LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C – The 2011 Worship Series, “The World is My Parish”, continues with a service honoring Native American traditions on Sunday, June 26. Alaskan artist and speaker Ray Buckley (LAKOTA /TLINGIT) will serve as guest preacher for this service, which is also the closing service for the 2011 Native American Summer Conference, “Trail of Hope: Leaders for the Future”, a conference designed to celebrate and experience the diversity and uniqueness of Native Americans. Sunday morning worship will include Native elements, imagery, colors, and music including the Choctaw Children’s Choir from Great Spirit United Methodist Church in Mississippi. All worship services are free and open to the public.
“We are excited to have Mr. Ray Buckley as guest preacher for such a unique service. He will bring his distinctive artistic storytelling to the Summer Worship Series,” said Dr. Jack Ewing, Executive Director of Lake Junaluska.
Buckley is the interim Director of the Center for Native American Spirituality and Christian Study. Buckley has served The United Methodist Church as a staff member of The United Methodist Publishing House, Director of the Native People’s Communication Office (UMCom) for nine years, and Director of Connectional Ministries for the Alaska Missionary Conference. A well-known author, his stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals, books, and museums. Buckley has taught in Nigeria, and Ghana, and served as a lecturer in Native American studies for several universities, including the Pontifical Biblical Institute of the Vatican.
This service, which is also the closing service for the Native American Summer Conference, Trail of Hope: Leaders for the Future, is supported by the Southeastern Jurisdictional Association for Native American Ministries (SEJANAM).
“SEJANAM is a vital spiritual, communication, and advocacy network for Native Americans across the United States,” said Catherine Nelson, Interim Director. “The goal of the conference is to affirm our Trail of Hope as American Indian people using Native American Spirituality and cultural traditions to train leaders, uphold Biblical Truths, and refresh the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Buckley will preach at the 8:30 a.m. Eucharist service in Memorial Chapel and at Stuart Auditorium at 10:45 a.m. at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center on June 26, 2009. All services are free and open to the public. For additional information on this service or any of the Summer Worship Series, visit www.lakejunaluska.com/summer-worship, or contact Kimberly Jenne at 1-828-454-6752 or kjenne@lakejunaluska.com.
The 10:45 a.m. summer worship service will be live streamed and viewed at www.lakejunaluska.com/streaming.
Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center is an agency of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. The mission of Lake Junaluska is to be a place of Christian Hospitality where lives are transformed through renewal of soul, mind, and body.