Welcome to the first edition of your new Pacific Mountain Indigenous Ministries Newsletter, “Peace Trail” – an intentional play on the iconic “Grease Trail”. For thousands of years, our Nations along the west coast of Turtle Island created pathways for trade and communication networks. From as far north as the Yukon, down to what is present day California; and east to Athabasca country, our Nations traded seeds, beads, ceremonial and practical medicines, dried fish and meats, and our coastal version of liquid gold: Eulachan/Oolichan Grease– from which ‘The Grease Trail’ earned its colonial name.
My feet are planted on unceded Haisla Territory at the northern end of the Douglas Channel. Heading 65km inland, just a wee bit further north, the Tsimshian Peoples have fished for Salmon and Eulachan in the waters of the Skeena River from Gitaus, past Kitselas and Kitsumkalum, down to where it flows into the Pacific Ocean, just south of Prince Rupert.
And, following Hwy 113 (took that many years to agree upon a modern treaty) north once more out of Terrace, members of the Nisga’a Nation fish the Nass River. They celebrate Hobiyee (their new year) with the arrival of the crescent moon, shaped like the bowl of their feast spoon, in February/March. The Eulachan are a herring-like fish that swim up the great rivers of our coastline in late February, early March. Seagulls and Eagles follow the silver slivers up river from above. Sealions swim upstream and feast to their hearts content from below. It is a scene to behold…and to hear!
These particular fish are noted for their high oil content. They’ve been called ‘Candlefish’ – rendered, their oil can be used for food preservation, for spreads like butter, and for light. They are also referred to as ‘Saviour Fish’ because, by January/February, village food reserves, dependant upon summer and fall harvests and winter hunting success, may be greatly depleted. The arrival of the eulachan meant survival and restored hope in a new year. And their oil, traded over centuries, carted over plateaus and mountain passes from the many Nations along our coast, inland, north and south carved out the “Grease Trails” – their way to share resources, news and build mutually beneficial relationships.
Welcome to the “Peace Trail” – an online newsletter to keep us connected, to share news and resources.
In this edition of the Peace Trail, we’ll catch up on reading lists, hear from Blair Galston about his work with the UCC Archives; get introduced to the new “Jim Angus Memorial Fundraiser”; get some practical reminders on Church Record Books; get updates on meetings and events past and future; and touch base with Bella Bella, the Longhouse Council in Vancouver, and Skidegate UC on Haida Gwaii.
May the summer months bring abundant blessings, a rich growing season, good harvests from the sea, much medicine to prepare, safe travels and fun with friends and family. May the sun bring healing body and soul.
Teri Meyer ~ Regional Minister for Indigenous Ministries in the Pacific Mountain Region
What are you Reading this Season?
Are you like me, bedside table stacked high with journals, research & sacred texts, and novels? I swear, I need to be blocked from book stores and the UCRD until I finish the many books I start, want to start, and have yet to finish.
Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor (You had me at motorcycles and sweetgrass.) From the back cover, “…A wise exploration of political, religious and cultural challenges, infused with humour and playfulness…” Set in Anishnawbe territory. Read more here
All the Quiet Places: A Novel by Brian Thomas Isaac From the Okanagan Indian Reserve, this is his first novel. From inside the front cover, “AtQP is the story of what can happen when every adult in a person’s life has been affected by colonialism.” Read more here
The Other Side of the River: from Church Pew to Sweat Lodge by Alf Dumont © 2020 United Church of Canada. From the back cover, “Alf Dumon walks between the two worlds of the Indigenous and settler, traditional spirituality and Christianity…he shares stories of building bridges between these two worlds…Through stories, humour, poetry, and insight, Dumont encourages all people ‘to sit down together again’ and share in a new way.” Read more here
Crushed Wild Mint: Poems by Jess Housty. © 2023 Nightwood Editions. I happened to walk into the public library in Bella Bella. Jess has family that call Darby Memorial UC home. She is a local author and poet. What a lovely discovery! Read more here
What Comes from Spirit by Richard Wagamese © 2021 Douglas & McIntyre. As poignant, wise and beautiful as ever. Short stories, reflections and poems. As great a read as his book, Embers. Read more here
Silent Voices: Rule by Policy on Canada’s Indian Reserves by Mel Bevan © 2021, Tellwell Talent. Chief and Elder of the Kitselas Nation on the south shore of the Skeena River in Terrace, BC, the Late Mel Bevan was integral in the establishment of a modern day treaty for this Tsimshian Nation Band. His many years of working within the provincial and national government systems and policy structures meant that many Nation sought his expertise in negotiations and Indigenous rights. An important book for anyone interested in Indigenous treaty rights, land claims and decolonization in BC. Read more here
Wearing a Broken Indigene Heart on the Sleeve of Christian Mission by Carmen Lansdowne, former Moderator of the UCC, © 2025, CMU Press. Read more here
Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls by Angela Sterritt © 2023, Greystone Books. From the back inset, “(she) is an award-winning investigative journalist and author from the Gitanmaax (Hazelton, BC) community of the Gitxsan Nation on her father’s side…” She is currently living in the lower mainland. This book brings to light the persistent work she did in advocating for Indigenous women along Highway 16 (The Highway of Tears), and bringing the plight of the Murdered and Missing Women and Girls into mainstream media. A hard but necessary read. Read more here
Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec © 2022, Broadleaf Books. Some of you may remember that Patty was the Keynote Speaker at the PMRC AGM in 2024, at St. Andrew’s Wesley UC. This book reminds the reader of our interconnectedness, our kinship – and what it looks like to live in right relationship. A really great read! Read more here
Decolonization and Me: Conversations about Healing a Nation and Ourselves by Kristy McLeod and Phyllis Webstad, © 2025 Medicine Wheel Publishing. Informative, and easy to engage, each section includes questions for the readers own reflection. A great book for a “Reconciliation/
What other books have been moving you, teaching you? Are there other titles your decolonization-reconciliation group have been exploring together?
Our Archives at Work
Pacific Mountain Indigenous Ministries will be touring the Archives in November when we gather for our PMIM AGM. So excited!!!
It only takes a generation or two to forget. Memory lives inside our individual and collective experiences; it lives in the stories we tell. But with time it becomes more fragmented, more remote. Archives are fragmented, too, yet they can provide important pieces of the puzzle in restoring our memories. At the Regional Archives, we keep records that date as far back as 1859, when the Methodists first arrived on the coast. For obvious reasons, it is a story intertwined with Indigenous communities.
Did you know that, when the Methodist Church formed BC Conference in 1887, nearly two-thirds of the members were Indigenous? These were truly the mothers and fathers of our Region—something we have collectively forgotten.
The Archives holds a significant number of baptism, marriage, and burial registers from Indigenous communities, particularly from those early years of the church on the coast. These records are rich in genealogical information and therefore in community knowledge. Not only do individual researchers consult the registers for family research, but Band Offices have also used the materials as an important source for missing or unverified Band membership data. The Skidegate Band Council, for example, has asked for digital copies of our registers so that their registrar can consult the information and compare it with their own records.
The United Church of Canada has a general policy not to provide copies of records from registers to researchers. The Church believes that these records, documenting some of life’s most precious and sacred moments, should not be reproduced en masse, and we are obligated to protect those whose personal information we have been entrusted with.
At the same time, the United Church embraces and endorses:
· The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
· The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action
· The Indigenous Church’s Calls to the Church (Caretakers’ Report)
As a natural outcome, the United Church Archives fully supports the repatriation (or rematriation, as many prefer) of digital copies to Indigenous communities.
We’ve been through the process of rematriation six times in this Region. Because it’s a new process for us, we’re still learning. Out of respect for each other’s protocols, the Archives and the communities have collaborated on agreements, which are understood to be ongoing and evolving. At times, the process isn’t as straightforward as we had anticipated; for instance, some registers include names from multiple Nations and sometimes non-Indigenous peoples, including Japanese and Chinese Canadian community members. As we work together carefully and thoughtfully, we’re finding good practices that are respectful of all.
As an archivist who’s not part of an Indigenous community, the process of rematriation has been personally enriching. It has taken me outside my familiar archival rules and colonial ways of thinking about ownership and control, and I now understand the concept of shared stewardship. I’m learning to defer third-party access requests to the Nation in question, seeking direction from them. And for the first time, at the behest of the late Rev. John Snow, the Archives launched a digitization project in ceremony, led by a local Indigenous Elder. All of these things have been expansive and feel like small but sure steps in our commitment to reconciliation and decolonization. I’m grateful for the astounding degree of patience that communities and individuals have shown as I “graduate from kindergarten to grade one” in my understanding!
Of course, many Indigenous communities choose to deposit their archival materials with the Regional Archives. Here, they are secure, well-preserved, and the risk of loss through fire, flood, mould, and vermin is greatly reduced. And we are able to provide backup. In the wake of the tragic fire at Grace United in Lax Kw’alaams, it was an honour to be asked to send high-quality copies of photos and registers to the congregation.
If you think your community—your Band Office—would like to receive copies of the records we hold at the Regional Archives, I would love to hear from them.
In peace,
Blair Galston, Regional Archivist
BGalston@united-church.ca, 1-778-655-5690
Church Record Books
Remember Presbytery? Remember when we’d have to pack up our Historic Roll, Baptism and Burial Books, and other ‘official’ documents like Church Board and Council Meeting Minutes?
Besides our suitcases, we’d have to pack a whole other box filled with books and papers to bring with us to the meeting. And then someone would spend that weekend going through every church’s paperwork to ensure all the I’s were dotted until their eyes were crossed and all the T’s were crossed until their tea was cold.
Historic Rolls, Baptism and Burial Books, Marriage Registries, Membership Certificates and Transfer booklets… All signed off on. And, if the books were filled; if the minutes were old enough, someone would gather them up and save them in a corner of their garage until it was time to head to Vancouver. Then all those old papers and record books would get placed in the trunk of a vehicle and transported to the United Church Archives for safe keeping.
Do you know where your Church Record Books are right now? Are they in your Church Office, tucked in a file cabinet, in someone’s spare room?
Our record books haven’t likely been checked since our last Presbytery meeting in 2019. And, if you weren’t in the habit of carting boxes of books with us to those meetings, it may be even longer.
Moving forward, when Teri Meyer, our Regional Minister for Indigenous Ministries, schedules her visit with your Community of Faith, we are going to set aside some time to make sure your community has access to Registries Burial, Baptism and Marriage registries, membership books and certificates, and so on. Let’s ensure we have the necessary paperwork and to move forward in a good way.
Also, Church Minutes should be signed by your Church Secretary and your Board/Council Chairperson. When people transfer in, or become a Full Member through Baptism & Confirmation, or a Reaffirmation of Faith, their names get entered into the Historic Roll. If our brother of sister in Christ, who has been a full member passes away, transfers out of the church, or, just stops coming to church for more than 3 years, that event, too, must be recorded. Baptisms and Burials…must be dated and signed by whomever presided over that particular service.
If you can’t find your book(s), let Teri know. These items can be ordered through the UCRD (United Church Resource Distribution). Sometimes, we can get out of practice. Let’s take a look and move forward in a good way, together.
First Nations Translations & Online Streaming of Pacific Mountain Indigenous Ministries Worship
Which Bible translation is your community of faith using? In the United Church, most communities following the Revised Common Lectionary. The RCL covers a 3 year cycle (Year A, B & C) of readings for every Sunday, including an Hebrew Testament reading, a Psalm, and a Christian Testament Epistle reading and a Gospel text. In most communities, the translation of choice sitting in pews and church libraries is the (NRSV), the New Revised Standard Version. But, every Minister usually has multiple translations sitting on office bookshelves.
In recent years, two new translations have been published: First Nations Translation: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament © 2021, Inter Varsity Press; and, most recently, First Nations Version Psalm and Proverbs: An Indigenous Bible Translation © 2025, InterVarsity Press. We are eagerly awaiting the Hebrew Testament translation.
Do you belong to one of our Indigenous Ministry communities? Are you using the First Nations Version? If you need support in acquiring FN Version Bibles for your community, contact your Regional Minister for Indigenous Ministries (RMIM).
Once a month, your RMIM, Rev. Teri, provides an online/on TV Indigenous Ministries worship service through Kitimat’s First United Church. On those special Sundays dedicated to support our Regional Indigenous Ministries that may not have regular ministry personnel in place, the First Nations Version Bible translations are used– unless she is reflecting on a Hebrew/Old Testament story– then, she is usually working from the NRSV; until they publish another translation.
You can access past recordings through Kitimat United Church YouTube– and look for the titles which include, “Pacific Mountain Indigenous Ministries”. Live-streaming on Sundays at 11am, the next PMIM Worship services will be: Sept. 27~ Orange Shirt Sunday, Oct. 18~ World Food Day, Nov. 29~ Advent 1, Dec. 20~ Winter Solstice. These special services usually include Communion. Televised broadcasts are usually one to two weeks behind the live services, and they can be found through Citywest TV, Channel 10, and Telus TV, 310, Sundays at 10am.
So, get your FN Version. Have one at home and get some for your faith community. And connect in to live-stream services; or, archived services through YouTube.
The Jim Angus Memorial Fund for Pierce Memorial UC in Anspayaxw
At the most recent regional AGM held in Kamloops, a new memorial fund was introduced to the court and to our region in honour of James Angus– our friend, mentor and inspiration. Over the years, his presence was felt at Conference, Executive, BC Native Ministries, Regional and PM Indigenous meetings. He was constantly reminding and challenging us to remain in relationship; to honour and recommit to healing, building and sustaining relationships between Indigenous and nonIndigenous communities of faith.
Jim and his partner, Doreen, served at every level of United Church governance, locally in Kispiox/Anspayaxw with Pierce Memorial United Church, with Prince Rupert Presbytery, BC Conference, BC Native Ministries, Regional Executive– and on National committees and working groups. You would think he’d have little time left with all the energy he committed to the United Church but at home, he coached a soccer club to a national title, improved schools for local kids, helped win land claims titles, raise a family, and more.
If you were around in the early 1990’s, you likely have not forgotten the BC Conference Meeting held at Naramata Centre where Chief Wii Eelast, James Angus, of the Gitxsan Nation, was inducted as Conference President.
It was my very first Conference meeting and I was there as a member of the Youth Caucus. I was overwhelmed and marveled at the ceremony; the drumming; his Chief’s head dress and button blanket. And, it was the start– in my memory– of a capital campaign to raise money to support the Gitxsan-Wet’suwet’en Land Claims case: The Delgamuukw v. British Columbia court case. The decision would impact all challenges to Indigenous Territory moving forward. And that moment, those early years of my involvement in youth ministry and Indigenous support was absolutely pivotal in my own faith journey and commitment to serving within the United Church.
Conference and Regional meetings always included Jim and Doreen Angus. This was the first gathering without Jim– and, it felt odd. I was thankful to have been able to share the journey to the Regional Meeting with Doreen as co-pilot.
Many may know that Pierce Memorial United Church, built in 1949 to replace the previous church that burned down, has been inaccessible for the past few years due to a structural issue with the iconic bell tower– visible from most places in the village. Foundation issues, along with the bell tower fix had repairs quoted at $1 Million. And, after a meeting with the wider community in February 2025, plumbing and electrical issues were discussed that were not part of the original assessment.
They were told in 2025 that funding to fix the aging church building was not possible. This news caused consternation and grief.
In the meantime, outdoor services when requested were arranged. The Rev. Dr. Peter Newbery, from New Hazelton, retired medical Doctor with Wrinch Memorial Hospital in Gitanmaax (formerly a United Church medical facility), provides funeral and wedding support when asked, using the Kispiox Community Hall or other local facilities.
At the February 2025 meeting, it was made clear that the community wants to remain in relationship with the United Church. They want and need a physical healing-spiritual centre in Anspayaxw. What that might look like is yet to be decided. The wider community must decide upon fixing the current structure; tearing it down and rebuilding a new ‘colonial-styled’ church; or, tearing it down and building a new, multiuse, culturally reflective, healing and sacred centre. Doing nothing and allowing the church to continue to stand empty and unusable is not an option for multiple reasons.
Surveys, community conversations, planning and development, tearing down(?) and building up… And, we must start somewhere.
We’ve done it before. With Creator’s help, and with the whole of our Regional community, we can do it again.
If you would like to be a part of this fundraising campaign, you can donate on Canada Helps – select, “Memory of Jim Angus for Pierce Memorial United Church”. Let’s help make this happen…together.
Thank you for your generosity and bless you.
Community of Faith Updates featuring Bella Bella & Skidegate United Churches
An exciting new initiative with Bella Bella’s Darby Memorial UC has a member of a ministry team going to the village once a month to provide Sunday worship, healing services, visiting; with communion and baptism as needed/requested.
Starting in March, taking a break through July and August, a team which includes: Mimi Smienk (Cape Mudge UC, Quadra Island); Nancy Walker (Emmanuel UC, Bella Coola); Teri Meyer (RMPMIM, Kitimat); Keith Simmonds (Campbell River), fly or float into Bella Bella as scheduled. And, when the schedule needed changing, deep thanks to our former Coastal Ministries Ministers, John Burton and Michael Hare for going in short notice.
Monthly services will resume in the fall and continue through November – until weather makes flying a challenge.
It has been a real gift to reestablish relationship with our sisters and brothers in Bella Bella. Additional opportunities to meet with local Matriarchs, Language Teachers, Knowledge Keepers and Band Council members continues to open up and potentially deepen connections.
Ideally, we would have local folk living in Bella Bella, trained through the Indigenous Studies Program with the Vancouver School of Theology, or through the Sandy Salteaux Centre. But, how does one know they feel called into ministry within the United Church if they aren’t connecting with church, engaging church, and serving the community through their local United Church? It is hoped that with regular services, as we get to know each other and build relationships, someone may feel called by Creator to lead in their local context.
Until then, we are so very thankful to the congregations which are allowing their ministry personnel to take a Sunday or two per year to provide worship in Bella Bella; and grateful for our retired ministry folk who still have a passion for coastal ministry, and don’t mind small planes and big ferries.
Skidegate United Church on Haida Gwaii has faced a few challenges in the last year and a bit. Two neighbouring properties to the Church Manse were torn down by the community after a serious incident involving local drug dealers. The resulting holes in the ground next to the Manse had the Skidegate Band Council approach the Church Board to ask for the Church and Manse properties to be given back to the community. Plans included a potential Children and Family Centre.
In July 2025, our PMIM Regional Minister visited with the Church Board. Did they want to continue? Could they continue? Yes. The Church Board then met with the Band Council. Could we work together? Could there be space in whatever the new build would eventually be? Could the new build house the piano, church items and books? Yes.
Then, the Band Council, members of the Church Board, and the Regional Minister met in the Skidegate Community Hall to ask the wider community what they were thinking. Did they see a future for a United Church presence? Was the church still wanted/needed? Yes. And, although there seemed to be no heart-connection with the Manse, there was still a vocalized affirmation that there may yet be a place and a need for a church building to remain– with needed renovations and improvements.
Those positions named, Skidegate UC’s Board continued to search for a Minister to serve the church and wider community– a ministry of presence. Sadly, anticipated 2026 M&S Grant funding fell through and the Minister they had hoped to hire went elsewhere– and, the Church Board was deeply disappointed.
In recent weeks, the shock of the “no” shifting, conversation has resumed in trying to figure out the most faithful next steps. Retired ministry personnel will be heading to Haida Gwaii late summer to provide worship, connect with Band Council and facilitate conversations involving the potential for ministry in a shifting context.
The Band Council still must survey the wider community on what exactly will be built– housing/children’s centre, etc. There is time to reestablish lines of communication and potentially rebuild a ministry within Skidegate. Conversations have begun with the Anglican Church as well as they have a priest serving Old Masset on the reserve to see if a more consistent, potentially shared ministry might be offered.
In the meantime, lots of prayers– and deep thanks once more to John & Heather Burton as they seek to facilitate conversation with the church, the Band Council and wider community in Skidegate. An uncertain but exciting time. A new beginning. Or, at the very least, a good and faithful ending?
Upcoming Important Dates
Wednesday, August 19 at 3:00pm– Indigenous Ministries Zoom Gathering
Wednesday, September 16 at 3:00pm– Indigenous Ministries Zoom Gathering
*to receive a Zoom invitation for either of these gatherings, contact Teri Meyer at TMeyer@United-Church.ca
November 12-15: PMIM AGM at First Mission, Vancouver; Worship on November 15 with Longhouse Mission Council.
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