I am grateful to have been invited to Saskatchewan this February. It was unseasonably warm during the visit, with temperatures hovering around zero. Even warmer than the weather was the hospitality offered by two small presbyteries within the small Synod of Saskatchewan. The presbyteries and synod certainly pull above their weight in terms of service to the wider church, for which we should all be grateful. For example, four of the nine committee members who undertook the work of carefully writing “The apology of The Presbyterian Church in Canada for Its Complicity in Colonization and the Residential School System” are from Saskatchewan. You will note that in the first paragraph of the apology, five of the schools that the Presbyterian Church ran were in Saskatchewan. In my limited time with the members of the Presbyteries of Assiniboia and Northern Saskatchewan, the five fundamental commitments in the PCC’s apology were clearly being lived out in ongoing relationships of support, solidarity, and learning, enabling more fully engaged work of reparation.
The first place I visited while in the area was the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry (SNCM), operating in Saskatoon’s inner city. It is a place where people can find refuge, a warm place from life on the streets, something to eat, and a place to gather for worship that upholds Indigenous spiritual practices through which the love of Christ is shared. I was honoured to hear about the personal life and faith journeys that led Dylon Nippi, the Director, to serve in this ministry, as well as those of Stewart Folster, the former Director, who is now serving at Mistawasis Memorial Presbyterian Church. SNCM supports people from many nations and works with those on the margins as Jesus did. One interesting feature of SNCM’s ministry is a recording studio. The room is set up as a welcoming, comfortable space, providing Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and others with the opportunity to record their stories and voices for family members and to archive knowledge to be passed down to future generations.
I am grateful to have had the chance to visit with the ministers, elders, and staff in the Synod of Saskatchewan during this moderatorial year, and I thank you for your ministry in the province and your service to the church.
