Collection I/06/004 - United Native Ministries Records 1984-2005

See Mennonite Archival Commons article: http://mac.libraryhost.com/?p=creators/creator&id=580.

United Native Ministries, the American Indian / Native American organization of the Mennonite Church, was created to provide social and spiritual support to Native Mennonites.  In 1984, Ray Horst of Mennonite Board of Missions, David Weaver of Choctaw Christian Church and Native Mennonite leaders gathered at the Pearl River Mennonite Church in Philadelphia Mississippi to become acquainted discuss the formation of a Native Mennonite organization.  At that meeting, plans for an assembly were made for 1986.  At the 1986 assembly in Elkhart, Indiana, the 76 attendees decided to form an organization of Native people representing Native churches.

The first organizational meeting was held at Hesston Mennonite Church in 1987 with participants Larry Haskie, Geraldine Isaac, Henry Smiley, Cindy Bell, Clara Major, and Ray Horst.  The United Native Ministries Council was formed as an entity of the Mennonite Board of Missions.  In 1991, the mission board terminated that relationship, and in 1992 United Native Ministries became an associate of the Mennonite Church General Board.

United Native Ministries' goals included evangelizing to Native people, discipling new Christians among Native People, strengthening the spiritual life of Native congregations, encouraging fellowship among Native churches of many tribal groups, representing the needs of Native American congregations to area conferences and denominational agencies, and strengthening Anabaptist theology in the Native churches.

With the creation of Mennonite Church USA in 2001, United Native Ministries merged with the Mennonite Indian Leaders' Council (the General Conference Mennonite Church Native organization) to form Native Mennonite Ministries in 2005.