The legacy of hundreds of years of discrimination and abuse – including the experience of residential schools – have left deep scars in Indigenous communities across Canada. The Truth and Reconciliation commission invites us to participate with action toward restoring broken relationships with our Indigenous neighbours, but the first steps are often fraught with anxiety and difficulty.
As Christians, we recognize the injustices that were perpetuated against the Indigenous peoples of Canada, but don’t always know how to best respond. MCC’s Indigenous Neighbours program walks alongside churches and local Indigenous communities interested in starting down a path of reconciliation and restoration. We work to break down barriers, relieve anxieties and work toward respectful, healing and long-term relationships between churches and their Indigenous neighbours.