Special Sunday For United Methodist Church Faithful: Native American Ministries---And a good word from Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston of the Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church

But even if you don't attend a United Methodist Church you can support Native American communities with a commitment to social justice, humility and providing solidarity! We are all on the lands of indigenous peoples.

From the Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church:

"I feel my ancestors near me. I feel them standing close. I can hear their breathing. They are that present. And I know why they are here, even without asking. The ones who have gone before know what we are going through. They have walked this path of pain; they have made their share of sacrifice and courage. They have come to help us in our own time of struggle. They are here to add their strength to ours. So look up, whoever you are, look up and be hopeful. Your ancestors are reaching out to you, and perhaps without even knowing it: you have been reaching out to them."

---The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston

And...

"I live in the backyard of faith, the one I knew over seventy years ago. I am still there, among the fireflies and moths, running beneath the pale liquid of the moon, turning my memory to a watercolor, and my hope into a small dog who loved me. The warm air is wrapped around my skinny legs, the night sounds a symphony of crickets. I am still there, all these years later, in my heart and in my mind, innocent of what was to come, but already deep into what would last through it all. On warm summer evenings I still search for the source of the whisper I heard that night: the one that knew my name."

---The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston

And...

"If you listen very carefully, when the world around you seems silent, even if only for a moment, you can sometimes hear the sound of a single voice, singing softly. It is a mother singing to her child. Somewhere, far out there, on the other side of the world, a young woman has captured the whole meaning of life into one song, the one she is singing to the most precious thing in her life, the baby for whom she cares. Listen carefully with your heart, open you soul to hear it, even if only for an instant. For in that distant lullaby is the sum and center of all we hold sacred: the unconditional love of one human being for another."

---The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston