The Montana Healing Project (times 2)
Last fall, Lutheran Indian Ministries was invited by a local Native pastor to visit two reservations in Montana to share and train local leaders in Sacred Ground.
In November, our traveling ministry team, which includes Rick McCafferty (Inupiaq), Rick and Linda (Cree) Martin, Dave Sternbeck (Nuu-chah-nulth), Kyonia, and Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee), traveled to Fort Peck and Fort Belknap for the first of these training sessions. Before we had finished this first week, we were invited to come back to Fort Peck for another session. We hope to reach all seven reservations in Montana with our Sacred Grounds program.
Ministry team in Poplar, Montana on the the Fort Peck Reservation. Pictured: Rick Martin, Linda Martin (Cree), Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee), Kyonia, Rick McCafferty (Inupiaq), Dave Sternbeck (Nuu-chah-nulth)
In January, our team took their second trip to Montana and were blown away by the receptive response from the group (both Native and non-Native) who showed up the first day.
“We pulled in on the first day, and they were waiting for us,” Rick McCafferty recalls. “There were twenty people there, and we hit the ground running! We told our stories; they told theirs. They get it and want this ministry for their people. We went straight for the heart, and I think this will make an impact on the Assiniboine and A’aminin people.”
Rick continues, “We kept hearing them say, ‘I didn’t know this was a ministry.’ ‘Why haven’t we heard of you before this?’ ‘You’ll come to us… for free?!’ You see, there are other organizations that do similar work, but none of them are as Native-focused, and most of them will charge the tribe thousands of dollars to run training. But we feel God has given us this program, and the people within LIM, so we could make the biggest impact for His kingdom. It doesn’t make sense to charge for it.”
The week was truly remarkable for all involved, but there were a few hiccups along the way.
Sacred Ground, which is based on the “Beauty for Ashes” programming from Southcentral Foundation’s Family Wellness Warriors, focuses on sharing personal stories of trauma and abuse in a safe setting to begin the healing process. While Beauty for Ashes is based on traditional Alaska Native values, including the existence of a Creator which aligns with Christian values, Christian elements are typically avoided since it is a government-funded program.
Sacred Ground is centered on our Christian beliefs and values, but our facilitators must often read the audience and align the conversation with their comfort level when it comes to Christianity. We want Sacred Ground to be a safe place, and for many Natives, Christianity played a part in their trauma. There is never a time when we eliminate the beliefs behind the program, but occasionally, it is used simply as the foundation rather than the central focus. In time, we’ve found many individuals will be more open to speaking about their faith and Christianity than they were before they began the healing process.
In our latest trip to Montana, the group we worked with was predominantly from a local church. Based on the questions they were asking and the general conversation, the training leaned more heavily of Christ and faith than it normally does. And for one woman, who connects with the traditional Native culture and was “dragged to church” as a child, it was too much.
Rick recalled, “This particular woman, who I had connected to throughout the week, was very uncomfortable with how ‘churchy’ the programming was. She was ready to leave early. We ended up convincing her to stay, but only after she made it known that the program, as we were discussing it, was not going to go over in her community. I assured her, we take into consideration the individuals and the culture of those we work with. I think it was reassuring to her to know we don’t come into a community reciting the Bible and forcing conversion before the healing can begin. Like everything in life, our faith and our healing are a process.”
The LIM Traveling Team has already been invited back for the third time, and we look forward to sharing more stories about lives changed in Montana.
On a similar note, Haskell LIGHT Campus Ministry will be leading their first Sacred Ground session on February 14-17. Please pray for the leaders and those attending.