“The Indigenous church has much to teach the wider Anglican church about community and relationship”, said Indigenous Archbishop Chris Harper during a gathering with the All My Relations (AMR) Circle in mid-April.
Members of the circle were graced with an afternoon of the archbishop’s time while he was in Ottawa for a meeting of North American deans. During conversation and prayer, words of welcome and introduction in the languages of Inuktituk, Plains Cree, Cree (from northern Quebec) and Cherokee were heard around the room.
When asked about the self-determining Indigenous Church, the archbishop explained that more hard work lies ahead. After presenting the guiding documents The Covenant and Our Way of Life at General Synod in 2023, the Indigenous leadership is moving on to the development of elements of governance, policies and procedures, liturgy and prayers. He asked for our prayers as this work goes forward.
He spoke about how Indigenous people are struggling for their own identity and often feel like transients in their own lands. Treaties, lands and territories are still not being honoured and efforts to diminish Indigenous peoples are ongoing.
He described the many challenges the Indigenous church faces within the traditional colonial church. One of the purposes of the Indigenous ministry in the Anglican Church is to be a voice for Indigenous peoples. Challenges lie in the multitude of Indigenous languages and cultures and the vast geography of Canada.
He sees the self-determining Indigenous Church as ‘pivotal and paramount’ and added, ‘We are at a crossroad, and we need to decolonize the way things are done in the Church.”
As part of his many responsibilities Archbishop Chris is also connected internationally. Episcopal and Anglican bishops and clergy in other countries such as the US and Australia are contacting him to ask how the Indigenous Church got started in Canada and to ask that the Indigenous self-determining church share its experience. He will travel to Australia later this year.
The archbishop also described his involvement in the Anglican Indigenous Leadership Initiative (AILI) which is focusing on how current Indigenous leadership can raise up the next generation so that they are prepared to ‘take up the banner.’ The ALI uses a worldview to advance Te Oranga Ake, a term in Māori meaning flourishing for all peoples.
St. John, Antrim — Deanery of the Southwest