Standing Rock Indian Reservation Partnership: WMUV and Tipi Wakan Ministries

2008-2023

In 2008, Maria Lynn, former WMUV Director of Missions Involvement, joined Bob and Judy Hetherington and Roanoke Valley Baptist Association on a mission trip to Standing Rock Indian Reservation.  A beautiful partnership was formed. For the past fifteen years, Pastor Boots Marsh welcomed WMUV with open arms, encouraging volunteers to get to know his neighbors on the reservation and to share the hope of Christ through word and deed. Over the years, hundreds of Virginians drove and flew over 1600 miles to visit our friends and neighbors at Standing Rock.  We’ve walked hand in hand and heart to heart, we’ve formed lifetime bonds, we’ve gone to bless and share hope and returned having experienced blessing and joy. 

As we enter our 15th year of partnership, the time has come to transition our ministry model with Standing Rock to a new model that provides connecting points between churches and Tipi Wakan Ministries and Standing Rock Indian Reservation. This means that 2023 is the last year WMUV will take a team to Standing Rock, with the intention that churches passionate about serving at Standing Rock will continue serving for years to come.

We will help churches make connecting points with leaders in Standing Rock communities. WMUV and Standing on the Rock Ministry Network will also produce a training/mission trip preparation manual for churches that provides the tools they need to respect the culture, learn appropriate avenues of communication, continue to build on relationships formed throughout the years, and share hope found in Christ. Please contact Laura Davis at LDavis@wmuv.org to learn more about these resources.

This year, we return to a pre-Covid format where teams will spend a week with friends in nine different communities on the reservation. We need your help this year! We will collect gift cards (preferably in increments of $25 or more) from Walmart, Target, and Amazon to buy school supplies for students and supplies needed by teams such as paper products to serve meals.  We are accepting applications for volunteers to travel with us to Standing Rock this year; find information and an application below.  Lastly, and most importantly, please pray for the Standing Rock communities and volunteers who visit throughout the year.  You can find prayer cards and prayer requests at the link below.

Thank you for being a part of the Standing Rock Partnership over the years and in 2023 by praying, giving, and going!

We will celebrate the Standing Rock partnership in November 2023 in Virginia. More information to come!