SPE Helps British Columbia Churches Meet Their First Nations Neighbours

Rev. Joel Ringma was struck by several things, particularly the level of hospitality, when he and five other pastors visited Haida Gwaii as part of a Christian Reformed Church Sustaining Pastoral Excellence project.

Once known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, Haida Gwaii is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is home to many Haida people.

Ringma, pastor of Terrace CRC in Terrace, B.C., says he recalls how a First Nations woman gave them a big feast when they visited one of the islands in June 2014.

"She invited us into her home and it was a great experience. It was kind of a culmination of the project," said Rigma, who was coordinator of the SPE project that was titled Reconciliation Nation.

Attending the feast, said Ringma, solidified in their minds the importance of being hospitable in their own lives, in their church lives, and in how they treat others — especially First Nations people.

"This was one of the goals we hoped to achieve in the SPE project," he says. "We wanted to sit with and learn from First Nations persons in our area so that we better understand their spiritual beliefs and practices."

SPE is a program for pastors, pastors’ spouses, and ultimately for congregations. The purpose of SPE is to support and strengthen pastors so they can help build vital congregations.

Ringma said the SPE project allowed pastors who minister at churches along a several-hundred-mile corridor on Highway 16 in North British Columbia to gather, get to know one another and learn together.

"I now have a much deeper relationship with each of the pastors," he said. "We intend to continue to foster these relationships through virtual meetings and shared projects."

Discussing what they learned with members of their congregations will also be important, said another pastor.

"This experience benefited me because I will know better how to bring my congregation along when I want to do this kind of work more directly, helping to create ties with the First Nations people in our community."

For the project, the pastors met together several times, interacted on the Internet, and had a chance to attend a presentation by a First Nations person who is a survivor from a residential school.

Residential schools were schools where First Nations people were required to turn their backs on their native cultures and adopt the ways of white people.

This is an issue that Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated. Meeting in communities across the country over a period of several years, the commission heard testimony from many survivors of residential schools before wrapping up its work in June.

In a report submitted for the SPE project, a pastor described being deeply moved by the testimony of the survivor that they met.

"I had not realized that even though I was not personally involved, I am implicated due to my position as pastor  and association with the Christian Church."

Questions such as those raised by the residential school survivor, said the pastor, require ongoing dialogue in churches and among communities of First Nations people about how they can bridge the gap of misunderstanding that the past has created.

“I have learned that the pursuit of of reconciliation and forgiveness is the necessary step toward creating a new memory of a life together,” writes another pastor.

For many of the participants, the visit to Haida Gwaii was a highlight, because of how it offered insight into First Nations ways, beliefs and history, said Ringma.

"This trip gave us the dual purpose of connecting us to First Nations persons and part of their story of their spiritual journey as well as gave us opportunity to grow together as colleagues," he said.

Besides taking part in the feast on one of the islands, Ringma's memories include visiting a native village that is abandoned. "The people there were decimated by smallpox which the Europeans brought," he said.

There was also the powerful experience, he recalls, of looking out over a long, sandy piece of land called the Rose Spit on Graham Island.

Reaching several miles out into the ocean, the Haida have held this place sacred for thousands of years. They believe this is where life began.

“There was a lot of life teeming down there in the water and the sand,” said Ringma.

“I thought of the Christian story of creation in Genesis and of the links between Christian and First Nations spirituality.”

Another highlight was when his church participated in hosting showing the reforming Relationships tour of paintings by Cree artist Ovide Bighetty.

The series is titled Kisemanito Pakitinasuwin—The Creator's Sacrifice and depict the artist’s reflections weaving together Christian and native approaches to spirituality. Other churches in the SPE project also had the chance to showcase the paintings.

"Collectively, we are grateful to SPE for the opportunities it presented and the opportunity it gave us to meet from across so many miles and learn together," said Ringma.

"As I look back, I hope, having been part of this, I’ll be able to  focus more clearly and intentionally on building and maintaining relationships with First Nations people who come to our church and who live in the community."