A Tapestry of Nations

Epiphany Indigenous Anglican Church
“All the nations that you have established will come and worship you, my Lord. They will honour your name.” ‒ Psalm 89:6
Many different peoples demonstrate praise in celebrations of worship that come from within their cultures. This unique cultural richness, which God has placed in all the nations of the earth, make up a glorious sound that echoes into the Holy throne room.
We at Epiphany Indigenous Anglican Church, along with all the saints throughout the nations of the world, have become a part of this wonderful tapestry of praise within the Anglican Communion. We celebrate the gifts of the one true and triune God, who is revealed in creation, scripture, and in the person and work of Jesus the Christ. This is expressed throughout the liturgy, music, and indigenous imagery in our common and personal worship.
The liturgy we use, with the Bishop’s permission, is an amalgamation of prayers of praise and petition from the Book of Alternative Services, the Disciples Prayer Book, and a Eucharistic Prayer adapted from The New Agape. We also read from Holy Scripture and confess our faith in the Apostles’ Creed.
For worship, we use a guitar, hand drum, and sometimes a rattle. The use of these three instruments, though not limited to these, expresses and characterizes our identity, which is rooted in the land and our belief in our Creator, and has shaped us as Indigenous Peoples throughout our collective history.
We draw on and include the vast depth of Indigenous Art and ceremony, mitigating the western import of the Church and shaping a worship that is wonderfully Indigenous and Anglican.
The nations that worship at Epiphany are diverse. These include people from the Cree, Ojibwe, and Inuit Nations, as well as many people from settler countries. Because of this, we simply allow ourselves to be truly unique in our worship in the freedom and leading of the Holy Spirit.

Vince Solomon is the Urban Indigenous Ministry Developer for the Diocese of Rupert’s Land.

Our community is united because of our love for one another. We are building, at our core, a faithfulness that is shaped by the invitation of the Divine to enter into the life of the Holy Trinity; we strive to live this life out in all the places we go and with all the people we meet. All of our people have come as invited quests and those who have stayed add their voices and “nation” to the tapestry of praise that emanates from our sacred space each Sunday evening.

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