Celebration Planned June 23 for the Celebrated Pastor Nico

By Seth Beaubien

TN Contributor

With the term of Girdwood Chapel’s Pastor Nico Reijns coming to an end, a celebration of his work for the community is planned for June 23.

Pastor Nico begins a new posting in Anchorage at Turnagain United Methodist Church.  

On June 23, we will thank and celebrate all he has done for our community during his last service at 10:30 a.m. and afterwards with an ice cream social, starting approximately at noon. Come help us show our gratitude! Girdwood Chapel is located off Timberline Drive at 102 Heavenly Valley Drive. 

Pastor Nico has been a fixture here in the Girdwood Valley for the last five years.  He has been an important member of the community providing support linking services and aid to those in crisis and need.  

He has championed housing discussions and solutions, helped raise funds for a replacement vehicle for the only recycling service provider in town, and provided counseling to first responders.

Lay leader Terry Sherwood, who has over 30 years experience associated with the Girdwood Chapel, stated he brought the correct talents, knowledge and technology when COVID struck.  

Terry remembers Pastor Nico setting up the audio visual equipment with a huge screen television out in the parking lot every Sunday morning, providing Zoom and Facebook links, simultaneously, to the service for those who could not attend service in the parking lot in person.  

Building on that work, Pastor Nico continued the chapel’s on-line presence once worship services moved back indoors. Now, people log in from across the states, Mexico, Asia and Europe to worship with the Girdwood Chapel Community and take part in communion.  

“That was a big gift…it was amazing!  That is a gift that will continue even after he is gone," Sherwood said.

 When asked about his time in Girdwood, Pastor Nico said he is very proud of the relational work that has been done between himself, the chapel and the community.  

Pastor Nico Reijns coming to an end, a celebration of his work for the community is planned for June 23. (Courtesy Photo)

“Helping to grow Girdwood’s ability to care for each other as neighbors… It is foundational to who we are: love God, love your neighbor,” he said. 

He says one of the things he is going to miss is putting his dog Calvin on a leash, going for a walk, meeting and talking with people on the bike path and Moose Meadows from around the community and, where needed, connecting neighbors in need with people, resources and social services.

 The starting up of Turnagain Community Services (TCS) as the umbrella and non-profit outreach arm for the chapel was a large organizational undertaking that took place under Pastor Nico’s leadership.  

The purpose of TCS is to oversee and coordinate services, including emergency assistance, for the communities of Turnagain Arm, including Girdwood, Whittier, Indian, Bird Creek and Hope.   

The community garden and food pantry are just two of the community outreach efforts by chapel and community members that fall under TCS.  

During COVID, the food pantry volunteers made significant efforts and improvements and expanded to handle an almost nine-fold increase in customers across the Girdwood and Whittier communities. TCS and the food pantry continue to fight food insecurity in our community.

 We hope you will join in the celebration thanking and saying farewell to Pastor Nico, Laura, Mary Jane and Anna at his last service on June 23rd  at 10:30 and at the ice cream social afterwards at noon. All are welcome!