Our Communities
Rosebud and Pine Ridge have numerous small towns and communities, some which have local churches and pastors that welcome groups on the Lakota Journey for a week in the summer. Some other communities that do not have active ministry organizations are also willing to open their doors to groups. So far the Lakota Journey has reached the communities of Winner, Okreek, Wood, Ideal, Antelope, Mission, White River, Rosebud, Parmelee, Two Strike, St. Francis, Spring Creek, Horse Creek, Upper Cut Meat, and Wanblee.
Rosebud Reservation resides in south central South Dakota and is one of 314 federally recognized reservations. Totaling around 55 million acres, it is the sixth largest reservation in the United States and has a population of 8,043 people. Pine Ridge Reservation, which borders Rosebud to the west, is the second largest reservation in the United States and has a population of 11,182 people. Native Americans who live on Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations are a part of the Lakota Sioux tribe.
Antelope
Christ Community and Wadena Evangelical Churches
Christ Community Church of Bartlesville has worked in Antelope, just east of Mission, for the past four years, partnering first with Wadena EFC of Minnesota and this summer with First Baptist Church of Spencer, Iowa.
He Dog
City On A Hill
City on a Hill Church from Rosemount, MN has had the opportunity to serve in He Dog, SD. The summer of 2014 was the first time they ran a Kid's Club at the Community Center in town. They did science projects, had a movie night, lessons, fun crafts, and other games. They also assisted Bethany Mann (a former Lakota Journey Intern) in her ministry there. Bethany is the 2nd grade teacher at He Dog Elementary School and is involved in ministry in He Dog and nearby Parmelee.
Spring Creek
Center Christian
The students from Center Christian Church held a Kid’s Club program in Spring Creek. Their program took place at the Spring Creek Community Center.
St. Francis
South Suburban E-Free
The young men and women of South Suburban Evangelical Church once again returned to our adopted town of St Francis this year. This is our 12th year of serving in St Francis. We have found that our in-community effort of kids club locations throughout the town is effective and we again had three club areas. We also tried to be a resource for Holiness Chapel, a small church group in St Francis. There, we were able to do some service projects and also brought food and clothes for distribution by the church. The highlight of our week was a special “Girls Night” where we had special activities for the young ladies of St Francis. We also put together a great skit that modeled proper boy-girl relationships. You can see the skit on our “St Francis” facebook page.
Two Strike
Riverwood
Riverwood Community church has done outreach in the Two Strike community for 3 years. Each year seems to build on the previous in terms of depth of our relationships with the children. This year we had more significant interaction with some young adults as well. The children never cease to amaze us with their joy, appreciation, and good behavior. They are a pleasure to visit with and bless us as much as we ever do them.
Upper Cut Meat
Glenwood Community Church
The students from Glenwood hold a Kid’s Club in the uniquely named
community of Upper Cut Meat (UCM). The Club is held in the UCM Community
Center. A daily meal is provided to the entire community. Over the years, strong loving relationships have been built between the Glenwood group and friends of UCM, including youth, teens, and adults. These lasting relationships draw Glenwood to UCM 3 times per year,
including a Fall and Winter trip. The Fall trip traditionally has been a
delivery of good, used clothing and school supplies. The 2014 Fall trip
included a fishing excursion. Santa arrives during the Winter trip to
bring presents for kids up through age 12.
Wanblee
Westchester Evangelical Free Church
The students from Westchester Evangelical Free Church organized a camping trip in the community of Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They worked with Pastor Gus and Terri Craven who started a ministry there.
Westchester also worked on different service projects in the community and helped Pastor Gus and Terri at the Eagles Nest Life Center.
Wood
Grace Evangelical Free Church
We are heading into our 13th summer in Wood. We've been very blessed to stay in the Community Center the last two years. Our main focus is Kids Club which we do each afternoon from 2:30 to 4:00. We recently added a Youth Group for the kids who are getting older which we run right after Kids Club. We spend most of the rest of our time loving on kids and building relationships.
Discovering the hope of God's vision in the heart of Native America
Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations