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Red Clover

Red Clover is an independent faith-rooted non-profit movement, operating under the authority of, and accountable to, Indigenous leaders. Healing at the Wounding Place specifically engages people of Christian faith in healing and justice while acknowledging that the church has been a primary wounding place for Indigenous communities.

Cause:

Justice >

Location

North America

Field Staff:

Jodi Spargur

Local Partner:

Red Clover

About

Red Clover was once an urban farm located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, taking its name from a plant that removed toxicity from soil through a vast root system. We learned a lot from the farm about tending to a complex ecosystem and working together not just for survival but for shared thriving in the neighbourhood – an abundant harvest for body, soul, and community. 

Having broadened scope to work with the complex ecosystem of Settler/Indigenous relations, Red Clover is continually working to grow things that will nourish body, mind, and community. Providing facilitation, consultation, and training in response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, issued in 2015 in Canada, we help to demystify the process of (re)conciliation by centring Indigenous leadership and uncovering the ‘growing conditions’ in the particular context in which you find your organization.

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Red Clover

Thank you! Your donation helps Red Clover, a partner project of CBM, engage people of Christian faith in healing and justice while acknowledging that the church has been a primary wounding place for Indigenous communities.

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Can the church, one of the primary wounding places for First Peoples, become a place of healing for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike?

The Challenge

The non-Indigenous church is at a crossroads. Will we receive the invitation of residential school survivors and learn to walk together in a new way? Will we be shaped by Shalom — a pursuit of right relations where nothing is missing and nothing is broken? Or will we leave unexamined and unconfessed our participation in the violence of colonization? Only by facing the wounds we have inflicted is there hope of healing.

Red Clover is a faith-rooted non-profit movement and works as a Partner Project of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM). Healing at the Wounding Place is the arm of Red Clover that works with churches. We want to come alongside Baptist churches to discern the movement of the Spirit and to catalyze actions for justice and right relations with Indigenous neighbours. Red Clover is based on the west coast, on the unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-wa-tuth nations and is founded and directed by Jodi Spargur.

Jodi Spargur

Jodi Spargur is a settler of Nordic/German heritage living and working on the unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. She is a farmer, furniture-mover, pastor, speaker, teacher, consultant, and the founder of Red Clover.

Red Clover utilizes a wide network of relationships with Indigenous leaders to partner locally on the ground wherever possible at every level of our work.

A process for healing

01 | Orientation

Our work begins with gaining clearer understanding of our particular localities and challenges. Take a look at the resources provided on our site, then reach out for an initial conversation about how Healing at the Wounding Place might catalyze the work of healing in your context. We work with faith-based groups across Western Canada.

03 | Building Partnerships

Any proposals for action that arise from previous steps are brought to local Indigenous leaders for consideration. No action is taken without the welcome of the Indigenous community. Our ministry serves as a bridge between non-indigenous and Indigenous groups, with the intention of facilitating healthy partnerships.

02 | Education and Preparation

We are frequently asked: How do we begin? Do we have the right posture and resources for the work ahead? Our ministry works with non-Indigenous groups to consider how trust-building, respect for differing cultural modes, and operating in trauma-informed ways are essential to the work of truth and reconciliation. Sometimes, churches need to dwell here for a while before taking next steps.

04 | Consultation

The work is carried out through relationships formed between Settler groups and First Peoples. Healing at the Wounding Place can continue to serve as a resource or consultant as the process unfolds.

Jodi has been an invaluable resource for me as a pastor and for our Church community. She has led us through weekend workshops, helping us to connect with our local Indigenous neighbours, showing us how to respect them, learn from them and chart a course toward reconciliation together. The Kairos blanket exercise is an important learning tool we will use again and again. Our deep gratitude goes out to Jodi, who has helped us begin this long journey well.New List Item

Rev. Randy Hamm First Baptist Vernon

Jodi and her team have taught with collaborative exercise(s) and thought provoking stories to assist each one of the UGM staff on their own journey of Truth and Reconciliation. I recommend her instructions to any organization which is seriously considering the first few steps of becoming a student and to grow with awareness of the First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples. If you are serious about the calls to actions via the Truth and Reconciliation Report – this is a good place to begin.

Rev. Candice Harper -Manager Union Gospel Mission Women and Families Centre

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