God is Up To Something Good…

If you hang out with our District Superintendent (Dan Scarrow) at all, I bet you have heard the following phrases: “light in dark places” and “God is up to something good”. The deep truth of both of these statements is on full display with our Native American churches in northern Minnesota. On reservations where darkness has prevailed for generations, God is bringing new light through the raising up of new Native American Christian leaders. In a place where the news is often bad, from generational trauma and abuse to the fresh heartbreaking news of at least 600 unmarked and undocumented graves found at a boarding school in Canada, even in the midst of all of this heavy grief, God is still doing something good.

I had the privilege of walking with a group of leaders through a church planting training process June 11-13 primarily at Cass Lake Alliance Church. Cass Lake is the newest multisite church in our district as they have empowered Octavius Lopez (current LEAD student) to open a campus in Bena, MN called “New Life Alliance Church”. Under the wise and uplifting leadership of Pastor Mick Marino, Zane Williams (head of the Native American Association) and the elders of Cass Lake Alliance, new workers are being raised up who have a specific call to Native American ministries. Pastor Mitch Johnson from Mokahum Chapel and a number of other key leaders from Native American ministries also attended the training.

Our training focused on setting a strategic values-driven framework for the new ministries. We then spent significant time learning together and planning a discipleship process that will engage those that accept Christ through their evangelistic efforts. Pastor Greg Rhodes and Pastor Mike Knott assisted as table coaches for our time together. God laid on all our hearts a unified call to make disciples who make disciples amidst the Native American population.

Please be in prayer for the ministries in our district towards the Native American population. Many Native Americans in generations past have been hurt by the church and news of things like boarding school deaths are opening up an old wound making the pain fresh again. Pray for new potential workers who are being raised up, that Octavius Lopez, Mark Little Elk, and Les Parr would be protected and empowered to make Jesus known in their places of service. Our calling to be light in dark places is evident through the work of all those mentioned in this article and I can truly tell you first-hand that “God is up to something good”.

Kyle Magstadt

Associate Superintendent for Church Multiplication
North Central District of The C&MA