[On-screen text graphic]
Nan Zapanta
HOST
Blueprint
Nan Zapanta: So this morning we’re here at the Flattop trailhead, right outside of Anchorage. Bright in the early part of the morning. I can’t even describe it. But this is a popular trailhead, for many of those that are visiting Anchorage, and it gives you the perfect view of the city. It’s really, really cool to see just a broad view of the city of Anchorage and the potential for even more growth here in this really beautiful city.
Nan voiceover: Alaska—it’s called America’s last frontier, with thousands of miles still untapped and unexplored. I can definitely say that the name is pretty accurate. Even right now, standing on this mountain overlooking Anchorage, you can already get a sense of the vastness of this place.
Nan: You can really see the progress and the growth of Anchorage, despite its remote location relative to the lower 48.
Nan voiceover: Join me as I explore what it takes to live in a place like Alaska, to brave the dark and harsh winters, and forge new paths for people who are looking for a more lasting sense of truth.
[Show open]
Nan voiceover: I’m Nan Zapanta. As an industrial designer, I spent years admiring the great designs of products, vehicles, and architecture from all over the world. But, I found architecture to be the most captivating. I love learning about each building and discovering the characteristics that make it unique and understanding the purpose behind its design. Most of all, I love hearing the stories behind each structure, seeing God’s plan, and putting it all together. Join us as we discover the blueprint of the buildings and structures inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo.
[On-screen logo graphic]
Nan voiceover: I don’t know about you, but it’s been a minute since I’ve looked at a paper map, but it came in handy since I had some time to kill before our first appointment. As the largest city in Alaska, I was expecting a bustling city—streets, traffic, umm … people. But I guess those expectations are only for the lower 48, a term Alaskans created to describe the rest of mainland United States. There’s just so much to learn about the region, so I figured the best place to start is with someone who has lived here her whole life.
[On-screen text graphic]
Alexis “Mica” Ruiz
Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska
Nan: Mica, nice to finally meet you.
Alexis “Mica” Ruiz: Hi, Nan! Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.
Nan: I heard all about you, and I was looking forward to meeting a local that could show us around and kind of tell us all about Alaska.
Mica: So, we’re in downtown right now. We’re kind of towards the end of downtown. Over here, behind me, is Ship Creek or our port. That’s where all the goodies come into Anchorage. Right across is the Sleeping Lady. There’s a whole backstory to that, and especially during the sunset you can really see the figure of the Sleeping Lady.
Nan: Oh, cool!
Mica: Yeah.
Nan: The image that most of us have, especially in the lower 48 right, [is] Alaskan natives or Alaskan locals, I’m sorry, are ‘hard’ people. You know, you guys can really deal with really hard conditions. Is that true?
Mica: Kind of, sort of. I kind of get where people come from when they say that. I could go out in negative ten [Fahrenheit] in just slippers, if that makes sense.
Nan: In slippers in negative ten?
Mica: Yeah, just to get mail.
Nan: Oh, wow.
Mica: Yeah, growing up here, it’s really nice especially if you’re into outdoor things. During the winter times, here in Alaska, some days we get two hours of sunlight in the winter time.
Nan: No way!
Mica: It gets really hard and then you go to work and …
Nan voiceover: Despite the harsh winter conditions, Alaska continues to attract a growing number of people looking to surround themselves with the natural beauty of the region, access to career opportunities, and an affordable cost of living. Well, affordable compared to many of the large cities in the lower 48. And despite the regular influx of new residents, Anchorage has kept the small town feel we saw walking through downtown.
Mica: We’re so isolated up here from the lower 48 and everything. Whenever we see new people, I feel like I’ve said it so many times, every time we see new people we’re like, “Hey! How are you?”
Nan: How was that growing up and seeing the growth of not only your family but even brethren in the Church Of Christ? How was that?
[On-screen text graphic]
Alexis “Mica” Ruiz
Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska
Mica: When I attended the adult worship service with my parents and seeing, “Oh, wow. This whole place is filled. Who are you people?” And then getting to meet, as I grow older I’ve made a lot of new friends in the CWS (Children’s Worship Service).
And then because we’re in Anchorage, we’re one of the big [military] bases up here. So we get to see people that are in the military, and they come and go of course, but we always make new friends here.
Nan: That’s really cool.
Nan voiceover: For the past 20 years, the combination of employment opportunities and military bases brought a growing number of Church Of Christ members to Anchorage. The growth led not only to the establishment of more congregations in different parts of the city but also the need for a bigger house of worship.
Nan: I’m looking forward to seeing the house of worship. Would it be cool if we met up and you gave us a little tour? I really want to check it out.
Mica: Of course! Yeah.
Nan: Awesome.
Mica: No problem. Let’s go.
Nan voiceover: When you drive around Anchorage, you’ll notice a couple of things—the beauty of the mountains, trees and lakes that make up the city’s backdrop, and how the buildings, from the stores to restaurants, neighborhoods, to office buildings start to look the same street after street. It’s actually really easy for everything to start blending in, which is what happened to the worship building before the renovation.
Mica: It all used to be just brick, and it was a lot shorter too. It was brown and green. Now it’s all very different.
Nan: Back then, would you say it was recognizable as a house of worship?
Mica: No, a lot of people thought we were a storage place, actually.
Nan: No way.
Mica: Yeah. Somebody came up to us and thought we were storage.
Nan: Really? I guess, when you look at it, what’s your favorite change, you know, since the renovation?
Mica: Definitely the seal. It’s so big, where people recognize us because of the steeples and because of the seal. I have coworkers like, “Oh, you guys are that white church on Bragaw.” I’m like, “Yeah, that’s us!”
Nan: It’s totally, it’s recognizable. It’s distinct.
Mica: Yes!
Nan: This is, it’s so beautiful. What was the reaction when you found out that this house of worship was going to be renovated?
Mica: Excitement, definitely excitement.
Nan voiceover: Talks about the renovation began in 2017, and while the heavy lifting was done by the construction team, Mica and other members found ways to stay close to the action.
Mica: We used to imagine like, “Oh, how’s the congregation going to be? It was all … All the structures were. The only thing that was missing were the pews and the carpet. So we were so excited. Like, “Wow! It’s almost done!”
Nan: So when you think of the house of worship, what does it mean to you personally?
Mica: This is a home. It really is home. I grew up in Anchorage, and yeah I have my house, but this is the place where I’m at more. Other than my house, I’m here.
Nan: Yeah, it’s your home away from home basically.
Mica: Exactly.
Nan voiceover: While Mica and many others watched the progress of the renovation from the outside, John Dixon, a longtime carpenter and contractor was deep in the trenches, making sure every detail was carefully considered.
John: I love it. I think it’s a beautiful wood. It is dark though, but then again, I knew what color it would be.
Nan voiceover: I could already see the amount of love that was put into the details, especially John’s passion for woodworking.
[Video source: PBS NEWS HOUR]
News reporter: “A coming COVID storm.” That is how the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska recently described the pandemic in his city.
[Video source: ABC NEWS]
Nan voiceover: Despite the global pandemic, a 7.1 earthquake, and harsh Alaskan winters, the renovation and construction was completed in just four years, a testament to the determination and faith of the Church Of Christ members living in Alaska.
John: I wanted to do it for God, and I wanted to do it because no one knew where this place was. We were the Church between the Pink Pepper [restaurant] and the Holiday [gas station]. Now, we’re the Church on Bragaw Street.
The feeling of accomplishment that we have of this thing that we have done has been an inspiration, I think, to the brethren to really try harder and to make a bigger effort to share their faith.
Nan: Well that’s great to see, because I think it’s really evident. Is it okay if we make our way inside and kind of just talk about some of the details?
John: Sure.
This is the same design that they have in all of the chapels… these arches on the ceiling. But the difference with this one is that we wanted it to have more depth, more detail. So we framed this with the barrel vault wood trusses.
[On-screen architectural modeling]
Nan voiceover: As the name barrel vault wood truss implies, this type of framing allows for a semi-cylindrical appearance. This adds volume and height without the sloped faces found in a vaulted ceiling.
Nan: What was the decision to not go with the traditional a-frame and then go with, kind of, this curve?
John: Well, Brother Raymond (Frank) had a design where the roof came up, and it had a collar tie going across, and then went down. So it was just straight surfaces. He did have this detail in there with these curves off it. So this is basically his design. The only thing that is altered is the fact that we went with a curved surface and that we recessed the arches.
[On-screen architectural modeling]
Nan voiceover: To put this into perspective, we can compare it to another INC (Iglesia Ni Cristo/Church Of Christ) house of worship that we featured with a curved ceiling, Los Angeles. As we can see, the recessed element of the molding is only a few inches deep. When we compare that to Alaska, the difference is clearly significant.
Nan: So was that purely an aesthetic decision?
John: You know, it was an aesthetic thing. The company that supplied the trusses to us told us that this was the maximum width that they had ever built a wood roof truss.
[On-screen text graphic]
John Dixon
Worked on the renovation of the Anchorage house of worship
Nan: What width was it?
John: This is a 73 foot clear span roof trusses.
Nan: Got it.
John: We had volunteers from other local congregations, and this congregation, and it took one week to swing these trusses over here. Normally it takes three [or] four hours to do.
Nan: Right.
John: But this took a lot longer, because we had to nail every four inches all the way around, and then we also had to cover it with plywood as we were going. We couldn’t just put all the trusses up and then put the plywood up afterwards.
Nan: Why was that?
John: Because it wouldn’t have been stable enough to support itself. It had to have the structure. As we put it up, we had to be putting plywood on.
[Video source: NBC NEWS}
[On-screen text graphic]
Witnesses capture the moment a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Anchorage, Alaska
Videos posted on social media showed the aftermath, including response and damage.
Nan voiceover: Every year in Alaska, there’s at least one earthquake at a magnitude seven or higher.
[Video source: CBS NEWS]
News Reporter: A quake measuring 7.0 has caused extensive road damage.
[Video source: Alaska Earthquake Center]
Nan voiceover: Because of this, it was essential that the new worship building was reinforced to withstand the next major tremor. But while they knew they had to prepare for potential future earthquakes, they didn’t realize the structure would be tested even before it was done.
John: I’ll give you an anecdote. We had a 7.1 earthquake in here. We had the trusses framed. The last three trusses were not in place. They were just, they were up there but not moved over yet, and the plywood did not reach the very end.
[Video source: ABC NEWS]
[On-screen text graphic]
7.0 earthquake rocks Anchorage, Alaska
Governor issues disaster declaration
News Reporter: A pair of back-to-back earthquakes, the first one measuring 7.0 right outside of Anchorage. People racing into the streets. There’s already reports of significant damage inside buildings, some of the pictures, people heading out into the streets but then going back inside with yet another earthquake strike.
John: And I came in for one of the aftershocks, and not all of the bracing was in there yet in this truss system. So, the trusses were just [makes swaying motion with his hands]
Nan: Really?
John: Yup.
Nan: Oh, wow.
John: But even without the bracing, even not complete, it still held together with a 7.1 earthquake.
Nan: That’s a 7.1!
John: So now we’ve added. We finished the roof, and finished the back wall, and tied everything in, and now it’s like rock solid. So it’s engineered to take a very big earthquake.
Nan voiceover: There was so much to take in inside the worship building, from the crescent shaped molding above the choir loft, the rope lighting on the back wall, to the way the team was able to seamlessly integrate the speakers into the back. I was especially in awe of how the contractors were able to bend sheetrock, especially five-eight inch sheet for the entire width of a ceiling this massive. This was no small feat.
John had so much to share. You’re going to want to see it for yourself to fully capture the beauty of the building. And while so many people had a hand in completing the work, John knew the success of such a big project could only be because of Who brought them together, in the first place.
[On-screen text graphic]
John Dixon
Member of the Church Of Christ
John: The way this project, you know, has been from the start and to the end it’s only through God. I’m so grateful that I’m a member of the Church.
[On-screen text graphic]
Follow us:
(Instagram) @Blueprint.incmedia
Nan voiceover: You can find almost every religion, in every type of worship practice, in Anchorage. However, like most of the United States, the percentage of people no longer attending a church continues to outpace the number that do. But that doesn’t stop individuals like Ariel Castillo from talking about his faith. In fact, for him and the many we’ve met, the renovated worship building has only fueled their determination to share their faith.
Nan: It’s a beautiful day today. On a day like this, would it be much easier to see people outside? Especially when it’s dark, is that the most challenging times to share your faith?
[On-screen text graphic]
Ariel Castillo
Member of the Church Of Christ
Ariel Castillo: Yeah, when the weather is gloomy. I think most of the people, especially on Saturdays, they wake up late.
Nan: And they’ll just ignore you?
Ariel: They’ll just ignore you.
Nan: Are there times where maybe they’re angry or …?
Ariel: Yes, there are times. When we’re trying to give to them Pasugo (God’s Message) Magazine, they don’t want [it].
Nan: Even if you’re handing it out?
Ariel: They’re saying they’re not interested. We just say, “Thank you so much. Have a good day.”
Nan: It never discourages you?
Ariel: No. Of course, it’s normal. That’s fine. So just go to that next house.
Nan: Yeah, exactly.
Do you see a difference between when you were inviting people to the house of worship back then to now ?
Ariel: Before, when [we were] telling them, “We are members of the Church Of Christ, that church over there on Bragaw near the Holiday gas station.” They don’t know that that’s a church.
[On-screen text graphic]
Ariel Castillo
Member of the Church Of Christ
Nan: Oh, they don’t even know it’s a church. What do they think it is?
Ariel: Others are thinking it’s just a business or like a storage.
Nan: Oh! So they had no idea it was a church.
Ariel: Later on, after the renovation, when we [went] again here and when we told them that, “We are members of the Church Of Christ, the church there beside Holiday gas station.” They say, “Oh, that nice church over there?”
Nan: Oh, so they recognize it.
Ariel: They recognize it. They already know now.
Nan: What are their reactions when they first see the house of worship?
Ariel: They come in, “Oh, you have a beautiful chapel. It’s nice.” And they are happy to see the inside.
Nan: So it is really helpful in being able to share your faith.
Ariel: Yes.
Nan: There’s a really amazing, beautiful house of worship that’s been dedicated.
Ariel: Yes, it is.
Nan voiceover: It’s been about 10 years now since Ariel moved from Guam, and while talking about his faith has never been easy, the blessing of having a newly renovated house of worship has further ignited his determination of letting others know about the Church Of Christ.
Nan: Why is it important to you to share your faith? Because, you know, it’s so easy to stay at home, especially if it’s cold and just wait for a nice day.
Ariel: This is one way [that] God is allowing people in different parts of the world [to] be able to know about the Church.
[On-screen text graphic]
Watch more BLUEPRINT
Ariel: When members of the Church of Christ, like us, [are] able to move in different places, that’s the time that those places will be reached by the Church Of Christ.
[On-screen text graphic]
Ariel Castillo
Moved from Guam to Anchorage for opportunities
Ariel: I believe that I’m here, [and] one of the obligations that I have when I was brought here is to fulfill my duty and to share my faith [with] those who are here in this part of the world.
Nan voiceover: These days, there’s always something happening at the Anchorage house of worship. I caught up with Ruben Natividad, a head deacon and one of the TSV [Technical Support for Video Streaming] officers here in Anchorage.
Nan: This particular house of worship here in Anchorage, is this where most of the activities, most of the broadcasts of any meetings or worship services, it happens from this place?
Ruben Natividad: Yes, especially this is the main local [congregation] for the district.
[On-screen text graphic]
Ruben Natividad
Helped with the technical set up of the house of worship
Ruben: And then almost every day we have different kinds of events in the local [congregation].
Nan voiceover: The pandemic in 2020 made it essential for all worship buildings, in the Church Of Christ, to have the technological capabilities to connect and stream worship services. So during the renovation, the technology built into the Anchorage worship building was upgraded to support the different events and activities happening in the Church Of Christ, first of which was the worship service led by the Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, to dedicate the new Anchorage worship building to God. The worship service virtually connected to other worship buildings that were completed in the midst of the pandemic.
It was a day that Ruben fondly remembers as he performs his responsibilities as one of the tech leads in Anchorage.
Nan: From all your experience with all the technical aspects, how helpful has it been having the capabilities that you just described?
Ruben: It was very helpful. We can control everything, and then we can see everything, and then the way we can control the volume, and then we can send a video to the monitor so that the congregation can see it.
Nan: So then you’re really busy here it seems with all the technical aspects, making sure it’s running smoothly.
[On-screen text graphic]
Ruben Natividad
TSV Lead in Anchorage, Alaska
Ruben: Yeah, we have to make sure someone is here, because just like every day, we have different activities, different events.
Nan voiceover: Like many in Anchorage, Ruben pitched him as much as he could during the renovation, including completing a very important focal point on the facade of the worship building.
[On-screen text graphic]
Ruben Natividad
Completed the AutoCAD modeling for seal
Ruben: They have this design that they don’t have a seal [for] yet, and then they [didn’t] know how until they saw what I did. And then they said, “Oh, probably we can use that. We can use that seal.” Yes, we can. If you want. And then, yeah, I finished [the] seal and then they put it on the floor plan.
Nan: So then you modeled it in AutoCAD, the actual seal, and that’s what they used.
Nan voiceover: Serving both as an introduction and reminder for anyone passing by.
One of the things I was curious about was what brought people to Anchorage and what makes them stay. So we asked.
[On-screen text graphic]
Jaymen
Moved back to Anchorage in 1995
Jaymen I was born in Las Vegas. So I was born and raised in Vegas, but I moved here in 1995 with my parents . It starts to get dark for some parts for a few weeks.
[On-screen text graphic]
Kiana
Born and raised in Anchorage
Kiana: I just grew up here my whole life. I’m used to it. I’m used to waking up and seeing mountains every morning and not being in a super crowded city. It’s very relaxed here, and it’s just home—It’s home. Everyone’s nice here. Summers are beautiful here. It’s just the experience. It’s the whole experience that keeps me here.
[On-screen text graphic]
Erik Hovanec
Lives in Anchorage, Alaska
Erik Hovanec: I really enjoyed the outdoors, being able to go hunting, fishing. It’s not too crowded, overpopulated. It’s very diverse and it’s just all around good in my opinion.
[On-screen text graphic]
Bea Ortilla
Relocated to Anchorage for school
Bea Ortilla: I was supposed to go to California for school and then COVID hit, and so I did stay here and I went to University of Alaska Anchorage. And so I Started to just live here and just go around.
Nan Voiceover: Bea relocated to Anchorage from Barrow, Alaska, a place that probably looks like what you may have been picturing at the beginning of this episode.
[Video source: YOUTUBE – SERGEY MISHENEV]
Nan: I know it’s called Barrow but there’s also a native name for Barrow.
Bea: It just changed to Utqiagvik.
Nan: Uqialvik?
Bea: Utqiagvik. It’s like a really small village, like a really small city. The main native tribe there is Inupiat. [We] learn their language and we do, like their culture is very exposed to us.
Nan voiceover: Alone and away from her family, Bea was invited to the Church Of Christ by her co-workers.
[On-screen text graphic]
Bea Ortilla
Moved to Anchorage for school
Bea: I was very interested and really curious about what the Church was about. And I had my co-workers [who] had asked me to go to one of the Bible studies, and so I had learned about my first lesson [which] was the cross. And so it was really impactful just because I was very, at first I was kind of offended.
Nan voiceover: You see, Bea was a youth leader in the Catholic Church, and while she was offended by what she heard she was also curious to know more even if it meant going against what her family wanted.
Bea: I’ve always prayed. I wanted to get to know God more, to get to know Him closer. It took me many times to go back and ponder about what is it [that] I really want? Do I want to listen to the Bible and God’s words? Do I want to accept the truth?
[On-screen text graphic]
Bea Ortilla
Introduced to the Church Of Christ by co-workers
Bea: And when my parents would ask me, “Hey, are you doing the Bible studies with them?” I would tell them, “Yes.” And so they had told me many times to stop going to the Church, stop listening to the Bible studies. And I started to invite them with me, but it really didn’t work out.
But for me, I just knew that the time that I wanted to do that was when I felt like it was a calling. I needed to accept the truth because it wasn’t for anybody else but God.
Nan voiceover: Around the same time, the renovation of the house of worship in Anchorage was getting close to completion.
Nan: Do you remember when you first saw the house of worship? What was that experience the first time you ever saw it?
[On-screen text graphic]
Bea Ortilla
Joined the Church Of Christ in September of 2022
Bea: I didn’t know anything about the Church Of Christ. I just remember that I was in the car with my mom and we would just pass by the chapel, and we can’t help looking at it just because of how beautiful and how grand it looks. And so I remember just thinking, “Oh, wow. That’s a really pretty church. That’s a really beautiful church.”
Nan voiceover: It would take Bea three attempts to finally complete her Bible studies and be baptized in the Church Of Christ. Bea’s parents have started to come around about her newfound faith, but she admits it’s still a struggle sometimes. But she finds strength that God will continue to guide her in her journey.
Nan: How does it feel now that you’re, like when you’re inside the house of worship? And what is it that you feel and maybe what is it about the interior also that, kind of, is special to you?
Bea: It was the first time I went inside, it was so breathtaking. I think I was like … I tend to be really emotional, but I feel like it’s just because the Holy Spirit always hits me.
[On-screen text graphic]
Bea Ortilla
Member of the Church Of Christ
Bea: Just the lights and the chandeliers, it makes you really feel like this is God’s place. It makes you proud because it makes you feel like, you know, this is where we can worship God, and I feel like it’s just a very holy place. And so the chapel really is—it makes me feel so happy and hopeful and it makes you feel safe.
Nan voiceover: These days, you can probably find Bea helping out with activities in the neighboring congregation of South Anchorage.
Nan: So I heard South Anchorage just recently was approved to look for a house of worship of your own.
Bea: Yes. Very big news for us.
Nan: How does that make you feel?
Bea: It makes me feel so hopeful. And so we’ll be able to grow in that and people to hear the truth about the Bible.
Nan: Awesome. Yeah, I’m sure you’ll experience that for sure once you guys get your house of worship. Who knows? Maybe we’ll come back for South Anchorage’s house of worship.
Bea: Yeah.
Nan: Thanks again, Bea.
Bea: Thank you.
Nan voiceover: When we first started talking about going to Anchorage to shoot this episode, we knew we wanted to highlight the unique features of the house of worship. What we didn’t realize was there were so many to include. John even came back to talk about the work that he put in to make sure the house of worship stood out, even during the dark winter months.
John: So there’s lighting here.
Nan: I see that, yeah.
John: That shines up, and there’s actually lighting here, behind you here, that shines up onto the wall. And then if you notice on the steeples, there’s lighting that shines up from there also. So you have a light below that shining up and then lighting at the top also.
Nan voiceover: But the amount of thought put into the house of worship didn’t stop there. Alaska’s freezing temperatures can often be a hurdle to getting people out and about, but when the goal is to invite more people to learn about the church, adding heated sidewalks was high up on the list.
[On-screen text graphic]
John Dixon
Member of the Church Of Christ
John: In order for the brethren to come into the front of the building, because the parking is in the rear, we have to have a path for them to follow so that they can safely come in this front door. We made sure that there was a safe path for them to come in through the front of the building here.
Nan: It’s necessary. It’s not even really a luxury. It’s necessary for safety.
John: It’s necessary. It really is. If we want to, you know, be safe and invite people here, then we need to have something that is inviting and not a hindrance.
Nan: Exactly. If you’re slipping and potentially falling over …
[On-screen text graphic]
John Dixon
Member of the Church Of Christ
John: You come here, and you’ll slip and slide everywhere all over town, and you get to here and you can walk.
Nan: Yeah, exactly. Well, that’s great.
Nan voiceover: They say you have to be tough to make it in Alaska, that the weather hardens you, and the darkness isolates you. But coming here and meeting individuals who have chosen to make this city their home, I’ve come to see that having a place like this worship building can bring light to even the darkest moments and warmth to the coldest of days.
Nan: Well, that does it for our trip here to Anchorage, Alaska. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Blueprint where, in the end, everything is part of God’s plan.
[Show close]
