The official date set to celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday is April 14, 2024. We encourage churches to celebrate on a date that is most convenient for your congregation. Resources to celebrate and promote this this Special Sunday can be found here.
Official date: April 14, 2024
You can support this Special Sunday by giving online at UMC.org/SSGive,
through your local United Methodist Church or mail a check to:
GCFA. P.O. Box 340029, Nashville, TN 37203
Please include Native American Ministries Sunday in the note section
of your check.
What is Native American Ministries Sunday?
This Special Sunday is a denomination wide celebration designed to raise awareness and remind United Methodists of the gifts and contributions made by Native Americans to our society. A gap in knowledge exists in The United Methodist Church, in congregations and other United Methodist entities, relative to comprehending concepts of Native American life, cultures, languages, spirit, values, contemporary issues, and such. We affirm the sacredness of indigenous people, their languages, cultures, and gifts to the church and the world. Churches are encouraged to donate through their local churches or give online.
An offering is taken on this Special Sunday to support vital ministries and churches in the Native American communities. The offering allows The United Methodist Church to partner with existing native ministries to develop new programs on behalf of Native Americans. Last year, your generosity delivered over $243 thousand towards these ministries:
- ▶Fifty percent of the funds collected on Native American Ministries Sunday remain in the Annual Conference to develop and strengthen Native American ministries in the conferences. To assist in developing these programs, each conference has a Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM). These committees seek to advocate for ministry with and by Native Americans to share the diverse culture, history and traditions of Native peoples. The committees determine the distribution of the Native American Ministries Sunday offering, coordinate the promotion of that Special Sunday, and monitor Native American ministries within the Annual Conference. Learn more about CONAM here.
- ▶Twenty-five percent of donations received fund scholarships designated scholarships for Native Americans attending United Methodist schools of theology. A significant shortage exists of Native American pastors and trained professionals and these scholarships provide development, implementation, and assessment of a higher education recruitment/retention for Native Americans. Learn more about the Native American Ministries scholarship here.
- ▶Twenty-five percent of the donations collected are used to create beneficial programs. These funds allow the UMC to partners with existing native ministries to develop new programs on behalf of Native Americans. Some of those efforts include mentoring programs, peer support systems, funding for economic development projects, and restoring traditional and historic ways that bring forth new leaders for Native American communities Learn more about the grant application here.
One of the wonderful aspects of The United Methodist Church is that we can do so much more together than we ever could do on our own. Your generosity provides funding for strengthening and development of ministries with Native Americans.
LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION?
- Read stories about the impact you are making with your gifts
- Use the resources designed specifically to celebrate Native American Ministries Sunday
- Explore and share the Did You Know resources to learn more about this Special Sunday
