Episcopal Press and News
Indian Ministries 'on the Threshold of a New Era'
Episcopal News Service. May 10, 1990 [90021_Z]
"We are on the threshold of a new era for Indian ministries in the Episcopal Church," said the Ven. Philip Allen, a Sioux Indian, recently elected to head the newly organized Episcopal Council of Indian Ministries (ECIM).
Allen's enthusiasm followed the first meeting of the ECIM in St. Paul, Minnesota, last March. He said that the ECIM is "the beginning of the realization of a dream of Indian people to achieve full partnership" with the rest of the church. "We now have a structure that will enable us to bring our dreams and visions into reality."
"For the first time in 400 years we have a structure that enables us to fully partake in our mission," said Owanah Anderson, staff officer of Indian Ministries of the Episcopal Church. "Indians are now making decisions for Indians."
The 13-member council, 10 of them American Indians, unveiled plans to press for more effective ministry to Indians and Alaska Natives in the Episcopal Church. "My excitement is that for the first time we have one council made up of Indian people that will be an entity in the church to tell the story of the American Indian and Alaska Natives," said South Dakota Bishop Craig Anderson.
Bishop Anderson, whose diocese has the largest concentration of Indian ministries in the Episcopal Church, hopes that the ECIM "will make Episcopalians more aware of the significant ministry we've had with Native Americans over the years.
"The larger church has a great deal to learn from its Native American members, too," Bishop Anderson continued. "With the kind of crisis we are facing in our culture -- rampant individualism and the ecological crisis, for example -- we are desperately in need of a new theology of ecology if we are to understand the power of the incarnation. Native American culture and spirituality could correct some of the problems of Western culture, could call the church to her senses," he said.
"I think Native Americans have a great deal to share with the larger church in the area of stewardship," said Allen. "We are good stewards because our culture teaches us to recognize our place in creation. We have respect for what God has given us, and we want to give back."
Allen admitted that the Episcopal Church has used other structures to share the perspectives of Indians with the larger church, but he said that he believes that the ECIM will "be a better vehicle to communicate both our needs and our successes."
The ECIM is expected to coordinate efforts formerly carried out by the National Committee on Indian Work (NCIW) and Coalition 14. The ECIM will combine much of the creative "visionary" work of the NCIW and the "practical" financial support that Coalition 14 has sought for Indian ministries in the past, according to Owanah Anderson.
The creation of ECIM was recommended by the Presiding Bishop's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Indian Affairs and charged with recommending a coordinated, comprehensive, and cohesive model for Native American work. "It has been clear to me that the church has not been doing enough to promote self-determination and empowerment, to combat racism against Indians, and to develop indigenous leadership training," the Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Brdwning said.
The council moved swiftly to put Browning's advice into action -- it passed a resolution calling for a Native American faculty position at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. "The ECIM board views the faculty position as the next step for growth of cross-cultural education," Owanah Anderson said.
In addition to the resolution, the council's new mission statement seeks to "empower American Indian/Alaska Native Episcopalians in the designing and sharing with the church and larger society the ministries and programs resulting from the Mission Imperatives and Decade of Evangelism."
Owanah Anderson reported that there is an acute interest in the Decade of Evangelism within the Indian communities. "Our people are very excited about evangelism," she said. "Until recently the focus of Indian ministry has been on social ministry. While we realize that we must continue to have social ministry, Indians are now talking about the need for word and sacrament, and indigenous Indian leadership," she said.
Owanah Anderson pointed out that the new council includes a wide diversity of the Indian communities in the United States. "This is the most inclusive voice that has ever been available to us," she said.
Members of the new ECIM board are:
- The Ven. Philip Allen (Ogala Sioux), member of Executive Council, and archdeacon for Indian work in the Diocese of Minnesota.
- The Rt. Rev. Craig Anderson, bishop of South Dakota, the diocese with the largest number of Episcopal Indian communicants.
- Dr. Blue Clark (Creek), professor of Indian studies at California State University, Long Beach.
- The Rt. Rev. George Harris, bishop of Alaska, a diocese with 27 predominantly Alaskan Native missions.
- The Rev. Quentin Kolb (Ute), originator of an urban Indian ministry program in Salt Lake City.
- The Rt. Rev. Steven Plummer (Navajo), bishop of Navajoland Area Mission.
- The Rt. Rev. William Wantland (Seminole), bishop of Eau Claire, and nationally recognized advocate for Indian treaty rights.
- The Rt. Rev. Robert Anderson, bishop of Minnesota, a diocese with 13 predominantly Indian Episcopal congregations.
- Ms. Ginny Doctor (Mohawk), convener for a new Eastern U.S. Indian network.
- The Rev. Anna Frank (Athabascan), assistant to the bishop of Alaska, and director of work in the vast Interior (Yukon) Deanery.
- Ms. Carmine Goodhouse (Standing Rock Sioux), deputy to the 1991 General Convention, and leader on the North Dakota Committee on Indian Work.
- Ms. Linda Napai (Navajo), member of the design team for the 1989 National Indian Youth Event.
- Mrs. Beulah Turgeon (Yankton Sioux), lifelong participant of activities Qn the Rosebud Reservation.