This totem stands in Kispiox. Photo by Doug Goodwin, at the 2016 Native Ministries Council.

National Indigenous History month will focus our attention to deepen our commitments and actions toward justice and reconciliation within the United Church of Canada, and within our communities.   

LeaderShift is pleased to host this free workshop series, coordinated by Rev John Snow, Pacific Mountain Regional Council Indigenous Minister, and Tony Snow, Coordinator for Indigenous Right Relations, Chinook Winds Regional Council.

Register here

Calls to the Church: Listening to the Wisdom of the Elders 

This four-session series will highlight the Calls to the Church approved at the 2018 General Council. The Calls to the Church document articulates the Indigenous Church’s vision for the ongoing development of Indigenous Peoples’ mission and ministry and communities of faith within The United Church of Canada. It outlines pathways for the whole church to continue to walk in the Spirit of Christ toward justice, healing, and reconciliation. 

The Calls to the Church emerged from a process of discernment by the Indigenous church as The United Church of Canada discerned a way forward, following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and as a part of a comprehensive review within the United Church.   

Please register for the no cost event!  You will receive a follow up confirmation letter that includes a zoom link to use for the series.  Please join in as many of the sessions as you can.  And share this invitation with people in your community of faith.   

Date and Time: 

• Four evenings

• June 1 – 4, 2021 

• 6:30 -7:30 pm PT / 7:30 -8:30 pm MT  

Session themes

Each session will include teaching from our Indigenous Ministers, and time for discussion in groups. 

June 1 - – Indigenous Ministry Orientation, Reconciliation Programming, Sharing Circle 

• an overview of ways of being Indigenous Ministry in PM and CW Regions, and where we can share our work as Communities of Faith.

June 2 - Apology, TRC, UNDRIP, Calls to the Church 

• A review of our work as a church with the recent calls to the church by the Indigenous Elders and discussion of implementation of the calls in communities of faith what they are discerning and what actions each are taking. 

June 3 - Meaningful Observation and Advocacy (Red Dress Day, Indigenous Month, Treaty Day, Orange   Shirt Day, Sisters in Spirit Day) 

• Implementation of the work incorporating what has been learned from the Apology, TRC, UNDRIP and the United Church Elders Calls to the Church. 

June 4 - What is your path? Living into the Calls to the Church 

• What is our workplan, considering past Moderator Jordan Cantwell’s request to implement the Calls to the Church as our United Church Workplan. 

Download the PDF promo flyer here.

Download the PowerPoint promo slide here.

Leadership

Rev. John Snow Jr.

John is a direct descendant of Treaty 7 signatories and a member of the Stoney Tribe; he is a sun-dancer and pipe-holder in the Nakoda Tradition. John was educated in Canada, the United States and London, England. He holds an M.A. in Political Science in Public Policy, Law and Administration from the University of Calgary. John is a seasoned speaker, instructor and negotiator for technical oil and gas. He has worked with provincial and federal governments to advise on policy, guided by the Treaties, the TRC, and UNDRIP. John has been able to provide insight on Indigenous ways and history by giving presentations and instructing Indigenous courses for youth to post-graduate, and for the United Church and the Morley Ecumenical Conference. John has served the United Church of Canada as a student minister in Maskwacis, as a member of the Permanent Committee on Finance, Chinook Winds Regional Executive, and the National Indigenous Council. A recent graduate of the Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Center Indigenous Ministry Program, John was ordained September 2020, in The United Church of Canada, M. Div.. John’ s ministry is grounded in community, and walking in faith together to build a vision for the future.

Tony Snow

Tony Snow is a member of the Stoney Nakoda Sioux First Nation in Morley, Alberta. He is a direct descendent of signatories to Treaty Number 7. His father, the late Dr. Rev Chief John Snow, was the first Ordained Indigenous Minister in the United Church in Alberta. Tony works as the Indigenous Minister for Chinook Winds Region and is the Indigenous Lead for Right Relations at Hillhurst United Church in Calgary. He is a member of the Calgary Interfaith Council, the Climate Advisory Circle and the Anti-Racism Common Table for the United Church of Canada. He is currently completing M.Div Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology.