The Alaska Church that's Falling Into the Sea (And a One Week Offer)

We went on an amazing skiff trip not long ago. To a village about an hour’s skiff ride from Harvester Island (Alaska). We go once a year. It’s always spectacular.

The village is Karluk. Only about 20 live here now. Many of these houses are empty. It’s a beautiful and difficult place to live, exposed to a stormy sea. Accessible only by bush plane or boat.

But the church. There’s a special church here. It’s a Russian Orthodox Church, re-built in 1888. The church “is the oldest extant Russian Orthodox church in Alaska, as well as being one of the most professionally designed.”. It was built by a cannery for its Alaska native workers. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s builder is buried beneath it. And it’s about to fall into the sea.

It’s just 25 feet now from the eroding cliff. It will cost an estimated half million to move it. There is no money to save it.

This was what I was going to write about in this post. I did not plan for this to be a metaphor, any kind of metaphor. But tragedy struck our island this weekend. A young woman is gone by her own hand. I had mentored her as a teen. She was still young, the age of one of my kids. In a small island town, we live in concentric circles around each other, all connected in some way. She was a bright light with so much more to give.

 I am profoundly sad. Our town is grieving. And I am reminded of how many people are standing on the edge right now. Suicide rates are soaring nationally and globally. It’s not surprising. Our earthen banks are eroding from so many forces, many of which we have no control over. Covid is isolating us. Churches, clubs and friends aren’t meeting. Riots and protests continue. The media is spewing vitriol at every turn, dividing us.

But we can resist. We can choose to see one another. We can choose to understand our differences and to celebrate what we share. We can choose to value one another, to listen to one another. And we can go one step further: We need to let people know who they truly are—designed by a Creator, beloved by God and of immeasurable value.

As it turns out, September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Please be on watch with open eyes and ears and hands for those around us who are struggling. Please share this poster with others . ..

I want to do something more. I am just a teacher and a writer but I know how many struggle with invisibility and a sense of worthlessness.. I know how many have found meaning and new purpose through writing their stories—-and being heard.

Please forgive me if it seems the wrong time and place for this, but this is what I have to offer: I have a new live zoom class starting Oct. 6: “Why Your Story Matters and How to Tell It.” It’s 9 weeks and it costs $135. I want to offer it this week for $35. (When you register, I’ll send a $100 rebate back through Paypal. Please be patient. It may take a few days to send.) The class includes a private page where we share our writing, our stories, our lives. Where we see and hear one another. And so many are revived.

Please share this with someone who needs it. Perhaps do the class together with them? Maybe sponsor them? I know the Lord will lead you. (This offer ends Sunday, September 13.)

That’s what I have this week. (It never feels enough.) Thank you dearest friends for journeying with me.

With love,

Leslie