Join the Movement to Transform the North!
Kristen Melnyk is the graduate holding the baby.
Meet Kristen Melnyk, a recent Vanguard College graduate. In 1978, at just three years old, she lived in a blue apartment building in Pine Point, NT. Her mother, Julie, spent long, lonely days with Kristen and her little sister while their father was at work. Feeling isolated, Julie had no idea that two Christian nurses would soon change her life—and her family’s future—forever.
These nurses had travelled north “on mission” with the Pentecostal Sub-Arctic Mission (PSAM). They served out of the H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital in Hay River, which Ken Gaetz had founded as both a medical facility and a funding source for Christian outreach to northern communities. These nurses lived in the same blue apartment building as Julie and quickly became her friends. One day, they invited her to Pine Point Pentecostal, a young church led by Ritchie and Beth Hayward.
Julie, searching for connection and purpose, accepted the invitation. But she found more than friendship—she found Jesus. That little church in Pine Point became the heartbeat of her life.
As Julie grew in faith, she became a leader in ministry. She led worship, taught Sunday school, and even started a mid-week kid’s club. Kristen and her sisters were raised in this vibrant faith community, nurtured by the dedication of their mother and the nurses who had reached out. At five years old, Kristen committed her life to Christ. She was baptized at nine, and by eighteen, she pursued ministry training at Northwest Bible College (now Vanguard College). At 45, she came full circle and completed her degree.
Though Pine Point no longer exists and the nurses moved on, their impact remained. One of them, Donna Ledgerwood, celebrated Kristen’s wedding day with her, proving the power of lifelong relational ministry.
Today, Kristen holds her grandson in church each Sunday—a living reminder that one invitation, one act of love, and one soul saved can change generations.
It’s Time to Re-Mint the North
To “re-mint” means to transform an old coin by melting it down and shaping it into something new. The substance remains, but the form is made fresh.
Re-minting the North means keeping the heart of the work started by Ken Gaetz but adapting to reach a new generation. We are called to develop sustainable ministry initiatives that will transform families and communities for generations to come.
Go
Be A Part Of The Next Chapter.
Engage in long-term, church-driven partnerships in the NT.
Send teams to reach the next generation in places like Ft. Simpson, Ft. Good Hope, the Dene Reserve, and Ft. Resolution.
Give
If You Can’t Go, You Can Still Make A Difference.
Support a Youth Camp or partner with a HUB church for ministry and work trips.
Adopt a Northern Church—support it financially, assist with outreach, and engage with volunteers.
Organize a Giving Sunday in your church to raise a special offering for the North.
Pray
The Power Behind The Mission.
Pray for:
Churches in the North to grow and thrive by reaching lost people.
Workers and leaders, both local and from the South, to be equipped and sent.
Hearts to open to the life-changing power of Christ.
Financial provision for long-term sustainability and outreach.
Stay
Long-Term Commitment Brings Lasting Impact.
Build enduring partnerships with Northern Churches.
Train and equip local leaders to disciple and plant new churches.
Walk alongside communities to foster transformation that lasts.
Sustainable ministry is not built overnight. It takes faithfulness, vision, and a commitment to see the gospel take deep root in the Northwest Territories.
The North Needs You. Will You Answer the Call?
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!””
This mission cannot happen without you. We invite you to GO. GIVE. PRAY. STAY. Together, we will see lives changed, churches strengthened, and communities transformed by the power of Christ.
Learn more about Northern Initiatives.
Corey Randell serves as the Assistant Superintendent at the District Resource Centre. Corey is known for his passion and ‘tell it like it is’ speaking style. He believes there are no impossible situations but that every challenge is an opportunity to witness the miraculous. His passion is to mobilize people to re-think church, reach others and encounter the power of God in today’s world.