Converge International Ministries Launches Much Needed First Peoples Initiative
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is close to this, which is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Have you ever thought about this? Indigenous people in the United States are our neighbors! According to USA facts, in 2018 there were an estimated 5.7 million people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native in our country. And, millions of these people have never been reached for Jesus yet. As a result, Converge International Ministries recently launched its newest global initiative called the First Peoples Initiative about a year to a year and a half ago. This initiative is focused on developing a ministry to the approximately 7.2 million Indigenous people who reside in North America.
The vision of this initiative is to see gospel movements happen among First Peoples in North America, so that 1% (70,000) of the least reached tribal people groups are, first, reached for Jesus, so that they can be raised up to participate in God’s global mission.
The First Peoples Initiative is led by an Indigenous person, that being Ryan O’Leary. Ryan is an enrolled member of an Ojibwe tribe in northern MN (his grandpa was part Irish/part Ojibwe and his grandma was full-blood Ojibwe). Ryan has a rich background of leadership experiences serving Indigenous people, including in pastoral ministry, para-church ministry, tribal economic development, tribal government administration, and as tribal college instructor/professor. And, for those who of you who follow and love hockey, Ryan was also a hockey player in his younger days as he played collegiately at the University of Denver and was drafted to play professionally by the Calgary Flames.
Ryan and his family live in Bemidji MN, a city of about 15,000 in northwest Minnesota. This city is surrounded by three Ojibwe reservations and is important for Indigenous ministry. Last summer, Ryan took a trip to the northwest part of the United States as he was asked to speak on the Yakama Reservation. During this trip, Ryan and his wife learned that there are thousands of unreached tribal members in the Pacific northwest, including right in the Seattle area!
Please pray for Ryan and his family as he (with the help of his wife Kristen) lead this extremely important initiative. Also, please pray about supporting Ryan in prayer and financially as he is still raising support. And, if you would like to learn more about reaching out to Native people or you have other questions please contact Ryan at ryano@converge.org. or at (218) 556-6014.