An Ahtna boy was walking in the woods when he heard singing. He followed the voice which led him to dig up a large chunk of copper out of the ground and the boy became a wealthy man. Copper became a useful resource for the Ahtna people in this area known as Copper Valley. Mining in the first few decades of the 20th century cause villages in this area to pop up and Copperville is one.

The area around Cordova was likely a fish camp for the Eyak people, a mix of Aleut, Athabascan, and Tlingit. In 1790, Spanish Explorer Fidalgo made land claims for Spain in the area and named this spot "Cordova." His claims didn't stick, but the name did. When copper was discovered in the area, a man named Michael Heney built a railroad to serve the exports for the mining operations. He became known as "The man who built Cordova." Today, Cordova is sustained by the fishing and tourism industries and is a really nice place to visit.

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

They were the first to introduce Christianity to Alaska. How did they do? They were effective, compassionate, and dedicated to sharing the gospel with Native Alaskans. The Russian fur traders may have had insincere motives in bringing in the Russian Orthodox missionaries, but it seems the missionaries themselves came for the sake of the gospel. Many of the Orthodox and Native beliefs were already in alignment and the Native people quickly considered themselves Russian Orthodox. Father Herman is the most famous of the Bishops known as a defender of native people and with a simple humility that laid the foundation for the early years of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Alaska. Many changes happened when the United States purchased Alaska and the Protestants moved in which is critical for understanding the history of the church in Alaska.

I also review the theological distinctions of the Eastern Orthodox Church as compared to the Catholic Church in it's historical context.

Alaska has quite the mixed bag of denominations and good place to start is to understand them. Today, we seek to understand the Russian/Eastern Orthodox Church in Alaska!

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

EPISODE 100! I didn't realize it was 100 until after I finished recording this. Thank you everyone who has followed the show for 100 episodes!

The area of Cooper Landing was home to the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, or Dena'ina Indians in the pre-contact era. Some of their semi-subterranean dwellings are still visible in the area. A Russian Engineer found a bit of gold in the area, not a big find, but just enough to spark gold prospectors to seek riches later on which is the reason for Cooper Landing existing today. The village is a cozy nook in the woods along the river. It's nostalgia and natural beauty make it a desireable place to visit.

Copper Center is most known for the nearby Kennecott Mines where one of the largest copper deposits in the world was discovered in 1900. However, the native people who dwelt here before knew about this deposit, and they included copper in their vast trade network with tribes across Alaska. The Copper Center Lodge was the centerpiece of Copper Center since the late 1800s and considered "one of the last of it's kind" until it burned down in 2012. Vince Joy, the founder of Central Alaska Mission (later became SEND North), started his work in Copper Center founding the "Chapel on the Hill," a church building that's still there today.

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

Get a broad overview of the Episcopal Church in Alaska. This is the first of a series on the denominations of Alaska so we can get to know our state one denomination at a time. A brief history and distinct characteristics of the Episcopal Church are identified in this episode.

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

Coldfoot got it's name from gold prospectors traveling their way up the tundra and got "cold feet" and turned around. It became a lively stop for gold miners, but as soon as the gold dried up, so did the town. It was abandoned until the Alaska Pipeline construction project in the 1970s made Coldfoot a base of operations. Today, Coldfoot functions as a truck stop for travelers heading north along the Dalton Highway.

College is host the the University of Alaska at Fairbanks which has shaped what the town of College has become today. UAF is considered one of the premier institutions for Arctic studies as they host a wide range of scientific studies of the Arctic including dinosaur bone digs in Alaska!

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson has been engaged with a multi-disciplinary study of the history of Native Americans for many years as laid out in his recent book They Had Names. Genetics, archeology, linguistics, and oral Native American histories are in agreement to tell a history that challenges the mainstream narrative of Native American history. What is being revealed confirms what Native Americans have been saying about their own history all along. Where did Native Alaskans come from and when? We go into it in this episode. You don't want to miss this one!

To connect with and help Dr. Jeanson with future research go to

www.answersingenesis.org/go/theyhadnames

Check out Dr. Jeanson's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@nathaniel_jeanson

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

Noah got blueprints, Abraham got a voice, Moses got a burning bush, Paul got a blinding vision. What about me?

I was invited to share at the Northstar Bible School chapel in Willow, AK last week. This message was for young Bible students on practical steps for seeking God's will for your life based on 2 Peter 1:5-7. If you are anything like me, you may be pursuing your purpose for God rather than God himself. The most effective idols are sneaky aren't they? This is not normally a "sermony" podcast, but I'm making an exception this time.

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

Cohoe, Alaska sits in a region used for seasonal fishing and hunting by pre-contact Dena'ina people until a wave of Scandanavians arrived in the 1800s. Victor Holms from Finland is credited with building the first cabin on the site, a cabin you can still visit today.

Cold Bay is surrounded by interesting archeological sites that give us hints about the people who lived there long before the Russians arrived. When WWII hit Alaska, Cold Bay became the site of Fort Randall, an air base and the longest runway in Alaska at the time. After the war, the base shut down, but a small community and the long runway remains being used as a refueling station for flights heading out to the Aleutian Island Chain.

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TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield

After many months of being away, I am dusting off my microphone. Brief updates, synopsis of the Typhoon Halong disaster in Western Alaska, and winter podcast plans.

Disaster Relief Links:

Job and Bethany Hale in Napakiak:

www.forgetmenot-ministries.com 

Arctic Barnabas Ministries-- type "Aviation Fuel Up" to donate for Aviation Fuel:

https://tinyurl.com/fuelabm2025

To support Send North's Western response please include "Western Alaska Flooding" in the gift notes section:https://www.send.org/give/projects/crisis-response-fund

Click to donate to the maintenance projects on my ministry plane-select "Billy and Erika Tjernlund" in the menu.

www.cmcmissions.org/donate

SEND North has a long history in Alaska and Canada going back to 1936 when visionary Vincent Joy founded it as Central Alaska Missions and eventually became SEND. Jim Stamberg is the current area director, and Barry Rempel is the former area director, and together we discussed the origins of SEND North, how it changed over the years, and many of the current issues faced today.

Is Alaska reached, unreached, or misreached? How do you work in unity with so many denominations working in one state? How does the complex history of missions in Alaska affect efforts today? What should church look like in a village? What are the keys to longevity in village living? Do you need to know how to operate a chainsaw and hunt game to serve here?

Check out the SEND website at:

Send.org

Watch the Project Caribou video on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLW0A_gUSGE

Contact the show at [email protected]

TYSA Logo was created by Evan Van Kirk

Music was created by Isaac Bedingfield