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.
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.
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 participated in a powerful Kairos Blanket Exercise to continue on our journey of learning about our shared history.
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.