Tawâw: There is room
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Tawâw: There is room

“You don’t belong” is a spoken and unspoken message most of us have heard at one time or another. We’re all familiar with that sinking gut feeling when we’re told that we don’t fit in. For many Indigenous people, this experience has been true even in the church, where they have received the message to…

A new song for Indigenous Sunday
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A new song for Indigenous Sunday

“The Lord is God. He watches over all the lands, and we are put together, from the earth, by His hands,” sang Don Amero, a Cree musician and member of a Winnipeg CRC church. They are the opening lyrics to a song Amero wrote for the Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee (CIMC). The committee’s focus for…

Five milestones for Indigenous ministry in Canada
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Five milestones for Indigenous ministry in Canada

The Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee is a CRCNA committee that cares deeply about the relationships between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous people in Canada. Established in 2006, the committee has been leading the journey of reconciliation and providing resources for others on the path. In light of this, here’s five things you might not know: The…

Letting the Truth Fall In
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Letting the Truth Fall In

I recently heard a story of a Jewish student who went to his rabbi and asked, “Why does the Torah say to write God’s word on our hearts? Why does it not say to write God’s word in our hearts?”   The rabbi replied, “Because God knows that our hearts are closed, so we lay the…

Anniversaries of Indigenous Justice
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Anniversaries of Indigenous Justice

At the CRC Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee we mark all kinds of remembrances. August 17th is the anniversary of the discovery of Tina Fontaine’s body. October 23rd is the date Chanie Wenjack died running away from a residential school. May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls.  …

Hearts Exchanged
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Hearts Exchanged

Hearts Exchanged is being piloted as a process of equipping Reformed Christians to engage with Indigenous peoples as neighbours in a way that grows trust and transformation. Hearts Exchanged came to germination after being planted at a Cross-Cultural Ministry Forum of the Christian Reformed Church in North America way back in 2000. The report from…

UNDRIP
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UNDRIP

I remember the turmoil I felt when Tim Bosma, a young father from Ancaster, Ont., was killed. It felt so random, so unexpected, a man selling a truck goes out with buyers and doesn’t come back. And I think what gave me such a sense of uneasiness was the fact that this could have been MY father. Bosma’s last name sounded similar to so many people I know. His church background was the same as mine.