Indigenous Day of Prayer, the Sunday before National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21), is an opportunity to celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples’ values, customs, languages, and culture.
Worship Ideas
- 2023 Indigenous Day of Prayer | The Possibility of New Beginnings (58.95 KB) (Word): Worship service that addresses change and the remit on an autonomous National Indigenous Organization in the United Church.
- 2023 Indigenous Day of Prayer | The Sacred Drum (61.39 KB) (Word): Celebrating Indigenous Spirituality and Strength. A worship service by Shane Goldie.
- All God's Beloved Children | 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer (40.44 KB) (Word): Worship service, including sermon, by the Rev. Jan Jorgensen.
- All My Relations | 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer (256.14 KB) (PDF): A worship service and sermon by the Rev. Nancy Best and music by the Rev. Dr. Lisa Waites.
- Being a Good Neighbour bulletin | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2021 (37.49 KB) (Word): Bulletin with service outline to accompany the Being a Good Neighbour worship resources.
- Being a Good Neighbour | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2021 (52.19 KB) (Word): Worship resources and a service bulletin/outline by Read Sherman, intended for use by non-Indigenous communities of faith.
- Letter to Minister Joly re Shireen Abu Akleh (May 13, 2022) (176.56 KB) (PDF): Letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs urging Canada to call for an investigation into killing of Palestinian journalist.
- Sermon Starter | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2021 (37.57 KB) (Word): A reflection on 1 Peter 2:9‒17 by former Moderator Stan McKay.
- The Covenant of Reconciliation | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2020 (49.83 KB) (Word): A worship service created to honour the meaning of National Indigenous Peoples Day.
- The Seven Grandfather Teachings | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2020 (47.07 KB) (Word): A worship service on the seven laws for living a good life: Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, and Truth.
Related Material
- Acknowledging the Territory in Worship (170.12 KB) (PDF): A brief guide to help congregations and bodies of the church incorporate an Acknowledgement of Territory into their gatherings.
- Moderator's Message for National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023: In her message for National Indigenous Peoples Day, Moderator Carmen Lansdowne offers many ways you and your community of faith can celebrate or mark this day.
- Moderator’s Message for National Indigenous Peoples Day 2023: Transcript (32.48 KB) (Word): Transcript of Moderator Carmen Lansdowne's 2023 video message.
- Prayer for Students of Kamloops Residential School (Moderator) (35.18 KB) (Word): A prayer for the 215 children whose remains were found in Kamloops in May 2021.
- Reconciliation Journey to Australia video: March 2018 delegation of First Nations and non-Indigenous people from The United Church of Canada in Australia as part of the Canada-Australia Reconciliation Dialogue between our church and the Uniting Church in Australia.
Worship Blog
Walls of Welcome
Rev. Anne Hines writes how our church’s Truth and Reconciliation project transformed our walls, and our lives.
The Earth is the Lord’s
For National Indigenous Day, Rev. John R. Thompson shares that, "Truth cannot be hidden. It eventually rises up and is revealed."
“Our Movements for Justice Are Linked”
On National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Mitchell Anderson writes that Indigenous justice and reconciliation can only take place in ways that ensure that Black lives matter.
Why an Indigenous Day of Prayer?
In 1971, the observance of June 21 as a National Indian Day of Prayer was formally recognized by The United Church of Canada, at the 24th General Council. In 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidary Day.… Read more
Under the Big Top: Thoughts on National Aboriginal Day
I took these pictures last August while visiting my mother’s relatives in the central part of Saskatchewan on the Muskoday First Nation. They capture some of the 825 dancers that participated in the 25th annual traditional Powwow.
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