Working on the Doctrine of Discovery In 2016, Mennonite Church Canada responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 49 by passing a resolution to formally repudiate the doctrines of discovery and terra nullius. These legal fictions justified the seizure of Indigenous lands by white and Christian peoples, and they still impact Canadian law. Our resolution committed to establishing a nationwide working group to breathe life into this repudiation and to help our churches take further steps along the path of reconciliation. It has taken us too long – more than five years – but we are starting to form this working group. Please pray for us as we bring people together to work on this on behalf of our faith community.
The Cost of Colonialism / The Joy of Jubilee weekend retreat, Feb. 11-13, 2022
If Canada is a settler colonial society, how does that shape Christian understanding and vocation? If dispossession is the fundamental breach of the Indigenous-settler relationship, what biblical resources can address that? Join Steve Heinrichs, director of Indigenous-Settler Relations, in a weekend retreat at Star of the North Retreat Centre in St. Albert, Alta., to discuss these important questions. Attendance is in person or online. Register: starofthenorth.ca/jubilee.