Post by blackcrowheart on Nov 5, 2007 8:46:18 GMT -5
Historic church searches for its path to the future
By ALAN J. McCOMBS, The News Journal
Patience Harmon is an elder member of Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro
Special to The News Journal/CHUCK SNYDER
Patience Harmon is an elder member of Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro The current church building, which dates to 1921, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. While the pews are often filled on special occasions, attendance at Indian Mission's regular services has fallen off over the years as modern life has moved more congregants and their children away from the area.
(Buy photo)
Special to The News Journal/CHUCK SNYDER
The Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro is one of those old churches that echoes with history.
To church members, the building and its nearby graveyard provide a constant connection not just to the past, but to each other.
There are no hard numbers on the religious affiliations of the region's American Indians. Leaders among both the Lenape and Nanticoke people, however, estimate that many practice Christianity, with the Methodist denomination predominating. Others turn their backs on Christianity because of the sometimes painful history of how the religion was spread by European settlers.
"When it was introduced, it was with a Bible in one hand and a gun in another," said Assistant Nanticoke Chief Larry Jackson. "A lot of our people don't go to church and don't have a relationship with the Creator."
Some also practice traditional Nanticoke and Lenape spirituality. The depth of these customs is unclear, especially since discrimination and the need to conform caused many of the area's American Indians over the years to stop practicing ancient customs, said dick "Quiet Thunder" Gilbert, a historian and re-enactor of the traditional American Indian customs and rites.
"So many of the ceremonies died out," said Gilbert, a member of the Nanticoke Lenni Lenape people of southern New Jersey, who trace their ancestry to both the Nanticoke and the Lenape. "Not many, but a few are still with us."
In the Millsboro area, the Indian Mission congregation dates back to 1881, when the mission was created by the Methodist Church as a ministry to the Nanticoke people. The current building at the corner of Indian Mission and Hollymount roads, in which services are still held, was built in 1921 and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Since the church's inception, it has served as a center for the local Nanticoke culture, members said. But with jobs and school forcing young people elsewhere, that central position seems to be slipping away.
The church still is packed when the community holds powwows or weddings, or when a local high school has a homecoming game, but regular attendance has slipped to 50 or less in a church designed to accommodate more than 100. Boosting attendance at the historic church is a priority for existing members, but how to go about it and maintain the historic character of the church remains unclear, said Sterling Street, chairman of the church's administrative council.
"We're constantly working on it," Street, 64, said. "Nothing so far seems to be working."
Most recently the church has attempted to address the empty pews by sending letters to local homes inviting people, regardless of their ethnic heritage, to attend, Street said.
Those who have left the church during their lives are urged to help the institution financially and spiritually, church member Patience Harmon said.
"Even if you're out in Oklahoma and can't attend, support," Harmon said.
By ALAN J. McCOMBS, The News Journal
Patience Harmon is an elder member of Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro
Special to The News Journal/CHUCK SNYDER
Patience Harmon is an elder member of Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro The current church building, which dates to 1921, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. While the pews are often filled on special occasions, attendance at Indian Mission's regular services has fallen off over the years as modern life has moved more congregants and their children away from the area.
(Buy photo)
Special to The News Journal/CHUCK SNYDER
The Indian Mission United Methodist Church near Millsboro is one of those old churches that echoes with history.
To church members, the building and its nearby graveyard provide a constant connection not just to the past, but to each other.
There are no hard numbers on the religious affiliations of the region's American Indians. Leaders among both the Lenape and Nanticoke people, however, estimate that many practice Christianity, with the Methodist denomination predominating. Others turn their backs on Christianity because of the sometimes painful history of how the religion was spread by European settlers.
"When it was introduced, it was with a Bible in one hand and a gun in another," said Assistant Nanticoke Chief Larry Jackson. "A lot of our people don't go to church and don't have a relationship with the Creator."
Some also practice traditional Nanticoke and Lenape spirituality. The depth of these customs is unclear, especially since discrimination and the need to conform caused many of the area's American Indians over the years to stop practicing ancient customs, said dick "Quiet Thunder" Gilbert, a historian and re-enactor of the traditional American Indian customs and rites.
"So many of the ceremonies died out," said Gilbert, a member of the Nanticoke Lenni Lenape people of southern New Jersey, who trace their ancestry to both the Nanticoke and the Lenape. "Not many, but a few are still with us."
In the Millsboro area, the Indian Mission congregation dates back to 1881, when the mission was created by the Methodist Church as a ministry to the Nanticoke people. The current building at the corner of Indian Mission and Hollymount roads, in which services are still held, was built in 1921 and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Since the church's inception, it has served as a center for the local Nanticoke culture, members said. But with jobs and school forcing young people elsewhere, that central position seems to be slipping away.
The church still is packed when the community holds powwows or weddings, or when a local high school has a homecoming game, but regular attendance has slipped to 50 or less in a church designed to accommodate more than 100. Boosting attendance at the historic church is a priority for existing members, but how to go about it and maintain the historic character of the church remains unclear, said Sterling Street, chairman of the church's administrative council.
"We're constantly working on it," Street, 64, said. "Nothing so far seems to be working."
Most recently the church has attempted to address the empty pews by sending letters to local homes inviting people, regardless of their ethnic heritage, to attend, Street said.
Those who have left the church during their lives are urged to help the institution financially and spiritually, church member Patience Harmon said.
"Even if you're out in Oklahoma and can't attend, support," Harmon said.