Native American Representative Training
Mark Your Calendars! The 18th Annual Native American Representative Training is Saturday, February 4th, 2023, COVID permitting. The Discipline, paragraph 654, states that all churches are required to have one person per charge (without regard to race) to be the church’s Native American Representative. As such, the Native American Committee (NAC) trains this person. The representative is the contact person between their church and the NAC, secures a calendar date to observe Native American Ministries Sunday, encourages awareness and appreciation of Native American history, traditions, and spirituality, advocates for inclusion of Native Americans within the conference, provides reports to their church, and assists with the SC Native American Comprehensive Plan.
The training will be held at Main Street UMC, (address), Columbia, SC (zip). Registration starts at 9am and the training starts at 9:30am. Lunch is provided. There is a $10 non-refundable registration fee. The training will end no later than 3pm. NAC T-shirts and polo shirts will also be available for purchase. T-shirts purchased with registration receive a $3 discount. If you are planning to attend, contact LaShella Kirkland, 803 713-5305; 803-432-3699 or LaShellaKirkland@live.com to receive a registration form. Registration deadline is January 22nd.
The training features historical information about American Indians, especially the South Carolina American Indians, myths and stereotypes, Native American spirituality, and the mission and function of the NAC. After lunch, we provide an orientation into a traditional worship service for American Indians which may include drumming, singing, and flute playing.
Who Else Should Attend? The answer is local churches new Native American Representatives and anyone interested in the mission and advocacy for Native American Ministries. We highly encourage Cabinet members, UMC staff, District Superintendents and Pastors to attend. School Teachers, who are responsible for Native American Social Studies Standards, should also consider attending to improve historically and culturally accurate information.
There will be a surprise for two participants attending the training.
The Columbia District 