M/V CHRISTIAN

Tell A Friend

The following article was written in 2001 while Rev. Elvin and Alice Borg were Skipper and First Mate of the M/V CHRISTIAN. Rev. Stan Berntson and his wife, Sharon Geldaker, are the current Skipper/First Mate, having assumed the helm upon retirement of the Borgs in the spring of 2008. Pictured aboard the M/V CHRISTIAN are (from left) Elvin and Alice Borg, Sharon Geldaker and Stan Berntson.

LIFEBOAT

Seagoing Ministry Warms Isolated Alaskans

The M/V CHRISTIAN plies the Alaskan coastline but isn't trawling for salmon. A husband-and wife team - as pastor, counselor, cook, skipper and mechanic - bring the Gospel and hospitality to remote villages.

By Gaelyn Beal

Along the rain-slicked dock in the Southeast Alaskan coastal town of Ketchikan, one name stands out among the boats moored in the harbor waters. You see the Missy Lou and Jack’s Folly. Over there is the Purse Strainer, Nirvana and Serenity. Then there it is – Christian.

Just the right name for this unusual craft. The M/V (motor vessel) Christian, 65 feet long and 75 tons of steel, pursues an uncommon calling in this region of fishing and pleasure boats. This vessel carries the Gospel and fishes for men, women and children who live in remote villages along the southeastern coast of Alaska, a stretch known as the Alaska Marine Highway.

Skipper/Pastor Elvin Borg emerges from the cabin, dressed for the weather in a heavy sweater, rain slicker, pants tucked into rubber boots and a jaunty Aussie hat. A friendly smile creases his face and lights his blue eyes as he welcomes his guests aboard.

Alice, his wife of 35 years and the Christian’s first mate, joins him on deck and adds her greetings. She is a petite woman who is dwarfed by the hulking overdeck. The Borgs are the crew that will pilot us on a three-day voyage of ministry to villages never visited by the mammoth tourist ships.

The Christian is owned and operated by the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. (L-US) – a cross cultural ministry sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in partnership with individuals and communities through mutual witness, nurture and discipleship. As we cast off from the dock and get under way, Rev. Dr. Don Johnson, Executive Director, explains that the Christian is just one piece in the patchwork of services L-US offers…

Helping Ministries Grow

"We preach Christ crucified with no apology,” says Johnson. “We will be authentically Lutheran while recognizing other cultures and traditions. At our seminars we show how native culture can contribute to the understanding of the Christian faith”.

He illustrates from his own heritage. “In the Makah culture, if someone comes to a potlatch unexpectedly who should be honored, that person is given a cedar ‘stick of promise’ that is redeemable for a gift later. The Cross is God‘s stick of promise to us, and by showing the parallel, Jesus becomes real in my culture.”

The view from the pilot house, where Elvin tends the wheel, is a statement in gray. Gulls bob on the steel-gray water, a shade or two darker than the cloudy gray sky. Rain and mist obscure the forested outlines of islands in the distance. For a region that gets 180 inches of rain a year, this is a common scene. Elvin is in his element.

Snug Quarters Aboard the Christian

The M/V Christian has been used for ministry since it was launched in 1971 as a Lutheran outdoor ministries recreational vessel for youth. Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. acquired the boat in 1987, and started its outreach to remote villages in Southeast Alaska. On the main deck behind the pilot house is the captain’s “stateroom” – a cubbyhole just large enough for Elvin and Alice’s bed. The walk-through galley (kitchen), a tiny head (toilet and shower) and the salon (large room dominated by four long tables, windows and benches lining the walls) make up the rest of main deck.

Below deck there’s seven tiny rooms with bunks that can sleep 17 people, but the boat has accommodated as many as 34 people for a week of Vacation Bible School.

Elvin and Alice run the Christian year round, covering the upper two-thirds of Prince of Wales Island and Koscuisco Island, Etolin Island – where they visit one family – and Meyers Chuck on the mainland. They visit six villages on a regular basis, others occasionally. Most are white or mixed white and native. Kasaan …is the only all-native village.

Starting out from their home base of Wrangell, a town of 2,000, their runs usually last from seven to ten days at a time. The Christian’s schedule is printed in the local newspaper so the villagers know when to expect them.

Elvin is part pastor, counselor, skipper, mechanic, maintenance man…and Good Humor Man. Elvin explains, “Once, while visiting Sylvia, a Lutheran who lives alone at the abandoned cannery at New Tokeen, she said wistfully, ‘I wish I could have a banana split, but that’s impossible.’ Back at the boat we had ice cream, bananas and toppings, and we brought a miracle to Sylvia on her 60th birthday.”

Elvin performs weddings and baptisms, teaches confirmation class and hosts Vacation Bible School. Worship services are informal, and most are preceded by a potluck dinner…While in dock, the boat stays “open” from breakfast until 10 p.m. for adults to drop by for a cup of coffee and some conversation, for prayer, or for just a listening ear. It’s a ministry of hospitality that the Christian carries to Alaskans.

The boat is especially popular with the children. They know they’re welcome on board to play, color or hang out, and come running when Elvin toots the horn as the boat docks. They have good memories of Vacation Bible School or cultural camp aboard the vessel, and after the potlucks there’s always ice cream – a delicacy in villages where supplies are flown in by floatplane or transported in open skiffs. And parents follow the children aboard…

According to Alice, this was the perfect call for Elvin, who always dreamed of being a missionary…He built a 55-foot sailboat with his father and brother, and when the sailboat was launched in 1994, he sailed it to southeast Alaska. He remembers thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice to sail here and get paid for it?”…

Feelings of Distance Disappear

Alice, however, was less than thrilled. Alaska was not a place she ever considered living, far away from her children and grandchildren. Missionary work was colored by her childhood memories of “listening to ladies showing slides of leprosy and snakes.” When she first arrived, “it was like a foreign world to me – all the fishing and boat terminology.” And she was prone to seasickness.

“But the Lord has a great sense of humor,” Alice says. “I never saw myself as a cook, but now I preside over dinners for dozens of people.”

Alice isn’t lonely, even though “we can drive for a day and not see a house.” She finds the people in the villages friendly and welcoming. She loves having children aboard, and discovered the perfect place for ministry was around the sink, washing up after a meal. “A lot of one-on-one conversations happen while drying dishes,” she said.

All in all, they are content with their life. “Sometimes it seems like a vacation,” the ever ebullient Elvin says. “Who else gets to get up in the morning and run through these islands?”

But it’s not all exotic adventure, Alice points out. “A lot of places here are hard to live in – no road to it, no streets. They may look romantic, but there’s a lot of drugs, alcohol and boredom. One person told me, ‘It’s good to see the boat come. We can dump our problems and it feels like you take them with you.’”

As we approach the village of Kasaan, population 45, the clear-cut mountain rising from the sea is evidence that logging provides the livelihood. With its 10 student minimum, it’s a struggle to keep the local school open. You can’t buy anything here; people order food and supplies from Ketchikan, which are flown in by floatplane…

This evening, the Christian’s four long tables were filled with kids and adults from Kasaan and nearby villages. After feasting on the salmon fillets, kelp pickles, macaroni salad, vegetable cheese hot dish and the ever-popular ice cream sundae, the plates were cleared and Alice set up a portable electric keyboard. Elvin passed around song sheets and asked for requests. Then he stood at the front of the salon and opened a bag and displayed the gifts he had received at last week’s potlatch.

His Message Was Gifts

He compared them to God’s gifts to us, and the gift of His Son, Jesus. The message of John 3:16, Elvin said, was “God gave. God is throwing a big potlatch for us and invites us to His banqueting table. We need to receive the gift of salvation He offers us.” After a simple prayer, the service was done.

The younger children, who had been coloring Bible stories, were invited to perform the songs they learned at Vacation Bible School, which they did with gusto…A chat with Peggy Young revealed that she teaches Sunday school and is a teacher’s aide in the school. “The Christian has been a blessing and is a good time of fellowship.”

The next morning the Christian sails for Meyers Chuck…A few cabins line the shore of the lagoon. There are no roads; only muddy paths link the cabins…A mailbox on the boat dock posts the mail plane’s pick-up time: Wednesdays.

A couple of fishermen grab the lines as we ease to the dock. Once secured, Alice chats easily with the men, inviting them to the potluck. Benny, who owns 25 acres and more than 25 cats, is the first to drop by…Summer residents from Washington and yearrounders come with their offerings of food and prayer concerns.

The Christian’s ministry of hospitality and gentle evangelism begins again.