Indigenous Day of Prayer, the Sunday before National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21), is an opportunity to celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples’ values, customs, languages, and culture.
Worship Ideas
- 2025 National Indigenous People’s Day Service (30.91 KB) (Word): A service for National Indigenous People's Day, prepared by the Rev. Agnes Melinda Spence. Agnes, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
- 2025 NIDP Untwisting Into Reconciliation (30.07 KB) (Word): A settler service for National Indigenous Day of Prayer, 2025.
- All God's Beloved Children | 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer (40.44 KB) (Word): Worship service, including sermon, by the Rev. Jan Jorgensen.
- All My Relations | 2022 Indigenous Day of Prayer (256.14 KB) (PDF): A worship service and sermon by the Rev. Nancy Best and music by the Rev. Dr. Lisa Waites.
- Being a Good Neighbour | Indigenous Day of Prayer 2021 (52.19 KB) (Word): Worship resources and a service bulletin/outline by Read Sherman, intended for use by non-Indigenous communities of faith.
- Indigenous Day of Prayer Service 2024 (68.5 KB) (Word): A service of blessing and celebration from the settler church for the autonomous Indigenous Church.
- Indigenous Day of Prayer: We Are All Spirit First 2024 (73.72 KB) (Word): Traditional teachings offer us assurance that we are Spirit first and we will always be part of creation.
- The Possibility of New Beginnings | 2023 Indigenous Day of Prayer (58.95 KB) (Word): Worship service that addresses change and the remit on an autonomous National Indigenous Organization in the United Church.
- The Sacred Drum | 2023 Indigenous Day of Prayer (61.39 KB) (Word): Celebrating Indigenous Spirituality and Strength. A worship service by Shane Goldie.
Related Material
- Acknowledging the Territory in Worship (170.12 KB) (PDF): A brief guide to help congregations and bodies of the church incorporate an Acknowledgement of Territory into their gatherings.
- Moderator's Message for Indigenous Peoples Day 2024 (video): In her National Indigenous Peoples Day message, Moderator Carmen Lansdowne reminds us that we can all take specific actions to celebrate or recognize this day and National Indigenous History Month.
- Moderator’s Message for National Indigenous Peoples Day 2024: Transcript (47.61 KB) (Word): Transcript of Moderator Carmen Lansdowne's video message.
- Prayer for Students of Kamloops Residential School (Moderator) (35.18 KB) (Word): A prayer for the 215 children whose remains were found in Kamloops in May 2021.
Worship Blog
Why an Indigenous Day of Prayer?
In 1971, the observance of June 21 as a National Indian Day of Prayer was formally recognized by The United Church of Canada, at the 24th General Council. In 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidary Day.… Read more
Under the Big Top: Thoughts on National Aboriginal Day
I took these pictures last August while visiting my mother’s relatives in the central part of Saskatchewan on the Muskoday First Nation. They capture some of the 825 dancers that participated in the 25th annual traditional Powwow.
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