A facilitation team will guide the gathering through an Indigenous Appreciative Inquiry process that draws on traditional ways.
From November 29 to December 2, 2024, the National Indigenous Spiritual Gathering (NISG) will gather in Winnipeg, a spiritually significant and sacred place. We hope and trust that this sacred site—as it did for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s first national event—will support the NISG in bringing healing to the Indigenous Church after a very difficult year.
A fire will be kept throughout the gathering; all participants are invited to visit the fire for reflection and prayer.
The National Indigenous Elders Council will open the meeting with The Bundle ceremony, followed by a service of Holy Communion.
NISG participants will be guided through an Indigenous Appreciative Inquiry (IAI) process by Matt LeBlanc, Nichole Forbes, and Elder Terry LeBlanc. As a philosophy, IAI builds on the best ideas and practices of traditional ways of knowing, being, and doing. This process will help the Gathering address questions that have surfaced in recent months about the National Indigenous Council and its relationship to the United Church.
Together, the Gathering will work towards a shared understanding of faithful leadership and inclusive governance within the Indigenous Church, rooted in Indigenous protocols and traditions, to guide the election by the NISG of a National Indigenous Council and create a framework for moving forward.
Pray for all who are gathering in Winnipeg as they reflect, pray, and contemplate their way forward.