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RISING ABOVE Abuse Counseling Agency (Manitoba, Canada) is a Native ministry addressing the issues of past abuse and its healing. It is a model of Christian Native People ministering to Native People, especially in sharing Jesus Christ in relation to the real felt needs of Native People - particularly abuse. Native People have the highest chemical-dependency rate in the US, and along with that, the highest rate of abuse: emotional and physical. Almost every Native Person carries within them the debilitating psychological and spiritual wounds of abuse. RISING ABOVE has been addressing those issues for the last several years by using a week-long, intensive workshop with fully trained Christian and Native counselors as presenters. EAGLE WINGS Ministries hopes to bring the RISING ABOVE Conference to Seattle in 2008. Please check out their website to more fully appreciate the wonderful ministry these Native ministers are engaged in: risingabove.ca Another fruitful Native Ministry that has been going on for many years is C.H.I.E.F. in Phoenix, Arizona - headed up by Tom and Huron Claus of the Mohawk tribe. CHIEF stands for Christian Hope Indian Eskimo Fellowship. They have been effectively encouraging and training Native ministry workers in a variety of innovative, needful programs, and they just continue to grow and expand. Their website is: chief.org Another Native Ministry that is at work in the Pacific Northwest area, as well as in many places in Canada, is N.A.I.M., which stands for North American Indigenous Ministries. Currently there is a ministry operation in Tacoma, Washington, just south of Seattle. They, too, have been effective in reaching and discipling Native People in innovative ways. You can view their website at: naim.ca Concerning abuse-counseling, two Christian counseling ministries in and near Seattle have been particularly helpful to EAGLE WINGS Ministries: northwestfamilylife.org, with emphasis on domestic violence and abuse recovery (Nancy Murphy counselor and founder); and aplaceofhope.com, the Center for Counseling and Health Resources, Inc., headed-up by Gregory Jantz, a counseling center addressing addictions, abuse-recovery, and a variety of other needs. We have also had the privilege of obtaining some very helpful abuse-related training from the MARS HILL Graduate School in Bothel, Washington. A few of our Eagle Wings Ministries workers have taken an introductory course in counseling with Dan Allendar, president of the school and author of several Christian books on counseling and abuse recovery. Their website is: mhgs.edu Also very helpful has been the online "counseling" course, called SoulCare, by Christian counselor and author, Larry Crabb. It is innovative in its approach to effective, interactive ministry with people with the intent of helping people recognise and overcome besetting issues in their lives. It is a free course and open to the public through Christian Courses online program: christiancourses.com |
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