Fairbanks Rescue Mission

The Fairbanks Rescue Mission was incorporated in November 1973 and opened its first shelter on Valentine’s Day, February 1974. Its founding board—led by Chairman James Barefoot and Vice-Chairman Ralph Pike (who later served thirteen years as Executive Director)—guided the Mission through its early years and watched it grow into a stable doorway of evangelism and Christian service for the Fairbanks community Today, the Mission operates the only overnight emergency shelter for men, women, and children in Interior Alaska, giving it a vital role in the life of our community. In April 2000, construction began on a new 41,000-square-foot facility at 723 27th Avenue. We moved in January 2001, and the building was dedicated in May of that year. Licensed for 120 men and 80 women, it also allows us to serve men with children and women with older boys—needs unmet in our earlier facility. This building was a generous gift from Dennis and Mary Wise to the people of Fairbanks. To all who support the Mission: without you, this work would not exist. God bless you. Our Guiding Convictions Matthew 25:35 has long shaped our purpose, and the Mission continues to live out our calling to safely shelter, clothe, feed, and provide a pathway to productive independence and long-term transformation. Yet we also place a strong emphasis on the Great Commission in Matthew 28. Our conviction is simple: helping doesn’t help if lives aren’t changed. The Mission exists not only to meet physical needs but to serve as a delivery mechanism for the gospel, pointing men and women to the lasting hope found in Jesus Christ.