Call to Worship and Acknowledgement of Native American Territory from 
General Synod 31

Context: The 29th General Synod of the United Church of Christ approved a Resolution of Witness calling for the UCC to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, which authorized the genocide of native people and the theft of native lands (http://uccfiles.com/pdf/gs29minutes.pdf).  In that Resolution we recognize the complicity of the Churches, including the UCC, in the perpetration of these injustices. 
Continuing In the spirit of repentance which that Resolution calls for, we opened General Synod 31 with a Call to Worship and Acknowledgement of Native American Territory.  

Call to Worship
		At the beginning, as God gave birth to creation, 
light danced with darkness and her holy waters 
flowed free and clear …
To make glad the city of God!  

		God’s rivers flowing together here, 
have fed the people and trees, animals and crops
of this land since the most ancient of times… 
To make glad the city of God! 

		God leads us into waters of hope and liberation, 
To immerse ourselves in the risks of love and justice 
For all living things… 
To make glad the city of God! 

		At the shores of all sacred waters
God calls out to the Beloved
To gather together and share abundant life:
Welcome the homeless and feed the hungry, 
Embrace the stranger and seek out the outcast,
Create community with all God’s beloved…
To make glad the city of God!  

Acknowledgment of Native American Territory
		The history of the United States, 
and of the churches taking root here, 
includes the painful history of colonialism. 
Undoing some of the destruction of colonialism 
on the peoples native to this land and the land itself
is a spiritual, political, social challenge of this generation.

One sacred element evolving in this effort is very simple:
It is an acknowledgement of territory 
and of the peoples whose land 
we, as settlers, are currently occupying.  

[The following section is particular to the gathering in Baltimore.  Do some research on your own location to be able to create a prayer for your own gathering place]
So as we gather here on the shores of the  Inner Harbor
to worship and discern together the call of God 
to the United Church of Christ  for these days,
let us know that we do so on the hunting grounds and homelands 
of the Susquehannock people, as well as 
the northernmost members of the Piscataway Confederacy.  
These people have used this land since time immemorial 
and continue to do so in the present.  
We offer them our gratitude and respect, 
and hope in solidarity with them…
	to make glad the city of God.  

The Rev. Ashley Goff, writer, Pastor of Church of the Pilgrims (PCUSA), Washington, DC
©2017 United Church of Christ.  All publishing rights reserved.  Permission for churches to use for worship or educational programs.

Map of Native American traditional territories in North America (including United States):
http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2014/06/Tribal_Nations_Map_NA.pdf

United Church of Canada Guide to acknowledging Native traditional lands in worship:
http://www.united-church.ca/sites/default/files/acknowledging-territory.pdf