Telling the Whole Story: Truth, Land, and Legacy
I am cursed in Fort Worth, Texas.
The last time I was there in December, I broke my shoulder. This time? A very rude hotel coffee table had the audacity to refuse to get out of my way. I (obviously) had no other option but to try and go through it.
Let’s just say…
Coffee Table: 1; Cesie’s toe: 0.
I will spare you the description of my foot’s beautiful purple tones but suffice to say that if this was Lent (when the liturgical color is purple), you would think I was really spiritual.
But enough about my foot.
At this year’s OR-ID Annual Conference Session this past week, Saturday afternoon was dedicated to “truth telling.” It was not a time to shame. It was a time to inform and begin the difficult process of truly understanding and knowing who we are.
In all our ministry settings, our histories are complicated. We justifiably celebrate when our church experiences significant anniversaries. My church is 184 years old and one of the first Methodist churches west of the Rockies. I’m darn proud of that fact.
However, if you look at our website, nowhere does it mention anything about or who what was on our site before the church was established. Nothing about the Native people from whom we took the land. The Kalapuyans have been erased from our history.
And in our beautiful church, there is an entire wall dedicated to our storied history. But there is no mention of the Kalapuyan Indian tribe. No mention about what was happening on the land before the church was built. It’s as if the history of the land on which Salem First UMC sits started in 1841. That is problematic.
As people who believe all things are sacred – including our history – we must be about telling our whole story, even if it’s unpleasant. Even if we are not proud of it. Even if it causes us embarrassment.
People of faith, we are about truth telling, aren’t we?
People of faith, we believe all things are sacred, including our land, right?
Then let’s tell the whole story of that land. Land that that was verdant, lush, and stewarded for centuries by the Native people before we decided to take what was rightly theirs. Let’s grapple with what it means to “own” something that really wasn’t ours to take.
There is much to lament. Much to repair.
Friends, we can still be proud of our history – including all the amazing things you as followers of Jesus have done and will do in the future to make lives better for your community and the world.
But let’s also tell the whole story so that – with God’s help – we can learn from it and do better.
If you want to learn more, check out the Circle of Indigenous Ministries and the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery.
Photo credit: The Willamette River, taken by yours truly.
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship – helping with capital campaigns and encouraging more generosity. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations.
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgeneorsity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered. Click on the link below. Cesie's thrilled that America’s Got Talent is back for the summer because it gives her permission to cry at least two times during the show. Check out this beautiful performance by a family who lost their home in the Altadena fire.
Schedule a meeting now.
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