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Resource Library

    Native American Ministries Resources



    In 2022, congregations across The United Methodist Church gave over $426,000 to develop and strengthen Native American ministries in annual conferences; Native American rural, urban, reservation ministries and communities. Your donation provided development, implementation and assessment of a higher education recruitment/retention for Native American clergy. Native American Ministries Sunday is scheduled for April 23, 2023, but you can hold it on any Sunday that works for your congregation.

    Available Resources

    Native American Worship Resources

     
    United Methodist Hymnal
    #78 Heleluyan (Muscogee Creek): This song was sung on the trail of tears as the tribe was reloacated to Indian territory in what is today the state of Oklahoma. Additional verses found in the United Methodist Book of Worship, page 176. A video with music and lyrics can be viewed here. Another video of the song being sung by a Native American congregation can be found here. Notice that there are different words sung in this version.
    #330 Daw-Kee, Aim Daw-Tsi-Taw (Kiowa prayer song)
    #378 Amazing Grace (various native language versions of verse one are found at the bottom of the page) 
    #329 Prayer to the Holy Spirit  (A traditional Native American Prayer)
     
    United Methodist Book of Worship
    • Kiowa Hymn: A Call to Worship 184
    • Shawnee Traveling Song 197
    • May the Warm Winds of Heaven 198
    • May the Warm Winds of Heaven 200
    Digging Deeper
    • Voices: Native American Hymns and Other Worship Resources: This is among the only Native American Hymnals available. Copies can be found online. You can find links to lyrics and some music on this page.
    • You can also find significant historical information as well as worship music and liturgical resources on this website.
    • Native Hymns is a Cherokee hymn, “One Drop of Blood”, that was sung on the Trail of Tears. A video with lyrics in Cherokee and English can be found at this link.
    • On YouTube, Ira Walker (Muscogee Creek), sings a number of native hymns.

    Prayer Resources

    Creator God, as you have gathered us in generations past, lead and guide us this day
    As we seek your wisdom and your vision for our people.
    Give us eyes to see one another as you see us,
    People of one God,
    Connected to one another and to you
    In all our relations, and in your son Jesus.
    Give us ears to hear the wisdom of our elders
    And the laughter of our children.
    Give us words of blessing and healing for a hurting world.
    Open our hearts and lead us on the path of peace.
    We stand together on sacred ground with grateful hearts,
    Knowing that the One who promises is faithful and true.
    Amen.
    written by Rev. Delana Taylor, Local Pastor from the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
     

    Responsive Reading

    L: Walking in the footsteps of our ancestors, listening, praying, singing songs of hope. Their words remind us that despite hardship and injustice,
    P: We are still here, with grateful hearts. God is with us on our journey
    L: Creating in the image of the Creator, we sow and water, tend and harvest with the cycle of the moon and the seasons of the Earth.
    P: We are still here, with humble hearts. God is with us on our journey.
    L: Hearing the voices of those who stepped out in faith from generations past, they call us to shake off the burdens of this life, to sing and to dance.
    P: We are still here, with joyful hearts. God is with us on our journey.
    L: Bound in spirit to one another, through the stories of our people, connected to Creator and earth in a web of relationship, seeking grace and balance in all we do.
    P: We are still here, with hopeful hearts, God be with us on our journey.
    Resource from Worship and Educational Resources, Minnesota Annual Conference
     

    Call to Worship

    L: O God, open us to the powerful winds of your Spirit.
    P: Open our eyes to the wonders of your creation.
    L: Open our nostrils to the smells of life.
    P: Open our ears to the words of justice and truth.
    L: Open our mouths to the taste of freedom and love.
    P: Open our arms to the touch of our sisters and brothers.
    L: Let us praise the God who formed the mountains and created the wind and gave birth to us in the divine image.
    P: Let us sing to the One who made the stars and turns deep darkness into morning and day into night.
    L: Let us turn to God, hating what is evil and loving what is just.
    All: So, may justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
    Amen!
    Resource written by Rev. Anita Phillips, former Executive Secretary of Native American and Indigenous Ministries for the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Global Ministries
     

    Cultural Resources

    Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)—This is one of the most pervasive issues among Native Americans today. Native Hope and the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center are good sources of information on this issue.

    Mascots Sovereignty and linked issues, which include the two mentioned above. The National Congress of the American Indian has a good basic explanation of sovereignty although it is a complex issue that affects all aspects of Native life — government, law enforcement, health care, religion, land and access to government programs.  
     

    Missouri Cultural Sites

    Please note that it is best to call before visiting tribal reservations and other lands. These are not tourist sites but exist to serve their tribes. By calling ahead you can find out if they have cultural sites or activities that open to those outside the tribe and arrange for someone to serve as a guide and to answer questions.  

    Sites in Neighboring States

    While Missouri has no tribal lands, there are some cultural sites and native lands in several neighboring states

    Illinois: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
    Iowa: The Winnebago and Omaha Tribes (see below under Nebraska) both have lands in SW Iowa.

    Kansas  
    Kentucky: Kentucky has several cultural sites. The closes to Missouri is the Wickliffe Mounds State Historic site located just east of the Mississippi river and just north of the Missouri bootheel.
     
    Oklahoma is the home of 39 tribal groups with the following being located closest to Missouri:
    • Cherokee. Of special interest are the many attractions on the Cherokee Nation lands. 
    • Eastern Shawnee
    • Miami
    • Peoria
    • Quapaw
    • Seneca-Cayuga
    • Wyandotte
     

    Additional Cultural Resources

    Understanding Issues Important to Native Peoples

    Good sources for this are Indigenous news websites