Greetings to all,

Welcome to our ministry website! We are so glad you chose to visit us today! We are Derek, Laura, and Elias Black and our great God has given us a passion for cross-cultural Gospel ministry in Alaska. We are so grateful to our Gap Stander (Jesus Christ) for standing in our sin gap and providing a way of redemption. It is our privilege and joy to now serve Him through being gap standers in our needy world; specifically for us in Alaska.

Our passion for ministry lies within Alaska’s many remote native villages. Beyond the road system and main tourist areas, the state is covered with relatively small native villages in need of transforming help; help we believe can only come through the Gospel! This transformation we speak of lies not in “civilizing” or even “Christianizing” Alaska’s native peoples on the external level, but deals with a deeper heart level transformation that will in turn result in outward change. Many communities struggle with high rates of destructive addictions. It is our sincere desire to share with them the awesome truths of redemption through faith in Jesus, guiding them to a new life of victory and purpose in God’s redemptive grace. We praise God for the villages that already have local churches, but there are many still in need of their own church. It is our firm logical and Biblical belief that the Gospel spreads best through local cultural expressions of it. Ultimately, it is our vision to see more Alaskan natives themselves catch the vision of standing in the gap for the Gospel within their own people! There is an expression up here of which Alaska native peoples resonate; native pride. Our passion is to exalt the transforming power of the Gospel, proclaiming not a sense of mere native pride, but native pride found in Christ!

Alaska’s remote and vast demographic complicates ministry as most of the villages are reachable only by air. God has given us both gifts in the fields of aviation and medicine that we hope to utilize in remote village ministry.

We have truly been blessed to minister throughout the state several times during the past few years. We cherish our time with the dear people of Alaska and anticipate returning to the villages for full time service!

Currently, we are serving at Soldotna Bible Chapel in Soldotna, Alaska. We are excited to finally be in Alaska, although it is just the road system! God’s leading is evident, as we are preparing to launch out from the Bible Chapel on the Kenai Peninsula for our long-term goal of local church commissioned village church planting.

Please do continue praying for us as we still endeavor raising the necessary remaining ministry partners for both prayer and finances! We are seeking to transition from Alaska’s road system to the villages in the upcoming months, depending on our support level.

As we utilize today’s technological tools, we also strive to keep you updated via Facebook and/or Twitter. To follow us search accordingly:
Twitter: “thegapstander” (www.twitter.com/thegapstander)
Facebook: “Gap Stander” (www.facebook.com/thegapstander)

In His Grace and for His Glory,
Derek, Laura, and Elias Black