Indigenous leadership is vital to the life of the United Church, and this is a crucial time of journeying together toward reconciliation.
Worship Ideas
- 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer | All God's Beloved Children (40.44 KB) (Word): Worship service, including sermon, by the Rev. Jan Jorgensen.
- 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer | All My Relations (256.14 KB) (PDF): A worship service and sermon by the Rev. Nancy Best and music by the Rev. Dr. Lisa Waites.
- A Narrow Rough Path to Reconciliation (37.25 KB) (Word): A worship service for the 2019 Indigenous Day of Prayer created to honour the meaning of National Indigenous Peoples Day and intended for use by non-Indigenous communities of faith. Written by SunDo Hyun and Hoeun Lee.
- Apology 30th Anniversary: Litany (152.7 KB) (PDF): This litany and story are based on the memories of The Very Rev. Stanley McKay and others who took part in the earliest national Aboriginal ministries consultations in the 1980s.
- Apology 30th Anniversary: Worship Service (242.79 KB) (PDF): In this year of the 30th anniversary of the apology, as the United Church turns 91, you are invited to consider how the apology has led to renewed life in the United Church.
- 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.
- Living on the Path of Respect (460.82 KB) (PDF): A worship service on the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery.
- Nipin, Summer Is Here (35.38 KB) (Word): A worship service for the 2019 Indigenous Day of Prayer that celebrates the summer as a time when we give thanks to our Mother Earth for her gifts of the season and for the precious and sacred gifts of the land. Written by Murray Pruden.
- Palm Sunday 2020 Worship Resources (40.63 KB) (Word): Written by Murray Pruden, Indigenous Minister for Pacific Mountain Region, these resources remind us that even in these pandemic times, in God’s eyes we matter every moment and breath of our daily life.
- Passion Story and Prayers for Good Friday 2020 (46.14 KB) (Word): Written by Murray Pruden, Indigenous Minister for Pacific Mountain Region, these resources remind us that even in these pandemic times, in God’s eyes we matter every moment and breath of our daily life.
- Prayer Service to Remember the Children (29.17 KB) (Word): This service of prayer seeks to remember and honour the children who were forced to attend church-run institutions.
- 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.
- After the Apology of June 11, 2008: A Prayer (14.1 KB) (Word): A prayer to mark Canada’s apology to survivors of residential schools and their families and communities.
- Apology 30th Anniversary: Hymn (88.37 KB) (PDF): "This Path We Walk" by Rev. S. Curtis Tufts, sung to the tune "O WALY WALY"
- Braiding Reconciliation: Prayer Ritual and Background (961.81 KB) (PDF): A prayer ritual to mark the anniversary of the United Church's 1998 Residential Schools Apology.
- Have a Heart Day at Christ First United, 2020:
- Have a Heart Day: Sunday School Activity (153.79 KB) (PDF): On Have a Heart Day, kids help remind the prime minister that all kids should be treated the same: fairly.
- Moving Forward, Together: Marking the 30th anniversary of the United Church Apology to First Nations Peoples, this is a conversation with Alberta Billy, the Very. Rev Bob Smith, Pam Hart, and Lawrence Sankey about how the Apology came to be, and what is needed to make it real.
- 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.
- Prayers of the People for Reconciliation (140.03 KB) (PDF): A reflection on the legacy of Indian Residential Schools in Canada
- 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.
- The Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery | United Church of Christ (947.4 KB) (PDF): A biblical reflection
- We Dare to Hope (15.67 KB) (Word): A prayer for committing to the genuine inclusion of Indigenous peoples in decision making on all matters that affect them
Worship Blog
Walls of Welcome
Rev. Anne Hines writes how our church’s Truth and Reconciliation project transformed our walls, and our lives.
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.
