wfn.org | Native American leaders look at 'Igniting' possibilities

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

June 30, 2000 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.  10-34-71B{312}

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - A small group of Native American leaders met June
28 to consider how their churches might participate in a national "Igniting
Ministry" media campaign that will be launched by the United Methodist
Church in 2001.

"Igniting Ministry" was approved by the denomination's General Conference
meeting in Cleveland May 2-12 and will be administered by Nashville-based
United Methodist Communications (UMCom) in cooperation with annual
conferences across the United States. Its primary purpose is to give the
denomination greater visibility and to promote local churches as welcoming
places. 

The consultation participants, called together by UMCom's Office of Native
American Communications, explored how Native American congregations can be a
meaningful part of the four-year effort. 

Ray Buckley, director of the office, said Igniting Ministry provides an
opportunity for local congregations to examine themselves and determine if
they really are welcoming.

Buckley said he and his colleagues doubt that anyone can be trained to be
welcoming if they don't have a genuine attitude of welcome. As an example,
he pointed to the Northern Plains, particularly the Rapid City, S.D., area.
"There are no Native American United Methodist Churches in that area, and
Native Americans are not particularly welcome in the Anglo churches," he
observed. He also pointed to Native American churches that may not welcome
whites or Native Americans from other traditions.

Buckley and the other consultants came up with a plan of operation. First,
there will be an effort to discover congregations that are already welcoming
and make them known. One suggestion to help congregations become more
welcoming was that members "dress down," so that people who don't own suits
and ties will not be embarrassed to attend, Buckley said.

Second, the group examined communications tools already in existence that
can be used by Native Americans. These include a radio program that UMCom
produced with the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. "Passages" features
individuals who have overcome significant obstacles in their lives.  

In a conversation with Bill Wolfe, the UMCom staff member who produces the
program, consultants learned that several interviewees have been Native
Americans. With money already available through UMCom, the group agreed that
the interviews would be put on disc and sent to Native American radio
stations this fall. Buckley noted that Native Americans on reservations
often listen to radio more than they watch TV because of poor reception.  

Such radio programs, Buckley said, can inspire listeners and help the United
Methodist Church have a presence among Native American people. Each program
would close with a brief credit saying it was produced by the United
Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  The consultants also agreed to
identify other Native Americans who could be interviewed on future programs.

UMCom produces another radio program for youth titled "Survivors." The
consultants explored with Wolfe the possibility of producing radio spots
specifically for Native American youth. "Teen suicides are incredibly high
on Indian reservations," Buckley noted. "Radio would be a good way to look
at such issues as AIDS, which is spreading through heterosexual transmission
on many of our reservations."

Some tools and resources haven't existed for Native Americans because they
haven't been requested, Buckley said. "I know it's incredible, but often
it's just because we haven't asked." And while they were asking, the
consultants called on UMCom to consider producing a series of 30-minute
videos on Native American spirituality.  

Consultants expressed a concern that Native American leadership in the
church is limited to small number of people. "The point was made again and
again that we have many Native American authorities and experts in fields
such as banking, education, economics and politics -- people who could make
significant contributions to the mission of the church but who are seldom
called on," Buckley said.  

Participants in the one-day consultation, in addition to Buckley, were:

Stuart Tonemah, Norman, Okla., Kiowa-Comanche, president of the American
Indian Research and Development Corp. and founder of the Native American
Bone Marrow Recruitment Program.

Olivia Schwartz, Upper Marlboro, Md., Lumbee, co-chair of the church's
Northeastern Jurisdiction Native American Ministries and a retired public
school principal. She is currently a consultant for Indian education in the
Washington area.

Ann Saunkeah, Oklahoma City, Cherokee, executive director of the United
Methodist Native American Comprehensive Plan; an authority on curriculum
development; a  member of the Ahalaya Project, an AIDS program for Native
people; a member of the board of directors of the Tulsa Indian Heritage
Center, the Patrick Henry Educational Foundation and the Indian Education
Committee of the Tulsa Public Schools.

The Rev. Sharee Kelly, a white clergy member of the Nebraska Conference, who
represented the High Plains Consultation involving people from three of the
church's five U.S. jurisdictions: South Central, North Central and Western.
When serving as a pastor of a Nebraska church near the Pine Ridge
Reservation in South Dakota, Kelly learned the Lakota language. "She has a
good grasp on how Anglo churches respond to Indian people," Buckley said.

Ginny Underwood, a Kiowa-Comanche from Nashville, who is a video producer
for UMCom.
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United Methodist News Service
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