Native American Sunday

October 22, 2023

By Rev. Kristi Lounsbury

OnOctober 22, 2023, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church will celebrate the 205th year of the ministry of the Choctaw people in and to the global Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It is a wonderful time to celebrate our diversity and remember the many people who have contributed greatly to the church.

In the August 2021 issue of the Missionary Messenger, Reverend T.J. Malinoski provided the church with a review of the history of the Choctaw people and their relationship with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The issue can be found online at https://issuu.com/ cmteam/docs/mm_fall_2021.

One statement in the article has stuck in my mindthe Choctaw people expressed gracious hospitality to the first missionaries in October of 1818. Not all people or tribes could easily agree with this statement. Even though there have been many times in history that shares stories of a great injustice to the Native Americans, the statement that gracious hospitality was given to those who first went to evangelize is of great significance to the faith of the Choctaw people.

Throughout the history of the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination, gracious hospitality has been displayed by our Native American brothers and sisters. Presbytery meetings, camp meetings, mission trips, leadership positions held (Moderator, CP Women’s Ministry (CPWM) President, Director of Indian Ministries), and so forth. On the 200th year of ministry, the Cumberland Presbyterian General Assembly and CPWM Convention were hosted by Choctaw Presbytery. This year, on October 22, 2023, we remember the gracious hospitality displayed by our brothers and sisters of Choctaw Presbytery and beyond. I invite you to extend

By T. J. Malinoski

Native Americans And The Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Asthe days get shorter and the cooler temperatures begin to greet those in the Northern Hemisphere fostering introspection and reflection, the eleventh month of the Gregorian calendar is November. (Ironically, the word November is derived from the Latin word novem meaning the number nine.) In the United States, the month of November is designated as the Native American Heritage month to celebrate the traditions and contributions to the world by Native Americans. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the designation Native American includes all native peoples of the United States: American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans. Native American also includes persons from Canada First Nations, indigenous communities in Mexico, and Central and South America who are United States citizens with estimates upwards of 1.9 million people.

574 federally recognized tribal nations reside, work, study, worship and fellowship in the United States and its territories with over an additional 300 tribes not yet officially recognized. A federally recognized tribal nation is a Native American tribal entity that has both its sovereignty and a government-togovernment relationship with the United States. This includes inherent rights for self-government for its citizens and lands and having

14 MISSIONARY MESSENGER FALL 2021 protections, services, and benefits in their relationship to the United States government. The relationship between tribal nations and the United States has a long history with official alliances dating back to the Continental Congress with their first written treaty; the first of many to be written and later broken.

The relationship between the Choctaw nation and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church also harks back to a time when the United States and the denomination were just newborn fledglings among a people who have inhabited the “Americas” for eons. In October 1818, the first missionaries of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Reverends Samuel King and William Moore, were commissioned by Elk Presbytery.

King and Moore spent six months among the Choctaw nation marking, what the author of The Gospel to the Choctaw Claude Gilbert writes as, “the beginning of a ministry and friendship between the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Choctaw people that continues to this day.” the opportunity in return. Attend church in Choctaw Presbytery. Purchase Native American-made items. Educate yourselves on the customs of the different tribes. Learn our history and respond in a new way.

Reporting back to Elk Presbytery and the newly formed Mission Society, Rev. Robert Bell was commissioned as a missionary in 1819 with both the Choctaw and Chickasaw in a relationship that lasted for years enduring the hardships of removal from what is now known as Mississippi, through the Trail of Tears and Death and relocation to Oklahoma.

Cumberland Presbyterians celebrate the traditions and contributions of Native Americans on a special Sunday. To remember the hospitality of the Choctaw to the first Cumberland Presbyterian missionaries and for all the Native American ministries and leadership shared with the Church, General Assembly designated the third Sunday of October as a time to lift up the men and women who are and have been part of this denomination. There are many available resources to celebrate and learn more about Native Americans. Where possible, try to locate resources and information created and written by Native Americans. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (www.bia.gov) provides general information and links to tribal nations. www.nativeamericanheritagemonth. gov has resources from the Library of Congress, Smithsonian and National Archives including films and online events available to the public. There are many works by Native Americans that have earned the accolades of Emmys, National Book Awards, and Pulitzer Prizes. Developments in ecology, sign language, history, politics, medicine, and the scientific community are all being enhanced by Native Americans. Join with all Cumberland Presbyterians on October 17 and during the month of November to celebrate the cultures and heritage of Native Americans.

Most of all, Pray for all Native Americans:

• that their rich heritage will be protected

• that the languages continue to enlighten us all

• that the traditions and songs be passed along to a new generation

• that the dances and dress be celebrated

• that the food and games be a lasting memory of laughter and joy

• that the Native American nations continue to bring forth their leadership

• that the injustices of the past be turned into new lessons of love.

The invitation is yours. Celebrate the heritage of our Native Americans in worship on October 22, 2023. Celebrate, specifically, our loved ones in Choctaw Presbytery. Give thanks to great people! For liturgy resources, please go to https://cpcmc.org/discipleship/worship-resources/.