April 30 is Native American Ministries Sunday, an opportunity to empower.

On Native American Ministries Sunday, United Methodists gain new understandings even as they provide financial support for both national and local programs and leadership development.

Rev. Roy Hilburn of Coharie United Methodist Church in Clinton, N.C.is a recipient of the Native American seminary award, made possible by the Native American Ministries Offering. Hilburn said the scholarship was a blessing in his life. “I felt honored, I felt respected, but most importantly, I felt noticed,” he said.

Hilburn urges United Methodists not to forget about Native American peoples. “It takes a movement like Native American Ministries Sunday to bring awareness that we’re more than a percentage. We are a people who are still present in this time and in the future.”

A year ago, Michigan United Methodists took part in an Act of Repentance and Reconciliation with Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples. It was a time of powerful storytelling about the past with an invitation to create a future story of health and hope.

Experience that presentation again, or maybe for the first time, through the video that features storyteller Raggatha (Ragghi) Calentine. She relates what Native Americans have felt through centuries of abuse, forced relocation and inhumane treatment. Michigan Area leaders–Rev. Dr. Jerome DeVine, Rev. Benton Heisler, Nichea Ver Veer Guy, Mike Johnson, and Rev. Dr. Tracy Huffman–provide dates, statistics and events that create a timeline of broken promises.

Participation in the Native American Ministries Offering is one more step in support of life-changing ministries in Michigan and around the country. Click here for a free Resource Kit.

 

https://vimeo.com/170467886

Last Updated on April 17, 2017