There are many challenges to ministry in today’s world and having a vital and relevant ministry is even harder. Churches across all denominations face drastic declines in both attendees and financial giving. With this as the background, it is imperative that vital ministries seek out opportunities to grow and engage groups and communities that have previously been overlooked, missed or not involved for other reasons including some theological reasons. With this idea and goal in mind, this essay sets out to examine and design a process by which the Churches of Cherokee, Oklahoma can successfully connect with and minster to the new Hispanic community in Cherokee. Using the pastoral cycle method, a process will be designed in this essay to …show more content…
Finally, action is the last step in the process before the process begins again. Action is the considered response from the organization to answer the need or experience that was discovered during the experience portion of the cycle. While on the surface this appears to be a simple four step process, however, when used to the fullest extent the cycle of examination never really stops, the ministry is always at one point or the other within the cycle. (1)
The context chosen for this essay is the intercultural needs of Cherokee, Oklahoma. The community of Cherokee is primarily a rural agricultural and ranching community. This community was settled during the Oklahoma land run of 1893 primarily by immigrants of German decent. (2) However, in the past two years the community has seen a population explosion due to the new oil production method called fracking. With this discovery more than three thousand oil field workers have moved into and around Alfalfa County and the city of Cherokee. While many of these workers return to homes on the weekend a large portion of those workers have moved their families into Cherokee and the surrounding communities. One of the primary ethnic groups represented in this group are Hispanic. One of the key issues facing the churches, social services and schools of Cherokee is language as this ethnic group is primarily Spanish speaking. Other issues include outreach
When thinking about the Enlightenment, one will probably not take much consideration towards how its ideas, writings, and theories influenced historical events that took place after the period. Although there is not a specific date pinpointing when the Enlightenment era officially ended, it was surely dwindling by the turn of the nineteenth century. A few of the founding fathers of the United States, and other important early American political leaders, were at least somewhat involved in the Enlightenment, and the American government could even be considered a product of Enlightenment thinking, but it often appears that a lot of their wise words contradicted with the actions that took place outside of the public eye. This poses a problem when dealing with another nation or group of people, namely the Cherokee Nation, among many others. The state of affairs in the Cherokee Nation during the 1820s and 1830s may not have met the cutoff to be considered part of the Enlightenment, but it took place within a short enough span of time to where some of its more distinguished philosophers should still have had an influence on political proceedings.
The Art of Personal Evangelism: Sharing Jesus in a changing culture By Will McRaney, Jr. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Academic, 2003, 268 pp., $19.99 paper.
The Cherokee people were forced out of their land because of the settler’s greed for everything and anything the land had to offer. Many Cherokee even embraced the “civilization program,” abandoning their own beliefs so that they may be accepted by white settlers. Unfortunately for the Cherokee though, the settlers would never accept them as an equal citizen. A quote from historian Richard White says it very well, “The Cherokee are probably the most tragic instance of what could have succeeded in American Indian policy and didn’t. All these things that Americans would proudly see as the hallmarks of civilization are going to the West by Indian people. They do everything they were asked except one thing. What the Cherokees ultimately
To begin with, the Cherokee tribe was one of the three primary Native American tribes in South Carolina that called themselves “the real people.” Upward in the mountains, they lived in these villages called “longhouses.” For the girls, their daily lives consisted of doing work in the field, planting and hoeing corn, then harvesting it. On the other hand, the boy’s daily lives consisted of being taught to fish and hunt. Their food was examples of fruits, nuts, corn, pole beans, squash, pumpkins, bottle gourds, and tobacco. Next, the Catawba tribe was another one of the three primary Native American tribes in South Carolina that called themselves the “river people. They used Carolina clay to make their pottery which they were known for. The Catawba dwellers lived in villages that had an open rounding on the top. The Catawbas were primarily farmers because every day they planted crops by the river, fished and hunted. Therefore, the Yemassee tribe was the third primary tribe in South Carolina that was from Spanish Florida. Throughout the summer, they lived on a beach, staying in Wigwams concealed in palmetto leaves. However, during the fall, winter, and spring they stayed in wattle and daub homes with a roof of leaves like the Cherokee. Every day they would eat clams which were part of their diet and equip the land for crops. Women were obligated for child rearing, making clothes, and served food and the men congregated the rest of the food in fishing and hunting.
Galindo analyzes that the fundamental “mission” of a congregation is the same as any other congregation that exists in any part of the world. He argues that though every congregation has a mission and a vision, at the same time, it shares a basic common mission. (43) This reminds me of my home church The First Church of Evanston and my Field Site, The Evanston Vineyard Church. Both churches have a common mission of welcoming people to the church, irrespective of their ethnic, cultural, racial, and economic and, gender backgrounds. The mission is to help people be received in the house of God with due and deserved Christian love so that they feel loved and welcomed. Both these churches encourage church attendees to attend the service and receive the Eucharist.
The Cherokee nation of Oklahoma is one of the many native Indian tribes that place a great emphasis on health care. There are noticeable efforts in improving the health system in the Cherokee nation as well as the health of its individuals. For a long time, the Cherokee nation has engaged in successful health care experiences such as building health centers, launching health programs or even individually engaging in the health field to improve the overall healthcare in the nation.
The American Indian History of the United States is always associated with the Cherokee Indian nation. The Cherokee's were by far the largest and most advanced of the tribes. This man was Hernando de Soto was the first European explorer to come into contact with the Cherokees, when he arrived in their territory in 1540. Then he went and came in contact with Native Americans Cherokee's since many of their ways and customs is my family that the Cherokees occupied a large expanse of territory in the Southeast. Their homeland included mountains and valleys in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountain chain. Their territory stretched from North Carolina to
die. The Red Chief was also in charge of the lacrosse games which were called
Gabriel Arthur, to the Cherokee Overhill capital at Echota in 1673, but the following year
The Americans wanted to gain more land in the country. The best way to gain more land was to take the land of the Cherokee Indians. The question was, what would the best path be for the Cherokee, to stay or to leave? This would decide the fate of the Cherokee. Most people believe that the Cherokee should just leave and avoid conflict. This would also mean relocation and their land would be given to the Americans. For this reason, my answer to the historical question is that the Cherokee deserve to stay and keep their land.
When Europeans first set foot upon the shores of what is now the United States they brought with them a social structure which was fundamentally based around their concept and understanding of Western European Christianity. That the indigenous peoples might already have a thriving civilization, including religious beliefs and practices, that closely paralleled the beliefs and practices of European civilization, was a concept not considered by these early explorers and settlers. This European lack of cultural understanding created tensions, between Native Americans and Europeans, and later between Native Americans and Euro-Americans, that eventually erupted into open warfare and resulted in great bloodshed between cultures. For the Lakota
I found this field trip to be not only informative, but a fascinating insight into the Cherokee culture. Everything was so authentic and the people who were in charge of the museum and events seemed so passionate about teaching others the history of the Cherokees. Getting to see and talk to people who still uphold their native traditions and keep the culture alive was amazing. From the demonstrations of traditional games, to learning how to make pots from natural materials, I really got a sense of what it was like to live in a Cherokee village. Not only the visual aspect was inspiring, but they way they talked about their heritage and how proud they were to call themselves Cherokee was amazing. There was a true sense of family and community that was an
“Restoring At-Risk Communities,” written by John M. Perkins is a collaborative work of urban professionals in ministry, providing a blueprint for working in urban communities. It provides the personal expertise of so many to help fellow missionaries and those in ministry to develop a Christian community. In today’s culture, many of our cities are falling apart due to poverty, lack of education, lack of religion, and large amounts of people leaving for the suburbs. People who are being called to minister in the downtowns, or those who are already suffering in the trenches are struggling with how to reach the community for Christ. Perkins shares his personal experience of being on the frontlines of ministry, and the appropriate strategy to reaching those communities. He writes, “The desperate problems in America’s inner cities will not be resolved without strong commitment and risky action on the part of ordinary Christians with heroic faith” (Perkins, 1995).
Most of us have learnt about the Trail of Tears as an event in American history, but not many of us have ever explored why the removal of the Indians to the West was more than an issue of mere land ownership. Here, the meaning and importance of land to the original Cherokee Nation of the Southeastern United States is investigated. American land was seen as a way for white settlers to profit, but the Cherokee held the land within their hearts. Their removal meant much more to them than just the loss of a material world. Historical events, documentations by the Cherokee, and maps showing the loss of Cherokee land work together to give a true Cherokee
I’ve learned over the years that my mother, sister, and I are all American Cherokee Indian. My “Greatest” great-grandmother, what i like to call her, followed the culture of Cherokee Indians. She believed in magic, spirits, and veneration of her ancestors, Although I didn’t get to speak to her much about her history and culture often, I tell how much she wanted my mother and her children to embrace and never forget where we come from. To be exact from my knowledge my ancestors move up to New York and continued their lives here. This is where my mother was born and raised. Unfortunately I’ve never met my grandmother, my mother’s mom but I’ve heard she was a heartwarming lively woman about who she was. My mother doesn’t follow right after my