Anchorage, Alaska, has become a place for young Mennonites to call home.

In recent years, Anchorage, home to a Service Adventure unit and Prince of Peace Mennonite Church, has attracted and retained a number of young adults— most of whom have been Service Adventure leaders—despite its distance from their friends and family.

Service Adventure is a Mennonite Mission Network program for young adults ages 17-20. Each unit of participants is led by an older individual or couple. When their terms of leadership end, many of these unit leaders decide to stay in Anchorage and continue to offer their gifts to the community.

John David Thacker, the pastor of Prince of Peace, said that the church greatly benefits from having leaders stay because it is such a small congregation and Service Adventure participants and alumni make up a good portion of the church.

“Unit leaders are people who generally have leadership gifts that they are willing to share with the congregation,” Thacker said. “That is a real gift to the church.”

Dwight Huyard, Gary Martin, Jeff and Carrie Chisholm, and Jason and Heather Potsander (see sidebar) have all worked in the local school system. Jeff served as a nurse, while the rest were teachers. Gary and Jeff both explained that they had found good jobs while in Service Adventure and wanted to keep working after their service assignment was over. 

The Chisholms and the Martins have stayed closely connected at Prince of Peace Mennonite Church.  Jeff and Gary have also served on the Service Adventure support committee at various times, and they have continued to be host families for participants and leaders.

“I have seen how participants’ lives have grown and developed in regard to their personal faith, desire to help others, and willingness to be involved in a church,” said Gary. “Many of these changes aren't seen right away; sometimes, it’s the stories we hear from others that tell us Service Adventure has helped shape a participant’s life.”

Seeing the way the community benefits from their presence also helps to cement the young adults’ desire to stay.

“I think many of the leaders see the value of what the program offers young people and the community of Anchorage,” Gary said. “Each year, host placements rave about their participant and tell us they couldn't imagine what the year would have been like without them.”

For the Huyards and the Potsanders, the pull to move back to the lower 48 came when they had children and wanted to be closer to family. For those who stay in Anchorage, the church becomes part of their support system.

“Prince of Peace is a small congregation and most of them don’t have extended family in Alaska, so they serve as family for each other,” said Susan Nisly, director of Service Adventure. “They celebrate holidays with each other, and they are very committed to each other and to Service Adventure.”

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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact Andrew Clouse at andrewc@mmnworld.net, 574-523-3024 or 866-866-2872, ext. 230