A Moment for Mission
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. —Psalm 118:24, ESV
Both the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey annual conferences in May will begin with a traditional ceremony acknowledging that the land in what is now eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey was once inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape Nation. There were no state borders then, an interesting precedent for this current season of EPA and GNJ affiliation.
Indeed, the Committees on Native American Ministries (CoNAM) in the two conferences are also not constrained by state or conference borders in their support for each other. That has certainly been the case since a few EPA CoNAM members first visited GNJ’s St. John UMC in Bridgeton in 2017 to start a friendship—or one might say, an affiliation.
Your gifts on Native American Ministries Sunday help support the ministries of the Committee on Native American Ministries in their annual conferences. This offering serves to remind United Methodists of the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society.
Read more: EPA, GNJ CoNAMs share friendship beyond borders.
Children’s Message
Happy Easter! Have you ever noticed that Easter happens during springtime? Many cultures and traditions recognize a connection between creation and the Creator. One of those traditions is Native American spirituality, including Native American United Methodists. The Lakota people have a saying, “Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ,” which means “we are all related.”
This season of renewal reminds us that we are connected through God’s love. In our faith tradition, just like spring brings new life to the earth, Easter brings new life to our hearts through Jesus’ love. Just like Spring is a time of transformation, Jesus’ resurrection transforms us and fills us with hope and the promise of eternal life.
As you enjoy the beauty of flowers and trees and the buzzing of bees this Easter, remember that each bloom and creature is a testament to God’s creativity and love. This Easter, may your hearts bloom with the joy of Jesus!
Prayer
May all I say and all I think
be in harmony with thee,
God within me,
God beyond me,
maker of the trees.
Chinook prayer, Pacific Northwest Coast
Offertory Prayer: Discipleship Ministries
Mighty God of Resurrection power: We so desperately need the “Alleluia!” morning! We have lived with death for so long; we have been trapped in our tombs so long, we could not be more anxious to hear the report from Mary, “I have seen the Lord!” We know in our hearts that you have been with us through all the past year has handed us, and we have seen you in the generosity of heart that has brought us through these days. As we give back to you this day, may we do so as those convinced that light will always wash away darkness, and life will always defeat death! In the name of our risen Savior, we pray. Amen. (John 20:1-18)
Newsletter Nugget
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24, ESV
Sherry Wack, a former cochairperson of the Eastern Pennsylvania Committee on Native American Ministries (CoNAM), helped the committee form relationships with St. John UMC in Bridgeton, New Jersey, in 2017. Home to many members of the Nanticoke LenniLenape Tribal Nation, St. John UMC is the fifth-oldest Native American Methodist church in the U.S.
There they met Cynthia Mosley, then-chairperson of the Greater New Jersey CoNAM. “That was the beginning of a symbiotic relationship between our two CoNAMs,” said Wack. Since then, EPA has supported their GNJ siblings financially, especially when St. John was vandalized recently in a hate crime.
Your gifts on Native American Ministries Sunday help support the ministries of the Committee on Native American Ministries in their annual conferences. This offering serves to remind United Methodists of the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society.
Read more: EPA, GNJ CoNAMs share friendship beyond borders.