Native American leaders listen on May 18 to a presentation about the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre to the 2016 United Methodist General Conference in Portland, Ore. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UMNS
November is National Native American Heritage Month. Take this opportunity to learn about the history of Native Americans and their relationship to The United Methodist Church. Host a book discussion or study for your congregation.
The Media Center offers the following books and studies to use individually or in small groups. Additional resources, including DVDs and websites, are listed in our Native American Resources Pathfinder.
The United Methodist Church will celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday on April 26, 2020 giving you another opportunity to use these resources to educate your congregation.
On This Spirit Walk
The Native American Comprehensive Plan of The United Methodist Church created this small-group curriculum resource to share the voices of native people on topics that are important to them. The 12 chapters focus on topics such as identity, values, storytelling, creation, justice, repentance, and more. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions.
Learn more in our online catalog: On This Spirit Walk : The Voices of Native American and Indigenous Peoples by Henrietta Mann and Anita Phillips; Native American Comprehensive Plan, 2012.
Giving Our Hearts Away
The United Methodist Women published a Mission Study that tells the history of the United States from a Native American perspective. The histories of contemporary issues facing Native Americans are revealed. The book includes an 8-session study guide and additional resources.
Learn more in our online catalog: Giving Our Hearts Away: Native American Survival by Thom White Wolf Fassett; United Methodist Women, 2008. Youth and children’s versions are also available.
Native American Women
As a supplement to their mission study, United Methodist Women published this enlightening booklet that shares the voices of 23 Native American women of faith on a variety of topics such as voice, family, social justice, faith journeys, and their relationships with the United Methodist and the Native church.
Learn more in our online catalog: Voices of Native American Women edited by Delrayne Roy; United Methodist Women, 2010.
Lumbee Methodists
This set of two books shares the special history of the relationship between the Lumbee Indians and the United Methodist Church in North Carolina. The stories of several churches in the NC Conference are included in these valuable histories.
Learn more in our online catalog: The Lumbee Methodists : Getting to Know Them : A Folk History by Joseph Michael Smith; NC Conference of The United Methodist Church, 1990. Meet the Lumbee Methodists, Part II by Milford Oxendine is also available.
Massacre at Sand Creek: How Methodists Were Involved in an American Tragedy
At dawn on the morning of November 29, 1864, Colonel John Milton Chivington gave the command that led to slaughter of 230 peaceful Cheyennes and Arapahos—primarily women, children, and elderly—camped under the protection of the U. S. government along Sand Creek in Colorado Territory and flying both an American flag and a white flag. The governor whose polices led the Cheyennes and Arapahos to Sand Creek was a prominent Methodist layman. Colonel Chivington was a Methodist minister. This book tells the history of this tragedy and the role and response of the Methodist Church.
Learn more in our online catalog: Massacre at Sand Creek: How Methodists Were Involved in an American Tragedy by Gary L. Roberts; Abingdon Press, 2016.
Native Americans & The Mainline Church
This book tells the sordid history of Native Americans and the Christian church with an eye towards reparation and what the contemporary church can do and is doing to work towards racial, economic, environmental, and social justice.
Learn more in our online catalog: Native Americans, the Mainline Church, and the Quest for Interracial Justice by David Phillips Hansen; Chalice Press, 2016.
First White Frost: Native Americans and United Methodism
With all of the triumphs and failures, this book gives an account of Methodists’ attempts at evangelizing Native Americans going all the way back to the 1600’s.
Learn more in our online catalog: First White Frost: Native Americans and United Methodism by Homer Noley; Abingdon Press, 1991.
Request These Resources
Would you like to use these resources in your church or small group? Simply fill out the Resource Request Form, or contact the Media Center with any questions. We can loan the resources to you through the mail. The NC Conference Media Center is open to anyone involved with a United Methodist Church in the North Carolina Conference, free of charge.