Whether you live in a busy city or a quiet countryside, neighbours are part of our stories. I hope you have experienced a smile from a familiar face across the street, a shared conversation through a fence or the kindness of an unexpected gesture. I’m sure we could all recall a story (or two) of a good neighbour.

The importance of a neighbourly relationship is emphasized throughout Scripture. In Luke 10:25-37, we read of the Good Samaritan. In Matthew, we learn of the greatest commandment, to love your neighbour as yourself (see Matthew 22:39). Throughout the Gospels, we see friends go to great lengths for one another: we see a tax collector give away everything he owns to repay his neighbours; we see a young boy offer his meal to a crowd; and we see a widow put her last coin in the temple collection plate. Through his stories, teachings, mission and ministry, Jesus called us to be welcoming and gracious. At the heart of who we are as followers of Jesus is a call to care for one another.

Over the past year, The Salvation Army hosted a series of reconciliation circles to allow people to gather and talk about Indigenous reconciliation through the lens of what it means to be a good neighbour. We worked to create a safe space for healthy conversation, guiding participants through an Indigenous appreciative inquiry approach of storytelling and active listening, then highlighting key words or themes that helped shape our future conversations.

As I reflect on our time together, I am hopeful for more moments like these. It is sometimes easy to forget that reconciliation is a shared conversation, a hand extended, a simple decision to listen before speaking. It is found in being a good neighbour.

We hoped to help people realize that reconciliation is more than land acknowledgments or wearing an orange shirt. It is not a distant ideal but a daily act. This is where real change begins.

Being a good neighbour is found in the small moments. It’s shovelling snow for an elderly neighbour or dropping off a meal to a grieving family. It’s taking ordinary moments and making them glimmers of hope, dignity, generosity, kindness and presence. And at the heart of reconciliation is a journey of learning to walk in right relations—choosing to be present and understanding that healing does not always come from grand gestures but in steady consistent ones.

I invite you to sit with us for a moment and listen to the experiences from some of our participants. Perhaps you can reflect and ask yourself: what does it mean for me to be a good neighbour?

CAPTAIN CRYSTAL PORTER is the territorial Indigenous ministries consultant.

WE HOPED TO HELP PEOPLE REALIZE THAT RECONCILIATION IS MORE THAN LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OR WEARING AN ORANGE SHIRT.—CAPTAIN CRYSTAL PORTER

RECONCILIATION AT CAMP

Throughout the past couple of months, I’ve spent time learning and reflecting with others from across the Atlantic Division through reconciliation circles. I enjoyed getting the chance to discuss what reconciliation means and the work The Salvation Army is doing throughout the territory to walk the path of reconciliation.

One thing that stuck with me was from our first session when we talked about what it means to be a good neighbour. It may seem like a simple question, but it really got me thinking, and we all broadened our knowledge of what being a good neighbour can look like as we listened to each other’s stories. We discussed how living in community and learning about each other’s lives and culture represents being a good neighbour and can also be a step toward reconciliation.

I enjoyed getting to learn about the initiatives The Salvation Army has taken to walk the path of reconciliation in our territory, and I learned new things about different resources available to corps and local ministry units. The reconciliation circles had an impact on my work as I planned the Timothy leaders-in-training program at Scotian Glen Camp for this past summer, inspiring me to add in a worldview component to the leadership curriculum. I was excited to implement these new sessions, including a workshop on reconciliation. 

EVA REDMOND attends Gander Corps, N.L., and was a camp support worker at Scotian Glen Camp in Nova Scotia.

MORE THAN TRAUMA

As an Indigenous woman, I come to reconciliation differently than a non-Indigenous person. The reconciliation circles were a safe place to exchange ideas. Each session was guided by readings and questions that led to an open discussion among participants. I have three main thoughts after participating.

First, the people I see in my work at the Winnipeg Centre of Hope are not just houseless people who have experienced trauma or historical trauma—they belong to a people who had a rich life prior to colonization. They have felt loss of culture, loss of standing, loss of language, loss of family, as well as loss of community. These losses have resulted in trauma either directly or indirectly from a parent or grandparent. I am reminded to not just see the trauma but the whole person. I keep in mind that reconciliation, much like an apology, is not one way, and it takes time.

Second, I always want to remember that although there is a lot of trauma in the history of Indigenous peoples, there is also a lot of resilience and a lot of beauty.

Third, I also want to remember that Indigenous people have always been a spiritual people. There is ceremony and with ceremony there is prayer.

I believe that in recognizing these three points, I can help the journey of reconciliation in my work. 

CORINNE PETERKIN is the Indigenous liaison at the Winnipeg Centre of Hope.

INDIGENOUS BRILLIANCE

Participating in these reconciliation circles was a sacred journey of listening, learning, introspection, prayer and connection. It was time well spent. I especially liked the format of the group as a circle of mutual respect, trust and intentional learning from one another as we processed the reading material and our personal thoughts and experiences. The circle encouraged dialogue and equal participation as we listened carefully to each other while focusing on key words that stood out to us as a truth speaking to us in that moment. It was interactive in a way that brought out difficult truths but also allowed for inspiration, motivation and growth, so I am thankful for this experience and for how “all my relations” was expressed.

Captain Crystal was a wonderful facilitator who presented thought-provoking material, and her desire to help us deepen our knowledge and sensitivity was evident and appreciated. We were given a deeper understanding of the value of these conversations as part of the healing process and the actions needed on the journey of reconciliation.

A particular point of learning that stood out to me as something I will always carry is that we must speak of Indigenous brilliance as much as we speak of Indigenous trauma. There is hope that the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action will be fulfilled, accountability and transparency will build trust and deepen relationships, Indigenous culture will be preserved and healing will continue to ease the harm of intergenerational trauma.

MAJOR BEVERLY HOWELL-BRUSHETT is the corps officer at Yellowknife Corps and director of spiritual care at The Salvation Army's Northwest Territories Resource Centre.

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