It was a pleasure to welcome Hummingbird Ministries as our October 25 Mission Sunday guests this year. Mary Fontaine founded this Presbyterian ministry of healing with aboriginal people in 2004, and we were glad for her visit with elders Dorothy Visser and Ruth Adams. Thank you to Mary, Dorothy, and Ruth for your songs, words, stories, and presence–with our adult education class, in worship, in sharing the meal, and leading us in the blanket exercise to re-tell the story of European settlement in Canada and its impact on Indigenous people.
As several commented afterward, it was a profound and deeply moving time. May God continue to guide your work of education and reconciliation, and may we continue to walk this path together with you. For those who requested a copy of the script of the blanket exercise, you will find it available here: The Blanket Exercise.
As we ended our time together, Mary also invited us to Hummingbirds Peace Through the Arts/Dance Festival, which is being planned for Saturday, November 7 at Gilmore Park United Church, 8060 No 1 Rd, Richmond, BC. The Festival runs from 11:30am-8pm with music, dance, theatre, and food, and you’re invited to drop in for part or all of the day.