Western Arctic Church Planting

The Diocese of The Arctic has a big vision: to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to enable Christians for ministry across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Nunavik region of Quebec.

Support ministry in Ulukhaktok!

Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories

Map showing the location of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, marked with a red pin.

Ulukhaktok is an Inuvialuit community of about 450 people on Victoria Island in the Arctic Ocean. Most people live a traditional lifestyle, with community life structured around the hunting, trapping, and fishing in each season.

Decades ago there were 3 congregations in this small community: Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Glad Tidings Pentecostal. Then, for various reasons, all three went without pastors, there were no well-trained lay ministers to carry out discipleship, and all three churches closed. It’s been over a decade since there has been regular worship in Ulukhaktok, and closer to 20 years since any ongoing Christian discipleship or pastoral care has been available.

Many in Ulukhaktok are very happy to identify as Christian, but on a recent visit, many are crying out for a pastor to counsel them.

Two boats on the shore in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with icebergs in the water and a hilly background.
A man and a woman stand beside a table displaying strips of fish, with buildings and vehicles in the background, in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories.
A small boat with several passengers navigating the calm waters near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with a view of the community and an iceberg in the background.
A person smiling in the foreground with a scenic view of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, featuring water and houses in the background.
Exterior view of a weathered church building with a cross, located in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories.
Overview of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, featuring residential buildings, gravel roads, and hills in the background.
A view of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, showcasing a small community near the water with wooden buildings and power lines, set against a rugged landscape.
View of an Inuvialuit community in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with traditional homes along the shore and a calm water body in the foreground.
A small aluminum boat anchored near a gravel shoreline with the community of Ulukhaktok visible in the background, featuring colorful buildings set against a mountainous landscape under a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a small purple flower growing among pebbles and grass in a natural setting.
View of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, featuring a dirt road lined with small buildings and vehicles, showcasing the community's traditional lifestyle.
A rocky landscape in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, featuring a mountainous background and scattered boulders under a clear blue sky.

Compared to life in the south, life can be pretty raw along the Arctic coast. The Arctic faces a suicide epidemic among young men; there is a housing shortage at crisis levels; societal changes over the last 75 years have led to some not knowing the traditional skills to live successfully, while under-resourced schools mean many local people are also not prepared to fill the well-paying jobs in their community, and so the cycle continues. People turn to and trust in the Lord, but one of the comments is:

“I want to follow Jesus, and my grandmother spoke about following Jesus and trusting in Him, but I need someone to show me who He is and how to follow Him”

or

“I wish I had listened to the elders when I was in Sunday School years ago. I want to read the Bible, and I want to teach my grandchildren about God, but I really need someone to explain it all to me.”

or deeply honest statements like this:

“People come to me for counselling, for help with their problems. I haven’t seen a minister in so many years, but really I need a pastor. I need counselling myself, but there is no one, so we go on and do the best we can.”

Support the Work in Ulukhaktok!

The Calling:

Some in the community use the word “abandoned”. It’s a harsh word to hear, but to some degree, it fits.

We had a church there, and for what are surely many layers of reasons, the bottom line is that, one day, the priest left for the last time and no one felt that the Good News had been handed on well enough to them for them to hand it on to the next generation.

 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Church, it’s time for us to step up.
It’s time for the Diocese to focus on these little communities one by one, investing time and money to build relationships, provide clergy, and train local people for the work of sharing the Gospel and ministering to their families and neighbours.

Of course, there are other Arctic communities besides Ulukhaktok, but we need to start somewhere.

Progress so far:

– July 2025: Rev. Whitney DeWare (Yellowknife) visited with Robin Abrol from On Eagles Wings for in-person pastoral care, conversation, and evaluation of the remaining church-owned buildings in Ulukhaktok

Update: September 2025!

A priest performing a baptism ceremony on a woman in a church setting, with wooden paneling in the background and several attendees watching.
A crowded indoor space with a diverse group of people sitting on benches, engaged in an event or meeting, with soft lighting and blue curtains at the windows.
A baptism ceremony taking place in a church setting, with several participants. A child is reaching towards a bowl, while adults assist in the ceremony. The interior features wooden paneling and various attendees observing.
A large group of people gathered in a spacious indoor area, engaged in a community event, with tables and chairs arranged for participants, some children present, and a polar bear skin displayed on the wall.

Rev. Whitney DeWare (Yellowknife) travelled to Ulukhaktok last weekend to host the Family Discipleship and Baptism Preparation Course. Over 60 people packed the community’s indoor playground on Friday and Saturday night to talk about what it means to be a member of God’s family, to work towards right relationships with God and others, that “repentance” means “changing your mind” about what you thought was right and accepting God’s Truth about your actions, and that we can each have a new identity when we are adopted by God Our Father through Jesus Christ, our older brother in God’s family.

On Sunday morning, 20 people were baptized, from 1 month old to adults in their 20s!

And, praise the Lord, someone has come forward to begin training for lay leadership and to begin discerning God’s call to ministry through ATTS.

Watch Rev. Whitney describe the highlights
of the discipleship course!

The Plan:

– Early March 2026: Rev. Whitney, Rev. Abraham Kublu (Iqaluit), and Rev. Nick Kigeak (Arviat) will return to share in the Holy Communion and to hold a weekend of Gospel nights and prayer meetings. They will encourage leaders, and Rev. Whitney hopes to gather a leadership team and make some plans for summer repairs to the church, and the eventual replacement of the mission house.

– Late June 2026: Rev. Whitney will return to celebrate marriages, to offer ongoing training, and to work with the Hamlet and the local contractor to receive whatever permits are required for repairs to the church.

– Late August/September 2026: A volunteer mission team arrives to replace the windows and siding on the church building. The floor, which recently had a sub-floor and insulation installed, will need some additional jacks installed under the building to keep it level on the shifting permafrost.

I want to support this work!