The Creator’s Game: A Celebration of Indigenous Lacrosse

Metis Lacrosse coach Justin Warner (Left) with Creator's Game Participant.

[Image credit: Métis lacrosse coach Justin Warner (left) with Creator’s Game Participant; Photo Credit: Mac MacDonald, Roncesvalles United Church]

Would you play lacrosse in your church’s sanctuary? A leap of not only faith but also imagination led Roncesvalles United Church in Toronto to organize an event centred on teaching people about lacrosse and especially its importance to Indigenous culture. As The Rev. Anne Hines says, “a sacred game should be played in a sacred space”!

Several Indigenous people from the region and Jim Calder, an international expert on Indigenous lacrosse, provided the leadership that was essential to the day’s success. Activities took place in the church parking lot as well as in the sanctuary. There was skills training for kids who received a handcrafted lacrosse stick keychain as a memento of the day. Visitors could drop by a booth to view antique lacrosse sticks and learn about the history of the game. Indigenous ceremony and teachings were provided inside the church before the main event: an actual demonstration of the game inside the sanctuary. The sanctuary itself features Indigenous murals painted by Philip Cote, also on hand to help with interpretation. The church purchased 54 feet of custom netting to support the game which was then shipped to Limpi Recycling in Curacao. Roncesvalles was delighted to learn that the netting will be turned into soccer nets for schools and other soccer programs throughout the Caribbean. The Justice and Reconciliation Fund supported these events including production of a commemorative video.

The Justice and Reconciliation Fund welcomes applications twice a year. The next application deadline is March 15, 2026. For more information, contact Lori Ransom, Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice Animator, at lransom@united-church.ca.

The Fund was pleased to support two other activities featured in this newsletter: a Feast and Field Day organized by the Treaty Land Sharing Network and an exhibition of a replica of the Witness Blanket at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Cannington.

Sharing Ceremony, Plants and Medicines, and a Feast on the Land

[Image credit: 2025 Feast and Field Day in Saskatchewan, courtesy Treaty Land Sharing Network]

The Treaty Land Sharing Network (TLSN) held a Feast and Field day at Box H Farm near Gladmar, Saskatchewan in May 2025. Over sixty people travelled to the site from other parts of Saskatchewan, as well as from Alberta and Manitoba. They were welcomed by hosts Mark and Laura Hoimyr the evening before the main event. Pipe Carrier Alvin Francis led ceremony and Elder Nina Wilson shared teachings and explained the protocols for the Feast. Knowledge Keeper Shirley Wolfe-Keller observed: “The day fell into place as if it had been rehearsed for hours. It wasn’t. The roles of everyone there were nicely tasked, at the moment required, with satisfaction and great respect. Everyone was meant to be there.” Following the feast, participants moved to tour some of the native prairie managed by the Hoimyr family to learn more about the land.

As the Treaty Land Sharing Nework explains on its website: they are a “group of rural landholders and Indigenous peoples who have come together to affirm and implement Treaty relationships. In the spirit of sharing the land, [they] work to make it safer and easier for Indigenous people to access land to practice their way of life in the prairies. [TLSN] is committed to engaging in ongoing learning about our shared histories and responsibilities as Treaty people living on these lands.”

A Witness to History in Cannington, Ontario

Replica witness blanket at Trinity St. Andrew United Church

[Image credit: Replica Witness Blanket at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Cannington courtesy Trinity-St. Andrew’s]

Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church in Cannington, Ontario welcomed almost 3,000 people from across Canada to view a replica of the Witness Blanket which was installed in their church sanctuary for six weeks in the Fall of 2025. Visitors from France and Britain also dropped by. Most took their time, staying for one to two hours to take in the installation. The witness blanket brought to Cannington is a travelling replica of the original which is housed at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

Incorporating historical artifacts related to residential institutions, this work of art is designed to help people engage thoughtfully and emotionally with the history of the institutions and their impact on Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Trinity-St. Andrew’s was pleased to learn from the museum that the church was the only site to staff the exhibit entirely with volunteers, over 90 people who worked 4-hour shifts at a time. Installation of the blanket required assistance from a group of volunteer firefighters who offloaded crates from a transport truck at the front of the church, opened and unpacked the contents, and carried them up the stairs into the sanctuary. Visitors were able to deepen their understanding of the exhibit by reviewing a short video on the making of the Witness Blanket, and taking advantage of a wifi hotspot on loan from Brock Libraries and a QR code reader to learn more about the 880 items included in the blanket. Indigenous ceremony, including singing and drumming marked the opening and closing of the exhibit.

Volunteer Opportunities in Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

[Image Video still credit: The United Church of Canada]

Help support the United Church's work on equity, inclusion, and anti-racism! The United Church is currently seeking nominees for the Working Group on Addressing Church Legacies for People of African Descent; the Anti-Racism Common Table; and the Equity and Anti-Oppression Circle. Full details and nominations forms are available on the Volunteer Opportunities United Church webpage. These appointments will be from May 2026 to August 2028, with the possibility of renewal. Applications are due by March 17.