Each year on the weekend following Easter Sunday, there is a convocation similar to the old traditional summer gathering of Indian bands and clans--talking, singing, swapping, and dancing, and in most cases, engaging in rituals honoring the Creator.

Unlikely statistics

This year, 82 individuals registered for the event hosted by the Oakerhater Mission on the Cheyenne land in western Oklahoma, near Watonga. They came from New Hampshire and Oregon, from Florida and Arizona, and many large parishes and small missions in between. Some flew. Many more drove great distances in crowded SUVs and vans.

A head-count revealed some unlikely statistics: Episcopalians from 16 Indian tribes and from 16 dioceses came for the event.

Another irony is that the 16th annual Paths Crossing almost did not happen.

A close call

After volunteering to host the event, the crusty old Cherokee deacon, Jim Knowles, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early winter. His surgery appeared successful, but while awaiting hospital dismissal, his heart stopped beating for several minutes.

"When I opened my eyes, all these clergypersons were around my bed," he said. "I guess there's no better place to have a heart attack than in a hospital. But, dadgummit, I didn't have any out-of-body experiences or hear any angels sing," he added.

With a new pacemaker "installed," Knowles revved up for the gathering, supported by a volunteer committee and two partner congregations-All Saints' in Duncan, Oklahoma and St. Paul's Cathedral in Oklahoma City. Together they gained access to a meeting site in rustic Roman Nose State Park; planned program activities and worship services; coordinated lodging and travel logistics. Without a hitch, they cooked and served 656 meals.

Positive experiences

"Partnership is what Paths Crossing is all about," said Barbara Lanwermeyer of the Illinois parish which sparked the Paths Crossing initiative, Holy Spirit at Lake Forest, a Chicago suburb. Some 20 years ago the parish began a teaching mission outreach on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Wishing to share their positive experiences with others and seeking counsel directly from Native American leaders on how best to conduct outreach, Holy Spirit convened the first Paths Crossing at Lake Forest in 1989.

"Indian people, including the late South Dakota bishop suffragan, Harold Jones, cautioned Caucasians to be quiet and listen for our Wind River partners to define their needs and to allow Wind River people to define our role in responding," said Lanwermeyer, who has attended 14 out of 16 Paths Crossing gatherings.

This admonition-"We speak; you listen," in the words of renowned Sioux author Vine Deloria Jr.-has been cornerstone to the foundation for training for non-Native congregations seeking to initiate outreach to Native communities. Partnerships and long-range commitments have supplanted the paternalism of the past.

Sharing openness

The Rev. Pat Bergie, a Shoshone deacon on the Wind River, said, "Oftentimes our cultural differences cause misunderstanding, but because of the longevity of the partnership between Holy Spirit and Wind River we can now 'squabble with love.' We look forward to the group coming from Lake Forest each summer to help us with church school for our children and join us for eating, camping and pow-wowing."

Lauren Zimmerman, youth director for St. Andrew's in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, was one of the several first-time participants in Paths Crossing. She said that she was most impressed by the openness that was shared about the differences in cultures. She is exploring a relationship with Native American youth on behalf of her youth group.

A number of young people, as is the custom, were present for the 16th gathering and their participation in all phases of the gathering was encouraged. In fact, Frank "Tiger" Hicks, a local Cheyenne teen-ager, gave the homily at the principal Eucharist of the gathering.

Photographs of Paths Crossing XVI can be viewed on Paths Crossing Web Site: http://pathsx.freeshell.org/