The NC Annual Conference celebrated the official federal recognition of the Lumbee Nation, the 575th tribe to be recognized. The journey to this recognition has been a long one, 137 years in the making, but God’s faithfulness and the perseverance of the Lumbee Nation has borne great fruit.
John Oxendine greeted the Conference with the rich, resonant tones of the “courting flute,” a significant instrument in Lumbee culture. He shared some examples of ways that Lumbee culture and spirituality are consistent with and flows into a Christian practice. Lumbee Ambassadors, pageant winners from the Lumbee Regional Development Association, brought greetings while wearing traditional dress, and then shared a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace. Oxendine invited the room to stand as able as he performed a Lumbee “Honor Song” to thank God for God’s provision and faithfulness.
Rev. Douglas M. Locklear, pastor of Ashpole Center UMC in Rowland, and former Lumbee Tribe staff person, began our time of celebration recognizing the biblical significance of the number 575, 5 being the number of grace and 7 the number of completion. He affirmed, “We stand here: not just members of a tribe, but citizens of the Lumbee Nation. Citizens of both heaven and earth. This is the fruit of faithfulness….Our recognition is not just a political victory—it is a spiritual testimony.”
Panthia Locklear then shared the history of the growth of United Methodist Churches among the Lumbee people, giving thanks for the fruitful and faithful United Methodist clergy that God has raised up from among Lumbee Nation. From 1973-2005, 28 men and women answered God’s call to ministry. The accomplishments of several of these clergy were named and celebrated. This was followed by the naming and celebration of several outstanding Lumbee laity, whose faithful service helped the United Methodist Lumbee presence to grow and thrive.
Locklear named with joy and thanksgiving the recipients of this year’s awards from the Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment (supporting ministries and outreach efforts that help others and show and share the love of Christ in memory of Conference Lay Leader, Gary Wayne Locklear):
- Sacred Grounds, a community-centered coffee shop in Mt. Gilead (Mt. Gilead and Zion UMC)
- Dementia care ministry offered by Aldersgate UMC in Durham
- “Care for Kids”, a collaboration between The Local Church
- Native American Cooperative Ministry Water Soil Project in Pembroke
- St. John UMC, Avon NC Christian Youth Retreat House
- All Saints’ UMC Parktown Food Pantry
The celebration concluded with a powerful prayer of confession by Bishop Shelton, seeking forgiveness for the ways we have been “complicit, intentionally and unintentionally,” in the theft of ancestral lands, and the dismissal of Native customs and culture. She named our “institutional silence” and our “unearned privilege,” while giving thanks for God’s grace in healing and hope for the future.
Article written by Mandy Sayers
Photo by Suzanne Cobb & Chris Daniel