Building Sacred Community One Circle at a Time
Author: Vicar Wanda Frenchman, Pastoral Intern of Native American Urban Ministry, Phoenix, AZ
It's a Monday night in downtown Phoenix, where the smell of sage is burning in the air, the sound of a drum is heard, and then voices fill the night sky, singing songs passed down from their ancestors. This is the fellowship hall at Grace Lutheran church, hosting the Native American Urban Ministry's Talking Circle. For many Indigenous people, being able to practice ceremony and sing songs in their own language, in a Christian church wasn't a possibility, but because of the unique partnership between the ELCA and Native American Urban Ministry, they are welcomed to bring cultural traditions into a church.
Every Monday night for the last year, the hall has been filled with about 50 people, a mix of elders, young adults and even some children; they include people directly off the reservation, from prison, or currently living in an addiction treatment center, as well as urban Natives who have called Phoenix home for years. Native American Urban Ministry provides a safe and loving environment for Indigenous people to build community, to share stories, celebrate milestones, and too often to commiserate with each other over loss and trauma. We now see parents bringing kids to the Talking Circles so they too can be part of a community.
Native American Urban Ministry nourishes the hungry community with a meal and coffee and then offers spiritual nourishment in the form of understanding and acceptance. This has not been the norm for Indigenous people in churches in the past, but we at Native American Urban Ministry are working on showing the love of the Creator in the way we believe it was intended. We teach that Jesus was a brown, Indigenous man and that Jesus' greatest command was to love one another, that he preached forgiveness, and he taught by example.
This transformative work is made possible because of Grand Canyon Synod grants and the GCS Mission and Ministry Fund, along with support from local congregations. This synod investment enables Native American Urban Ministry to provide consistent weekly programming that continues the essential healing work between the church and Indigenous communities. Native American Urban Ministry also has a twice-monthly worship service, and we have seen many people who come to the Talking Circle now start coming to our worship services.
Through continued funding from the Grand Canyon Synod, Native American Urban Ministry also accepts and gives away many clothing, shoe, toiletry, blanket, and houseware donations to any Indigenous people in need. Native American Urban Ministry is working in the community following Jesus' example as we feed the hungry, provide hospitality to our neighbors, practice forgiveness for the ills brought on by colonization, and facilitate a loving environment where cultural traditions are embraced and celebrated.
If your congregation or ministry is exploring new ways to serve, partner, and innovate, the Grand Canyon Synod Grants Program may be the right path forward. The 2025 application window opens September 8 and closes October 31. Up to $15,000 is available for projects that align with the synod’s strategic goals.
▶️ Register for the Grants Webinar on September 17 at 4:30 p.m.
📄 Download the application and find all info at gcsynod.org/grants
📩 Questions? Email Theresa Thornburgh at office@gcsynod.org
