Honoring Native American Day on Sunday, November 19

On Sunday, Nov. 19, Second Presbyterian will celebrate Native American Day with prayers, liturgy and music. Since 1994, the PC(USA) has suggested a Fall Sunday to recognize and honor the contributions of Native Americans to the life of the church and community. The federal government recognizes November as Native American Month. The impetus to celebrate Native American Day emerged from the “Braiding Sweetgrass” book discussion group that met over the summer under Roger Gench’s leadership and the Native Lands of the Southwest Travel Seminar that Dan Ream and Lucretia McCulley experienced through the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.

The PC(USA) supports Native American ministries in eight synods that encompass more than 90 congregations and chapels located on reservations or trust lands. Historically, acceptance of Christianity by Native Americans did not shield them from more than 400 years of white arrogance and state and federal suppression. Nevertheless, they survived and remain engaged participants in their communities.

Second Presbyterian Church honors the history of the Indigenous Peoples who inhabited land on which the church is situated for thousands of years before European colonization. We thank the Tribes today for what they teach us about stewardship of what the Creator has given all of us—Mother Earth and Father Sky.

Did you know that there are 11 recognized Tribes in Virginia? Seven Tribes are federally recognized. Learn more about each of the Tribes in Virginia by visiting VICPP’s webpage on Native American Heritage Month.