the Wainwright church. At the informal evening service, he can be
surrounded by children at the altar. "The services are small, often with no
musical instruments, but the people are good singers. Eskimos love to sing,"
said Kemp who described his congregation as "open and honest. We don’t have
mind games. Everyone is forthright.

	"Most people have CB radios, they all know what’s going on, so someone
might say ‘Have you seen my son Sammy?’ and someone else will say ‘He’s here
with my kids.’ And everyone knows everyone’s voice."

	Kemp believes that he has traveled further to come to the Assembly than any
other commissioner  - 3200 miles one way.

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