All Saints' Anglican Church

The Town of Aklavik is sited in the Mackenzie River Delta on the banks of the Peel River, 142 miles inside of the Arctic Circle - "The Place of the Brown Bear". It is reached by an ice road from Inuvik in the winter time, or by boat on the open river from June to early October, and by air from Inuvik all other times.The community is within the tree-line and there is much water in this Delta country. The town is only 33 feet above sea level.

Aklavik has a population of 600 people; there are Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and white people living side by side, the latter being in the minority. The community has a school, nursing station, Northern Store and a privately owned store, and the RCMP. There are 4 churches: Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist and Anglican. Of the four, the Anglican Church and Baptist Church are the only ones with regular services. The Anglican Church has been in Aklavik since about 1916. The first building for worship was erected in 1919 and was a log structure. The first resident priest came in 1922. At that time, the first cathedral in the Diocese was located in Aklavik and named All Saints. This building burned in 1972 and the present building was erected soon after.

There is a great deal of activity at All Saints'. There is a Bible study group which is the spiritual backbone of the church; Sunday services; and a Youth Nite. All Saints' is a growing parish though the population of Aklavik is declining, attracting about 60 people at the main service each Sunday.

Will you pray with us that we, as a Church in this community, will know the anointing of the Holy Spirit in all that we do so that Jesus may be glorified?