Two leaders share their intentionality of community-building
Noah
As someone who lives life and works in camp ministry in a rural Alaska town, it seems almost impossible to distinguish where camp commu- nity ends, and outside community begins. Solid Rock’s ministry intersects with so many parts of my community that there is not much separation between my camp ministry and my outside rela- tionships. Tat is not to say there is no separation between my job and the rest of my life, but rather that my ministry is not separate from my com- munity of friends or the ways I serve in my broader community. In my experience, fostering community in
small-town Alaska is, more than anything else, about staying. It is about having a consistent presence through times of joy and peace, conflict and hurt. Community is built not just where those who are fully aligned are connected, but rather where we actively seek connection with a wide variety of people. I have partnered with local church fellowships, law enforcement, com- munity sports, social services and educational programs, and if there is any distinction between my camp ministry and my community-building, it is without separation. So many people in our community have been
welcomed at our camp’s table, invited to our programs and discipled by teaching at our camp. Am I bold and humble enough to go to them, their homes, their tables? In the realities of their circumstances and in environments where I am not in authority, I must go to them to love, work and seek peace and fellowship even (or especially) when there is pain, grief or conflict. I have interacted with a wide variety of colorful
(not to say eccentric!) Alaskans. I have butchered moose, fished and processed fish, coached horse- manship for riding clubs, led worship at local fellowships and spoken at schools. I’ve also cleared snow from driveways, walks and roofs, put up winter stores of firewood and livestock feed, planted hay fields, celebrated with joy and walked through grief. Te relationships and community that these opportunities foster are oſten surprising, and certainly don’t fit the mold
of typical “ministry partnerships.” But being in my community is my ministry. “… It is not those who are well who need a
doctor, but those who are sick …” (Mark 2:17, CSB). Te urgency I feel to foster community is to introduce my community to the Great Physician, living a life that affirms the individ- ual’s inherent worth as an image bearer of God, sought aſter and known by Him.
“Community is built not just where those who are fully aligned are
connected, but rather where we actively seek connection with a wide variety of people.” —Noah Proctor
Noah Procter grew up in Juneau, Alaska, and started in camp ministry in 2001 as a wrangler, viewing horses as a unique opportunity for connection and discipleship. He spent 10 years as a barn manager, trainer and clinician before becoming the executive director of Solid Rock Bible Camp (Soldotna, Alaska) in 2019. He enjoys making music, training horses and traveling with his family.
September/October 2024
www.ccca.org 53
Photo courtesy of Noah Proctor
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