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A special event open to all Manitobans is taking place in Winnipeg this weekend, following in the footsteps of Elijah Harper's Sacred Assemblies meeting 30 years ago.
"This is a conference that is spearheaded by my dad, Reverend Robert McLean from The Fairford Sanctuary," says Marty McLean, pastor at Encounter Life Ministries in Winnipeg. "I'm working alongside with him. It's a vision that has been burning in my dad's heart for a long, long time. He's been praying about it and wanting to find a time and a place. This is it."
Thirty years ago, Elijah Harper had a vision of unity that brought more than 2,000 people to the Sacred Assembly ’95 in Hull, Quebec.
"His initial vision was for our First Nations people to recognize that, in order for us to bring about healing in our First Nations communities, is to look at the spiritual element. What Elijah stated is that the spiritual element was missing. Growing up as a pastor's son, he was instilled those values that he carried on throughout his career in politics. It always goes back to that."
The event titled 'Nations for First Nations' will start with a gala on Thursday, June 5, followed by two days of workshops on June 6-7 at the RBC Convention Centre.
"At the gala, we'll be presenting different cultures and their form of worship. We have a group from South Korea. We have a local group of multiethnic people from different parts of Africa that will be sharing their expression of worship. What we really want to showcase is all these nations coming together and expressing the way they worship our Creator, God. We'll have our First Nations people represented. The heart of this conference is to show that all these nations are standing behind First Nations and pushing us forward."
McLean says the event is also a call to unity, as Jesus prayed in the Bible right before He was crucified.
"We want to share from our perspective as Indigenous believers, the truths that we've learned that we can share with others. Even inviting other people to work alongside us, reaching out to our people."
The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse, will be attending the event. Last week, Woodhouse sat down with King Charles to discuss the importance of treaties.
"For the workshops, we have 11 speakers lined up. From Truth and Reconciliation to economic prosperity and cultural preservation, these people are experts in their area. The wisdom they'll be sharing is based on a Biblical foundation. We invite all nations to come and join us. Even the setup of the workshops, we have round tables because we want to encourage that dialogue."
While anyone interested in attending the event must register, it is entirely free. McLean is inviting businesses or groups that feel led to help out financially to contact him.
"A huge part of this is truth and reconciliation. You'll see it's the interwoven theme throughout. I think it's wonderful for the church to be involved in that."