In the center of Montana and only 50 miles south of the Canadian border lies the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. It is the home of the Assiniboine-Sioux and Gros Ventre people. A Seventh-day Adventist church is located on the reservation. This is where the 2019 Montana Conference Native Gathering was hosted on April 26 and 27.
Guests were inspired by the preaching of Matthew Kirk, Montana Conference vice president for administration and finance, as he led them into a study of Luke 15. Music stirred them to worship, led by Norm Johnson, pastor; George Walker; and Bruce Twing. Steve Huey gave a report of the Lord’s movements in Native country throughout the Northwest.
Adding to the group's praises, contractor Leigh Van Asperen showed pictures and gave two different reports. The first was a report on many of the repairs done to the church building in Fort Belknap. The Fort Belknap group praises the Lord for the mini-Maranatha project conducted by Montana members last year, during which major structural repairs were completed.
The second report was on the building project at the reservation next door in Poplar. One of the leaders of the Poplar group, Kris Simons, shared how one of the medicine men she has been in contact with is now interested in Bible study. Native children from the community enjoyed peering into spiritual things led by Sioux member Michelle Sears.
Join this group in Big Sky country for next year’s Native Gathering and lift up in prayer the work God continues to do.