New pastor takes over at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Religious Views, by Dr. Martin Emmrich

Welcome to Alaska!" -- that is how our friend T.C. greeted my wife Rebecca and I when we arrived at Ted Stevens International Airport on June 19. We had just completed the long and gruesome move from Philadelphia, where we had resided for no less than eight years. I used to be a professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.) as well as an Old Testament adjunct at Reformed Theological Seminary (Washington, D.C.). Many have asked, "how did you end up in Alaska?," and, as one might surmise, this is somewhat of a longer story.

Let me begin with my native country, Germany. There I was in the year 1989, the fourth year of my law studies at the Goethe Universitaet in Frankfurt, increasingly disillusioned about my profession and looking for someone or something to fill the void in my life. I turned to eastern religions, but could not find peace in transcendental meditation, Buddha's principles, and the like. By the end of the year I conceived a bold plan. I had decided to go to the Sierra Nevada (television footage of which had greatly impressed me) in order to find my God in the desert. Thus, in May of 1990 I arrived in Sacramento, Calif., where I intended to stay a couple of weeks with my aunt Wilma before I would say "goodbye" to the world I used to know and head off into the desert. But things took a drastic turn when my aunt gave me a Bible and urged me to read it, rather than committing suicide in the wilderness. I found this to be ridiculous, for back in Europe I had had ample opportunity to find the church lacking and so assumed that the Bible, too, (which I erroneously equated with Christianity) had no truth to afford. Still, I started to read it with the agenda of a lawyer who plans to make a case against the accused. But God turned the tables on me and revealed his Son Jesus Christ to my heart. Everything had changed -- and was changing rapidly.

In 1992 I enrolled at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, Calif., and graduated in 1995 with a master's degree. In that same year Rebecca and I got married and moved to Philadelphia for my doctorate studies. Since 1996 I have taught at various seminaries, universities and colleges, but the pastorate never occurred to me as a viable option of service. But about two years ago, some friends back east started to prod me in this direction, although I remained obstinate. Then, one fine day in the spring of 2002 I received a phone call -- from Wasilla, AK! I did not know that people had been pulling strings behind my back and had been in contact with the session of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church to get me to go there and pastor the congregation (how all this came about is yet another story which we cannot tell at this point).

At first I thought they were kidding me, but Bruce Long, who was on the other end of the line, seemed serious enough about the matter and invited me to come and take a look for myself. What followed was a wearisome struggle -- Go to Alaska? Granted, back in Germany I had always dreamed of going, but since then I had grown up. Moreover, what would Rebecca say to all this? Or perhaps the Lord was saying something to me?

Eventually, I agreed to visit the church in August 2002, and I still recall the thoughts that went through my head when I set foot on Alaska's ground, namely, "What in all the world am I doing here?" I comforted myself with the idea that at least I could say, "I've been in AK!," and I tended to view my visit to Wasilla in terms of a very short "vacation."

But, again, things took a sharp turn. I fell in love with the place and the people, so much so that in the second week (as we had agreed to extend my stay) we flew Rebecca up here.

To be sure, she was irate ("I knew you would do this thing!"), yet, she too felt it "clicking" when she came to the Mat-Su Valley, and today, after five months of living here we can say we are happy.

Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church, located at 2060 Lazy Eight, off Bogard/Seldon, is a Reformed Presbyterian congregation. We believe in the doctrine of sovereign grace and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ accordingly. We also believe that our church is a real alternative in a fast-changing world that more than ever needs our Lord Jesus Christ. Without boasting I may add that we are a very friendly bunch of people, and thus would like to see you who are interested in the truth and are getting tired of hearing platitudes of one kind or another.

Dr. Martin Emmrich can be reached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church at 373-1536. The Sunday worship schedule is at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.