Tree of Life Ministry

Our Volunteer in Mission program began again with far fewer volunteers from pre-pandemic totals. It was rewarding to see volunteer teams working in our community again. It was still a difficult year finding funding for supplies and material for our construction ministry. The Tribe, our partners in ministry, found it difficult to fund as many projects as in the past. The Casino and Resort had been shut down for many months, making funding for elder programs limited. Even though we had to operate in a different way, and to a much smaller extent, we were again able to spread the love of Jesus Christ with the children in our community. The basketball court came alive as children began to filter back to in- person worship and programs while ensuring COVID-safe gatherings. The Christian Life Center began to show signs of life as the ministry began to evolve from no teams to having about 25% of the volunteers from past years. We were able to begin to repair some of the roofs that had been leaking, and new wheelchair ramps were constructed as volunteers began trickling back to our Volunteer in Mission site. Lifelong relationships were again formed as life stories were shared over a sandwich and bottles of water. The sounds of drum, song and jingle dresses erupted in Arthur Hall, and I was amazed at how much we missed building bridges between the two cultures. Team members again heard stories and the history of the Dakota peoples and their lives here on the Spirit Lake Nation. Our weekly culture night brings a sense of understanding to the volunteer teams and members of our community. The Journey @ Spirit Lake, our worshipping community, continued to grow with in-person and virtual worship. We saw new faces and heard from people who have never been to the ministry but listen to our live-stream. Our summer JAM children’s outreach program was able to meet in person for several weeks during the summer and will continue to grow as we go forward. Our hearts were filled with joy as we again heard the laughter and witnessed the spiritual growth of the children in our community.

We hosted monthly family nights using Facebook rooms and in-person activities as COVID precautions allowed. We shared some games virtually and were able to provide meals and a movie during times when COVID infection numbers were low in our community.

We continue to provide a food pantry, energy grants, and now – with sporadic distance learning – help with phone bills to keep the children connected to Wi-Fi.

We continue to build a faith community that encourages members of our community to trust and feel safe in the church and to bridge the gap of cultural differences. Our focus is not on the differences, but on the similarities of our cultures, those being our faith and trust in God. The ministry provides a place for children and adults alike to come and feel safe in a loving, sharing community of faith.

Submitted by Mike and Libby Flowers, co-directors, Spirit Lake Ministry Center

Tree of Life Ministry

2021 was an opportunity for Tree of Life to catch a fresh breath of air and regroup for the future. Due to continued impact of pandemic restraints, the Tree did not conduct much activity for the second consecutive year. Volunteers in Mission (VIM) teams were unable to visit as the Rosebud Reservation remained in a fairly large state of lockdown to outsiders. Services such as the Soup Kitchen, the Thrift Store, and off-site construction projects were not offered. However, the Tree continued to provide food and household supply items to the community on a pick-up basis, thanks to continued support from the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA).

Although we did not generate any revenue from our normal business operations, we did continue to receive generous support from our dedicated mission partners. These donations allowed us to meet our basic expenses to maintain our facilities and pay our core staff salaries.

The shut-down on the Rosebud Reservation, although limiting mission work, did provide a window to rebuild our Soup Kitchen which was fire-damaged in 2020. In addition, work progressed on our attached warehouse which will house warehouse and Thrift Store items moving forward. These projects allow the Tree to offer a one-stop shop for patrons to eat at the Warm Welcome, purchase discounted home supply needs from the Thrift Store, and pick up food items for home use. It was anticipated that the entire campus will be up and running by mid2022. All these upgrades were financed from insurance proceeds of the 2020 fire and the help of many local volunteers who helped with the projects.

The next step in the transition is to continue to renovate the VIM housing facilities and to convert the previous warehouse into additional housing to allow for greater VIM numbers once the pandemic lets up and VIMs are allowed back on campus in mass gatherings.

The Tree of Life Board of Directors conducted strategic planning sessions and began implementing these plans in 2022. We focused on three areas: 1) eliminate remaining building mortgage debt of approximately $60,000, 2) develop a long- term finance plan to assure sustainable operations, 3) review and implement a thorough staffing growth plan, and 4) create a structure to allow for mobile delivery of services throughout the Rosebud Reservation.

Every prayer and donation is vital to this ministry; thank you for your prayers, giving and love.

Submitted by Linda Garriott, executive director, Tree of Life Ministry