On June 9th, 1994, the PCC General Assembly adopted ‘The Confession of the Presbyterian Church in Canada’ to God and to Indigenous people for its role in the Indian Residential School System. The church is committed to walking with Indigenous people on a journey toward reconciliation and living out the spirit of its Confession.
Please see the confession found here: PCC-Confession-English-4
Confession Study Guide: Confession_Study_Guide_online
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
In June of 2019, Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released. The report found that genocide has been and continues to be committed against Indigenous people in Canada.
A study resource, Why Work To Decolonize?, was produced in collaboration between the PCC’s National Indigenous Ministries Council and the Life and Mission Agency (Justice Ministries), to help people understand the overall themes of the report and learn what can be done, both by individual Christians and in wider society, to pursue justice and reconciliation going forward.
MMIWG_Why_Work_To_Decolonize_online
Steps Towards Reconciliation Project
For I was an hungry, and ye gave me food to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:35-40
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For many years our congregation has done outreach to the Kenora Fellowship Center in various ways but we wondered how else can we engage, even as the Ministry has taken new shape over the years. We have also been trying to wrap our minds around the matter of reconciliation and outreach and wondered how we ought to move forward. Several years ago, we decided that we would in faith apply for funding to initiate a meal program at the Fellowship Center. This for us would become our first step in opening ourselves to reconcile with our Indigenous sisters and brothers in Kenora, many of whom fall under the patronage of the ministry of the Fellowship Center.
The work of healing and reconciliation is of extreme importance to us as individuals and also as a congregation. The Healing and Reconciliation program was established by General Assembly of our denomination in 2006. The program had several focal points including working with Presbyterians to build relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Reconciliation is at the heart of our worship, service, fellowship and witness. Through Presbytery, we applied for funds to provide meals at the Fellowship Center on a weekly basis. This would enable us to be Christ representatives to those who are hurting and suffering from various circumstances in Kenora. Participation in this project was a leap of faith for our congregation as 21 members signed up, this signified that we were holding high the banner that, “Through the power of the Cross, Christ reconciled all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven.” Colossians 1: 20
This “Steps towards Reconciliation Project,” began on July 6, 2017. As we went out each week we are not just cooking and serving food but we are interacting with our indigenous sisters and brothers. We smile and greet each other with handshakes and hugs; we listen to their stories and hear their experiences as they face challenging times in Kenora.
With the opening of the emergency shelter in Kenora, just across the road from First PC, our members seek independent ways to serve in our community, including in support of the Kenora Fellowship Centre, as one of our national mission centres.