- April 19, 2024
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The congregation at Windermere Union Church gathers for its first Native American Sunday service.
Congregation members arrange Native American mementos and artifacts before the start of the service.
Many of the items were hand-crafted by tribe members.
A dreamcatcher is one of the more familiar objects on display.
This wolf fetish was sculpted by the Zuni people of New Mexico.
This deer hoof rattle was made in the Seneca Nation.
Clothing from the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina.
Gail and Fred Engelking make their way around the exhibit tables.
Ornate headdresses are displayed on either side of the stage.
Retired United Church of Christ minister David Houseal leads the service.
The service included "The Dakota Hymn," sung by 38 Dakota men as they were lead to the gallows in 1862.
Minister Houseal is joined by feng shui master and medicine woman, Melinda Joy Miller, for The Path of Directions.
The Path of Directions involves the visitation of nine bags of stones hanging around the perimeter of the sanctuary.
Each bag represents a direction of spiritual observance.
Melinda Joy Miller hung the stones in 2019 with Windermere Union Church's Native American spirituality group, known as Windsong.
Minister Houseal waves a feather at each bag as a sign of respect.
Windermere Union Church celebrated Native American spirituality and culture on Sept. 26 with Native American Sunday. The special service featured the songs, music and artifacts of Native American tribes.
“We have had a group, going on 3 years now, that focuses on Native American spirituality and it just adopted the name, Windsong,” said retired United Church of Christ minister David Houseal. “A number of months ago we started having, on a monthly basis, a time during the worship service when we would have a Native American prayer. But this is the first time where the whole service is focused around native culture and native spirituality.”
The service included an Aztec prayer titled "The Call to the Spirit" and "The Dakota Hymn" which dates back to 1862. The service ended with The Path of Directions - a visitation to nine bags of stones which hang in the sanctuary and represent sacred spiritual practices.
