TULSA – The annual Chiefs and Pastors Meeting saw Muscogee (Creek) Nation Tribal government leaders and spiritual leaders from across the Mvskoke Reservation gather to discuss ways to strengthen their relationship. The meeting addressed current issues Indian Church pastors face and how to receive support from the Nation. The meeting was led by MCN Second Chief Del Beaver and Veteran Affairs Secretary Grover Wind, both ordained ministers. Members of the National Council’s Land, Natural Resources, and Conservation Committee were present to answer questions about grants available to churches.
The meeting discussed the rising costs of propane and electricity. LNC Chairman Representative Galen Cloud said that vehicle repairs can be serviced by MCN Fleet Services. The department offers discounts on minor repairs, such as tire rotations and oil changes, to registered Indian churches on the Reservation. The churches also have the opportunity to apply for lawnmowers.
Wind said that the Tribe’s relationships with spiritual leaders are important. Wind has preached at many churches across the Mvskoke Reservation. According to Wind, he has seen firsthand the physical needs of each church.
“The purpose of the meeting is to get our relationships together with our Nation,” Wind said. “With the way that times are now in this country and in this world, it’s important that our churches step forward. One of the problems we’ve had in the past is that we haven’t stepped forward. With this unity, we’ll be able to step forward and do the things we need to do.”
Second Chief Beaver echoed Wind’s remarks, saying that the Nation’s job is to support the churches. He emphasized that it’s not the government’s job to tell the churches what to do; the Nation is simply a resource.
“The churches are churches, they’re autonomous. The Nation is just there to help whenever we can,” Second Chief Beaver said. “It’s about our people, our pastors, our membership. We have to make sure we’re lifting each other up as a collective. We’re here to make sure that each of our churches are healthy, and that they have what they need.”
Pastors Respond
This year’s meeting marked the first for Springfield UMC Assistant Pastor John Wolfe (Cherokee) and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference Pastor Clarence Yarholar (Thlopthlocco/Mvskoke).
Yarholar said most of the information presented at the meeting was not new and that it was a good reminder of the proper channels for filing for financial assistance from the Tribe. He remarked that it is important to stay current with bureaucratic procedures because they can change with new legislative leadership.
Yarholar grew up in Springfield UMC. He currently pastors Choctaw citizens in Oklahoma City. Yarholar appreciated that the event brought information to spiritual leaders in person, especially because not everyone has access to it online. An absent topic from the meeting Yarholar wanted to discuss was how to bridge the spiritual gap between younger and older generations of Native Americans.
“Because we’ve been Christianized, urbanized, assimilated, parts of our identity as Native people has been taken away. We know that because of historical trauma,” Yarholar said. “A part of our Native origin still applies to us. Unfortunately, as Native people, we don’t always know how to identify or practice that.”
Although Yarholar is a Christian, he shared that his spiritual needs come from his Native American culture. As a Native pastor, he is always seeking ways to meet the unique spiritual needs of Native Americans in his ministry. He admitted that it can be hard to spiritually appeal to Native Americans who view Christianity as a colonizer religion.
Wolfe is not Mvskoke himself and described himself as “assimilated” into the culture. Ways Wolfe practices his spirituality include singing Mvskoke hymns and participating in sweat lodge ceremonies. When asked about his experience at the meeting, Wolfe said he had hoped to discuss topics of spirituality and culture. Specifically, he hoped to learn and share new ideas for connecting with Native communities through a nondenominational lens.
“On a spiritual note, I wanted to learn how to connect with others, regardless of what religion you are,” Wolfe said. “Methodist, Baptist, Free Will, I wanted to learn how to come together as a community as a whole and help one another.”
When discussing physical challenges for his ministry, Wolfe said there is a need to maintain ramps and pathways on the property. Many other pastors expressed frustration that they did not know the status of their grant applications after they were filed. Their understanding of their application status was that it would not be approved until every other church ahead on the waiting list had been approved. However, churches that did not receive grants were unaware that they needed to reapply annually to stay in the queue. Wolfe described this as a “communication flaw,” and said he would like to see more active communication from the Tribe regarding where his church is on the grant list, as well as annual reminders of when to reapply.
There are seven National Council grants that churches and Ceremonial Grants can apply for. Those seeking to apply for a grant can download an application on the National Council’s website, mcnnc.com/grant-applications/.
