Site
Contents
 |
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
Area United Methodist
Foundation
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
click here
Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
April 2002 |
A ministry of respect:
United Methodists reach out to Native Americans
By Lynda C. Ward
The Rev. P.T. Wilson's voice sounds almost as if it is dancing when he speaks of his role as the chair of the Committee on Native American Ministries (CNAM) in the South Indiana Conference. CNAM was mandated by the 1992 General Conference, asking all annual conferences to form committees specifically focusing on Native American Ministry. Wilson, the chair CNAM since it began in1994, has labored alongside his committee members to develop this relatively new ministry "from the ground up." Today it is a ministry that is thriving and growing.
According to the recent census, there are over 35,000 Native Americans living in Indianapolis, reports Wilson, adding that there are no federally recognized Indian reservations or groups in the state of Indiana. "The Church's ministry in Indiana is not about reaching out to people on reservations," says Wilson. "The church's ministry to Native Americans in Indiana is about reaching out to the many Christians who have reported to the annual conference that they identify themselves as "Native American" and to others who have described themselves on the census as either full-blooded Indians or having Native American ancestry.
One of the many goals of Wilson's committee is to assist local churches in being more hospitable to Native Americans by integrating Native American traditions and symbols into their worship services and programs. "Personally, I am amazed that a number of our churches have Native American symbols [already] incorporated into the sanctuary," says Wilson, adding "for many churches to recognize these symbols and use them is an easy first step."
Both the North and South Indiana Conference's CNAM serve as a resource for churches who would also like to use Native American videos, books and other print material in Sunday schools, study groups and church camps. Additionally, the SIC CNAM offers annual workshops on integrating Native American and Christian spirituality, as well as seed money for church groups who wish to send mission work teams to reservations; and they are also exploring ways they can assist churches who would like to reach out to Native Americans who are incarcerated in Indiana, or assist churches who would like to support Native Americans on issues involving matters of legal rights and justice.
Wilson's committee sees their ministry as a ministry of education to United Methodists interested in Native American spirituality and social issues, as well as a ministry of respect and hospitality to Native Americans in Indiana. One of the highlights each year for the SIC is their annual Native American Retreat where nationally recognized speakers, such as Rev. Marvin Abrahms, senior pastor of the Native American UMC of Anaheim, California, and his daughter Cynthia Abrahms, director of the CNAM at the national level, are invited to guide participants in a spiritually deepening experience. In 1999, the Abrahms also held a Friday night "pow wow" for youth participants. This year's retreat, on April 6 in Indianapolis, will feature former general secretary of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the Rev. Thom Whitewolf Fassett, himself a native American. For more information contact: 812/876-4792.
Lynda Ward is the Michiana District communications coordinator.
Last updated on 01/14/2004