Fairbanks AK STM 2023

Surrounded by the beauty of the mountains, hills, and streams Fairbanks is one of the three major cities in Alaska. With purpose in every step, you will learn to love this community alongside the local church serving the brokenhearted, the poor, and those in need.

As you walk this city you will recognize the unique culture and people. With sunlight lasting up to 21 hours in the summer, this will be a unique experience. Bringing love, hope and faith to this community means the world to this city as they value relationships. With many people coming from villages, there are often people seeking to start fresh and get established. 

Join us and experience what God is doing in Fairbanks, Alaska!

Ministry

You will come alongside the local church in the ministry they have established to reach the community with the love of Jesus in impactful and relational ways. 

Here are some ways you might serve in Fairbanks: 

• Homeless Ministry: Fairbanks has a significant homeless population. You’ll partner with the church in providing hot meals and prayer for the homeless. The homeless shelter also looks for helping hands in work projects, leading chapel, serving meals, and enjoying meals with their “guests”. 

• Community Outreach: Teams will engage the community of Fairbanks in a car wash or cookout. The team may go to a nearby park, prepare food, and facilitate games as a way to build and encourage relationships in the community.

• Food Pantry: The food pantry collects and distributes food from the community and provides it to families in need. They sort through the food, repack the food, and distribute it either to the individuals or to partner agencies. They are also in need of help to do work projects to keep the pantry up and running in a safe and efficient manner. 

• Sports Ministry: Each summer the local church holds a sports camp for the community. Teams will partner with the church to help facilitate the camp. Opportunities include coaching, reffing, first aid team, team managers, water runners, etc. 

• Prayer Ministry: Saturate the community in prayer and help reinforce the spiritual groundwork already being done. Prayer is powerful and effective. We encourage all of our teams to spend time in the ministry of prayer.

LODGING

There are separate areas for men and women. You’ll be sleeping on the church floor, so bring your mats and sleep gear! These rooms will be used during the week for ministry, so each day that group will need to tidy up and move their belongings. Men and women will have their own bathroom with shower stalls in each. In order to maintain effectiveness,  a shower schedule will help manage the needs of the whole group! This is definitely the type of lodging where there is space, however, we ask that you respect the property and stewared it like it were your own. 

Hotel rooms are also an option and we would be glad to arrange that for you if you prefer.

FOOD

There is a full kitchen with anything you might need. Meals are very much a team effort, and we have a lot of fun in the process! Teams will participate in meal prep and serving. Breakfast will be cold cereal, fruit, bagels, etc. Hot breakfasts could be available as well, depending on the group’s willingness to contribute to the meal prep and cooking. Lunch will be packed sandwiches, fruit and a side to take to the ministry site. Hot dinners will typically be served after ministry at the church each day or alongside the ministry events. 

TRANSPORTATION

Your group will fly into Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) in Fairbanks, Alaska. This is a big airport with many different options for rental vehicles in the area. Groups will be required to supply their own local transportation (bus, vans or otherwise) to and from ministry each day. The cost of transportation is not included in the trip.

HEALTH & SAFETY

The safety of our participants is a top priority for us. We have both an internal Risk Management team and external Risk Management consultants. We use a multi-pronged approach to risk management – including monitoring information from reporting agencies and relying on the knowledge of our ministry partners. In addition to our own protocols (e.g., students must be with an adult at all times), our ministry hosts and partners will provide trip specific safety guidelines for the particular trip location. Our Project Leaders are trained in risk management and have access to both on-field and home-office support.

Registration and Payment

$500 Deposit: This deposit is required to reserve your trip. At this point, you will lock in your trip and we will keep in touch with you going forward about preparation. This deposit is applied to the total cost of your trip.

50% Payment: Half of your total trip cost will need to be paid 2 months before your trip.

100% Payment: The remaining balance is due 1 month before your trip.

Request a Date

Don’t see a date that works for you? Let us know some dates that do work for you and we’ll look into it for you!