This summer, two Samford University alumni, Keith Brown and Andrew Bush led an eight-day mission trip to Alaska with the Shelby Baptist Association as part of a five-year partnership between the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the Alaska Baptist Resource Network.
Their team’s primary focus: serving LaVerne Griffin Camp in Wasilla, a Christian camp that hosts children and youth during Alaska’s brief summer months. Situated in the Alaskan wilderness, the camp had long needed a trail system not only for nature walks but for year-round use, including winter activities like cross-country skiing.
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What was originally mapped out in a five-year plan was completed in just five days by the mission team made up of members from several different Shelby County churches. With chainsaws, grit and prayer, the mission team blazed a new trail through forest and tundra, enabling more accessible recreation for campers throughout the year.
“The work was hard, physically exhausting, but deeply meaningful,” said Brown, director of Church and Community Ministries at the Shelby Baptist Association. “We were not just building trails, we were building access to the gospel and opening the door for year-round ministry.”
Bush, who recently earned a master of divinity from Beeson Divinity School and now serves as associate director of Church and Community Ministries, agreed.
“It is always exciting to see people from different churches in our association working together for a common goal in ministry,” said Bush. “It is a reminder of the unity that exists between all those trusting in Christ.”
Laying the groundwork
The foundation for this mission trip began in 2022, when Brown traveled to Alaska to meet with pastors, ministry leaders and nonprofit organizations to conduct a thorough needs assessment. The trip was led by associational mission strategist Ric Camp. Brown was joined then by another cohort of Shelby County Baptists, including Beeson Divinity School graduate Hutton Cate.
“It was a special opportunity to join a trip of experienced church leaders with no other goal than listening,” said Cate. “Too often these initiatives go in with plans of their own, and the voices of local leaders get lost. Our trip was different, enabling us to come alongside pastors in the area and assist where they saw need. To my surprise, these needs had as much to do with fellowship as they had to do with financial support. It was a great encouragement to me, and an instructive experience as a young minister, to see things approached so thoughtfully, patiently and cooperatively.”
That foundation of relationship-building continues to shape the Shelby Baptist Association’s approach to missions in Alaska, working alongside, not above, local leaders.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Kameron Brown and originally published by Samford University.
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