Our bishop, Michael Pryse, of the Eastern Canada Synod, received this invitation from Stephen Jackson, CEO of the Outreach Centre in Kitchener earlier this week.

We would like to invite you and any colleagues you wish to invite to help build part of our Two Row Wampum.

The email went on to describe the purpose of working together, building connections and partnerships. And that it included working side by side and how important friendships are. In the email, Jackson shared the history of wampum (read here), so that we might understand its significance.

Wampum are stories, contracts, obligations and ways of being for First  Nations.

This project is part of our Earth Blanket Awakening: a way to heal the land and people of the region.

The bishop shared the invitation with former members of the St. Philip Lutheran congregation. Having been a member there, I was excited to be a part of the event.

Wednesday came, a sunny morning a bit on the cool side. Former members of this church, representatives from synod gathered, and also members from St. Luke’s Lutheran where much of the congregation transferred. We gathered outdoors in the designated area where the path had already been started. Stephen Jackson described the process and how it would be laid out and invited us to begin.

Norma, another St. Philip member, and I lifted a light-coloured stone and put it into place. We did the same again. Each person could lay one piece and since we had done it together, that was fine. More delegations were coming later in the day for the same purpose.

Jackson, CEO, and Chair of the Board, Tammy Webster, invited us to take a walk around the building on a tour of what had already been put in place.

 

In one back corner, where the wampum ends, the smooth path turns to rounded stones, and we see a turtle shape. There was a reason for turtle being here that I didn’t quite catch as I waited to take a photo of it mostly cleared.

Native Canadians have a close kinship with the land and its creatures; the turtle is one of those, representing particular areas of their beliefs.

I was delighted to see the raised garden beds around the other side of the building. As a previous  St. Philip council member, I had raised the idea of a community garden that we could host. Since we couldn’t get consensus about hosting a garden, I was glad to see this happening on the property.

 

 

 

Around the front of the building again, Stephen and Tammy further described the plans and purposes of the Outreach Centre, the kind of sharing and supporting of families that they intend to facilitate here. Backpacks have already been sent out to families in need in the K-W and surrounding area.

 

According to the article in the Waterloo Region Record this week, journalist Leah Gerber stated the purpose is to build equity and “a key site for reconciliation to happen in the local community.”

Jackson said to us, “Justice as about anger” and he feels that justice is not possible. He spoke of not going back in history, but instead moving ahead and offering healing for both sides, otherwise the same thing (history) is in danger of being repeated.

He also expressed a second time the excitement and joy over the connection with the synod, and the acceptance of the St. Philip congregation that their former building—their worship sanctuary—have a positive purpose, one that the Outreach Centre honours and respects.

We learned about the healing lodge and the hill of joy that are in process of being built, and how COVID changed some of their plans.

They hope to offer a tour of the inside of the building at a later time, even if it is in small groups. I will look forward to that, even if I did take a peek inside the door by the sanctuary.

I was glad to have the opportunity to take part in building the wampum and brought home a stone (by invitation also) from the site. I look forward also to seeing this centre thrive in our city and community.

 

To learn more about the centre, and to donate, go here.