Native American and Indigenous Ministries Council

Apache Reformed Church

For centuries, the Mescalero, Chiricahua, and Lipan Apache People made their home in what is now the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. By 1876, the United States government had taken control of most of the Apache land and all of the Apache Bands were either forced onto reservations or imprisoned. One group of Chiricahua Apache, led by Geronimo, fled the reservation and were hunted by the US Army for ten years before they voluntarily surrendered. They were then forcibly imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida, and later moved to Fort Marion, Alabama. In 1894 they were moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where they were kept as prisoners for a total of 27 years. The Comanche People had been living on the land adjacent to Fort Sill since they voluntarily surrendered to the US Army in 1875, and some of that land was given to the Apaches. In 1895, Rev. Frank Wright began a ministry among the Apaches who were being held as prisoners at Fort Sill. When they were finally released in 1913, some remained in Oklahoma and founded the Apache Reformed Church.

Today, led by Pastor Kenneth Laurenzana, this body of believers includes members of the Apache, Comanche and Kiowa tribes, and continues to share the love of Jesus with the community around them.

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Fort Sill Apache Tribe

Calling Lake Community Church

Calling Lake Community Church began in 1998 as a Sunday School and VBS outreach initiated by Athabasca Reformed Church in Alberta, Canada. In 2019, Pastor Nathan Gullion expanded the ministry and it became a church plant reaching whole families in the Calling Lake Community. This body of believers blesses their community in a wide variety of areas, including community service and food distribution.

Calling Lake Facebook page

Comanche Reformed Church

Comanche Reformed Church was organized in 1907 in Lawton, Oklahoma. Led by Pastor Ed Rivera, this congregation is a beacon of light and hope in their community.

History of Comanche Reformed Church

Comanche Reformed Facebook page

Comanche Nation

Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church

The Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church has been serving the Lord among the Jicarilla Apache Nation since 1914. Led by Pastor Brad Kautz, it is located on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation in Dulce, New Mexico, about a three-hour drive away from Albuquerque. Through worship and various kinds of outreach we strive to bring the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ to our community. We want our church and ministry to be a place where people find and grow in the hope that is only present by faith in Jesus.

Jicarilla Apache Facebook page
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Mescalero Reformed Church

Mescalero Reformed Church began its ministry in 1909, and was officially organized in 1913 on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, several hours south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. When the Chiricahua Apache were released from their 27-year imprisonment at Fort Sill, approximately 180 Chiricahua chose to relocate to the Mescalero Apache reservation. They settled in White Tail Canyon, where a second church building was erected in 1916. Mescalero Reformed Church includes descendants of the Mescalero, Lipan and Chiricahua Apaches. Today, Mescalero Reformed Church is a faithful body of believers who love Jesus, each other and their community in real and tangible ways.

Solon Sombrero

Solon Sombrero, a family man, a grandfather, a farmer, and a servant leader. Solon was the grandson of Chief Natzili. He lived his life in Mescalero with his family in an area on the Mescalero Apache reservation, known as Elk Silver. He was also a “servant leader” within the Tribe. As a Man of God, he helped establish the mission church in Mescalero. The Dutch Reformed Church of America He converted to the Dutch Reformed Church and served as its pastor’s interpreter on the reservation and was mainly responsible for the pastor having a permanent residence on the reservation at Mescalero Village. Solon believed in the church and worked with others to build a strong congregation throughout the reservation. They were able to build wood-framed churches in Elk, Carrizo, White Tail, and Mescalero.

Mescalero: Bridging the Gap video

Mescalero Sankofa Journey

Mescalero Reformed Facebook page

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Mescalero Apache Tribe

Winnebago Reformed Church

Winnebago Reformed church was organized over 100 years ago in 1908. It is located in the center of Winnebago, Nebraska, “a population center for Ho-Chunk people and headquarters for the federally-recognized Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Our reservation was created in 1865 using land ceded from the Omaha Tribe.” Winnebago Reformed Church is pastored by Justin Longcoy.

“Our Purpose is to be the means by which God reaches out and gathers His people into the Body of Christ. We enVision the Winnebago Reformed Church as people of all ages, coming together to worship, equip, encourage, and enable one another so that we might be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus, every day, to the people we meet. Our Mission is to provide opportunity, facility, education, leadership, example, and encouragement to the people of the church, the community, and beyond.”

Winnebago Reformed Church website

Winnebago Reformed Facebook page

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Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska