On September 22, 2024 Kahnawake United Church welcomed our Moderator, The Right Reverend Carmen Lansdowne to worship and to preach. The service was also well attended by South Shore and Valleys Cluster Churches and congregants. Ministry leaders in these communities were generously invited by Rev. Jan Jorgensen and Rev. Robert Patton to participate in the service as well. It was our privilege to do so.
Robert began the service with Ohen:ton Kariwatehkwen – ‘The Words Before All Words’ and Alma shared poignant remembrances of her childhood friends being put on a train in Cornwall to go to Spanish Riverto attend Residential School. All in attendance were humbled and saddened that these memories for her, are ‘Just like yesterday.’ As nonindigenous persons, we pray that we continue to strive to offer our friendships, in recognition of these harms. When Moderator Carmen began speaking, she remarked that, ‘This is the first Indigenous Church that I’ve preached at as Moderator!’ We marvelled at this and were so honoured! Graciously, following the service, the Moderator shared a copy of her sermon with Rev Jan so that we may share it widely with you!
A time of wonderful fellowship followed the service, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch together. It gave us a chance to thank The Moderator and Robert and Alma, especially, for their heart-felt sharing. Many of us hope that a Cluster Service at Kahnawake may become an annual event. To that end, the presence of David-Roger was missed as he was the Regional Staff person who encouraged these regular opportunities to strengthen our communities and our South Shore United Church presence. We wish him all the best in New Brunswick!
If I may speak personally, to close, for some of us the service followed the day after attending Moderator Carmen’s ‘Flourishing Workshop’ at Cedar Park. The whole weekend, for me, reignited a sense of hope and pride in our church – something that many are missing post-covid as numbers diminish in our congregations. Such engagements remind us, very literally, that ‘We Are Not Alone,’ and that our wider church supports and nurtures us in very profound ways. For this we say, ‘Thanks be to God!’
Rev Jennifer Mountain, on behalf of Rev Robert Patton, Rev Jan Jorgensen, Donald Horne, Alma Ransom, Mimi Sakamoto, Pastor Virginia Wallace, Norm Haslam LLWL and guest organist, Olivier Larue.
Moderator
