Arctic Hope

Fort Good Hope is the oldest settlement in the lower Mackenzie Valley. Although established in 1805 by the Northwest Company, Fort Good Hope moved several times before it reached its current location on the east bank of the Mackenzie River, about 90 miles northwest of Norman Wells. The settlement is known for its unusual church, Our Lady of Good Hope, which was decorated with murals by a Catholic priest in 1878 and restored in 1993. Most of the residents still trap, hunt and fish for their livelihood.The primary access to the community is by the Mackenzie river in the summer and ice road in the winter. Most of the approximately 600 residents of Ft Good Hope are part of the Dene (pronounced Den - eh) Nation.

Having been the primary church in the community for almost 200 years, the majority consider themselves of the Catholic faith although the level of church attendance suggests this may be more of a cultural identification rather than a personal faith. In 1962 the Pentecostal Sub Arctic Mission began a work which has been led by Lance Jaques since 1999.

As is common in most of the relatively isolated communities of the Arctic, Ft Good Hope has a heritage of faith that has largely dwindled to a remnant. Most of the young people are caught between their native culture, satellite TV and boredom and have little purpose. Despite its name, Ft Good Hope needs prayer and the hope that faith in Christ provides. Please pray that God will draw the people of this community into a life transforming relationship with Christ. Please pray for the people and community that God will allow the community to live up to its name.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2008 at 10:38 and is filed under Summer of Exploration, Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.