This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Church’s Confession to Aboriginal Peoples. To commemorate the historic event, the Presbyterian Church has been collecting stories of reconciliation and bridge – building.
Change of Heart, a year – long initiative of the church’s Justice Ministries department, has congregations and individuals sharing their stories of healing and reconciliation. Cards were given to commissioners at General Assembly, asking them to share a story, and messages were gathered from participants at Canada Youth in July. Many of the responses, as well as a full description of the initiative, can be found at presbyterian.ca/healing/change – of – heart.
“It is meant to be as broadly and widely interpreted as possible,” said Katharine Masterton, Justice Ministries’ program coordinator. “Some people are reading the confession in church; others are sharing messages of support.” Living Faith Presbyterian in Baxter, Ont., for example, has a relationship with the Constance Lake First Nation, and created a YouTube video about it.
Phil Fontaine, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, addressed General Assembly in June to commemorate the anniversary, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, formed in 2008, is planning an event for June 2015 to wrap up the intiative. They will present a final report following five years of listening to survivors’ stories.
