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What to expect at Good Medicine Way

At Good Medicine Way, you’ll be welcomed into a friendly, casual environment by people who enjoy life and are excited to see you. We want you to have an idea of what to expect when you arrive at a Good Medicine Way. All you have to do is come as you are and find out more for yourself!

At our Monday evening event, you can expect:

  • We begin with prayer, usually with a smudging ceremony
  • Next, we gather for a potluck meal
  • Each Gathering time lasts ½ hour for dinner and one hour for service
  • We conduct our service in expressions related to Native American traditions
  • Teaching time centers on Native traditional teachings and Bible teachings
  • For those living outside of our area, you are welcome to attend by Zoom Video Conferencing or Facebook Live
  • Our gatherings are live-streamed on Facebook (Good Medicine Way)
  • We use traditional Native instruments like the drum, rattle, and flute in our music

Find your personal pathway to follow the Creator:

  • Good Medicine Way is a place to belong among others from our community
  • We invite you to participate in Growth Groups. You can grow, laugh, and serve with others in these groups. There are groups for men, women, couples, students, crafters, athletes, and more!
  • You can make a difference! God created you with gifts and skills that you can use to change lives in your community and the world—serving at Good Medicine Way or connecting with one of our fellow ministry partners is how to begin.
  • We invite you to grow in your relationship with Creator Sets Free (Jesus). We want to equip you with the tools to develop as a Nativeicollower of Christ. As an individual, family, or part of a friendship group, you can find your pathway here.
  • We welcome college students. We have a group at the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute known to most as SIPI. This group is facilitated by Native InterVarsity Staff and provides friendship activities and more.
  • The College group will meet on Mondays through a live stream at the SIPI location with additional weekly group meetings at the college.

GMW sees the world from the following viewpoint

  • We at GMW believe the original people of this continent can be true Followers of Jesus Christ (Christian) and Native without denying their native identity, heritage, and cultural traditions.
  • Every culture in the world deserves the right to hear the gospel message in their own context, culture, and language
  • We believe in presenting the Contextual (culturally sensitive) Gospel Message of Jesus Christ to Native American people in a long, overdue approach.
  • Native American spiritual ways are no more pagan than the early pagan ways of the first believers in pagan Europe as Europeans developed their expression of faith.
  • Like European contextual and sometimes syncretistic early adoption of faith, Native Americans deserve the same opportunity to develop an expression of faith that meets their particular cultural needs.
  • By living a Christ-centered life, relationship building is one fundamental approach to presenting Jesus Christ to Native American people.
  • We believe Native people suffer from historical trauma, and GMW will seek to help heal the effects of this trauma through events, speakers, and ceremonies.
  • We value the traditional Native instruments used to create music, sing, and dance in the Native American context.
  • Musical instruments used by indigenous people are acceptable for Native American Jesus Follower worship and may be used for worshipping Jesus at Good Medicine Way.
  • The use of incense burning as a symbolic visual expression of prayer and purification is an acceptable Biblical way to express Native American Jesus Follower spirituality.
  • The First Nations Version of Creators Word (Bible) is a unique and creative expression for Native people to read Creator’s word.

GMW further believe the following:

  • We at GMW believe the genocidal methods imposed on Native Americans were wrong.
  • Knowing the feelings many Native have toward the word Christian, we at Good Medicine Way choose to use the phrase, Followers of Jesus.
  • We at GMW believe the systematic dishonesty/stealing of the land of the Native Americans was wrong.
  • We at GMW believe the forced removal of Native American tribes/nations from their homeland to open the land up for white settlers was wrong.
  • The use of religious and government-sponsored boarding schools to “civilize” the Native Americans was wrong.
  • Traditional denominational Church planting methods among Native Americans need to change, and contextual church planting methods need to be accepted and implemented.
  • The (indigenous) white western expression of colonial Christianity is one expression of Christian faith.
  • Every indigenous people group has the freedom and right to create an expression of Christian faith.
  • The demonizing of Native American religious expression was wrong.
  • The dehumanizing of Native American people is wrong.
  • Creating Native Followers of Jesus must begin with their understanding of the Creator they already know.