kahkiyaw niwahkomakanak— All my relations

A sermon

Abstract

Our individual efforts for reconciliation are all very important and good. But it’s time for the Ottawa Mennonite Church (OMC) community to come together again to listen to and learn from survivors about what we should be doing as a community toward reconciliation, and to learn together from the Algonquin Nation on whose traditional land we worship about the history, care, and stewardship of their land. Should unceded land be considered and treated differently from land stolen or withheld, treaty notwithstanding? I don’t know. We need to learn. Beyond learning, we need to determine our way forward. We should anticipate that difficult conversations will occur as we listen, learn, and, within OMC, determine how to proceed.