Nome Church of the Nazarene Nome AK

Nome Church of the Nazarene in Nome, Alaska is a Christian congregation serving the Nome community and seeking, engaging, and encouraging others through a life-changing Christian journey.

We seek to be a loving, friendly community that worships God, and serves others. We place a high priority on teaching from the Bible and following the example of Jesus.

Our vision is to impact and renew Nome and beyond with the transforming message of Jesus Christ through words and actions.

Come as you are - we'd love to get to know you.

 

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The first missionaries sent by the General Board to open the work at Nome were Rev. and Mrs. Lewis I. (Muriel) Hudgins. Rev. Hudgins arrived August 22, 1944. Rev. Hudgins lived at the Wallace Hotel thirteen days until he located a lot on 3rd Street (the present parsonage location) and moved a 12’x24’ building on to it. Mrs. Muriel Hudgins and daughter, Charlene, arrived on September 11th. On October 28, 1944 the present corner church lot was purchased. Brother Hudgins wrote, “This lot is centrally located and we feel is a direct answer to prayer.”

“Prayer meetings were held in the home of Philip Asharuk until a miners cabin 16’x20’ was moved into town and remodeled into a suitable place of worship in November 1944. The first service held in this building was Easter Sunday 1945. Seventeen attended Sunday School. This number gradually increased until we outgrew the church building.”

A 250-man army mess hall was purchased in August 1945 and moved into town by sections. A 40’ section on one end was pulled to town for the new church auditorium and 20’ of the other end was joined to the side of the church auditorium. These buildings were leveled and blocked up for permanent use and joined together. “We were forced to use heavy step jacks in raising the buildings as the hydraulic jacks froze up and would not work in 20 degree below zero weather with the wind blowing.” The remainder of the army mess hall was taken apart in 5’ sections and hauled to town for the permanent parsonage building. Dr. H.C. Powers organized the church on November 15, 1945 and the first service in the new facility was the 1945 Christmas program.

During the construction of the present parsonage in 1946, Rev Hudgins was seriously burned and hospitalized for six weeks. Through the wonderful providence of God the parsonage was enclosed before the first winter storm.

In the winter of 1949-50 a 24’x60’ Quonset was moved into town for a fellowship hall. The first public get-together in the Quonset was a farewell party for the pastor and family. The Hudgins has postponed their furlough a year to coincide with the furlough of Dr. Orpha Speicher of India (Mrs. Hudgin’s sister). The Hudgins, now including Carolyn Mae and Victor Lewis left Nome on June 21, 1950.

During the Hudgins’ furlough, Rev. and Mrs. Clark Lewis, Evelyn and John came from the seminary to pastor. They were much appreciated and served the Nome church for 15 months.

The Hudgins returned in September of 1951 for their second term. At one point, Rev. Hudgins wrote, “The past seven months seemed to deal out bodily misery and were the most miserable months I have ever endured. In my meditation I was reminded of the scripture, ‘The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’. Physically and spiritually I was as with bonds and chains held back because of a tired body.”

Such has been the toil and strain upon each succeeding missionary, which sooner or later takes its toll in the arctic. In spite of all this, the Hudgins completed their second term of service leaving monuments of property, buildings, adult and children’s work that are still evident today.

Rev. and Mrs. Edgar Bibb were the third missionaries, serving from 1956 to 1959. Rev. Bibb especially enjoyed the greenhouse on the south end of the second floor of the parsonage. He grew all sorts of vegetables.

Rev. and Mrs. Orval L. (Clara) Schmidt and Marilyn served Nome from October 1, 1960 until June 8, 1963. While the Schmidts’ were in Nome, it was discovered that the moisture from the greenhouse had rotted much of the wood and a major remodeling was required in 1960. The greenhouse was turned into two bedrooms.

For the following six years, Rev. and Mrs. Eugene S. (Merilee) Morrell, LaGene, LeRoy, Lindon, Lorin and Lorri found their home in Nome. These were good years for the church and heaven’s population is already increased because of their labors. During their years in Nome, they laid the plans and hopes for a new church building and the General Church received a $10,000 gift toward the new church. In 1966 a new car was purchased with Approved Specials help. Also, the parsonage received modern plumbing and an all new kitchen and bathroom in 1967. Merilee Morrell was honored by being chosen to write one of the following year’s missionary books. The resulting book, “Nome Sweet Home” beautifully portrayed the work in Nome. From May 31, 1969 to June 1, 1975 Rev. and Mrs. Stephen R. (Carole) Beals, Mark, Janell, and Dwayne occupied the parsonage. During these years the Lord blessed in upgrading the properties of the church including remodeling the remainder of the parsonage, the purchase of an adjacent 50’x90’ corner lot and the construction of a new sanctuary. Unfortunately, due to the cost, a planned fellowship hall and Sunday School rooms were not built.

Rev. and Mrs. Larry (Linda) Hahn pastored the Nome church from 1975 until the summer of 1980. Our people speak very highly of Rev. and Mrs. Hahn and their ministry. Rev. Hahn used to ride with the police and minister to people. Linda work with the ladies and her ministry is still talked about. One Eskimo lady that Mrs. Hahn led to the Lord as a young girl is still a vital part of our church. Others have moved on but only Heaven will reveal the fruits of the Hahn’s labor in our community.

Rev. and Mrs. Gary (Carol) Thomas pastored from the summer of 1980 through December of 1985. Finances were tight during their time in Nome but the Thomas family was faithful and people were won to the Lord as well as a good foundation was laid for the next pastor. The rental properties deteriorated and it became increasingly hard to rent to reliable tenants. The Thomas family was familiar with Alaska having lived in Kotzebue, AK, Unalakleet, AK and on the St. Lawrence Island in the village of Savoonga, AK.

My wife and I (Rev. and Mrs. Warren D. (Betty) Johnson) first met the Thomas family while attending Denver First Church where we worked with them in children's church. One Sunday, they advised us that they were moving to Savoonga, AK to teach school.

At that time I was working for Frontier Airlines so my wife, son and I visited them in Savoonga in March of 1980. Following that school year the Thomas accepted the Nome church and we visited them many times over the next 5 years. Because of their work here, we were exposed to Nome and fell in love with it.

On a visit in July of 1984, my wife said she felt God wanted us to move to Nome. I was surprised since my wife was born and raised in Denver and I always considered her a "big city" girl. We decided we needed to pray about it since we both had good jobs and a new home in Aurora, CO. It didn't take much because on the following day (Sunday) following church, Gary Thomas took us to the airport to catch our flight back to Denver. As I stepped from the pavement (no jet ways) to the step of the plane, God clearly spoke to me saying, "You are leaving to prepare to return". At that moment, all ties to Denver were severed. Betty and I cried as if we were leaving home as the planed climbed over the Bering Sea leaving the gold rush city of Nome behind. From then on, there was never any doubt that God wanted us in Nome.

When we arrived back in Denver we began telling our friends that we were moving to Nome the next summer. We put our house up for sale, sold our furniture and cars and I applied for a "one way" passes to Nome. We rented a truck and drove to Seattle where we put the few belongings we were bringing into a "sea van" for shipment to Nome. We boarded a flight and arrived in Nome on July 3rd, 1985. For the first few weeks we lived with the Thomas family in the parsonage then rented a trailer for a couple of months. Soon we were able to find a nice apartment, I started driving a school bus and in October Betty was able to get a teaching position.

In December of 1985, Gary and Carol Thomas resigned as pastor and Rev. and Mrs.Earle F. (Pearl) Brewer were appointed the next pastor. The Brewers had been living in Nome so the transition was fairly easy. During the next year and nine months the church grew. Rev. Brewer had a ranch in Idaho and left in the spring to plant crops. I had the opportunity to fill in during his absence. In the fall of 1987, Pearl began to have health problems that forced them to resign.

As a 16-year-old boy, growing up in Clearwater, FL, I (Rev. Warren D. Johnson) felt God calling me into the ministry in Alaska. I didn’t know much about Alaska except what I read in the “Alaska Sportsman” (now “Alaska”) magazine. I said yes to God and attend Bethany Nazarene College where I met my wife Betty. In September, following the resignation of the Brewers, Rev. Roger Wegner our DS called and asked if I would accept the pastorate of the Nome church. I promptly told him “NO” and went on to explain that not only were we loosing our pastor but Earle was our song leader and Pearl played the piano. My wife and I both know very little about music. I explained that we needed a strong Nazarene couple with music ability as our pastor. Rev. Wegner said, “Warren, not everyone can come to Nome, you are there, you like it, and the people like you. Will you at least pray about it?” I agreed and as I began to pray, God reminded me that I had said “Yes” to his call 22 years ago. Here I was living in Alaska and the DS was offering me a church, did I really mean, “Yes”. Wanting to make sure, I told Rev. Wegner that he could bring my name up to the church and although he could just appoint me, I would like the church to vote and I would go by their vote. I received a call Sunday after the meeting and the result was a unanimous “Yes”. That vote began a new chapter in our life.

In October of 1987, my 11-year-old son Jeffrey, wife Betty and I moved into the parsonage. We had no idea how long we would be here and left that up to God. He had called us to Nome and He would have to be the one to release us from our call here. So far that has not happened. My son graduated from high school, attended Olivet Nazarene University and returned to Alaska. He taught one year in Nome and two years in the village of Noorvik, AK that is above the Arctic Circle. This past summer he married a lovely girl he met at ONU and they are now living and he is teaching in Buckland, AK, a village of about 450 Eskimo people on the north side of the Seward Peninsula.

God has been so good to us in allowing us to serve the wonderful people of the Nome Church of the Nazarene. We have fallen in love with the people of Nome and it really is “home”. All of the other churches have had 2 to 4 pastors while we have lived here. Conditions can be harsh with the long days of darkness and cold temperatures that takes its toll on many who come here. God has given us a peace in knowing that we are where He wants us and we will stay as long as He allows.

We are entering into a new phase of our ministry, one that I never thought I could go through – a building program. Our church is really in need of space for Sunday School, Nursery, Fellowship hall, and a pastor’s study. It is a huge project and we wonder where the money will come from and how we can do this. Then God reminds me that “we” can’t do it but if He can take a city boy from Florida and bring him to Nome, Alaska to pastor this church, then He can bring the people to build the building and the finances to pay for it. We are reminded that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills so finances are no problem for God when it comes to building His church. Pray for us, that we will have the faith to follow His leadership. God showed my wife and I a scripture that we have stood on during these 31+ years of marriage.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.