Every year in November, Native American Heritage Month is celebrated to honor the remarkable Native Americans who have contributed so much to develop the character of the nation. The Pacific Union is home to approximately 1.3 million Native Americans. Many live on reservations without modern conveniences. Our union has six missions focused on reaching Native Americans. The churches that minister to these communities have adapted their outreach in creative ways.
We are so proud of Holbrook Indian School—a first- through twelfth-grade boarding academy providing Native American children and youth a safe place to live, learn, and grow for nearly 80 years.
Resources:
- https://nationaltoday.com/american-heritage-month/
- https://www.si.edu/events/native-american-heritage-month
- https://www.holbrookindianschool.org/
- Holbrook Indian School: AGP Special
It’s Thanksgiving time, and as this most generous of all the holidays arrives this year, I find myself thinking about Job.
Job is a man pushed to his limits. The story of Job is meant to help us think about life in difficult and extreme circumstances. Job's story is one of great distress.
But at Thanksgiving we can turn to a verse in Job that seems to be as full of gratitude and hope as any in the Scriptures. Job 36:26: “How great is God—beyond our understanding!”
Thanksgiving provides us a milestone of gratitude in the autumn of the year. We count our blessings and express our thankfulness. But we are not unaware of our losses and disappointments. Thanksgiving can also be an anchor for hope.
In spite of tough times, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of difficulties—at Thanksgiving we look to the future with hopefulness. We look at what we’ve survived, we gather our greatest blessings near to us, and we greet the coming of the darker days of the winter ahead with hope and confidence. That's Thanksgiving.
