Celebrating 35 years…
Thirty-five years—about half a person’s life. It’s hard to believe how time seems to slip by and all we have experienced in that amount of time.
With this issue, Indian Life Ministries is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this fall. However, it is actually the 46th Anniversary of the birth of Indian Life newspaper.
Our history began as a challenge and a dream. A South Dakota dairy farmer was challenged by a conference speaker in British Columbia to start a publication for the thousands of Native Americans living in and around the Rapid City area. That farmer’s name was Ray Gowan. He accepted that challenge, went home, bought a small printing press and began putting out a little four-page publication to which he gave the name Indian Life.
As Mr. Gowan distributed this “good news” paper to the different reservations in South Dakota, word spread far and wide and circulation grew.
Around the same time, a young man by the name of Chuck Fiero began a little magazine in northern Minnesota entitled The Indian Christian. Word spread about this paper and soon a young teacher in northern Manitoba, by the name of George McPeek heard about the power of the printed page in reaching Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. He was asked to join the staff of Mokahum Bible School in Cass Lake. So George and his wife Bessie and their four boys moved from Gilliam, Manitoba, to Cass Lake. When he got there, there were no teaching positions available but he was asked to take on the editorship of The Indian Christian.
After three years, George felt he needed more editorial training and enrolled at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois, to begin a master’s in Journalism. During that time, Ray Gowan approached George about taking over Indian Life.
After discussion and prayer, George and Bessie felt led to return to Manitoba and form a new organization for the purpose of publishing a new magazine—formed by the merging of Indian Life newspaper and The Indian Christian magazine.
On October 1, 1979, Intertribal Christian Communications became the publisher of Indian Life Magazine, with George McPeek as editor. Not long after that, others began joining the staff and over the next decade, it grew from a staff of two, to some twelve individuals plus volunteers.
In 1985, Intercom (as we were affectionately called), moved from a small downtown office to much larger facilities on Henderson Highway and our home for the last 29 years.
In 1988, we published our first book, The Grieving Indian co-written by Arthur H. and George McPeek. This book went on to become a Canadian bestseller (to date over 120,000 sold) and became quite influential through seminars taught by Art H.
Since then, we have published over a dozen books, our latest being Dietrich Desmarais’ Life without Lies.
Over the years, we’ve changed. People have come and gone and some staff and volunteers have passed on to glory including Founder Ray Gowan, Associate Director Willi Kurtz, and volunteers Gladys Sumner, and Harvey and Betty Fleming.
Three men were involved in the founding of Indian LIife newspaper and Indian Life Ministries: Ray Gowan, Chuck Fiero, and George McPeek. But in reality, I should have said seven individuals because without their wives, these men most likely would not have accomplished what they did. Also, I should mention our directors over the years—George McPeek, Tim Nielsen, Bob Neufeld, and our current director Jo-Anne Anderson. And let’s not forget their spouses! Indian Life Ministries has also changed technologically, going from just one computer and the “cut and paste with rubber cement method” of typesetting and design to scanning and sending files electronically. Today, I work in Winnipeg with our Art Director, Robin Black who lives and works in Bend, Oregon. Indian Life now has a print and online edition and we’re on Facebook.
There have also been dramatic changes in demographics. More Indigenous people live in urban areas than ever before and this presents new challenges for ministry as not as many people are reading hardcopy books and publications. We are seeking to meet those challenges.
I have been privileged as editor to be a part of 23 of our 35 years. As a staff and board, we are grateful for each person who has been a staff member, volunteer, donor, and for all those who have over the years purchased our books, music, t-shirts and jackets, and yes, subscribed to Indian Life.
We so very much appreciate your support and partnership with us and to let you know that we still need you.
As we look to the future, we know there will be changes and challenges. But I’m reminded of the words of a song—
I might be shaken
I might be moved
But You Lord are the Rock beneath me.
