04/28/2026
A note of appreciation and faithful witness from our former Bishop about the ministry of our current Bishop. I've been blessed to work for these faithful servants of God. Both of them have enriched my life tremendously!
Pastor Keith
Bishop David Wilson’s faithful witness as a follower of Jesus and as a Native American leader in our church is a gift to the Council of Bishops and to the whole body of Christ.
This week, the Council was grateful to listen as Bishop Wilson, the first Native American bishop in the history of The United Methodist Church and episcopal leader of the Great Plains Conference shared the story of Indigenous peoples on this land. His ministry has grown out of decades of service among Native congregations and communities, and he carries that experience into every sermon, conversation, and act of leadership.
As he reminded us, the story many of us learned about America is not the whole story. There are other accounts, Native stories of displacement and resilience, of broken treaties and living traditions, of deep grief and enduring hope, that we must hear if we want to understand where we really are as a nation. Listening to these histories does not diminish anyone’s love of country; it deepens it, because love that is honest about the past is the only love that can help heal the present.
I am convinced that part of our Christian discipleship in this moment is to seek out these fuller narratives, to make space for Indigenous voices, and to let their truth-telling shape our prayers, our policies, and our relationships. When we honor the whole story of this land, including those whose ancestors were here long before the United States existed, we open ourselves to the reconciling work God is still doing among us.
What is one step you are willing to take to learn from Indigenous voices and histories in your own community?
