As a Community of Faith within The United Church of Canada, we are seeking to live in right relations with the Indigenous peoples of our country and affirm our intention to seek reconciliation. With our denomination, we affirm and identify with the apology made in 1986 at its 31st General Council of The United Church of Canada to the Indigenous Peoples for the role played by the church in colonization.We also identify with the 1998 apology of the church in which we apologized explicitly for its role in Indian Residential Schools.
We walk this path towards reconciliation and right relations with humility, but we also walk this path intentionally as we see this as a living out of our Christian faith. In seeking to live in right relations, we are acknowledging the hurts and pains of the past inflicted on the Indigenous peoples and recommit ourselves to aspire to be witnesses of the love of God.
Recognizing that the path to reconciliation and right relations is a process, we continue to seek ways to move us along that path intentionally. This desire is in many activities and programs of the congregation. It is also expressed weekly as each of our worship services begins with an acknowledgment of the land. Far from being a meaningless ritual, this acknowledgment reminds us of our responsibilities as part of Treaty 6. However, it also reminds us that there is still more work to be done as we seek to live in right relations.