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Native American Ministries Committee

Purpose:

develop and support Native American Ministries

study Native American issues

Meets Quarterly on Saturday
10:00 AM

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A Program Committee

Native American Ministries - Presbytery of Grand Canyon

Below is a general overview of the opportunities that Native American Church leadership has taken advantage of from 2001 through the present time

Leadership Development of Indian Presbyterian Churches
• Financial assistance to students in higher education (Presbytery) - ongoing
• Big Event(s) - Every 2 years (Native workshop leaders & participants)
• New Officer Training (offered by various leadership) - as requested
• Christian Education - local workshops & curriculum - ongoing
• Clerks of Session Training (Dick Coffelt @ Ganado) - as requested
• Native American Ministries Comm. - Partial Scholarships, Mission Funding
• Church Response to Domestic Violence - Joan Fenton @ local church sites
• Presbyterian Women - Spring & Fall Gatherings
• Winter Term Session at Cook College & Theological School in Tempe


• SYNOD LEADERSHIP EVENTS & SUPPORT
• Unity In Diversity Conference (Native participation in planning)
• Stewardship Conference (Spiritual Practice of Stewardship)
• Stewardship Training for Church Teams (Caring for Christ's Church)
• Reformed Spirituality Conference (Natives on planning team & in worship)
• Scholarship Assistance for Church leaders to attend conferences and scholarship assistance for Presbyterian students at Cook

Voice at Presbytery Level
The Presbytery Committee on Native American Ministry is made up of one representative from every congregation. Nearly one third of the Presbytery mission budget goes to Indian ministry. These ministries were once supported by the entire denomination and are now lodged as mission of this Presbytery. You can support ministries among Indian people in a variety of ways. Please communicate with us about this. (See church web pages for contact information.)

Many Native cultures (and therefore, churches) do not readily engage in self-promotion so that sharing news of Indian ministry has been mostly by word of mouth rather than through newsletters. But some churches DO have newsletters: Leupp, Central, Parker Valley.

Commissioned Lay Pastors (CLP), elders, and deacons continue to be the foundation for church efforts to nurture disciples for Christ. They are the ones who are strengthening the church today. The lay preachers in Leupp, Indian Wells, Oljato, and one member of the Maricopa church are now thinking about the next steps to become CLPs.

Indian members serve on the Committee on Ministry, the Presbytery Personnel Committee, and Presbytery Task Force on Multicultural Ministry. It continues to be a challenge for Indian people to find time and energy to serve beyond their home church, but more are finding that even their presence at Presbytery meetings can educate others and assist with networking. A member of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Chinle, will also be among the Synod mission group visiting Peru in July.


Our Pastors:
This leadership serves 17 of the 25 Indian ministry church sites. The rest rely on visiting preachers and rotation of elders as preachers.

Ministers of Word and Sacrament
• Rev. Norma McCabe - Kayenta
• Rev. Martha Sadongei - Phoenix

Commissioned Lay Pastors*
• Richard Blackwater - Sacaton (4 sites)
• Mary & Walter Danforth - Parker
• Roger Davis - Ft. Defiance
• Danny Halwood - Canyon Chapel
• Annette Lewis - Gila Crossing
• Bevan Lewis - Maricopa Village

Our Lay Preachers:
• Sarah Holiday - Oljato
• Patrick Francisco - Indian Wells
• Calvin Kelly - Leupp
• Randy Ruiz - Ft. McDowell
• Brandon Johns - Lehi

*Commissioned Lay Pastors are authorized by the Presbytery to administer the sacraments and perform weddings within the congregation of their commission.

PC(USA) - Commissioned Lay Pastors - Native American Ministry - CLP
Traditional Native American Indian leadership is an expression of the unity of Indian values. In Indian communities, spirituality and service to a community are the most basic qualities against which good leaders are judged. In traditional Indian culture, spirituality is a core element of leadership. Leaders are chosen for character, knowledge, experience and commitment to a community. Individuals do not seek leadership or exercise power by commanding authority over others. Leaders are chosen by consensus, based on the skills, knowledge, experience and commitment needed by a community at any given time. (American Indian Research and Policy Institute, 1999, pg. 35) In 1972, the term Native American was adopted when referring to American Indians or Indians because is would be a more inclusive term to include Eskimos and Aleut work.

Leaders historically have not been self-selected but carefully nurtured and nourished by the community. Who better knows their own needs and who from their own people could best serve their current and future needs than those elders and our ancestors. Potential leaders are taught that from early in their youth. A belief that the community had was that the selection process is an ongoing experience. Elders believed you are only selected after, observation, preparation, participation and finally validation. This is very compatible with those who enter the ministry either as clergy or as Commissioned Lay Pastors or, for that matter, in other disciplines, i.e. academic, medical or political.

The diversity within Native American communities located on and off reservations, recognized as Nations, Tribes or Bands, are unique societies with distinct values and cultures. read more

Chinle Youth Join Heritage Presbyterian Church in Mission By Chuck Toben, Heritage Presbyterian Church; Glendale Photos by Jasper Tso, Trinity Presbyterian Church; Chinle.
On November 11-13, 2004, ten members of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Chinle accepted our invitation to do some combined mission work in the Phoenix area. Our guests arrived late Friday evening with Heritage families hosting the six youth and four adults from the Chinle area. Saturday morning found us at West Valley Food Bank packing food boxes--nearly 500 boxes were filled!! After a pizza lunch at Sahuaro Ranch Park, we ventured to the West Valley Crisis Center in Glendale where we gave time and attention to approximately 40 children. On Saturday night, our combined group relaxed and went to the movies. Our Chinle friends shared "Jesus Loves Me" in Navajo during our Sunday morning worship services, before heading back home. A great weekend was had by all. We hope this may be the beginning of a longterm relationship between the two churches.

Photo Gallery Check back to this page periodically to see new postings of photos. Do you have a photo to add to the gallery? Send it in to Linda Bailey at the Presbytery Office, with a description of the photo. Click on the link under each photo to see an enlargement of that picture.
Indian Wells - Bell from Old Church (Enlargement)	Sacaton First Young Adults (Enlargement)	Blackwater Presbyterian Church Session (Enlargement)
Adult Choir at the Leupp Dedication (Enlargement)	Children's Choir at the Leupp PC Dedication (Enlargement)	Tech support at the Leupp Dedication Celebration (Enlargement)

Committee Members: 18

Interim Associate for Native American Ministries
Elder, Bob Lewis
Phone: 602-468-3820
Fax: 602-468-3824
4423 N. 24th St., Ste 200
Phoenix 85016

CHAIR: Florence Davis
VICE-CHAIR: Annette Stewart

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Class of 2008
Andrews, Janet
Donahue, Theresa
Etsitty, Sylvia
Lewis, Annette
Rhodes, Bill
Smallcanyon, Annabelle

Class of 2009
Collins, LaBerta
Danforth, Mary & Walter
Davis, Florence
Laurence, Irene
Norris, Liz
Velasco, Joella

Class of 2010
Francisco, Patrick
Hodahkwen, Jody
Yazzie, Jones
Benallie, Melinda
Stewart, Annette
Wilson, Yolanda