New church opens in Naujaat
After four years, congregation fills new church
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
NAUJAAT
A four-year-old pledge came to fruition with the opening of a new church in Naujaat this past month. The celebration ran from Sept. 22-26.
Manituq Thompson is an instrumental figure in the opening of a new church in Naujaat this past month, as well as the original building it replaced which began as a church in Naujaat in 1979. - NNSL file photo |
When Manitok Thompson and her husband, Tom, took their first teaching jobs in Naujaat shortly after they were married in 1979, opening a new church was the furthest thing from her mind. But, by the time she and Tom finished their two-year stay, that's exactly what happened.
She grew up in Coral Harbour, where she says her family was already involved in the local congregation.
"My family had already pulled away and started a church in Coral Harbour," she recalls. "I was such a shy little thing at the time, and would never speak in public."
She said she would never have believed her path would include the pulpit and a political career.
"A little movement toward a new church started while we were in Naujaat, and the housing association was going to get rid of this little house," she said. Her uncle, Paul Siusangnark, was already in Naujaat and got her involved. "One thing led to another and my uncle and I were able to get it to use as a church."
Manitok then spent a week in Yellowknife for a teachers' workshop and, upon her return, Siusangnark told her she would be preaching at the new little church.
Volunteers assembled the material they needed from the dump to fix the inside and installed benches and carpet, as well as a pulpit for her.
Siusangnark would die in a plane crash in 1981. Manitok said that was their church for two years, and the little building always remained near and dear to her heart.
"I returned to Naujaat four years ago and saw our little church was all run down," she said.
"I was co-ordinating the Gospel Music Festival at the time, and I felt so sorry for everyone because of the condition it was in."
She knew she had to do something, and announced publicly during the festival that she was going to build a new church to replace the old one.
"I don't know why I said it publicly during the festival - because I knew as I said it that it was a big commitment," she said.
Manitok started making calls and the numbers she was hearing started making her a little nervous.
The congregation had told her they had the money to build a new church, but she hadn't dared ask exactly how much that was.
Manitok was starting to get the feeling that, maybe, the congregation wasn't really up to speed on what it cost for a new building in the North.
When she found out they had $40,000 in total, she knew she was going to need higher powers on her side.
"I was phoning all over the place when a person in (the) Bill Prankard Evangelistic Association (BPEA) office told me there was a light-steel (shell) building in Florida that was just returned to the same company that builds Co-op buildings in the Arctic," she said. "I was told if I sent $14,000 right away, the company would hold it for me. I needed a miracle because I had to raise $68,000 in about six weeks."
Manitok was granted her miracle, the shell arrived and the real work began.
She worked diligently bringing in partners to cover all the associated costs and, this past month, the grand opening was held in front of a packed congregation in Naujaat.
Manitok said Bill Prankard was there to help from the moment she told him of her plans.
She said the BPEA has put more than $300,000 into core funding for the new church. Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 100 Huntley Street, Pastor Peter Burrell and the Stone Church in Toronto also pulled together to help.
"It took four years, and it felt wonderful to finally open it," she said. "There were times I'd almost have a panic attack because I didn't know anything about so many of the regulatory issues and other things we had to take care of. But so many pulled together - the Florida company sent me the architectural drawings, and a Nunavut company was there doing the health centre and let us pay the cost of drilling the pilings over time - to make this work."
Manitok said the church was unaffiliated when it started in the 1970s. She said she and elder Siusangnark came up with the name, New Life.
"That name never stuck because of everything that went along with having it legally registered, but I really didn't care about all that," she said. "All I wanted was to help people find God."
She says she's not sure what the name of the new building will be.
"It's still being decided as we speak," she said.
She said she always gets a very good response when doing something there, and it's special to see her old students volunteer to help, as well as their children - many of her former Grade 1 students are now grandparents.
"I love Naujaat and the opening was so special, with around 90 people from out of town among those who packed the church," she said. "The community came out - Catholics and Anglicans - for the opening and it was wonderful to see."
People arrived dressed in traditional outfits to thank the partners who helped make the new church possible, and 100 Huntley Street filmed the event for a future broadcast.
"So many people donated food for a community feast - I just want to thank everyone - and it was just amazing there for the opening," said Thompson.
