Reflection Worship Service Sunday June 22 National Indigenous Day of Prayer

We were reminded of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #59: “We call upon church parties to the Settlement Agreement to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization, the history and legacy of residential schools, and why apologies to former residential school students, their families, and communities were necessary.”

With gratitude we welcomed guests from the Willow River Centre and the Land Back Camp to our worship service: Amy Smoke, Skye Smoke and Anthony Warren.

Our guests opened the service drumming the Friendship Song.

Eleven-year old Skye Smoke offered the Thanksgiving Address in her native language, something she has been doing since she was three years old.  The Thanksgiving Address is “the words that come before all else”.

The service included  Medicine Prayers and the Scripture Reading from the recently printed Indigenous Bible.

Amy Smoke presented a shortened version of the Haudenosaunee Indigenous Creation Story.  She reminded us that the story varies with each clan.  

The service closed with the drumming of The Travelling Song.