Many tribal people in North America are resistant and even hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ due to various ways that professing Christians, in North America history, have treated tribal people in North America. For example, the church was involved in creating Indian Residential schools in North America in which Indigenous children were removed from their homes and parents on reservations and reserves and forcibly placed in distant boarding schools. Many Indigenous children in these schools experienced physical, sexual, and verbal abuse by staff and leaders in these schools and were taught Christianity in them. The focus on these residential schools was to “kill all the Indian in the Indian to save the person”. In other words, get rid of all of the Indigenous culture, including languages, from the children and make them like white Christians. As a result, many tribal people today associate Christianity with terms like “cultural genocide” and “forced assimilation.”

Because of what has happened historically, many tribal people are hostile and resistant to the gospel. As a result, it’s important to find ways to build relationships with tribal members, so that, while showing them the example of Christ, we can share the gospel with them as as well. The First Peoples Initiative leaders and Christian workers seek to change this tragic narrative of Christianity in North American history, by showing loving tribal people holistically and using ways to build spiritual bridges with tribal people, demonstrating Christ through our lifestyles, but also through sharing the gospel of Jesus with the people. One of the ways to build spiritual bridges with people is to use sports as sports are very popular in many Native nations. For example, hockey is very popular in many First Nations communities in Canada while sports like basketball and other sports are popular among tribes in the U.S.

Due to the popularity of sports among tribes and they are an excellent tool to build relationships with tribal people, the First Peoples Initiative is collaborating with other like-minded leaders and ministries in Canada in 2026 to offer two Christian hockey camps. They will be held in Good Fish Bay, Alberta, and on the Piikani Indian Reserve in Alberta. The FPI partnered with Athletes in Action in Canada and Native Evangelical Fellowship in Canada to conduct a first ever hockey camp on the Piikani Indian Reserve in Alberta during the summer of 2025. We are expanding upon this work by planning to conduct two camps in 2026. These camps include the following: leading on-ice training sessions in which all the coaches are committed believers and followers of Jesus who focus on setting a Christ-like example on the ice while providing quality on ice instruction and help kids have fun on the ice. Next, kids also take place in off-ice dry land training and other fun off ice activities. Most importantly, the kids and their parents/other family members take place in times in which hockey coaches and other staff members share about the hope that we have found in Christ and the gospel is shared with all participating in the hockey school.

Each camp also is developed with a partnership with a local church who can engage in follow up discipleship or with other believers in Jesus in the area who are committed to discipling those who meet, come to know, and begin following Jesus.

The FPI budget for each of these hockey camps is $5000 for a total of $10,000 funding needed in 2026.