Picture yourself on a team headed there this September to minister in schools and churches in the Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula areas. We’ll lead worship, provide worship workshops, and enjoy truly stunning scenery.
I’ve had the blessing of visiting and leading worship in this amazing state over 20 times (what?!) and love to take family and friends with me to explore the wonder that is Alaska. On my next trip there, you could be with us!
Wanna join me in this incredible place?
Worship
•Have worship team experience? You could sing, play an instrument, or help run tech on our team.
•No music/tech experience? No problem! There are plenty of opportunities to minister off stage– encouraging ministry conversations with students, helping with travel logistics, praying with students, etc.
Learn
•Hang with other worship minded musicians
•Talk shop with me and the other team members.
You’ll come home with some new tools and perspective to immediately apply in your worship ministry!
Sight See
•World class salmon fishing rivers
•Incredible wildlife you just don’t see most places!
Arrive in Anchorage, Alaska
Day 2
Morning – Grace Christian School chapels in Anchorage
Afternoon – enjoy an amazing scenic drive to the Kenai peninsula, sightsee along the way
Day 3
Sightseeing on the Kenai peninsula – glaciers, rivers, mountains, wildlife. Amazing!
Day 4
Visit Alaska Christian College in Soldotna, AK and get set for their Ignite Retreat.
Day 5
Lead worship and participate in ACC’s Ignite Retreat
Day 6
Morning – lead worship at Soldotna Bible Chapel
Afternoon – lead worship for ACC’s Ignite Retreat
Day 7
Rest and sightsee around the Kenai/Soldotna area
Day 8
Worship seminar at a Kenai/Soldotna area church
Day 9
Morning – Cook Inlet Academy Christian School chapel in Soldotna
Afternoon – scenic drive back to Anchorage
Evening – fly out of Anchorage
Who is this for?
•You have a heart for worship, want to point people to Jesus, and would love to help lead worship for churches, schools, and a retreat in Alaska (some worship team experience wouldn’t hurt, either)!
•You’d love to visit Alaska someday. Why not this year?!
•You’d love to grow your skills in worship/tech ministry
•You enjoy hanging out with other worship ministry peeps.
•You’d love to see how God is powerfully working and transforming lives in different cultures (among Eskimos, for instance)
Does this sound like you? We’d love to have you join us!
What's the cost?
Group Costs – we’ll each pitch in $100 towards gas and a few park entrances, that’s the only group cost.
Airfare to/from Anchorage, Alaska – this cost ranges from almost nothing if you’re using frequent flyer miles (like I am) to hundreds of dollars depending on where you’re flying from. Plan to fly in by September 11 and back out after 7pm on September 19 (or early morning Sept. 20) or later.
Ground Transportation – Alaska Christian College is graciously allowing us to use one of their vans. Thanks ACC!
Lodging – we can arrange host homes or you can stay in hotels (or a combination). More on this in the Lodging & Food FAQ.
Food – You’ll need to buy a few meals as we travel (on sight-seeing days), but many meals will be covered by host homes, churches, or schools. Plan around $100 for food.
Those are the only hard costs! Other stuff (souvenirs, etc.) is up to you.
When you add it all up, it’s pretty doable, right?! I’m glad to talk more particulars with you if you have further questions about costs. One thing I am very confident about – you’ll be thrilled you made this investment!
Lodging? Food?
You’ll need to buy a few meals as we travel (on sight-seeing days), but many meals will be covered by host homes, churches, or schools. Plan about $100 for food.
What would my role be on the team?
If you don’t play an up front or tech role in your church, no worries! If you love Jesus and people, we’d be thrilled to have you along to share whatever gifts God has given you. This could look like having an encouraging conversation with a student after a service, helping carry gear, taking photos, praying with someone who needs it, or a variety of other things.
The main thing is to be open to God’s leading and direction throughout the trip. There will be divine appointments along the way for each of us, no matter our “role”!
How many people are going?
How cush will this trip be?
For the “lean and mean” approach, you can spend hardly anything, stay in host homes, and eat cheap. Or you can splurge on hotels and nicer meals. Up to you!
Whichever level of “cush” you choose, it would be wise to approach this as a kinda-nice mission trip rather than a vacation. There will be vacation type moments for sure, but the majority of our time will be ministry and learning focused.
There are a number of booking sites, I’d start with Alaska Airlines since they are a fantastic airline, experts on Alaska, and generally have the least expensive fares.
Also, Google Flights is great for running scenarios.
At FlightHub.com you can enter your planned itinerary and they notify you of price changes in the fare.
If you go with Alaska Airlines, be SURE to sign up for their Mileage Plan frequent flyer program (if you’re not already part of the program), it’s the best in the industry and you’ll be earning a bunch of miles on this trip.
I’m GLAD to talk all things Alaska Airlines with you if you want, I fly them constantly and know many of the hacks. Example: They have a free WiFi in their cabin that will stream movies and TV shows to your phone or tablet if you download the GoGo Entertainment App BEFORE you get on the plane. Also, there’s a way to get your first checked bag free. And there’s a lot more, contact me if you want to know the hacks. 🙂
Weather
This time of year temperatures will likely be in the low 60’s during the day and we might get some rain. Evenings can drop into the 40’s. I bring long pants, long sleeve shirts and sweaters to layer. You’ll want a rain jacket of some kind as well. I always bring a beanie and thin gloves just in case, but it won’t really be cold yet, so you probably don’t really need those things.
Pack Light!
Because we’ll all be traveling in a van together, please plan on bringing just one suitcase and one carry on type bag (backpack, laptop bag, etc.). We’ll have a chance to do laundry, so don’t pack 10 outfits! I usually pack about 4-5 days worth of clothes and launder them half way through. Plus it’s much easier to travel through airports with less. 🙂 You can get away with a small suitcase and backpack no problem!
Weird Flight Times
Because of where the Anchorage airport is on the globe, a lot of flights arrive/depart Anchorage late at night. So if you see an airline listing a 1:35AM departure time, that’s actually normal!
Tourists
We’ll be there AFTER most of the tourists have gone home, it’s a great time of year to be in Alaska and see the sights without crowds of people (not that Alaska ever is really crowded). You’ll get a real sense of the local flavor and real life in Alaska.