Latest Smoke Signals newsletter

Smoke Signals - Prayer for important gatherings
Richard Twiss
Sep 19, 2009


 Hau kola,

I hope you are well. I want you to know I appreciate the fact you want to receive these smoke signals reports of our humble journey. Here are some important concerns and plans I want to make you aware of and invite you to join us in bringing before our Creator. As usual at this time of year, we have heaps of stuff going on.

NCAI PRAYER BREAKFAST

On Monday, Oct 12 at 7:00 am we will convene the 2nd Annual Tribal Leaders Prayer Breakfast for the National Congress of American Indians at the convention center in Palm Springs. Some 3000 people will gather for four days from across America to develop plans and strategies to deal with the many difficult issues facing First Nations people and communities. My vision is to follow the example of the National Prayer Breakfast to create an environment of hope, peace and trust in the Spirit of Jesus, where genuine and caring relationships can form in the midst of political, tribal, ideological, religious, racial and cultural complexities. And, perhaps more importantly, follow up with these leaders throughout the year to assist them in forming small group gatherings in their communities on reservations and urban areas across the land.

Will you please pray for Creator’s guidance and wisdom as we pursue this dream! It is a timely vision that is pivotal in finding liberty, healing and reconciliation amongst our people facing often desperate conditions; alcoholism, teen suicide, poverty, critical health crisis, etc.

Please pray for:

            Final confirmation from the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, to be our keynote speaker. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is under the jurisdiction of the Interior and Secretary Salazar plays a powerful role in shaping policy effecting Native people. He is a man of faith and his participation would be a huge boost to the vision for years to come. His office is trying to make it happen, but we need to know yesterday.

            Confirmation from Larry Echohawk, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior as a prayer breakfast participant.

            Wiconi International carries the financial weight of underwriting the program side of the breakfast and this year my budget is $4200.00. We still need another $3000 to meet our budget. If you would like to give online click here.

            We had 75 people last year, we’d love several hundred this year. We begin at 7:00 AM on the first full day of business for the conference. Pray too for a heartfelt response to my invitation to join together in ongoing honest, accountable relationships with other tribal leaders who love the Creator, their people and families.  

BAKKE GRADUATE UNIVERSITY (BGU) MEETINGS

I’d appreciate your prayers as I attend three days of meetings beginning this Sunday as a member of the Board of Regents for BGU. Meeting north of Seattle, we will discuss many important issues of developing relevant, missional, and transformational educational programs that speak to future generations of Christ-following leaders around the world. You can read more of BGU at http://www.bgu.edu/index.

SPEAKING AT GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY 

I will be speaking a number of times to students and faculty over two-and-half-days at GFU in Newberg, Oregon, September 28-30. I love speaking to university students. The two chapels are open to those in the area who might be interested in attending. My topic is “Thy Kingdom Come: moving from a white Western Christianity to a Christ-centered global faith.” Check out GFU at http://www.georgefox.edu.

NORTHWEST NATIVE WOMEN’S CONFERENCE - OCT 9-11

We convened two Native women’s conferences the past five years with great success. This year some of our good friends have picked up the vision and are convening a gathering to address the many difficult realties facing our Native women today. It will be held on the Muckleshoot Reservation in Auburn, Washington (near Seattle). This will be a great “Holy Ghost” style meeting where traditional regalia and dancing are welcome and encouraged. For more information click here.

OAXACA CITY DANCING OUR PRAYERS OUTREACH – NOV 2-14

CALLING ALL DANCERS AND SINGERS: I am inviting Native traditional dancers and singers to join us for our second “Dancing Our Prayers Team” trip to Mexico. We will use our powwow style dances, songs, cultural ways and traditional stories to share the Good News with indigenous communities in the State of Oaxaca. Like last year we will be dancing and singing our prayers in remote villages, public squares, in schools and to more than a 1000 indigenous pastors at a conference in several different communities.  In addition to team participants, I am also inviting prayer and financial partners to join our team. Each team member must pay for their travel to and from, but we will prayerfully cover “in-country” expenses. More details will be on our website in a few days. Please contact our office if you are interested in joining this team who will be among tribal peoples who desperately need some “Good News!”

HOLY BIBLE: MOSAIC PROJECT

I wrote a devotional piece for this publication coming out this month. Their blurb reads, “Encounter Christ on every continent and in every century of Christian History. A new genre of Bible—a weekly meditation Bible—Holy Bible: Mosaic is an invitation to experience Christ both in His word and in the responses of his people.” You can check it out here. 

Shalom

 CONTACT _Con-3CA82D1F67 \c \s \l Richard Twiss, Sicangu Lakota

Wiconi International

360-546-1867

www.wiconi.com

Around the internet

Nice little quiz on black geek

Came across Scrah's blog via Angry Asian Man and loved it! He's written a new book called The Next Evangelicalism Freeing The Church From Western Cultural Captivity. YAY!!!!!!! You know I love this stuff if you keep up with my posts on wiconi and Native American Pastor Richard Twiss's book, One Church, Many Tribes: Following Jesus the way God made you. The book is finally expected to be in the warehouse towards the end of this week. I pick up my copies on Friday. It's not too late to pre-order on Amazon. Give his book a first week boost. Order by the end of the month, beginning of April.

Black Women Blow the Trumpet did a post on dismantling entitlement. Okay, I don't mind black folks talking about this cause I know where they come from. So I agree with them when they talk about it. But when certain whites talk about it...uhm...

Maurice Broadus did a great post on Blogging in Black about Race Fail racism and horror and ignoring the elephant in the room. Claire Light also did a post on Race Fail and cultural appropriation in respect to the word "hapa."

Christians in Cinema blog did a post on what the vatican learned from the Da Vinci Code

Christianity Today did a post on christian films being short on substance. Totally true. Honestly, not everyone is brought to christ by being told how sinful they are.

Electronic Village is supporting Genocide Prevention Month

Am really loving a blog called Facing Autism and they did a post on truth which I utterly loved. Yeah, too many romanticized autism stuff in the media.

Living in a Toxic World did a post on Obama overload. They aren't against Obama; they're against the old same-old same-old thinking. Raw Dawg also said the same thing. So it's not a black or white thing. I totally agree with them. I mean, look who he made head of the dept of Agriculture: Monsanto's Man.

And APOOO did a post on African-American women for Women's History Month

Discovered Rob Rey at Artist of the Day blogspot

Smoke Signals - Mar 5, 2009

Smoke Signals - Cool Reports, Grant for Equipment and Upcoming Stuff
Richard Twiss
Mar 5, 2009

Hau kola,

It’s been a very busy few weeks of travel and speaking. I was so encouraged a few weeks ago to listen to my new friend Duane tell me how he experienced the Spirit of God in a traditional Hopi Kiva ceremony as a follower of Jesus. While teaching at a Youth With a Mission school with Will and Millie Toms, in Kykotsmovi, AZ, I heard many encouraging stories of Hopi men and women who, as followers of Jesus, were working out their local theologies (without calling it that). For a few it got them unwelcomed from area churches by missionary pastors. One woman was told if she did not stop participating in the traditional ceremonies she could lose her salvation and go to hell.

About ten years ago I wrote a booklet called Dancing Our Prayers that addresses issues of Native believers doing the hard work of thinking through how the bible relates, critiques, informs and mutually affirms their faith in Jesus. Here is a quote;

We want to see the indigenous church arise among First Nations people; One that is self-governing/supporting/propagating, and most importantly, self-theologizing.

“But little was said about the fourth self: self theologizing. For the most part, national [Indigenous] leaders were not encouraged to study the Scriptures for themselves and to develop their own theologies. Deviation from the missionary’s theology was often branded as heresy. To young, nationalistically [Indigenously] minded leaders this was theological colonialism. …Whether we like it or not, young [Indigenous] theologians around the world are reading scripture and interpreting it for their own cultures.”
Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regal Books, 1994) p. 46-47

These prophetic words by Dr. Hiebert describe exactly what is being played out among the Hopi people today! It is, however, not only among Hopi people, but all across North America and globally. My work, in partnership with many others, over the past twenty years has helped “remove barriers and build bridges” for this prophetic word to become our growing reality. For this, all my heretical friends and I are deeply grateful to our Creator and to you our friends and supporters!

NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST IN WASH D.C.

Listening to President Barak Obama and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair share two inspiring, yet simple stories of faith in Jesus was a remarkable experience. While sharing a meal or a sitting in a crowd, listening to followers of Jesus from around the world tell of their faith journey in the midst of difficult to horrific political, economic, militaristic and religious situations was very inspiring. The Spirit of the Lord is at work among the nations in ways we will never know. Certainly far beyond what we see and hear on television or read in the newspaper. We are making plans to take a Dancing Our Prayers Team to Jordan and Lebanon next year in partnership with some Muslim followers of Jesus we have come to befriend.

We are finalizing our plans for our second annual National Congress of American Indian Prayer Breakfast for Tuesday October 13 in Palm Springs. We are inviting Sec. of the Interior Ken Salazar to be our keynote speaker. Please join us in prayer for his acceptance and all the details to get worked out. (Visit NCAI.org to grasp the importance of this).

EXCITING REPORT - GRANT FOR NEW OFFICE EQUIPMENT

Our office equipment is an outdated mismatched assortment of computers that can’t talk to each other, old printer, funky copier, donated stuff and a mysterious collection of telephones patched together. We have been in dire need of new systems for several years now. I am grateful to say that our deliverance draweth nigh. We received a matching grant from the Murdock Charitable Trust in the amount of $16,000 to finally renovate our equipment. That amount, however, is only half the amount needed to get re-outfitted. In order to use any of that money we must first raise the other $16K. This opportunity goes away if can’t raise the other half by June 15th, 09. Will you pray with us about locating the other $16K? Thanks so much!

VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND VISITS

Kath and I spoke at New Covenant Church in Manassas and Immanuel’s Church in Silverspring, two of our partner churches. I addressed the polarizing tensions that surfaced within the church before the presidential election, inviting listeners to wrestle with love and dignity through difficult socio-political issues as followers of Jesus. It was great seeing old friends we have come to love and appreciate in recent years. You can watch and listen to one of the messages on line at http://www.immanuels.org/media/video/previousvideo3.htm


ROBERT SOTO - SOUTH TEXAS (Way South) POW WOW – MCALLEN TEXAS

Kath and I will be joining Robert and Iris for their annual powwow and anniversary celebration of their Native church, March 13-16. We’re looking forward to hanging with them and other cool friends in the area. Jacob and Jodi are joining us from our office team as well.

AN AMERICAN THEOLOGY OF THE LAND

Several highly respected national First Nations leaders, along with other scholars, tribal leaders and theologians will be speaking at this important conference on April 17, at George Fox Seminary in Newberg, Oregon. For more info and to register visit http://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/contemporary_culture/index.html or visit our website under the Home page and click on “schedule”.

Pilamaya for journeying with us,

Richard Twiss
Wiconi International
www.wiconi.com

Shatter -- Native American Christian Worship

Smoke Signals - Rwanda - Amahoro-Africa Report

I received the latest wiconi email newsletter from Native American pastor, Richard Twiss. Usually, I snip a bit here and there and post info on my blog but this last report was so powerful, I figured I'd include everything in this post.

Hau Kola’s

Greetings from Kigali, Rwanda. Here’s a short first report. Hope you are well by the way.

The Amahoro-Africa Gathering was a beautiful time of friendship making with some really fun and amazing people from around the world. Many of them are deeply engaged in local and global endeavors addressing situations of injustice, human rights, AIDS, micro-financing and community development as followers of Jesus. I now have friends who are actively involved in peace-making efforts in the conflicts in Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa. The story of the past twenty years of Rwanda was heartbreaking, tragic beyond comprehension, confusing and inspiring.



Many of you saw the movie Hotel Rwanda a few years ago that told the story of the horrific genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. In 90 days more than 1 million people were brutally/inhumanely murdered. It was people from the Tutsi tribe who carried out the genocide against the Hutu tribe. It is a long story that ultimately happened as the direct result of social engineering attempts on the part of the Belgian regime to scientifically classify the Tutsi tribe as being superior to the Hutu (size of head, wideness of nose, set of eyes, height, etc.) and thus preferring them in assigning roles of power in the colonial system of government established. This created the environment which led to animosity between these tribes who share the same language and have a long-standing history of shared living and relationship between them.

I listened to horrifying stories of Tutsi women tell of their brutalization in every way conceivable. I visited a mass grave site where 200,000 people were buried. I visited 2 catholic churches that were massacre sites. 5000 murdered in one and 20,000 in another. In the buildings the blood stained and dirt covered clothes from all the victims had been hung from the rafters and left to cover every inch of the floor space. In each of these places there were hundreds of unclaimed skeletal remains; skulls were carefully lined up in rows and the rest piled on shelves. At another site thousands of exhumed mummified bodies in distorted positions lay inside the school building on the desks and tables. These sites, and many others, are part of a national genocide memorial to keep the memories of loved ones alive and to remember that human beings are capable of great evil unless we learn to forgive and love one another.

I had taken tobacco ties with me so at the first site, I felt deeply compelled to sing a song of remembrance and put tobacco on the shelf with the bones. The skeletal remains were not enclosed in any way. If you wanted you could touch them. I asked two men from Africa to stand with me as our group had moved away from this spot. I sang a traditional style native song of mourning and remembrance for these people. Many in the building began to weep as the Spirit of the Lord visited with us. After I finished I wept too.

I then listened to Hutu believers confess their stories of shame, guilt and sorrow for what they had done and saw the forgiveness that was exhibited by the Tutsi believers toward them. I was completely blown away! I cannot relate to that depth of forgiveness. Listening to Freda tell how the attackers lined her (she was 14 then) entire family up in a pit and chopped off her mothers head with a machete, caved her brothers and sisters heads in with clubs and finally clubbed her and buried them all, then to see her so clothed in the love and mercy of God was beyond my ability to “get.”

One fact worth noting about the context of the genocide is that prior to April 1994, the western church generally regarded Rwanda as one of the most "Christian" countries in Africa and the world, one of the real "successes" of Christian missions in Africa! Statistically speaking some 80% to 90% of the population regard themselves as Christians. An absolute majority are Roman Catholics, and a strong minority Protestants. Much of this Christianity is of a strong evangelical persuasion (Patrick E. Johnstone, 1993. Operation World. Carlisle, UK: OM Publishing, P. 472: there are many sources available about this fact). “And yet all of this Christianity did not prevent genocide, a genocide which leading church officials did little to resist, in which a large number of Christians participated, and in which, according to African Rights, more people "died in churches and parishes than anywhere else." – (David P Gushee, The Christian Century, April 20, 2004, pp. 28-31)

While it is a very complex situation in Rwanda, with no clear conclusions, this one fact is cause for some reflection. What was meant by “Christian.” While many God-fearing people lost their lives as they resisted the slaughter, the Christian church was also complicit in many instances. Many times I heard the question, “where was the church when it was most needed?” Even more compelling is where is the church today in light of the global AID’s crisis, the new conflicts in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and many more areas. I was encouraged because it was African nationals asking the question among themselves.

However, what about us, you and me? Does injustice only exist in Africa? As we face the compelling questions of our day, the answers will not arise from whether or not someone is a Christian, republican, democrat, evangelical, Pentecostal – it will found in whether or not we following Jesus in community with others of differing cultures, expressions of our one faith, economic status and power or privilege.

Have you hugged an “Indian” lately? How about a white republican? How about a black democrat? How about a white democratic Pentecostal pro-life orthodox liberal emerging post-modern evangelical? Or how about a justice doing, mercy loving, humbly walking follower of Jesus …Hmmmm? Okay then, go ahead and hug yourself.

Hohecetuwe yelo – “and that’s the way it is”

Jesus is amazing! His love for us in the midst of our brokenness is way too good to be true! I am reminded of the Father’s grace and goodness in my life and challenged again to love and walk as Jesus walked among his followers, critiques, opponents and enemies.

Peace, as you walk in the Jesus Way!

Richard
Wiconi International
www.wiconi.com

For those Christians who are Native American or for those interested in indigenous Christianity, you can subscribe to smoke signals by sending an email to
wiconi-subscribe (at) MyInJesus.com

Multicultural and Native American Christian happenings

ENVISION: THE GOSPEL, POLITICS AND THE FUTURE
Please visit their website for all the registration information (check out the list of speakers) and plan to go if you can. Envision ‘08 is about the power of the gospel to transform the public square. It’s about Jesus and justice, evangelical history and heritage, and practiced theology. It’s about the next one hundred years of the church and its impact on the common good. There is a significant Native representation among the speakers.
LIVING WATERS FAMILY CAMP AND POWWOW
The theme for the fourth annual gathering is Our Journey – Restoring Community in a Broken World. Please visit our website for all the registration fees and process to provide a scholarship for many Native low-income families to attendor call the Wiconi office 360-546-1867.
ROSEBUD RESERVATION CROSS-CULTURAL IMMERSION COURSE
Jay Moon from Sioux Falls Seminary and Pastor Richard Twiss of Wiconi International will again be teaching on the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. The dates are July 11-18. The course is available for academic credit. The $400 cost per person covers registration, lodging and food. Attendees will learn from tribal elders, church leaders, and traditional spiritual leaders as well as attend a powwow. For details call the Wiconi office 360-546-1867.
WORLD CHRISTIAN GATHERING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN ISRAEL
Plans are being finalized for some significant meetings with various leaders throughout the region on all sides of the various borders. This is part of our inheritance as First Nations people to speak a message of reconciliation in the Spirit of Jesus wherever brokenness is found. Visit the website at www.wcgip.org for details.
USING TAX REBATES TO DONATE TO WICONI
Wiconi is listed as one of the organizations you can donate to using your tax rebate through the organization, Network for Good - Rise 08. If you go to their website, http://www.rise08.org/ you can locate Wiconi International in their list of ministries, then follow their instructions about how to make a gift.
In addition Pastor Twiss has the privilege of giving the commencement address for the Bakke Graduate School in Seattle on June 31 as well as deliver a major theological paper at the "Missiology of Jamestown 1607 and its Implications for 2007 and Beyond" consultation at Regent University on May 28 in Virginia Beach.

Amahoro-Africa 08

Amahoro Africa is a place where African voices, African leaders, African methods and solutions come together to address African issues together with non African friends. Amahoro is a word of traditional African origin meaning peace. Although used widely across Africa, it has particularly deep and significant meaning in places like Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo, where violence and genocide have inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering.

Around the world, a conversation has been growing among an emerging generation of young Christian leaders. This conversation isn't just about exploring ideas; it is also about considering new frameworks, building relationships and creating networks of friendships among leaders engaging with the postcolonial African world in the name of Jesus.

In recent years, innovative Christian leaders around the globe have been observing their world and reaching a similar conclusion: the modern colonial world is giving way to an emerging postmodern, postcolonial world.

THREE NEW NATIVE MUSIC CD’s – MUSIC OF A MOVEMENT

Saw this in the wiconi newsletter.

A little over ten years ago there was virtually no Native-style music honoring Jesus that incorporated traditional drumming, chanting and other tribal styles and sounds. Today there are many dozens of such recordings. This reality is a refection of the spirit of Jesus at work in the lives of men and women who have been inspired to write new songs of prayer, celebration and honor to Jesus, born out of their identity as Native people. Accompanying every move of the spirit in a generation or people has been a “new sound” of celebration, or indigenous hymnody; from John Wesley, William Booth, The Jesus People Movement, to this current global Indigenous Jesus Movement. These new songs are helping bear the message of freedom in Jesus that you can be fully Native and fully embraced by God in your cultural world to people everywhere.

I want to recommend three new CD releases. They are Jonathan Maracle and Broken Walls “The Father’s Dance,” Michael Jacobs’, “Mystery,” and Cheryl Bear’s “The Good Road.” Jonathan is Mohawk, Michael is Cherokee and Cheryl is Nadleh Whut'en and while their music is different in style and sound, each share a message of freedom and hope in Jesus as native worshippers of Creator.

You can listen to sound-bytes of many of their songs on our website along with a few dozen more CD’s of powwow drumming music, flute music, praise music, instrumental stuff, etc., and then purchase them from wiconi's store shopping cart feature.

WORLD CHRISTIAN GATHERING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

WORLD CHRISTIAN GATHERING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE – ISRAEL 08
We are rapidly approaching the 7th WCGIP in Jerusalem. A number of travel agents have been added to the WCGIP website (www.wcgip.org). The number of people trying to visit Israel is at an all-time high. If possible please pre-register and pay your deposits quickly.

WCGIP – WORLD CHRISTIAN GATHERING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE - Israel

Tribal peoples from around the world are making preparations to attend this historic, 7th WCGIP in Jerusalem, Israel this September 9-19. Delegations from many lands including Indonesia, Iryan Jaya, Brazil, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Northern India, and many more are coming. EVERYONE is invited to join together with us as “the one new person” in Christ! For eight days we will worship together with the many sights and sounds of indigenous cultures from around the world. There will be various cultural presentations, panels/forums addressing critical concerns of Indigenous populations and biblical dialogue to envision a new and hopeful future of a post-colonial Christianity among tribal peoples globally. Visit the newly designed and informative website for all the details concerning registration and the gathering itself at www.wcgip.org.

PLEASE HELP US BY FORWARDING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT THROUGH YOUR NETWORKS AND BY ADDING THE WEBSITE LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE. THANK YOU!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Native American Pastor Richard Twiss of Wiconi International

has given a Guarded BOOK RECOMMENDATION for this YA book; PG-13

This is what he wrote:

Knowing I won’t get a lot of love from of few people for recommending it, for people who want to get an insiders view of the typical life of a reservation young person, I nonetheless highly suggest you get a copy of
Sherman Alexie’s new book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

It won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, is currently #1 on the Book Sense Best Sellers List for children, and is #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in chapter books for children. The book has also been selected by Publishers Weekly (11/5/07) as one of the "Best Books of the Year."

Told in a typical Alexie humorous way, it paints an honest, all too real (the PG-13 part) and painful picture of the challenges faced by kids on the Rez everyday. Because I grew up with very similar circumstances as a young boy on the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux Reservation and later, I laughed out loud many times and cried quietly while reading it. If you like it let me know what you think; if not, just pray for me.

So, if you're looking for a kid's book on Native American or Minority Issues...and if your child can handle the PG-13 aspects of life on a reservation, here's a great Christmas present idea.

NAIITS SYMPOSIUM THIS WEEK IN SIOUX FALLS

The Board of the North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) is convening it's 5th symposium at Sioux Falls Seminary this Thursday thru Saturday.

They have outstanding people presenting some excellent papers around the theme, Redemption, Reconciliation, and Restoration: Journeys Toward Wholeness.

The symposium is gaining a national reputation for outstanding scholarship. It is a place for introducing new ideas for practical ministry as well, all with a strong Native worldview influence and cultural flavoring. You can read a little more about it at the Wiconi website.