I want to begin by saying that it is an honor and privilege to serve as the Indigenous Missioner for the Episcopal Church. When I officially began my duties in February of last year I felt somewhat unqualified and unprepared for the daunting task. I remember Bishop Charleston saying to me, “...
My name is Jim Kee-Rees, and I am the Native American Missioner for the Diocese of Oklahoma and Vicar of Whirlwind Mission of the Holy Family in Watonga, Oklahoma. Whirlwind Mission was founded by The Rev. David Pendleton Oakerhater, and is named after members of the Whirlwind family, that...
WINTER TALK 2013 - WEWOKA, OK - February 18-20, 2013
Greetings from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in Nevada where within the reservation lay a beautiful desert lake that holds many of our legends and is the root of the Kooyooe Tukadu people. Within our reservation we have three...
During one of our meals, Kaze Gadway, youth minister, Spirit Journey Youth, from the Diocese of Arizona asked me “What do you think God wanted you to know or learn from WinterTalk?” I could have chosen to summarize information from the many workshops that I attended, sermons I heard, cultural...
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth
Any reflection on the fifth Mark of Mission, the mark that speaks to the stewardship of creation, would find a perfect foundation in the words of the Psalm 104. Psalm 104 is an ode to the earth...
To Respond to Human Need by Loving Service
Our response to God’s love and forgiveness in our lives is simply to turn and share God’s love with others. The compassion that Jesus places in our hearts urges us to care for the people in our lives. For many of us this is easier...
"Why don’t we each write a story about how the youth live the five marks of mission," suggests Bishop Carol Gallagher. "Then youth ministers will see how practical the five marks can be."
With delight, the five of us in the room begin to write, reading our stories to each other and ...
"To teach, baptize and nurture new believers."
Yesterday we heard Carol Hampton and Steven Charleston speak of “Inspiration” as one of the “four directions” of youth ministry. We all desire to be inspired, to be in-spirited, don’t we?
St. Augustine in the fourth century prayed...
In many Native traditions, winter is the time for gathering to share stories. Out of those ancient ways came Winter Talk, an annual retreat for American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawai'ian Episcopalians, lay and ordained.
For most of its 19-year existence, Winter Talk was held in...