We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Métis, and most recently, the territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. This territory is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. Today, the meeting place of Toronto (from the Haudenosaunee word Tkaronto) is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work/present in this territory.

Wellspring Worship Centre

89 Centre Ave, North York ON, M2M 2L7

Tel. 416.223.3496 - info@wellspringtoronto.ca - Fax. 416.223.0537

truth & reconciliation

At Wellspring we are on a learning journey.

We recognize that the institutional church has been at the centre of many of the atrocities perpetuated against the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We have a legacy of broken promises, that is easily seen in our history of unfulfilled treaty promises, residential schools, the "60's scoop", the Indian Act, as well as a generalized cultural ignorance, steeped in institutionalized racism.

At Wellspring we do not seek to "fix" Indigenous spaces, rather, we hope to take on a learning posture where we recognize that it is the institutional church and the settlers living in Canada that require the grace, love, and mercy of God and of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In this way we recognize that we are the mission field, requiring people to teach us how we can meaningfully engage in the conversation and process of truth and reconciliaton.

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Read below to find out more about our journey.

1.

Summer 2017

We partnered with Daystar to help run a summer camp on Moose Deer Point First Nation Reserve (MDP).

3.

Fall 2018 we invited the Peters' family to share their story during our Sunday gathering, in an effort to learn more about the First Nations experience.

Listen to that message...

5.

Spring 2019

We attended the NAIITS symposium at Tyndale, to help us become further educated on Indigenous culture, thought, theology, and leadership.

7.

20 October 2019

We are currently in to process of organizing a Kairos Blanket Exercise for our community to participate in as we continue on our learning journey.

2.

Summer 2018

We returned to MDP, under Daystar, but began to feel that this type of engagement did not fit with Wellspring's direction.

4.

Winter 2019

We participated in a "Right Relations Circle" to engage with the TRC calls to action and to consider how we as a church and denomination might engage in the truth and reconciliation conversation.

6.

Spring 2019

We invited Jonathan Maracle to teach us during one of our Sunday morning gatherings. Again, with the aim to learn more about the First Nations experience and how the church should be engaging.