Akina Minneapolis | By James Beamond, Communications Specialist
Last month, a record of more than 40 Native American students from reservations across Minnesota gathered at The Woods at Lake Placid for a week to hear the gospel, build friendships, and meet Native Christian leaders.
For Dan and Erin Pack, Akina Camp is one piece of a calling that comes from a life on the mission field.
Early in life, both Dan and Erin felt calls to missions. Dan was a pastor’s kid from northeastern Illinois who, after a prodigal season, felt called to minister to Native America, while Erin grew up in Michigan and received her call to missions at camp. Eventually, their callings led them both to North Central University. Interestingly, it wasn’t until they both began serving at Indian Fellowship Assembly that they finally met. They married in 2007 and spent roughly a decade pastoring there while developing ministry to Native children.
By 2017, the Packs realized that balancing pastoral ministry, work, and children’s outreach was unsustainable. They stepped away from the pastorate to focus fully on Akina, a name reflecting the Ojibwe idea of “all” or “everyone.”
Today, Akina’s ministry centers especially on Little Earth of United Tribes in Minneapolis, where the Packs provide after-school ministry, meals, Bible teaching, mentoring, transportation, camp, and long-term discipleship.
“Our goal is to share the gospel faithfully and clearly with the limited time we have with students,” Dan said.
That urgency is shaped by the instability many children face, including foster care, addiction, violence, and family trauma. As Erin says, “God talks to kids, and that’s why kids’ ministry is so important.”
Their vision is expanding. Camp now brings together students from Minneapolis, Mille Lacs, and White Earth, alongside churches and leaders from across Minnesota.
And their prayer reaches beyond the present generation.
“We believe that there’s a world missionary in Little Earth,” Dan said.
The Packs are bringing missions to Native communities today, while believing that one day, Native believers will carry the gospel around the world.
