ᐯᐦᐅᓇᐣ / Pêhonân – A Gathering-Waiting Place: Voices of Indigenous Followers of Jesus in the Ecumenical Movement 

The 8^th Canadian Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues 

Organized by the Commission on Faith and Witness of The Canadian Council of Churches, in partnership with The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism and The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism 

Details

When: Thursday, June 8, 2023, 6:00 pm – Saturday, June 10, 2023, 1:00 pm MDT 

Where: All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral (10035 103 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB, T5J 0X5) 

Open to: All who are involved or interested in ecumenism 

Register: forum-dialogues-2023.eventbrite.ca 

*** We will update this webpage as the program takes further shape. *** 

About this event

Canadian Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues (CFICD) is an important triennial event in Canadian ecumenism. Built around a thematic focus, these gatherings share the fruits of Canadian bilateral and multilateral ecumenical dialogues and create a space for conversations and fellowship among those involved or interested in ecumenism. 

The 8^th Canadian Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues is hosted in a place which has long been known in Cree/Nehiyawin as ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒋᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ, Amiskwaciwâskahikan, or Beaver Hill House, and which is known as Edmonton today. At its heart was a ᐯᐦᐅᓇᐣ / Pêhonân – a waiting/gathering place where numerous Indigenous nations would assemble to prepare for ceremony and exchange. Today the city remains a home and a centre of gathering for many urban and rural First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Alberta, across the Prairies, and to the North. The region of Edmonton and its outlying areas also have a strong history of inter-Christian ecumenism and a flourishing ecumenical life. Honouring the distinctive gifts of this place, the 8^th CFICD focuses on the experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Christians in the ecumenical movement and offers a range of workshops on ecumenical topics. 

The 2023 CFICD theme – ᐯᐦᐅᓇᐣ / Pêhonân – A Gathering-Waiting Place: Voices of Indigenous Followers of Jesus in the Ecumenical Movement – calls us into a deeper understanding and appreciation of the wisdom, gifts, and experiences that Indigenous followers of Jesus can offer the ecumenical movement. Too often, their voices have been absent from ‘official’ Canadian ecumenical dialogues. This gathering explores how the churches in Canada can engage in as rich an ecumenical discussion as the diversity of this land and its peoples calls for. 

The format of this event seeks to foster collaborative and receptive learning, relationship-building, and dialogue, inspired by Pêhonân as both a place and a space for encounter.  

Highlights of the three-day program include 

Two panel conversations between Indigenous followers of Jesus will explore the themes of “What can we learn from the land and from traditional teachings of the First Peoples about relationships and dialogue?” and “How could the ecumenical movement in Canada seek to become ‘decolonizing’?”

The Ven. Travis Enright (Archdeacon for Reconciliation and Decolonization; Knowledge Keeper, Standing Stones Sacred Lodge; Anglican Diocese of Edmonton) and The Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall (Author, Researcher, and Professor Emerita of Church History and Ecumenics; United Church of Canada) will walk with and listen to the participants and offer opening/closing reflections. 

Panel 1 

Indigenous followers of Jesus reflecting on what we can learn from the land and from the traditional teachings of the First Peoples about relationships and dialogue across difference. 

Panelists: 

• Adrian Jacobs – Cayuga Nation member of the Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy of the Grand River Territory, ON; an Elder and founding member of the Board of NAIITS – An Indigenous Learning Community; Senior Leader for Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation, Christian Reformed Church-Canada 
• The Most Reverend Christopher A. Harper – National Indigenous Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Canada and presiding Elder of the Sacred Circle; member of the Onion Lake Cree Nation; Chancellor for the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad 

Moderated by: The Ven. Travis Enright – Archdeacon for Reconciliation and Decolonization; Knowledge Keeper, Standing Stones Sacred Lodge; Anglican Diocese of Edmonton 

 Panel 2 

Listening to the experience of Indigenous members of ecumenical dialogues and organizations, with an emphasis on inviting answers to the question “How could the ecumenical movement in Canada seek to become ‘decolonizing’?” 

 Panelists: 

• Russel Burns – member of Treaty Six, James Smith Cree Nation; former delegate to the Anglican Church of Canada – United Church of Canada bilateral dialogue from the United Church of Canada; National Indigenous Council 
• Lori Ransom – Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice Animator with the United Church of Canada and an Indigenous Consultant to the World Council of Churches; member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation, near Eganville, ON; an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church in Canada 

Moderated by: The Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall – Author, Researcher, and Professor Emerita of Church History and Ecumenics; United Church of Canada

Ceremony and worship in a variety of Indigenous and Christian traditions.

Cost

• • General Admission: $180 for 3 days 

• • Student Admission: $30 for 3 days (with valid student ID or proof of enrolment)

Includes evening reception on Day 1; lunch and dinner on Day 2; lunch on Day 3. Does not include the cost of lodging and breakfast. 

Lodging

Interested in booking a room at a nearby hotel for a discounted group rate? Contact Setri Dzivenu – dzivenu@councilofchurches.ca for details. You must book by May 25 to receive the discount! 

Parking

Parking near the Cathedral consists of private, paid lots managed by IMPARK. There are also city owned parking meters on the streets around the Cathedral.
IMPARK Rates: 
Hourly:   $5.00 per hr
Daily: $17.00 flat (until 6pm), $11.00 early bird (enter before 9am)
Evening/Weekend: $10.00 evening (5pm-6am), $4.00 Saturday (6am-6am), $2.00 Sunday (6am-6am)

For Further Inquiries

Contact Setri Dzivenu – dzivenu@councilofchurches.ca