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'Oklahoma IV' consultation for indigenous ministries is topic of May 30 bulletin inserts
Full text of the inserts is below. Inserts may be downloaded here.
Church leaders to study future of indigenous ministries
By Sarah Eagle Heart
Indigenous clergy, laity, and bishops whose ministry includes native peoples are gathering May 27 - 31 in Sewanee, Tennessee, for the Oklahoma IV 2010 Consultation: "The Present and Future of Indigenous Leadership in the Episcopal Church."
This consultation has great significance for the indigenous community and continues 25 years of work in the Episcopal Church. It has been developed and planned by the Indigenous Theological Training Institute, with support from the Executive Council Committee on Indigenous Ministries and the Episcopal Church's Office of Native American/Indigenous Ministry. It is one of the ways the Episcopal Church continues to build bridges of leadership and action with indigenous people, continuing a relationship begun 400 years ago.
Past consultations produced seven points of action for the church:
1. The continued inclusion and empowering of Indians and native people in the decision-making of the church.
2. Exploration and experimentation with alternative modes of church governance and structure.
3. Consultation with all programs of the Episcopal Church designed to combat the evils of racism.
4. Assistance in the development of a variety of media especially designed to foster cross-cultural appreciation and understanding.
5. Assistance in the design of material and programs for the training of indigenous church leaders, both lay and ordained.
6. Assistance in the design of educational curricula for adults and children, addressing needs inside and outside the church.
7. The exposure of the whole church to native spirituality, and the encouraging of native communities to offer this spirituality to the whole church.
On All Saints Day of 1997, indigenous church leaders, with then-Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning and then-President of the House of Deputies Pamela P. Chinnis, gathered in Jamestown, Virginia, to establish a new covenant, which included four principles:
"1. As we strive for justice in reconciling our history of colonization and the suffering it has engendered for generations between us: We will continue to be as constant in our search for the truth as we are responsible to its discoveries.
"2. As we work together to find new solutions to the social and political challenges before us: We will continue to be as dedicated to the principles of self-determination as we are committed to justice for all humanity.
"3. As we expand the theological and spiritual dialogue between our several traditions and communities: We will continue to be as respectful of the integrity of indigenous traditions as we are loving in sharing Christ.
"4. As we stand together to honor, protect, and nurture our home, the Earth: We still continue to be as active in stewardship of God's creation as we are diligent in our advocacy for its care."
Those who attended this historic event pledged their hearts and minds on behalf of the Episcopal Church to a "Decade of Remembrance, Recognition, and Reconciliation." We are now in our second decade of remembrance, and continue to honor the past and commit to healing for the future for the next generation.
In 2009, the 76th General Convention called the Episcopal Church to a deep commitment to mission with the adoption of Resolution A155, "Establishing Programs for the Alleviation of Domestic Poverty," focusing on indigenous peoples. With the bold passage of D035, the Episcopal Church became the first to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery (a 15th-century assertion that European Christians had the right to subjugate native peoples) and begin the work of reconciliation from policies in which our church was a core partner in the colonial marginalization of indigenous peoples around the world. These policies have contributed to the destruction of identity, culture, and rich traditions.
The 2010 consultation will be a time where indigenous leadership will work with bishops and other church leaders to develop a plan to address questions such as: How does the Doctrine of Discovery affect us today? How do Christian values and traditional values relate? Where do we want to be five years from now?
Current House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori have affirmed and expanded the church's commitment to indigenous and Native American ministry.
In a letter to bishops whose jurisdictions include significant indigenous populations, Jefferts Schori asked for their commitment to this ministry.
"At such a time of urgent need and unique opportunity, we must do more than offer quiet prayers," she wrote. "We must join in the costly, active work to make those prayers reality. May God's prayer in us lead us to dream and collaborate with our indigenous brothers and sisters who continue to seek more abundant life, as they bring gifts needed by the whole church."
For more about the Oklahoma IV 2010 Consultation: www.okiv2010.com/index.html
—Sarah Eagle Heart is Native American & Indigenous Ministries Officer for the Episcopal Church.
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