Wyoming ordains its first Native American female priest

From ENS-

On May 26, the Rev. Roxanne Jimerson-Friday became the first Native American woman from the Wind River Indian Reservation, in the state of Wyoming, ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church. The ceremony took place at Our Father’s House Episcopal Church in Ethete, with the Rt. Rev. John S. Smylie, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, presiding. The Rev. Tommy Means gave the sermon. Jimerson-Friday is the first woman Shoshone tribal member to be ordained to the Episcopal priesthood.

Jimerson-Friday is part of the Seneca Nation of New York, on her father’s side, and part of the Shoshone Tribe of Wyoming, on her mother’s side. She was born in Lander, grew up in New York until she was 10, and then moved back to Wyoming. She currently lives in Ethete with her husband, Aaron Friday.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2017/05/31/first-native-american-woman-in-wyoming-ordained-to-episcopal-priesthood/

Standing Rock is a new turn in Christian ties with native Americans

From The Economist-

WHATEVER the final result of the huge, long-running protests by native Americans against the Dakota Access Pipeline, the demonstrations will surely be remembered as a landmark in relations between organised religion, Christianity in particular, and indigenous people. Along with representatives of over 200 indigenous groups from across the New World, camped out at the Standing Rock Reservation since April, Christian clergy have been adding their voice to the protests in multiple ways.

Given that Pope Francis called for a rapid switch away from fossil fuels in his environmental encyclical, you might expect the radical end of the Catholic church to be the religious community most intensely engaged in this cause. But it is liberal or "mainline" Protestant churches who have made the running. If there is one individual who personifies Christian support for the indigenous protests, it is the Reverend John Floberg, who is responsible for Episcopal (Anglican) parishes on the North Dakota side of Standing Rock.

More here-

http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2016/11/church-and-dakota-pipeline-protests

Episcopal Church Executive Council stands with Standing Rock

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council asked Oct. 22 that law-enforcement officials “de-escalate military and police provocation in and near the campsites of peaceful protest and witness of the Dakota Access Pipeline project.”

The request came in a resolution council passed as it wrapped up its three-day meeting here. A summary of resolutions council passed is here.

Council’s resolution on the Dakota pipeline protest follows support by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry both in words and his presence with the protestors.

The Rev. John Floberg, council member and supervising priest of the Episcopal churches on the North Dakota side of Standing Rock, told the council’s Joint Standing Committee on Advocacy and Networking for Mission Oct. 21 that the way the protest has been conducted has been “the most powerful experience I have had in my 25 years on Standing Rock.” And, yet, he said, he has been shaken by the racist responses that the protest has generated elsewhere in the state.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2016/10/22/episcopal-church-executive-council-stands-with-standing-rock/

Tribes invoke sacred reasons in opposing Dakota pipeline

 From Virginia-

One of the most challenging arguments regarding energy generally and pipelines specifically is not addressed by secular law. McAuliffe left out the theological implications, to no one’s great surprise.

A tense pipeline debate is occurring in the Dakotas, too. The Standing Rock Sioux Nation opposes the Dakota Access Pipeline, which it says would violate sacred tribal grounds.  It also would threaten the water supply, protesters believe.

The Episcopal Church enjoys a strong presence among the tribes. Michael Curry, the church’s presiding bishop, has visited the region to encourage the Standing Rock Sioux. He cited biblical precedent for Standing Rock’s claim.

Each pipeline must be judged on its merits. Domestic natural gas serves as a welcome alternative to imported fuels.

More here-


http://www.dailyprogress.com/opinion/opinion-editorial-tribes-invoke-sacred-reasons-in-opposing-dakota-pipeline/article_3b782d92-895c-11e6-aa8e-93f21b43566c.html

Standing Rock oil pipe protest may become “the new Selma”

From Anglican News-

The Presiding Bishop of the US-based Episcopal Church has delivered an impassioned speech in support of the Standing Rock Sioux community. Bishop Michael Curry told them that their stand against a controversial oil pipeline could become as important in US history as the 1965 civil rights stand in Selma, Alabama. Selma is considered a turning point in racial equality in the US after a peaceful protest by African Americans demanding the right to vote was met with police violence.

The Presiding Bishop made his comments at the weekend during a solidarity visit to the Sioux protest camps along the Canon Ball River. They are opposed to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline which is set to run through sacred burial grounds and under the Missouri River.

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2016/09/standing-rock-oil-pipe-protest-may-become-the-new-selma.aspx

Native American woman ordained to Episcopal diaconate

From Wyoming-

Roxanne Jimerson-Friday is set to become the first Native American woman from the Wind River Indian Reservation to be ordained to the transitional diaconate of the Episcopal Church in Wyoming.

Ceremonies begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie, with the Rt. Rev. John S. Smylie, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, presiding. Several others in the process of becoming priests will be ordained during the ceremony as well.

Jimerson-Friday’s ordination is a major step in the process of becoming a priest. Upon being ordained a priest, she will be the first Shoshone tribal member to do so, according to a media release.

More here-

http://trib.com/news/local/casper/native-american-woman-ordained-to-episcopal-diaconate/article_14173d4c-5c6e-52dd-bdc8-93a04568afe4.html

CEO Sarah Eagle Heart Grows Nonprofit 'Native Americans in Philanthropy'

From Indian Country-

Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) has revved up its outreach and networking since Sarah Eagle Heart, Oglala Lakota, came on board as its new chief executive officer in fall 2015. Eagle Heart is a fierce advocate of building strong, healthy tribal communities while preserving Native traditions.

Founded in 1990, NAP strives to power reciprocity and investment in Native communities. The national membership-based nonprofit promotes collaboration to develop meaningful philanthropic opportunities rooted in Native values. NAP is not a grant maker but rather a facilitator, connecting nonprofits and emerging leaders with Native communities. NAP recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary as the only national organization that raises awareness and support for Native and non-Native practitioners of philanthropy through engagement, education and empowerment.
Read more at -

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/03/08/ceo-sarah-eagle-heart-grows-nonprofit-native-americans-philanthropy-163667

Healing the past: Episcopal program studies history of church, Native culture

From South Dakota-

South Dakota's Episcopalians are working to mend what one priest calls “historical trauma” between the church and Native Americans.

“It can hurt, but it’s very important,” said the Rev. Paul Sneve who facilitates efforts to mend the wounds of the past. “The more we talk about it, that’s how we begin to heal our historical trauma.”

Twice a year, the former rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Rapid City leads a workshop on the history of the Dakota and Lakota people and the impact of assimilation on their culture, traditions and spirituality. Episcopalian clergy, parishioners and others attend the two-day Dakota Experience, which was recently held in Rapid City.

“We discuss the good and the bad in our history,” Sneve said.

More here-

http://rapidcityjournal.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/healing-the-past-episcopal-program-studies-history-of-church-native/article_74deaf5b-6b80-5d6d-b6a6-8f2036e00716.html

Navajoland Area Mission continues to raise up native leaders

From ENS-

“This is believed to be a historic action of the election of an all-Navajo deputation,” Eaton, who was ordained to the transitional diaconate in December and is Bailey’s canon to the ordinary, told Episcopal News Service via e-mail, after the meeting.  “Most certainly to be true in the election of all Navajo clerical deputation.”

Plummer is the daughter of the late Bishop Steven Plummer, who served Navajoland as bishop from 1990 to 1994. Her mother, Catherine Plummer, is a priest at St. Mary’s of the Moonlight Episcopal Church in Oljato, Utah.

When Plummer and Sampson were ordained, they became the latest ordained Navajo leaders that the area has raised up and Bailey has ordained since he became bishop in August 2010. There are eight ordained Navajo and three others are in training.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/06/18/navajoland-area-mission-continues-to-raise-up-native-leaders/

WCC Assembly listens to indigenous voices

From Ekklesia-

National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald has spoken about the "living relationship" that indigenous people have with the land.

He also shared his thoughts about the "sense of kinship" that people feel when they meet with others from around the world.

The indigenous leader from the Anglican Church of Canada was reflecting at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, which is meeting through to 8 November 2013 in Busan, Republic of Korea.

Jasmine Bostock, also a member of the Episcopal Church's delegation from North America, spoke about how being at the WCC Assembly helps facilitate exchanges of knowledge about indigenous issues worldwide.

The Episcopal Church's Sarah Eagle Heart expressed her thoughts about the connectivity of prayer and worship via images shared on social media.

Indigenous Christian voices from around the world – including Asia, India, Africa, Polynesia, Australasia, Aotearoa, the Middle East and North America – have been heard around Busan.

More here-

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/19385

Hymns a unique part of a renewed Ojibwe culture

From Minnesota-

When 30 people gathered recently for an evening service at St. Columba Episcopal Church, they recited liturgy like thousands of other church congregations.

But when they began singing, it quickly became clear that theirs was not a typical Minnesota prayer service.

A visitor would have recognized the melody to "What a friend I have in Jesus," but the parishioners sang in Ojibwe, thanks to the translations early missionaries made to help convert Indians to Christianity.

Music is a time honored part of worship in most religions. For many Ojibwe people in northern Minnesota, hymns are much more than an expression of religious devotion. They represent a unique piece of Ojibwe culture tribal that members are trying to preserve.

White Earth Tribal Chair Erma Vizenor, one of the singers at the service, said it's critical to keep the Ojibwe language alive.

More here-

 http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/253892/group/homepage/

Memories Of An Old Priest Still Illuminate Our Time

From Oregon-

The Rev. John Roberts was our family priest from 1883 until his death in 1949. In a cheering change of pace, we white people were something of an afterthought to him compared to the Shoshone and Arapaho Indians who were his enthusiastic focus.

A Welshman, Roberts was 30 when he arrived on the Wind River Indian Reservation. This was a few years after President Ulysses S. Grant in effect “gave” the Shoshones to the Episcopal Church in an early version of modern-day faith-based initiatives designed to enlist religious denominations in aiding needy citizens.

Father Roberts became friends with both Chief Washakie and his fellow old soldier, my great-great-grandfather Sgt. Ed Alton. Washakie’s legend still shines radiantly from that bedarkened time. In “Son of the Morning Star,” a masterpiece about Custer and the Little Big Horn, author Evan Connell paints this lush picture of a preliminary June 17, 1876 battle: “embarrassing scenes alternated with moments of intense beauty. Chief Washakie, the great Shoshone, rode naked to the waist, wearing a bonnet with so many feathers that they swept the earth.”

More here-

http://news.opb.org//article/memories_of_an_old_priest_still_illuminate_our_time/

Maitland church makes its mark

From Florida (some interesting history here)

Maitland’s Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd on Lake Avenue has been a silent observer of Florida’s history for more than 120 years. Like an elderly Southern lady, the church does not shy from showing its age, as if confident in the grace and bearing that age may bestow.

The white and gray wooden sidings and pyramidal roof appear like a scene from a Norman Rockwell photograph and are in contrast to the bright red double doors that beckon in visitors, just as they must have for the first settlers and native Seminole tribes in their day.

Now the Church of the Good Shepherd has solidified its place in the history books. Last month, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

More here-

http://www.wpmobserver.com/news/2011/jul/06/maitland-church-makes-its-mark/

Episcopal church on reservation get new life

From South Dakota-

Bishop John Tarrant’s initial message to the Rev. Bob Two Bulls was viewed with skepticism by the pastor of Christ Church Episcopal in Red Shirt Table.

“I was suspicious when I got an e-mail from the land office there at the diocese, saying Bishop Tarrant wanted to meet with me,” Two Bulls said recently, seven months after Tarrant was installed as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota and about 18 months after the diocese officially “closed” Christ Church and eight other small churches on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Since that initial contact, Two Bulls and Tarrant have had three face-to-face visits. They’ve developed a friendship and a change of heart, if not a change of policy, in the diocese’s approach to those nine Pine Ridge congregations.

In 2008, then-Bishop Creighton Robertson announced plans to close Episcopal churches in Oglala, Wolf Creek, Wakpamni Lake, Manderson, Kyle, Potato Creek, Porcupine, Allen and Red Shirt Table because of falling attendance and failing finances. The move sparked controversy throughout the reservation and acrimony within the diocese.

Eventually, each of those properties was declared “inactive” by the diocese, and ownership of them was transferred back to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. But the churches themselves were never officially “deconsecrated” by the diocese, and Tarrant, who was installed as bishop Oct. 31, has since made it clear to Two Bulls and other Pine Ridge Episcopalians that they are free to continue to use the churches for worship services and community events, as members in good standing within the diocese. Tribal officials are supportive of that use, as well.

More here-

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_c08c8ae6-818e-11df-a9f6-001cc4c002e0.html

MINNESOTA: Native American, Hmong congregations seek to preserve cultural identities

From Episcopal Life Online. (Don't the Hmong have nice hats!)

Episcopal Church is committed to sharing "the good news of Jesus in ways people can understand and receive" within a variety of cultural contexts, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told gatherings of Native American and Hmong Episcopalians during a May 14-17 visit to the Diocese of Minnesota.

On Saturday, she toured the Prairie Island Indian Reservation and met with a group of about 25 clergy and lay leaders at the Messiah Episcopal Indian Mission in Welch, about 50 miles south of Minneapolis. Among other things, they asked about "the circle of advice that is being consulted for decisions in and about native ministries" as well as appropriate funding sources for it.

The Rev. Robert Two Bulls Jr., director of the diocesan Department of Indian Works, shared a document previously given to the Presiding Bishop which listed concerns from a dozen clergy working in 12 Native mission congregations and two specialized ministries, including All Saints Episcopal Indian Mission in Minneapolis, where he serves as vicar.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_107783_ENG_HTM.htm