Called to Their Own

NCEM’s Native workers tell about choosing this ministry, the blessings and the challenges

What is needed here is several … who will come to the Lord and then witness to their own people.” So wrote an NCEM missionary in 1950. No doubt that was the plea of all the missionaries — but especially of those who had seen little response and were struggling against racial barriers.

Then, with much gratitude to God, by the mid-1950s reports began to be heard of Native Christians actively sharing their faith.

Honorary NCEMer Harold Roberts recalls Tommy Francis visiting his field.

“I wish that somehow I could picture for you the little cabin, dark with a smoky coal oil lamp,” says Harold. “[There was] Tommy with his Cree Bible open, sharing the Gospel with four rough-tough fellows … To see [a Native believer] sharing with other Indian men the way Tommy did was something I’ve never forgotten.”

Sharing their faith, of course, is the natural outcome of all truly born again Native people. Some have taken a further step. In NCEM’s first 60 years, close to 50 Native believers joined the Mission for full-time service — some for a few years, some for a lifetime. At the time of this article’s writing (2005) over 20 First Nations people serve with NCEM.

Why did they choose this ministry? And what are some of their blessings and challenges? In this article we’re privileged to have a few of them share their thoughts. They even tell what it’s like to serve alongside their nonNative ministry partners!

Choosing This Ministry

To serve among your own people … a natural choice? Yes, for some like Michelle Sinclair it was. Michelle says she and her husband, Eric, didn’t really consider other options — it just seemed right. Frank Ward’s response is similar. “For me it was an easy choice,” he says, “because I wanted to be an influence for my Lord within my own people.”

For others the decision was not so easy. Bonnie Knight (d. 2008) tells of apprehension because she did not grow up within Native culture. Bonnie joined NCEM more so at the leading of her husband, Philip, and admits to having fears and preconceived ideas. “But as time went on,” says Bonnie, “the Lord gave me a love for my own people and a desire to see them come to Him.”

Mark (& Ruth Anna) Dana says he initially considered missions in a general way. “But I believe that God had a plan for me among Native people,” he adds. “My interests, gifts, temperament and way of thinking, and identity, helped confirm that this was for me.”

Gilbert Bekkatla vividly recalls an incident from his youth that impacted his decision. “I remember a young fellow getting very ill while out in the bush. With no medical help available, he died, and I remember them carrying his body across the river on the way back to our village. I can still picture the many sad and crying people on the river bank. It was not just their grief, but their hopelessness that made me want to do something for them.”

Growing up, Gilbert recalls his dad often saying, “If you want the job done, you’ll have to do it yourself.” “That thinking played a role in me serving among my people,” says Gilbert. Later his wife, Laura, saw in him potential for spiritual leadership among his own Denesuline people, and that helped confirm God’s call. “My call also includes reaching out to Caucasian, Cree and Metis,” Gilbert says, “but my biggest burden is for the Denesuline. It’s the needs of my own people that I notice the most.”

Not Without Challenges

Native people reaching Native people. It makes obvious sense. They’re unhindered by racial and linguistic barriers. And they’re accepted … right?

Early it was realized that that was not necessarily the case. In 1960 missionary Cliff McComb reported how Native pastor Albert (and Rhoda) Tait of Weagamow Lake (ON) were received on a reserve in central Saskatchewan: “Albert speaks the same language as these people,” wrote Cliff, “but we found them very unresponsive … They would not converse on spiritual things at all. In two homes they listened, but would make no comment … Albert said it was the hardest place he had ever visited.”

In spite of all the perceived advantages, none of NCEM’s Native workers call their ministry easy. They’ve experienced — just as Jesus said — that the Gospel message will offend. What the rest of us sometimes overlook is that rejection from one’s own people is always more painful.

Gilbert has felt it. “But I know they are really rejecting Christ, not me,” he says. “If I was in the world like them, they would accept me with open arms.” And it’s not always direct opposition. Gilbert tells of visiting villages and picking up subtle indications of rejection. “It hurts,” he says, “and I sometimes wish I could be like my nonNative ministry partners, who are often unaware of it.”

Frank says he is sometimes accused of serving the “white man’s God.” “But,” he emphasizes, “I know from truth I am serving the one and only true God.”

Still, the Christian public can underestimate the pressures on Native workers. To help his nonNative coworkers understand, several years ago one Native worker gently offered this rebuke: “White people don’t accept you just because you’re white, do they?”

Expectations

Speaking of challenges, “I suppose it would be other people’s expectations,” says former NCEMer Heidi Ditchburn. “I am just a servant of the Lord and being Native doesn’t mean that I am extra special. Being Native does not automatically open doors for me.

“The Native people themselves present a surprising challenge,” she adds. “They tend to have a guard up with me … they assume that I must have had a very sheltered life, and that there is no way that I could understand their lives.”

Michelle remembers being warned by a Bible school teacher about extra ministry demands possibly being placed on her because she is Native. “I learned that it’s okay to say ‘no’ sometimes. My relationship with God and my family must still be priorities.”

Mark adds a few more challenges to the list: “One issue seems to be reverse discrimination,” he says, “where preferential treatment may be given to Native people … Another is that Native workers from isolated areas are often limited in finding support. Those integrated in mainstream churches have an advantage because of their ability to relate to nonNative cultures.”

Also, Mark’s experience, and that of others, too, helps us recognize that it’s not only NCEM’s nonNative workers who face the challenges of ministering cross-culturally. In Canada there are over 50 distinct “nations” and languages. The way Aboriginal people think, express themselves and make decisions can vary greatly from place to place, says Mark.

The Blessings

Yes, these are the challenges, but Native NCEMers seem to rather talk about the blessings!

Frank appreciates the acceptance he receives as a Native person, especially with youth and in Bible camps. He’s also thankful for his ability to speak Cree. Seeing her Native heritage as an advantage, Michelle says, “People are less likely to say, ‘Well, you don’t know anything about my culture.'” Heidi says she finds great opportunities to be an example of “normal” Christian living at Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute, where she and her husband, Ken, served for a number of years.

Bonnie also spoke of the benefits. She told of being asked to speak at Christian and secular gatherings because of her ancestry. “I immediately feel accepted by most Native people,” she says. “Even though a lot of ‘white’ people don’t know or think I look very Native, Native people almost always know, and often ask me what tribe I’m from, and the door is open for further contact.”

The blessings of being a Native worker? There are more, but one was prominent in all their responses — the joy of seeing people come to know the Lord! “It is great to see Christian truth break new ground and change hearts and lives,” says Mark.

Partnership Issues

Native and nonNative — one in Christ — and serving together. What’s the issue anyway?

“In the Body of Christ we are all one, and there is no difference,” responds Mark, “but we do have our own cultures, languages, and ways of thinking that have to be submitted to the Word of God without prejudice or bias.”

Focusing on our common goal goes a long way in keeping unity, says Gilbert, who illustrates it this way: “If you are in a war, you don’t think so much about who your fellow soldier is … as long as he’s shooting the same direction as you!”

And when asked about serving under the direction of nonNative Mission leaders, Gilbert responds, “Working ‘for’ someone is really secular thinking. In missions, we’re all really working under God.”

Other Native NCEMers compared this ministry partnership to marriage, where each spouse complements the other. “We need to help each other,” says Michelle. “The nonNative workers can challenge us in certain areas … and we Native workers can teach others.”

National or Not?

With Native workers like these effectively ministering to their own people, who of us wouldn’t wish for more? But what about nonNative missionaries — is there still a need for them? Here’s what these workers say:

“Many Native people still need to know the truth of the Gospel,” says Michelle. “It would be much better if they heard it from a nonNative person than not at all.”

Heidi adds, “If someone has love for a certain people, then who cares who they are? You have to go where God leads you. An open heart of love breaks down barriers no matter who you are.”

Bonnie agreed, saying, “Anyone who is willing to spread the Gospel and reach out for the Kingdom of God is worthy of support.”

Gilbert says that there’s room for both, though their roles will vary. And Mark expands on that, believing that forming national (Native) leaders should be a priority. “But I don’t think this has to be exclusive to support only nationals,” he adds.

Frank concludes with a thought related to the word “missionary” itself — which usually implies crossing cultures, but literally means “sent one” and goes beyond race and geography. “I think we should support all missionaries,” he says, “not only at a national level, but at a world level.”

Adapted from our Northern Lights magazine (Issue #487). Note: some of the locations and involvements of our missionaries may have changed since the original publishing of this article.