Aboriginal Anglicans begin steps toward a self-governing church
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/article39202
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Ministry Mailer
- Date
- 1994 August
- Issue
- 3
- Page
- 14
- Notes
- A consultation of 20 Aboriginal Anglican leaders met in Winnipeg, Man., from 23-26 April 1994. "The group, which included members of the church's Council for Native Ministries and Aboriginal members of other national committees, presented a statement to the church's national executive council in May [1994]. The statement invites the Anglican Church 'to covenant with us, the indigenous Anglicans of Canada, in our vision of a new and enriched journey'. 'We were elated by how clearly we all felt led to this unanimous vision', said Donna Bomberry, chair of the Council for Native Ministries. .... 'We feel like new missionaries', said the Rev. Arthur Anderson, an Aboriginal member of the national executive council. 'We are bringing a proposal to our church for a new spiritual relationship between ourselves and non-native Anglicans'". "Aboriginal people are estimated to make up about 4 percent of Canadian Anglicans. There are approximately 210 Aboriginal congregations, 70 Aboriginal clergy, and two suffragan bishops".
- The text of "A New Covenant": "We representatives of the indigenous people of the Anglican Church of Canada, meeting in Winnipeg from the 23 to 26 April, 1994, pledge ourselves to this covenant for the sake of our people and in trust of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ: Under the guidance of God's spirit we agree to do all we can to call our people into unity in a new, self-determining community with the Anglican Church of Canada. To this end, we extend the hand of partnership to all those who will help us build a truly Anglican Indigenous Church of Canada. May God bless this new vision and give us grace to accomplish it. Amen".
- Subjects
- Native peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. National Executive Council
- Anglican Church of Canada - Structure
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Bomberry, Donna
- Anderson, Arthur (Arthur Merrill), 1937-
- A New Covenant
Aboriginal Anglicans move toward self-governing church
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/official2106
- Date
- 1994 May 6
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Record Type
- Press release
- Text
- Winnipeg, May 6, 1994 -- The trend toward native self-government has taken another step forward, this time in the church. A group of Aboriginal Anglicans has agreed to work toward the creation of "a new, self-determining community within the Anglican Church of Canada."
- The decision arises from a consultation of 20 Aboriginal Anglican leaders which was called to advise the church on priorities. The group, which included members of the Church's Council for Native Ministries and Aboriginal members of other national committees, presented a statement to the church's national executive council, meeting in Winnipeg this week.
- The statement invites the Anglican Church "to covenant with us, the indigenous Anglicans of Canada, in our vision of a new and enriched journey."
- "We were elated by how clearly we all felt led to this unanimous vision," said Donna Bomberry, chair of the Council for Native Ministries. "We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit all through the gathering. Every day we shared traditional [aboriginal religious] teachings, scripture readings, the eucharist and biblical reflection."
- "We feel like new missionaries," said the Rev. Arthur Anderson, an Aboriginal member of the national executive council. "We are bringing a proposal to our church for a new spiritual relationship between ourselves and non-native Anglicans."
- Archbishop Michael Peers, the church's Primate, notes that the church began a fundamental reviews of its relationship with native people 25 years ago, after a national report called its practices into question. "Since that time, we've worked at ways to increase our sensitivity to the needs and hopes of Aboriginal people. The dialogue that will be created by this initiative is a further step along that road.
- This is a sign of increased self-confidence, and a perception within the Aboriginal community that the rest of the church is ready and willing for this dialogue," he said. "Much of that dialogue will take place in local congregations and in dioceses."
- The initiative comes at time when the church is examining all of its structures and priorities. The National Executive Council has welcomed the Aboriginal initiative and pledged its "prayerful support and dialogue" throughout the process of developing a new relationship.
- Aboriginal people are estimated to make up about four percent of Canadian Anglicans. There are approximately 210 Aboriginal congregations, 70 Aboriginal clergy, and two "suffragan" (assistant) bishops.
- - 30 -
- Contact: John Bird, media relations (416) 924-9199, ext. 256
- Other participants in the native consultation are available for comment in other parts of the country: Donna Bomberry -- (905) 563-8510 (Niagara Peninsula), The Rev. Margaret Waterchief -- (403) 651-3246 (Southern Alberta), The Rev. Martin Wolfleg -- (604) 224-2597 (Vancouver), Esther Wesley -- (705) 267-7911 (Timmins, Ontario), Olive Elm -- (519) 652-2714 (h) (Southwestern Ontario), Morris Fiddler -- (807) 471-2520 (Northwestern Ontario), The Rev. Joshua Arreak -- (819) 979-3542 (Iqaluit, Nunavut), The Rev. James Isbister -- c/o (306) 763-8781 (Prince Albert, Sask.), The Rev. Murray Still -- (306) 734-2332 (Southern Saskatchewan), Audrey McKay -- (604) 621-3278 (w) or 3324 (h) (Nass Valley, BC), Vi Samaha -- (604) 458-2330 (central British Columbia), The Rev. Lily Bell -- (604) 626-3559 (Haida Gwaii)
- Notes
- [Text of Covenant reads as follows:]
- A Covenant
- We, representatives of the indigenous people of the Anglican Church of Canada, meeting in Winnipeg from the 23 to 26 of April, 1994, pledge ourselves to this covenant for the sake of our people and in trust of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ:
- Under the guidance of God's Spirit, we agree to do all we can to call our people into unity in a new, self-determining community within the Anglican Church of Canada.
- To this end, we extend the hand of partnership to all those who will help us build a truly Anglican Indigenous Church in Canada.
- May God bless this new vision and give us grace to accomplish it. Amen.
- [21 signatures]
- Background to Covenant:
- Our Journey of Spiritual Renewal
- We, the indigenous partners in Canada of the Anglican Communion respectfully affirm our place in God's Creation and in God's Love, manifest through the Grace of Jesus Christ. In specific, we address the Anglican Canadians with whom we are in direct Communion.
- We have shared a journey of close to three centuries in which we have been:
- - denied our place in God's Creation
- - denied our right as Children of God
- - treated as less than equal; and
- - subjected to abuse, culturally, physically, emotionally, sexually and spiritually.
- The result, in our communities, homes and daily lives, has been and continues to be:
- - broken homes and lives;
- - sexual and family violence;
- - high recidivism and incarceration rates;
- - high chemical abuse;
- - loss of spiritual fulfillment;
- - loss of cultures, languages and traditions; and
- - poor stewardship of Mother Earth.
- Because the National Church's canons, structure and policies have not always responded to our needs nor heard our voice; we now claim our place and responsibility as equal partners in a new shared journey of healing moving towards wholeness and justice.
- We acknowledge that God is calling us to a prayerful dialogue towards self-determination for us, the Indigenous People, within the Anglican Communion in Canada. Through this new relationship we can better respond to the challenges facing us in a relevant and meaningful way.
- As faithful people of God, guided by the Holy Spirit, we invite you, the Anglican Communion of Canada, to covenant with us, the Indigenous Anglicans of Canada, in our vision of a new and enriched journey.
- Subjects
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Anglican Church of Canada. National Executive Council
- Peers, Michael G. (Michael Geoffrey), 1934-
- Indigenous peoples - Canada
- Indigenous Covenant
- Covenants - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
Anglican Church commends work on healing for those abused at native residential schools
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/official16
- Date
- 1995 June 6
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Record Type
- Press release
- Text
- OTTAWA (June 6) -- The 300-member General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada responded enthusiastically to a report commending further work on the process of healing and reconciliation for former students of Native residential schools.
- General Synod, meeting in Ottawa this week, heard a summary of the work done by a Residential Schools Working Group created three years ago by the Anglican Church to address the needs of Aboriginal people who suffered physical, emotional, sexual and cultural abuse in the government-funded schools. Between 1820 and 1969 hundreds of thousands of Aboriginal children were placed in residential schools administered by Christian denominations.
- The Residential Schools Working Group recommended to General Synod that its work, which has included the development of educational resources, government submissions and grants for support programs for victims of abuse, continue under the auspices of the church's Council for Native Ministries, whose members are Native Anglicans.
- Angeline Ayoungman, co-chair of the working group, said the church must work to continue the healing which began at the Native Convocation in 1993, when Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, apologized to Aboriginal peoples on behalf of the church.
- "We've come a long way, but we have a long way to go before the healing and reconciliation is complete," said Ms Ayoungman. She said it may take several generations before the impact of residential schools, manifested in high levels of alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide among native communities, can be fully resolved.
- - 30 -
- Contact: Sam Carriere or Lorie Chortyk, Media Relations, General Synod. News Room: (613) 788-2600 ext. 2040 Cellular (613) 720-1468
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada - Residential schools
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Residential schools
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Indigenous peoples - Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. Residential Schools Working Group
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Healing - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. General Synod (34th : 1995 : Ottawa, Ont.)
Forces give Arctic grant
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/article33637
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican Journal
- Date
- 1995 June
- Volume
- 121
- Issue
- 6
- Page
- 7
- Notes
- The Canadian Armed Forces chapel offerings committee has granted $2,000 for the Diocese of the Arctic clergy leave fund, and $2,000 to allow members of the Council on Native Ministry to attend General Synod.
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada. Diocese of the Arctic - Finance
- Canadian Armed Forces
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
Healing and reconciliation - The church faces the legacy of residential schools
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/official1987
- Date
- 1992 May 27
- Source
- Anglican News Service
- Record Type
- Press Release
- Text
- May 27, 1992
- For immediate release
- Whose job is it to deal with the negative effects of church-run residential schools?
- The schools were common until about 1970. Whole generations of native young people were separated from their families and communities, sometimes for years at a time. One major legacy of the residential school system is the social and family breakdown that is now evident in many aboriginal communities. Stories of abuse - physical, emotional and sexual - have also emerged from the schools to shock and challenge leaders of the churches responsible for their administration.
- The Anglican Church of Canada has taken several steps to respond to issues raised by the native people affected by the 25 residential schools the church operated. Some of these actions have been controversial. Recently the Anglican Church announced the appointment of two people, neither of whom is native, to share the position of Special Assistant to the Primate on Residential Schools. Some people have wondered if the church is repeating past mistakes - making decisions about native people without consulting them.
- The Reverend Laverne Jacobs says that is not the case. Mr. Jacobs is the church's national co-ordinator for native ministries, and a member of the Walpole Island First Nation. He explains that the Council for Native Ministries (CNM), the national committee composed entirely of aboriginal people that guides the church's response to native issues, felt strongly that "it would be unfair to ask native people to take responsibility for cleaning up a mess they had no part in making. The residential schools were imposed on native people by the dominant society," he explains, "and the main issue is for the church to come to understand that the system was wrong. That's not the native people's job."
- CNM suggested the position should be open only to non-native applicants. Other church leaders, both native and non-native, argued that only a native person could truly understand the issues. In the end, the job was advertised openly and the decision left to a selection committee on which three of the five members were native people. This committee decided to examine all applications without prejudice, seeking the best candidates for the job.
- The two-year contract position has been awarded to Shirley Harding, a former national consultant on youth ministry for the church, and John Bird, past editor of Anglican Magazine. They will support the Residential Schools Working Group in helping the church respond to native people who were affected by the schools. The ultimate aim of the work is "reconciliation and healing."
- They will also work with Anglican dioceses, particularly in areas where the residential schools were situated, to help the church understand and take responsibility for its past, and to move forward into a new relationship with native people. Some funding has been set aside by the church to support programs initiated by native people to deal with the aftermath of the schools.
- Anglican Primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, notes that some people have been skeptical of the church's intentions. "I think they are right to be skeptical," he says, "but I hope our work will persuade them otherwise."
- For further information: John Bird (705) 738-5674; Shirley Harding (604) 325-3143.
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada - Residential schools
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Indigenous peoples - Canada
- Jacobs, Laverne V.B. (Laverne Valentino Burton), 1942-
- Bird, John, 1953-
- Harding, Shirley, 1935-2008
- Anglican Church of Canada. Residential Schools Working Group
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
Inclusion of Native People on Councils, Committees and Boards of General Synod
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/official2223
- Date
- 1994 November 1-4
- Source
- National Executive Council. Minutes
- Record Type
- Resolution 12-11-94
- Date
- 1994 November 1-4
- Record Type
- Resolution 12-11-94
- Seconder
- Mrs. Amy Newell
- Text
- That NEC:
- 1. request the Council for Native Ministries to review all C/C/Bs prior to General Synod to determine which are important for the inclusion of native people; and
- 2. upon receipt of this information, forward a directive to the General Synod Nominating Committee and the Primate stating that 5% of the total number nominated to all committees, with the exception of the Council for Native Ministries, be from aboriginal peoples, and that these be allocated to the committees designated by NEC and CNM.
- Following discussion, the mover and seconder agreed to add the words "at least" in 2. above, before "5% of the total number...". CARRIED #12-11-94
- Notes
- [The motion now reads:
- 1. request the Council for Native Ministries to review all C/C/Bs prior to General Synod to determine which are important for the inclusion of native people; and
- 2. upon receipt of this information, forward a directive to the General Synod Nominating Committee and the Primate stating that at least 5% of the total number nominated to all committees, with the exception of the Council for Native Ministries, be from aboriginal peoples, and that these be allocated to the committees designated by NEC and CNM. CARRIED #12-11-94]
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada - Committees - Membership
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. General Synod - Rules and practice
Indigenous Self-Determining Community
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/official2148
- Date
- 1994 April 30-May 5
- Source
- National Executive Council. Minutes
- Record Type
- Resolution 22-05-94
- Date
- 1994 April 30-May 5
- Record Type
- Resolution 22-05-94
- Mover
- Bishop Caleb Lawrence
- Seconder
- Mrs. Vi Samaha
- Text
- That this NEC acknowledges and welcomes the invitation of representatives of the indigenous people of the Anglican Church of Canada, meeting in Winnipeg from the 23rd to 26th of April 1994, to call the indigenous people into unity in a new, self-determining community within the Anglican Church of Canada, refers the invitation to the Council for Native Ministries and pledges its prayerful support and dialogue throughout the process of developing that relationship. CARRIED #22-05-94
- Subjects
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada - Government
- Indigenous peoples - Canada
Mending the hoop : Recovering the consensus model was a difficult but worthwhile process
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/article13663
- Author
- Jacobs, Laverne V.B. (Laverne Valentino Burton), 1942-
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- PMC (Practical Ministry in Canada)
- Date
- 1993 September
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Date
- 1993 September
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 3
- Page
- 15-16
- Notes
- Laverne Jacobs is Coordinator of Native Ministries for the Anglican Church of Canada.
- Subjects
- Jacobs, Laverne V.B. (Laverne Valentino Burton), 1942-
- Indians of North America - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Meetings - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
Native peoples made an impact
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/article11161
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican Journal
- Date
- 1992 September
- Volume
- 118
- Issue
- 7
- Page
- 6A
- Subjects
- Indians of North America - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Multiculturalism - Canada
- Multiculturalism - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada
Native program planned
http://archives.anglican.ca/en/permalink/article9980
- Record Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican Journal
- Date
- 1992 March
- Volume
- 118
- Issue
- 3
- Page
- 3
- Notes
- The Council for Native Ministries plans to hold a major orientation in May 1992 for the 18 native people who will be delegates to General Synod this summer.
- Subjects
- Indians of North America - Canada - Anglican Church of Canada
- Anglican Church of Canada. Council for Native Ministries
- Anglican Church of Canada. General Synod (33rd : 1992 : Toronto, Ont.)