Grace Lutheran Church, Winnipeg

09/06/2026

Sept. 6,2026

08/30/2026

Aug. 30, 2026

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

Canada’s only reindeer herd is growing under Inuvialuit leadership.

An Inuvialuit-led effort has increased the Mackenzie Delta herd from approximately 1,500 to 7,000 animals, and a new federal investment is intended to help shape its next stage as a self-sustaining Arctic agribusiness.

On August 27, Canada announced up to C$885,225 for the Inuvialuit Community Economic Development Organization, known as ICEDO. The organization assumed ownership and management of the herd in 2021.

The Mackenzie Delta herd has supported Inuvialuit food security and livelihoods for nearly a century. Reindeer husbandry in the region is tied to both local food systems and the long history of Inuvialuit families adapting to life and work across the Arctic landscape.

The new project will support planning for infrastructure, workforce growth, market expansion and long-term operations in one of Canada’s most remote agricultural regions. According to the federal announcement, the plan will also incorporate Inuvialuit food-sharing traditions, environmental stewardship and cultural practices.

Senate testimony from ICEDO has described how community-led the operation is. Inuvialuit herders spend much of the year on the tundra caring for the free-ranging herd, while harvested reindeer meat is distributed within Inuvialuit communities.

The herd’s growth from about 1,500 to approximately 7,000 animals in five years marks a major development for food sovereignty, economic resilience and cultural continuity across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

What are your thoughts on the Inuvialuit growing and managing Canada’s only reindeer herd for future generations?



Sources: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Senate of Canada, ICEDO testimony on the reindeer herd

08/29/2026

The new ELCA Sumud video series highlights the perspectives of Christian Palestinians and lifts up their lived experiences.

08/29/2026

We are grateful for all who are involved in education in all its forms, and especially lift up prayers for students, parents, teachers, faculty and all who begin a new year of learning.

08/29/2026

We praise you God,
for the Earth that sustains life.

Through the planetary cycles
of days and seasons,
renewal and growth,
open your hand to give
all creatures our food
in the proper time.

Amen.

08/29/2026

08/29/2026

We talk often about serving, giving, helping, and showing up for one another.

But there is another side to life in community: allowing ourselves to receive.

Receive the kindness someone offers.
Receive the help you didn't expect.
Receive the story another person entrusts to you.
Receive the grace that reminds you that you do not have to do everything alone.

Jesus served others, but he also received hospitality, friendship, care, and companionship.

Perhaps part of living with the mind of Christ is knowing when to open our hands and simply receive.

This weekend, may we give thanks for those who make room for us.