Celebrating Native American gifts and contributions is the focus of Native American Ministries Sunday. This observance on the second Sunday after Easter is an opportunity through a special offering to nurture mission with Native Americans and provide scholarships for United Methodist Native American seminarians.

“My hope for my children is to know who they are as Native people,” a scholarship recipient told Michelle Harvey Erpenbach of Dakotas Connection , “to know those core values that were taught to them and to know God created them and it's okay to be who God created them to be.”

My hope for my children is to know who they are as Native people.

Cynthia Kent, a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and executive secretary for Native American and Indigenous Ministries, General Board of Global Ministries, suggests ideas for congregations to welcome Native Americans:

• Acknowledge and accept cultural differences . “How can anybody be part of something that doesn't want them to be who they are? Each of us has a culture, and we bring it to church. Why can't Indians?”
• Admit wrongdoing and offer an apology. “I'm United Methodist and Christian and native. I am sorry for what my denomination did.” (This is in reference to mistreatment of Native Americans by early U.S. white missionaries.)
• Give God ownership of every ministry. “We have to make this God's church — not your church, not my church.”
• Make a place at the table. “There are no conditions to being a child of God.”

The Rev. Jane Follmer Zekoff, former Director of Connectional Ministries, Wisconsin Conference, said too many United Methodists are missing the opportunity to support “incredible ministries.”

“I just got out my calculator, punched in a few numbers and discovered that in a recent year, after I added the grand total of giving to all of the Special Sundays in my conference, the average giving per United Methodist was 24 cents!,” Zekoff said. “Now I know not every United Methodist gives to Special Sundays, but I also know many United Methodists give very generously to every single Special Sunday.”

Zekoff said she is saddened because many people are never given the opportunity to give because the Special Sunday is not announced or observed; resources are not ordered; opportunities are not given.

These offerings are the basis for incredible ministries.

“I learned as a member of the Wisconsin Conference staff that these offerings are the basis for incredible ministries,” Zekoff said. “Just think what we could do if we challenged everyone to put in more than 24 cents: How about at least $1 into the offering envelope?”

Zekoff encourages each congregation to participate in Native American Ministries Sunday, the second Sunday after Easter. “These gifts enrich our United Methodist Church!,” she emphasized.

The Special Sunday with offering funds urban ministries with Native Americans, provides scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist and other approved seminaries, and develops and nurturse conference-based Native American ministries.

“What can you buy for $1 or $10 or $50?,” Zekoff asked. “If you put your money where your heart is, you can buy a lot on Native American Ministries Sunday!”

It is important to celebrate the gifts and contributions of Native Americans, according to Zekoff.

Interpreter Magazine Online  offers resources to use in observing Native American Ministries Sunday. The resources include prayers, litany, hymns and readings.

The  General Board of Discipleship and  General Board of Global Ministries also offer more information and resources to celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday.

For more information and resources on Native American Ministries Sunday and other Special Sundays of The United Methodist Church, visit www.umcgiving.org.

NAMS is just two weeks after Easter, so here are some ideas to help you celebrate the gifts and contributions of Native Americans on this special Sunday. This special offering is an opportunity to nurture mission with Native Americans and provide scholarships for United Methodist Native Americans attending United Methodist and other approved schools of theology. Half the contributions remain within the NCNY conference to support Native American ministries such as the Hogansburg UMC, Onondaga Nation UMC, and the Native American Transportation program.

Seven ways to celebrate:

1. Use the worship resources provided on the UMC Giving web site http://www.umcgiving.org/content/sundays/NAMS_nav/native.asp

2. Download and present the special children's sermon on the web site above.

3. Use our UM Hymnal to sing Native American Hymns or hymns with Native American translations such as Heleluyan, Jesus Loves Me, and Amazing Grace or hymns from Voices: Native American Hymns and Worship Resources (Discipleship Resources, available through Cokesbury ).

4. Share a story from one of the children's books by Ray Buckley: The Wing, The Give -- Away, God's love is Like, and others (available through Cokesbury ).

5. Visit and worship with the members of a Native American UM church. There are two in our conference, Hogansburg UMC and Onondaga Nation UMC.

6. Download an insert for inclusion in your bulletin:

7. Choose your own unique way to celebrate and share with others. Send pictures or a video clip to onondaganationumc@gmail.com . The Committee on Native American Ministries will share the information at a workshop at Annual Conference.