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South Dakota Church Reaching Out to Native Americans
MILK'S CAMP, SD (September 18, 2002) - Harvest Covenant Church of Sioux Falls,
along with the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism and the Northwest
Conference's Churches Planting Ministries initiative of the Evangelical
Covenant Church, sponsored the Ponca Creek Outpouring last month to bring
Christ to a Native American population
at a nearby reservation.
The one-week evangelistic effort was held at the Ponca Creek Pow Wow
Grounds near Milk's Camp. The camp meetings were designed to reach the
Rosebud Sioux Reservation, which has had a ministry relationship with
Harvest Covenant in recent years.
Those at Rosebud are from the Lakota tribe, which is part of the Great
Sioux Nation. The Sioux nation has seven tribal councils on nine
reservations. The Rosebud Reservation alone has 30,000 tribal natives
across 22 tribal communities that span 150 miles.
During the Ponca Creek Outpouring, there were building projects for
facilities at the reservation, ministries for youth and children and
evangelistic messages brought at evening meetings. The group also served
more than 1,500 meals to those who came that week. But that was only part
of the story.
Twelve natives accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Four others were healed
physically, which greatly testified to an outpouring of God's mercy on
native peoples, said Harvest Covenant pastor Steve Hickey. More than 50
people participated in a prayer walk through the Milk's Camp community to
reclaim that land for the Lord. They commissioned Alfred Old Lodge as the
set spiritual leader in the community and erected a large cross he had
built and placed it in his yard near the entrance to the community.
Later, Hickey drove around the community seven times, praying that the
spiritual walls
that have prevented Christianity from gaining a foothold would fall down
around the area, just as the walls of Jericho fell down in the Old
Testament account. Harvest will be following up on its ministry by holding
Alpha courses every other week in Old Lodge's home. Plans have been drawn
to build a church building next spring.
"Harvest Covenant Church was part of a manifestation of God," reported high
school senior Josh Eloge. "We went, ministered and tried to honor God with
what we had . . . I thought God moved people at PONCA through a combination
of things . . . from playing softball practically every day to painting a
house to praise and worshiping at night - God had His way with His people."
"The faces and images of what God was doing will forever be etched in my
heart and mind," stated Jenny Unruh as she reflected on her experience as a
primary food server at the Ponca Creek Outpouring. "I feel extremely
honored to have been chosen for this time."
Hickey arrived in Sioux Falls in 1994 to start Harvest Covenant. Not long
after, Hickey met pastor Gabriel Medicine Eagle of the Lakota nation at a
prayer summit at Pierre. Gabriel was giving a talk about the "Covenant"
relationship between God and people. The talk resonated with Hickey, who
invited Gabriel to teach on the subject of "Covenant" at Harvest Covenant.
Gabriel came to Harvest Covenant and at the end of the session a string was
tied around Gabriel and Hickey in a "covenant tying" ceremony that served
as a mutual blessing to the two individuals and the two communities
represented. The string was then cut to symbolize the release of God's
blessing through those who live in and keep covenant. That blessing has
continued in a practical way as well.
Harvest Covenant has an average worship attendance of well over 300 and
many in the congregation are very active in the outreach efforts to
natives. The groups that Hickey and Harvest Covenant serve are located 75
miles from the central station in the region. Often, essential food and
medical stuffs are unavailable to the Native American population there,
making the help Harvest Covenant provides even more valuable.
"God plopped me down right here in South Dakota and I looked for my 'Judea
and Samaria' mission and guess who is right here?" said Hickey, whose wife
Kristen is of the Cherokee nation. "The Native American nations are on the
heart of God. To some,
South Dakota may not seem to be a strategic mission field. However,
Christian leaders like Bill Bright, Billy Graham, C. Peter Wagner and many
others have all said something to the effect that we are not going to see
revival in America until we make right these old offenses against native
peoples.
"If in fact they are on to something here, it follows that God is looking
for people who
understand how to keep and live in covenant to go to these offended people
in humility and repent of the fact that we broke over 400 covenants
(treaties)."
Along with his work with the Lakota nation and with numerous other outreach
trips to Vietnam, Hickey formed the Great Plains Church Planting Task Force
in 1996, which assessed 22 cities on the Northern Plains to assist the
Northwest Conference for future church planting ministries. Out of this
effort, Harvest Covenant daughtered the Living Springs Covenant Church in
nearby Brandon.
Most recently Hickey founded RAM (Regional Apostolic Mobilization) and "The
One Sent Store," which are vehicles to mobilize church planting and
evangelism efforts in the region. He has also aided the beginnings of
several other churches and ministries.
Under way this month, Hickey and Harvest Covenant are hosting a "Beyond
Charity" conference bringing together key business leaders in the state to
talk about Christ-centered economic and community development on Indian
reservations. After this event,
he and Kristen will join a delegation of 50 to 100 Native Americans from
all over the United States to go to Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, for a
strategic prayer
event at the very location where whites first met native people. He
believes that events like this and the Ponca Creek Outpouring only scratch
the surface of healing relationships between Native Americans and the Anglo
population.
"U.S. Civil Rights study results said that the racial tension in South
Dakota is greater than anywhere else in the United States," he said. "And
the governor of South Dakota has stated that reservations are the most
dangerous place for white people to be in the state.
But if you're called to reach a region, which I believe I am, God is going
to open doors to help you meet people." I like to remind people that the
dictionary says a 'reservation' is a place set aside for later use. God
hasn't forgotten these people. In fact we've seen God race to bless any
ministry that honors 'covenant.'"
To help support or participate in future ministries to natives or receive
more information on the recent Ponca Creek Outpouring and other ministries
of Harvest Covenant Church and Hickey to Native Americans, call the church
at 605-357-8136 or email Hickey at
Shickey102@aol.com.
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