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Gwen Adams moved to Alaska 7 years ago from Central Oregon with her husband, Mark, who is the Children's Pastor in AdventureLand. Gwen graduated from Multnomah Bible College with her degree in Biblical Education. Gwen has spent the last 24 in women's ministries and church work. Her passion is to see women step into the full life God has called them to live right in the place they are today. She enjoys water color painting, making jewelry and hiking. Gwen and Mark have 4 teenagers; Austin 19, Nate 17, Drea 17 and Allison 13. |
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Mark has been married to Gwendolyn Adams for 21 years. Together they have four amazingly wonderful children: Austin (19) Andrea and Nathan (twins, 17) and Allison (13). Mark and Gwen met while attending Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon. After graduating with a degree in Biblical Studies, Mark went on to get his secondary teaching degree from Concordia College. Mark and his family moved to Anchorage during the summer of 2002 from Sun River, Oregon where he served as a Youth and Family Pastor for three years. He and his family thoroughly enjoy living in Alaska. As a family they enjoy hiking, berry picking, dip netting and the long summer nights. Mark enjoys cooking, golf and fly fishing. He is especially inspired when children make commitments of faith and demonstrate a desire to honor God. Mark’s favorite verse is Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” |
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I’ve spent 47 winters in Alaska! I love this place and call it home. I married my bride, Michelle 28 years ago and she’s the best gift in my life. We have 3 grown children and look forward to every Monday night gatherings (they come for the home cooked meal). I worked in the grocery business for 7 years before a career at Pepsi Cola for another 15 years. We’ve been attending ChangePoint since 1991 and I joined the staff in January of 2000. It’s been a wild ride ever since. I was led to Christ at a young age and have discovered the truth of the gospel more and more every day. My greatest joy is serving as a pastor and helping people discover the truth of God through the good times and hard times. He never changes! Ps 16:11 – You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand. |
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Dave and I have been married for 28 years. We have 3 children (Brandon, Benjamin, and Courtney) and I've called Anchorage home since I was born. God got a hold of my heart after my father died when I was 19. I knew there had to be more to this life than just living and dying, and I found out that, in fact, there is. I'm a work in progress and He continues to show me how much I need Him, for which I am so grateful. His grace continues to overwhelm me and change me. I've fully accepted and embraced the fact that I'm vertically challenged... and I'm not talking about my lack of height! Life with Christ here on earth is a challenge, but it's a challenge that I wouldn't change for anything. He has much refining still to do in me. |
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After living in 11 different states, we finally arrived to what my Dad referred to as “the promised land.” We crossed the border into Alaska on my 13th birthday. That was over 35 years ago and my family still has the place we landed at in Sterling on the Kenai Peninsula. I am next to the youngest of six children and actually live the farthest away. I love living here. I met Gene, my husband, at my home church in Soldotna. Even though his family moved to Alaska a year after we did and settled in Homer, we joke that God knew it would not be a good thing for us to meet until we had matured some. I graduated from Kenai Central High, so, while we realize there had to be many times our paths crossed with school activities, concerts, etc., we never “saw” each other until Gene had graduated from Letourneau and was working for MARC in Soldotna. We spent the next three years developing a friendship and were married after I graduated from UAF. We have been blessed with two great children! Matthew is a senior and Rachel is a sophomore at Grace Christian School. We thoroughly enjoy both of them and the unique qualities each of them have that make them so special. We can only give God the credit for the young man and young woman they are. Since the age of eight when I asked Jesus into my life, I have known that I am a child of God’s. When I was nineteen, however, I was transformed by Him and my walk became personal. It was then that I realized my faith was about more than insurance. My walk with Jesus has its mountains and valleys but through it all I KNOW that He is in me to see all the adventures through to the end. |
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I grew up in the woodlands of Southeast Iowa, longing to explore the wild places of this world. From my childhood, God has graciously ordered my steps and allowed me to serve Him within that longing. In late 1995, during my senior year at Baptist Bible College, my high In late 2008, due to new restrictions in Russian immigration laws, our mission organization asked my family to relocate from Siberia to Anchorage, AK. Today, I serve as the Outreach Pastor at ChangePoint but I still keep an eye on Russia from my front porch.
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I'm a wife and the mother of three almost adult children whom I enjoy more every year. Alaska has been my home since I was a child and I love the people who live here. We've attended ChangePoint since the very first Sunday and have changed and grown alongside many of you. What a privelege to be chosen by a loving God for such an "extreme makeover." Being transformed into the very image of His beloved Son Jesus Christ. My desire is to see ChangePoint become a communiity of Christ-Followers who live well together and love each other well as we become more like Jesus. My favorite passage speaks to the ministry of Jesus and is found in Isaiah 61:1b "...the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisonersI |
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I was born and raised in Washington State. I grew up in a loving home, but my family did not know the Lord. In 1993 I moved to Alaska, where I met Eric. It seems like yesterday, but we have been married 12 years. We home-school our daughters: Emma, 11; Gwyneth, 9; and Jillian, 4. Raising my girls with Eric has been the greatest joy in life. My friends may say I also enjoy running and cooking. Those activities are just a means to an end because of my love of food. We have been part of the Change Point family since 1998. Volunteering in the preschool was a perfect fit for me. I learned about Zacchaeus, Noah, and the empty tomb while preparing lessons for 3 and 4 year olds. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 |
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Sixty years ago I was born into the loving Christian home of Lew and Charleen Commons in North Bend, Oregon. However, under the legalistic doctrine of the Church of Christ and being the daughter of a dedicated pastor, I was driven into a life of continual striving to be perfect in the eyes of my earthly and heavenly fathers. As the oldest of 4 children in a financially struggling family serving in a very small church, responsibility upon responsibility was heaped upon me from an early age. I grew up familiar with traditional scriptures and hymns and knew what was expected of a pastor’s daughter, but unanswered questions and years of guilt for not measuring up stayed stuffed down in my heart and deep in mind until many years later. It wasn’t until I was an adult and raising my own family that my father took me to a Full Gospel Business Man’s luncheon and I was blessed to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the indwelling comfort and power of His presence. I wish I had learned way back then how to fully enjoy the free gifts of God’s mercy, grace and love and the freedom in understanding the truth and reality of “abiding in the vine” (John 15). It is my desire to model and mentor my 12 children (5 sired and 7 acquired) and 14 grandchildren (8 sired and 6 acquired) how to “abide in the vine” and experience all that God has for them. I have been happily married to my husband, Don, for ten years and together we are learning what it is to be “one” and to truly experience His day-by-day spiritual transformation. |
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My husband, Jerry, and I have been married for 35 years. We have 3 adult sons, 1 daughter (by marriage), and 1 grandson. Alaska has been our home for 33 years. In October, I will have worked at ChangePoint for 10 years. I grew up going to church, Sunday school and youth group. It was my social club. I heard all the stories and sermons. I learned all the catechism lessons. But I never understood it was about a personal relationship with Jesus. In Nov. 1998 at a marriage conference, I finally realized my need for a Savior. I desire to know to Jesus better each day, to be modeled and reshaped by His loving hands. I’m thankful for the work God has done in my heart. I’m humbled to be called His child. |
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Brian Headdings |
Brian grew up in a Christian family in the state of Pennsylvania. After graduating from college with a degree in Business Administration, God changed his life's purpose from business for money to business for ministry. Having spent the last 20+ years in ministry, Brian has been involved with local church ministries, Christian camping and parachurch organizations all with the focus of bringing the Gospel to people in need. Brian and his wife Nancy have 5 birth children and 2 adopted children. |
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My hometown in Wyoming has 40 people. I grew up in the middle of the state on the Wind River Indian Reservation. There, my grandfather homesteaded in the 30’s and there are still a number of generations of family who live there. God also gave me a real heart for indigenous people, which makes Alaska a great home for me. I moved to Anchorage in 1985 with my family and graduated from Robert Service High School. After college in Idaho, I returned to Alaska to make a home. Back here, I met Karen, who became my wife in 1992. Jared, my son, is 12. Jordan, my daughter, is 8… we share the same birth date, which is very cool because she gets all the attention and everyone forgets how old I am getting. Alaska is my home and Alaskans are my people. I love being a pastor here and hope that I will be for many years to come. Leading worship, playing worship music and working with skilled musicians is also close to the heart, as well as spending time drinking in what Alaska is… untamed, beautiful, scary, and wild. I love all of it. |
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I’m married to Kathie and we have 5 children (Jessica, Amy, James, Andrew, and Molly). Kathie was born and raised in Alaska and after spending 12 years in Little Rock, Arkansas, we returned home in 2000 to serve at ChangePoint. I entered a relationship with Jesus in 1977 while studying Geology at Southern Oregon University and over time realized that God had given me a passion to teach the Bible. Before coming to Alaska, I served on the faculty at Multnomah University, planted a church in Conway, Arkansas and served as teaching pastor with Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock, Arkansas. My graduate degree is from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon where I am currently finishing my doctoral program (just the dissertation is left). |
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I was born in Mississippi where my good friend, Butch, led me to the Lord. I continued to pursue Christ through high school. I went through a season of backsliding and going the way of the world through my college years and slightly beyond. A near-death experience in a hospital, I woke up and rededicated my life to the Lord. That experience has helped me to appreciate everything in life more. I am back to pursuing the Lord and trying to bring Him glory in all that I do. |
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I serve at ChangePoint in the area of Care and Compassion. I have served alongside my husband Keith for about 48 years in Pastoral Ministry, Youth Ministry and Missionary Care. We’ve been married for 51 years have 4 married children and 12 grandchildren all living in Alaska. We count it a privilege to be transformed followers serving Jesus in this generation.” |
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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. NOT BY WORKS!! A FREE GIFT!! It took me many years to understand what this verse meant. It was through my husband that God showed me what life in Christ could be like. Shortly after moving to Alaska from California in 2004, I surrendered my life to Him, and to this minute, I am continually being transformed to reflect more of Him! Looking back I can see God’s handprints all over my life and for that, I praise Him. I pray that as He does a work IN me, that He’ll also do His work THROUGH me. I am blessed to be married to my best friend, the man God made just for me. Tone and I celebrate 12 years of marriage this year, and we have 3 of the greatest, funniest, cutest, and most amazing kids—Kristiana (6th grade-Kodiak Krew), T.J (4th grade-Flight Crew), Alani (2nd grade- Summit Kids)……and we are expecting baby #4 in January. How about that for job security!! I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in the future! |
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Jason and I met and spent several summers working together at a Christian adventure camp in Arkansas before getting married in 2005. Now we are about to embark on our biggest adventure yet – having our first child! How God took us on separate journeys and brought us back together still amazes me and helps me remember that He always has a good and perfect plan for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” As I struggle with giving up control this reminds me that God wants to bless me beyond what I can even imagine. Growing up in church, I still remember the adults and teachers that gave their time to make sure that I knew how much God loved me and desired a relationship with me. Now I feel that God has placed a desire in my heart to see kids and teens succeed by knowing that God loves them and has a plan for them. |
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I am a lifelong Alaskan, born in Fairbanks and raised in a little community right outside of Fairbanks called North Pole. I have been joyously married for 28 years to my wife and love of my life Pellzitha. We have two children; Tialutrell 27 yrs and Lucrestusdante 21 yrs. In 2004 I retired from the Air National Guard as a Senior Non Commissioned Officer after 20 years of military service in Alaska. I am amazed that I am being steadily transformed into His image daily. And I am keenly aware that He is not finished with me yet. |
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I am a life-long Alaskan, born in Anchorage. My grandmother was an Athabascan Indian from Flat AK, and my grandfather was a miner from Russia. They moved to Anchorage when my mom was 3yrs old. I am married to a wonderful man, Dennis. We are a blended family and each of us have 4 adult children that have given us 24 wonderful grandkids and one great-grand child. My favorite thing to do is be with family; any of them! I also like to golfing with Dennis and walking and working out. We have attended ChangePoint since June of 06. I love my job here as Small Groups Coordinator in Adult Ministries. It gives me the privilege to interact with some wonderful people and help them to do well in their attempts to provide Community opporturnities for others here at ChangePoint. I have not greater joy than to hear that my childern are walking in the truth. 3John 4 |
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My passion is ministering to high school students! It has been since my husband and I were newlyweds. I began teaching junior high Sunday school at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, in August 1990. Two years later I “promoted” to senior high school and haven’t looked back! Each year I’m involved in student ministry I am more excited to see how God is calling students to make a difference for Him in their schools, cities, states, and beyond! Sharing life with students; praying, laughing, crying, and learning with them is a privilege and a calling that I cherish. I was raised in the church and accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was in the fourth grade. My relationship with Him really gained depth when, as a young adult, I started mentoring students and volunteered as a summer church camp counselor. I found that studying the Bible, teaching the scriptures and creating fun ways for students to apply God’s truth caused me to grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus, too. I married my high school sweetheart, Marc, August 23, 1986 in our home town of El Paso, Texas. We have two teenagers, Connor and Kylie, who attend Grace Christian School. We moved from Texas to Alaska in June 2002. Living here has been a gift from the Lord as we have enjoyed great outdoor adventures and created lifetime family memories. God has also gifted us with a wonderful church family, dear friends and the most awesome group of high school students I could ever imagine spending time with! They truly are EPIC! |
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Holding strong at 29, handsome as Yule Brenner, and sharper than a bowling ball. Heard about God while growing up in boy scouts and received a small Gideon bible while in college. Met my wife, Lori, in college and accepted Christ as my Savior during our 1st year of marriage and 1st year in Alaska. Married for 32 years to an awesome redhead who likes to hang out with preschoolers. Blessed with two sons who will both be married by the time you read this. I’m an engineer by degree, extrovert by God. I love to encourage youth and people of all ages. I prefer to drive something, fast, red, loud or classic. I enjoy putt-in around the yard, eating, and hanging out with my wife. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 |
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Grew up in Indiana, graduated from Purdue and married my best friend, Karl. We’ve been married 32 years in December, and have lived in AK for 31 years. We have 2 sons that married their best friends and all have a personal relationship with Christ. I've been on Staff at ChangePoint for 5 years working with the Preschool Ministry. I love working with the kids, but my greater passion is to connect and encourage people to step into ministry as a volunteer and discover that God wants to use ordinary people to do extraordinary ministry...all He needs is a willing heart. When we first moved to AK our neighbor across the street had the foresight to challenge me with a question – “What do you believe Lori?” This caused me to get off the fence and stop making religion a convenience but to step into a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior. Unknowingly, the husband of this neighbor was talking to my husband and he too, accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Karl and I were baptized together back in 1980 and we having been growing in our relationship ever since. It has truly been a great adventure. |
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I grew up in a Christian home in Ohio and, in 1985, joined the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. I met my wife, Sonia, in a college Sunday school class. We got married in 1989 and travelled the world with the Air Force, which led us to Anchorage in 2000. We fell in love with Alaska and a group of Christ-followers who called themselves ChangePoint. We immediately began to feel God's calling to settle down here and, in 2004, I was blessed with an opportunity to finish out my military career in the Alaska Air National Guard. Time after time, God has used my friends at ChangePoint to catapult me forward in my walk with Christ and my love for his church. In 2009, God called me to join the elder team here and, in 2010, he called me to serve on the Executive Leadership Team. I will retire from the Air National Guard in 2011. Sonia and I have been married for 21 years, an we have two "man cubs," Michael (18) who attends UAA and Cody (15) who attends Highland Tech. |
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I married my wonderful wife in 1997. We have two boys, Ryan and Evan and the doctors tell us that there is a girl due early this September. My family and I started attending Grace Baptist Church in Westlake Ohio where I finally made my relationship with Christ personal. We joined the church and began serving in AWANA, Sunday School, Upwards Basketball, and Life Groups. In 2008 my family and I moved up to Alaska to take on the Facilities Manager role at ChangePoint. Pray for us as my team and I try to take care of the many needs this facility and the ministries that call it home. |
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Eva Rees |
Eva and her husband Phil moved to bush Alaska for an adventure; they went for 2 years and stayed 10 as a principal and teacher on the North Slope. They moved to Anchorage five years ago and joined our fellowship where they have served in a variety of ministries. Eva grew up in Houston as a southern lady and married an Air Force pilot. Those 21 years in the military included raising three children, and multiple moves from Florida to Bangkok, Thailand. In hindsight, God used each move and each new church fellowship to develop new facets of spiritual growth. She and Phil were involved as leaders in lay ministry, home group leaders, and discipleship group leaders. Eva has been both a teacher and facilitator for women’s studies though out the years. She is passionate about helping new people to CP get connected and partnered in the body of Christ. Eva and Phil have three grown children, two of which live here in Anchorage along with their spouses and children (6 grandchildren). |
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‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3. This verse is close to my heart because it describes my spiritual journey with God. Since childhood I knew that I needed Jesus to make my life complete – my heart felt empty without Him and my life had no eternal purpose. From the day I asked Jesus to be my Savior, life has been a journey evolving from being a ‘religious believer’ to being a ‘relational follower’ with Christ. There are many aspects of my life God has asked me to lay down before Him and each time He has asked me to trust Him completely. Each time I have obeyed, God has revealed more of Himself and nudged me to ‘call to him’ and He has faithfully taken me to places both ‘great and unsearchable’. I don’t always understand His ways, but I do know He never leaves me, answers prayer in His time and His way, and always provides. He has graciously allowed me to share my life with a wonderful husband, three great children and even brought a dog into our lives as a direct result of a little girl’s prayers. God is good and He is faithful to do His work in me …and there is a lot of work yet to be accomplished. |
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Scott spent four years at Trinity International University in Deerfield Illinois getting his BA is Youth Ministry. He met his wife Laura there and they were married in 1999, once in Glennallen Alaska and the second time in Idyllwild California. They spent the first three years of their marriage in Kenny Lake Alaska working with the youth in a small church and helping out at the school. Scott then moved on to Manhattan Kansas and spent 5 years building a youth ministry and a family. In 2008 Scott and Laura returned to Alaska along with their three toe boys and beautiful daughter. He enjoys crocheting in his free time and spending time at the scrap booking store with friends. |
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Andrea and I have been married for 19 years and have three children, Shayla (16), Trevor (14), and Derek (12). We have been part of ChangePoint since its beginning in 1989. Growing up in a home with parents who follow Christ, I was taught biblical truth from a young age, both at home and at church. I invited Jesus into my heart many times as a young boy, worried each time that it didn’t “take” before. I began to really make faith in Christ my own when in 6th grade I attended a summer Bible camp and, after studying the story of Daniel for a week, decided at the end of the week that I wanted to “be a Daniel”, willing to take a stand for God and do what is right, regardless of consequences. I was mentored through high school by my parents and a great high school youth pastor. Though well-known and well-liked at school, my faith in God was also well-known due to a life that was lived for Him. A plaque my mom gave me while in high school has a quote by Albert Einstein that I aspired to then, and still do to this day. It says “Try not to become a man of success, but rather of man of value.” I am convinced I cannot live that out in my daily life without Christ empowering me as I seek after Him. Though I have witnessed God do some specific, dramatic and amazing things in my life (beyond what I could ask or think!) my more common, everyday experience is that as I draw near to Him, He draws near to me. |
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Vacation Bible School changed my life for all eternity. When I was 8 years old, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at VBS. I understood and really knew what I was doing. I was born and raised in California and lived there until my husband, John, and I moved to Texas when he accepted a job there. That move was a big step for both of us – neither of us had ever lived anywhere other than California. I worked in accounting for 15 years until I discovered my love for retail, an arena where I could serve people. John & I had our own business before the Lord led us to Alaska. There is no doubt that this is where He wants us to be! Church and ministry have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. John 3:16 was the first scripture I memorized as a child. That will always be one of my favorites. It is because I believed John 3:16 that I committed my life to "running the race". Christ loved me so much He endured the cross out of joy for the freedom He was giving to me through this one act. I had lived most of my life under the stifling misconception that I could somehow live well enough to "please" God. God has been teaching me the fullness of the Gospel, there is nothing I can add to what Christ completed on the cross. That is freedom! So many of us trade one bondage for another living a "life of christianity" thinking there is something we can "add" to what Christ did on the cross. I am so grateful God has shown me that all I need to "do" is "rest" in Him, He's already done everything there is to be done. My deepest desire is for people to fully know and embrace the truth of the gospel. There is such freedom there! |
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