Being Good Neighbours

This week’s service is second in a series led by our Missions, Peace, and Justice Ministry on being good neighbours within our community. Our focus this week was on reconciliation with Indigenous neighbours. The table ended up being a bit more varied than some of the other themes I’ve worked on!

Various colouring sheets from the First Nations Health and Wellness Colouring Book from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Red Cross (free)

We’re Alike and We’re Different activity from Sesame Street (free)

I included a word search entitled “Our Indigenous Friends,” which was customized to our region and had been passed on to me in paper copy from a previous pastor. A similar (free) word search that is more broadly applicable to Indigenous people in Canada can be found here.

Finally, I included a word search about humility, which was from a book called Bible Puzzles for Young and Old, which I purchased from a local, Mennonite-owned bookstore. It felt appropriate, since humility is a shared value between Mennonite and Indigenous communities (and many other diverse cultures and groups).

Our previous Good Neighbours service had been focused on our relationships with Muslim folks in our community, and had been timed with an Iftar meal hosted by Turkish Muslims who are friends of our congregation. I had leftovers from that week’s activity table, so I also included them this week, since both services were part of the same “Good Neighbours” series (and I wanted to save paper).