Indigenous leadership is vital to the life of the United Church, and this is a crucial time of journeying together toward reconciliation.
Worship Ideas
2020 Palm Sunday Worship Resources (40.63 KB): 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.
2021 Indigenous Day of Prayer | Being a Good Neighbour (52.19 KB): Worship resources and a service bulletin/outline by Read Sherman, intended for use by non-Indigenous communities of faith.
2021 Indigenous Day of Prayer | Being a Good Neighbour bulletin (37.49 KB): Bulletin with service outline to accompany the Being a Good Neighbour worship resources.
2021 Indigenous Day of Prayer | Sermon Starter (37.57 KB): A reflection on 1 Peter 2:9‒17 by former Moderator Stan McKay.
A Narrow Rough Path to Reconciliation (37.25 KB): 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.
aboriginal-sunday-celebration-thanksgiving.pdf (162.24 KB): With gratitude we gather to praise God, to seek transformation, and to celebrate the power of the Spirit who is always moving.
Apology 30th Anniversary: Litany (152.7 KB): 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): 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.
Healing Waters: Churches Working to End Violence Against Women (110.94 KB): Worship excerpts from Healing Waters: Churches Working to End Violence Against Women
Lenten Lament: Seeking Right Relations (33.19 KB): For the 150th year of Confederation, an invitation to acknowledge the damage done to the First Peoples of this land and seek reconciliation in worship and through next steps. From Gathering, Lent/Easter 2017.
Living on the Path of Respect (314.58 KB): A worship service on the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery.
nipin-summer-is-here.docx (35.38 KB): 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.
Passion Story and Prayers for Good Friday 2020 (46.14 KB): 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.
Reconciliation in the Watershed: A Creation Time Resource (40.26 KB): Weekly reflections on the themes of "All My Relations" and "watershed discipleship."
Sacrament of Communion for Seeking Right Relations (27.57 KB): In response to the suffering inflicted upon children and families by the Indian residential school system. From Gathering, Lent/Easter 2017.
Sermon: The Gift in Apology (19.55 KB): This sermon marks the 20th anniversary of The United Church of Canada's 1986 Apology to First Nations Peoples.
The Covenant of Reconciliation | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2020 (49.83 KB): A worship service created to honour the meaning of National Indigenous Peoples Day.
The Pursuit of Right Relations (17.69 KB): A worship service outline marking the 20 years since the United Church gave its apology to First Nations peoples.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2020 (47.07 KB): A worship service on the seven laws for living a good life: Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, and Truth.
Truth and Reconciliation: Three Services (492.75 KB): Created to mark the TRC closing, worship on the themes of Turning and Lamentation, Seeking the Spirit, and Celebration and Thanksgiving.
Worship for 150 Years since the Confederation of Canada, 1867-2017 (32.76 KB): This is a service of celebration and lament marking 150 years since the Confederation of Canada.
Related Material
Acknowledging the Territory in Worship (170.12 KB): 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): A prayer to mark Canada’s apology to survivors of residential schools and their families and communities.
Apology 30th Anniversary: Hymn (88.37 KB): "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): A prayer ritual to mark the anniversary of the United Church's 1998 Residential Schools Apology.
Bulletin Insert: A Time of Celebration for Aboriginal Sunday (173.74 KB): You can download and print this insert to distribute with your bulletin on Aboriginal Sunday.
For the Beauty of Those Lost, for Healing Founded on Justice (18.29 KB): A prayer for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people, their families, and the public inquiry into what happened to them.
Have a Heart Day at Christ First United, 2020:
Have a Heart Day: Sunday School Activity (147.83 KB): On Have a Heart Day, kids help remind the prime minister that all kids should be treated the same: fairly.
Moving Forward, Together: A video marking the 30th anniversary of the United Church Apology to First Nations Peoples. 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 Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women (16.11 KB): A prayer for missing and murdered Aboriginal women, and their family and friends.
Prayer for Students of Kamloops Residential School (Moderator) (35.18 KB): A prayer for the 215 children whose remains were found in Kamloops in May 2021.
Prayers of the People for Reconciliation (140.03 KB): 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): A biblical reflection
We Dare to Hope (15.67 KB): A prayer for committing to the genuine inclusion of Indigenous peoples in decision making on all matters that affect them
Worship Blog
The Creator's Abundant Gifts
Rev. John Snow offers an Indigenous perspective on Epiphany season and the sharing of God's sacred gifts.
Solstice Baby
Indigenous Day of Prayer reminds us that if we are to heal broken relationships, we must talk with one another. Let us begin today and never stop.
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.
