Native Americans from New Mexico and Arizona, plus a few from Colorado and Utah, gathered recently at First Baptist Church Gallup, New Mexico, for a regional meeting in the Southwest of the Fellowship of Native American Christians.
FoNAC, a Southern Baptist Fellowship of Native Americans and those interested in ministry with Natives, gathers in a different part of the United States each September to help build relationships among the different tribes in that region.
“So much of the time, our Native American leaders are so isolated they don’t know who the other Native leaders are in the state,” Gary Hawkins, executive director of FoNAC, told the Baptist New Mexican. “It is our vision to see a network of ministry partnerships within the Southwest, potentially connected with other tribes across Native America.”
At least 120 people from an unknown number of tribes gathered under a theme of “Better Together” by the light of cell phones Sept. 18 at First Gallup, where Calvin Price is pastor. The entire city of about 20,000 residents, as well as nearby communities, experienced a four-hour power outage caused by a substation issue.
The two-day event was organized by Lorne Denetclaw, a church planter of Living Water Church in Crownpoint, nonetheless went on as scheduled, with FBC Gallup providing a small generator to power the sound system.
Jesus heals ‘broken-hearted’
Hawkins preached from Ecclesiastes, a book written by a man in despair, the FoNAC executive director said.
“We see the tears of the oppressed,” Hawkins preached that Friday. “Jesus heals the tears of the broken-hearted.”
Saturday’s morning sessions included the preaching of three men.
Wesley Castillo, pastor of Redeemed Fellowship in Milan, New Mexico, preached from Exodus 17:8–13.
‘We need each other’
“God loves you and you matter,” Castillo preached. “Even people in spiritual leadership get weary,” and Amalek chose to go after those who were struggling. “We need each other. We need the power of community.”
Castillo spoke of people content to “polish the armor” instead of wearing it. “When we rely on God, He provides for us.”
The Navajo pastor said he’s been asked, “How to you know the Word of God is real and not Native tradition?” His two-part response: Traditions change but the Word of God is unchanging; the despair of addictions compared with freedom in Christ.
