CANTON, MI (July 9, 2010) – The Great Lakes Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church is asking churches to consider funding one month of Internet access for each of three years for the Mekoryuk Covenant Church in Mekoryuk, Alaska.

The conference already has ordered a computer and installation of Internet access for the church.

The conference began partnering with the church in the Alaskan Bush last year as part of a denomination-wide project for conferences to adopt churches serving in remote areas. The village of Mekoryuk is located on Nunivak Island, which lies 30 miles off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea. Pastor Nathan Hanna and his wife, Sandra, a Mekoryuk native, serve the congregation.

Monthly Internet access costs $50, so total cost for a church committing to provide one month of service for each of three years would be $150. Churches that commit the funds also are asked to be in contact with the church for the month they have pledged contributions. The computer will include a webcam so interested churches may have Skype calls with the Alaska church and see the people from Alaska as they speak with them.

Of the 19 Covenant churches in Alaska, 13 are in Western “Bush” Alaska, where there are no roads in and no roads out. Of these 13 churches, 10 are small and unable to support a pastor without some help.

Many challenges and hardships confront those who minister in what is often referred to as the “Last Frontier.” Jody Eidnes, conference office administrator, says, “Remote location, long dark winters, and for some, separation from loved ones in the lower 48 states, pale in comparison with the desperate social, spiritual, and financial problems that plague these rural communities.”

For more information, contact the conference office.