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Change ... it's something
we've all learned to count on. Yet few others have been forced to
deal with it as Canada's First People have. The changes that came to
European cultures over several centuries hit the Native people in
just a few short years. By 1946, when NCEM's ministry officially
began, life for most of Canada's Native people had, in fact, already
been affected dramatically.
The changes have continued -- and
NCEM's outreach efforts in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
these people have also been affected by change.
Transportation
Travel in the Mission's earliest
years was slow and dangerous, mostly by boat or by dog-team ... NCEM
now operates several aircraft which transport personnel and
supplies. Many more stations are now accessible by road.
Communication
Literature was used in the Mission's
outreach right from the start. Though it once required the tedious
task of setting metal type by hand ... the Mission's modern print
shop now efficiently produces full-colour materials for ministry
use.
In the 1950's NCEM began conveying
the Gospel in Indian languages by radio to isolated communities and
trap-lines. Though radio is still being used, NCEM now produces the
weekly television program "Tribal Trails," broadcast
coast-to-coast-to-coast by satellite.
Bible Education
Training for Native Christians has
always been a priority. From the first schools in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan ... the Mission now operates the Key-Way-Tin Bible
Institute in Lac La Biche, Alberta. Hundreds of Native people have
been prepared for Christian life and leadership.
Summer Missions
"Short-term" programs, once
unheard of in Christian missions, have been used effectively on
First Nations fields. In the early 1970's the NCEM Missionary
Training Course (NMTC) was begun ... Since then many
"trainees" have been exposed to cross-cultural ministry,
and numerous Native communities have been touched with the Gospel.
Bible Camps
Bible Camps have proven to be an
effective outreach over the years. Hundreds of Native young people
now attend Bible camp each summer in several locations across the
country. Many Family Camps are also held. NCEM also runs Wilderness
Camps, taking First Nations teens backpacking or canoe tripping, and
sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
Diverse Fields
By 1957 NCEM's fields no longer
included just "The North." Ministry began that year among
the Mi'kmaq and Malecite Indians of Canada's Maritime region. And by
the end of the 1980's, outreach had been established in 10 urban
centres.
Some Things Don't
Change!
Many changes have taken place in NCEM
since its beginnings in the mid-1940's. Yet the Mission's goal
remains the same. NCEM has seen God's blessing, but has also often
been reminded that the task is far too great to be accomplished
apart from total dependence on God and through much prayer.
Technology has changed the way the
work is carried out. Yet there is one method that has not changed.
It is a method that Jesus Himself used -- He came physically to
dwell among mankind. NCEM recognizes that nothing can equal the
effectiveness of the physical presence of the missionary among the
people. Literature, television and other media can have an important
role, but cannot replace the listening ear and caring heart that is
needed. NCEM's resident field missionary force remains its main
thrust.
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