Prepared by Jennifer Hosler, Pastor

Our worship service focused on the theme of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. As followers of Jesus, we are called to love and know all of our neighbors, to work for justice, and to work for peace. Justice for our indigenous or Native North American neighbors is important. Our 2023 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference provided us with this Lament and resource, calling the church to do work. You can find that document here, something that we looked at during a Bible study worship service in June of this past year.

You will find videos and links for each portion of this service. Not all components of the service have been added here.

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

The video that we used for the service has been removed from YouTube, so you can find a link to a written version of it here. We used it as part of our Call to Worship.

Opening Song: God of the Bible (Jacob Crouse)

“We the People” – Mark Charles

Transition (Jennifer Hosler)

That message, that talk from Mark Charles, is a sobering piece for Christians, even for those of us who don’t necessarily have distinct identifications with the Roman Catholic Church and the doctrine of discovery that originally came from that. Yet those of us who live in this country, it is even embedded in our supposedly secular institutions, as the justification for harm, historic harm.

So I think it is something we can continue, both through reading the annual conference statement – which calls us to continue to learn and educate ourselves and by dialoguing, and particularly learning from Indigenous peoples. I thought it was important to lift up Mark’s voice today.

In the midst of acknowledging and lamenting pain and loss and harm done to Indigenous communities, I think it is also important to continue to acknowledge the resilience of Indigenous communities. I’d like to share one story with you all now about that resilience and that hope.

Inupiaq Old Testament Translation

Closing Song