Tribal Elder of the Delaware Nation (Lenape) Visit

Tribal Elder of the Delaware Nation (Lenape) Visits Central

Join us on Saturday, November 2 at 1:30 p.m. in the Old Chapel for a talk by Lenape retired tribal elder and member of the Delaware tribe of Oklahoma, John Thomas. For thousands upon thousands of years, the Lenape people lived in this region, until being driven off this land by European settlers, and forced removals from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The 18th century Moravian church was engage in mission work with the local Lenape people, working, worshipping (and being buried) alongside them in the 18th century. There are ancestral memories of the Moravian Church and their mission work, along with the accompaniment with the forced removals.

One of the federally recognized Delaware Tribes is based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and their retired tribal elder, John Thomas, has already made a visit in December 2023 to Bethlehem, toured the Archives, God’s Acre and met with several members of Central. Now we have the opportunity on November 2 to welcome John back for a talk to hear about his experiences and following his talk, there will be the option to join Diane Shaw and John at God’s Acred for a tour of several Native American graves. We hope that this conversation with John Thomas and Lenape tribe of Oklahoma can continue into a larger spring program, following the 2023 Northern Province Synod’s resolution on acknowledging historic trauma and setting forward with dialogue and healing with indigenous peoples.