Page 44 - Presbyterian Connection

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PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2022
presbyterian.ca
Connection
JUST WONDERING...
My congregation wants to do a land acknowledgement to honour Indigenous peoples and their presence on the land. I was asked to prepare this. Where do I begin?
A minister by any other name... Can you settle something for us? What is the correct way to use a minister’s title? Is it “Rev.” or “the Rev.”?
Answered by Katharine Sisk, Justice Ministries
One of the most important reasons a con- gregation gives a land acknowledgement is because The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada participated in a system—Residential Schools—that perpetrated great harm and was designed to erase Indigenous identity. Drawing attention to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, and the treaties that were intended to guide a sharing of land and resources between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, is one small but important way we can disrupt that legacy. Here are some things to consider.
Learn about treaties
Is your church on land that is subject to a treaty or treaties? When was it signed and by who(m)? How has—and how hasn’t— the treaty been lived up to? If there isn’t a treaty, what nations have lived on, or held the responsibility for caring for that land? There may not be a single or straightfor- ward answer, but these questions will point you to the kind of information you will need.
Begin with a simple statement
I acknowledge that the national office of The Presbyterian Church in Canada is on Treaty 13 land (the 1805 Toronto Purchase Agreement), which is held by the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation.
Check your sources
Always try to consult with Indigenous communities in your area. Band Council websites, Indigenous cultural centres and Friendship centres are great resources. Online maps, such as native-land.ca, and education centres with Indigenous studies programs and student centres can also be useful. It’s okay to start with an acknowl- edgement prepared by someone else, such as your city or municipal council, but don’t stop there. The most important thing you can do is consult with Indigenous peoples and organizations wherever possible. Part of the process of a land acknowledgement is putting in the work to learn.
Let the practice grow—engage with curiosity and embrace complexity
What is communicated in a land acknowl- edgement is likely to change over time, particularly as a group collectively deepens its understanding of colonization and the need for churches to intentionally unset- tle entrenched norms that reflect the racist idea that European Christians knew better than Indigenous peoples what was needed to live and thrive (this idea underpinned the Residential Schools system and the policy of assimilation in Canada). An acknowl- edgement can articulate some of these ideas and it is important to name the harm the church has done.
I acknowledge the church’s role in colonization: that as a church, we have been involved in colonial prac- tices and structures that profoundly harmed generations of Indigenous peoples, families, and communities.
Commit to truth, healing
and reconciliation
Addressing the intergenerational harms of anti-Indigenous racism is not something that will happen overnight. But we have guidance in the form of the Truth and Rec- onciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Ac- tion, and the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which outlines 231 Calls for Justice. And we have the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation. The Declara- tion’s principles are the minimum standard of what is needed for the well-being of In- digenous peoples. An acknowledgement can express the church’s covenant, with God’s guidance, to walk humbly in better ways.
I reaffirm our calling and commitment to truth, healing and reconciliation with Indig- enous peoples and ask for God’s guidance as we seek intentional actions to end anti- Indigenous racism and uphold the dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples.
Additional resources:
• The PCC’s Social Action Hub
presbyterian.ca/social-action • The PCC and the Doctrine of
Discovery: presbyterian.ca/dod
Answered by the Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald, General Secretary
The Reverend/Rev. is a style of address used in front of the name of clergy and ministers in various religious traditions. But ultimately, people get to choose how they are addressed. The generally accepted practice is to put “the” before “Reverend” or “Rev.” in writing. Frequently, the “the” is incorrectly dropped in ordinary speech.
Increasingly, it is common to hear min- isters referred to by placing simply “Rev.” in front of their first name. For example, people will say “Rev. Chris said we should love one another” or “Get the communion chalice for Rev. Sandy.” While common (and perhaps preferred by some clergy), strictly, this use is widely considered to be technically incorrect as “Rev./Reverend” appears to function more as an adjective in this use, rather than an honorific style.
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I’m a new grandmother and very proud and looking forward to my granddaughter’s baptism. My son-in- law isn’t keen on a baby’s baptism and thinks we should wait until she’s older, but I think the sooner the better. Is there a specific age that a child should be baptized according to the Presbyterian church?
Answered by the Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald, General Secretary
Congratulations on becoming a grand- mother and we hope you will send pho- tos! There is no specific age or stage of development when children should be baptized. Traditions of the Christian Church understand features of baptism differently. Some traditions believe that one should be baptized only after making a conscious de- cision to be a disciple of Christ. In these traditions (Baptist and Pentecostal, for ex- ample) people are often baptized as teens or adults.
Other traditions, including the Presby- terian tradition, emphasize the reality that
children are beloved by God and are part of the church and believe that baptism is meant for those who profess their faith and for their children, who they promise to raise in the faith of Jesus Christ. Infant baptism emphasizes the grace of God and God’s initiative in loving us before we are even aware of anything other than ourselves and our wants and needs. In infant baptism, we see the truth that we are loved in spite of our insights, ignorance and abilities. We also believe that people baptized in infancy are then called later in life to make personal professions of Christ. This is an excellent opportunity for your family to speak with the minister in your congregation about the meaning of baptism.