one would love to show you why we love the land and why we're a part of it and that triggered something in vancouver because in the last year in particular i spoke with many many different religious organizations from from to buddhist to catholic to christian if you if you run the ceremony for us and he said he said no he said when i come to your house i do the ceremony your way when you come to my house will do my way and that's why i approach this idea because my grandfather chieftain george was on or a member of the jewish and christian faith in he travel with the same message he said whatever you are whatever you're practicing just be good at it if you're going to carry a pipe are you going to be a long host dancer you can be catholic or christian needs to be good at it he said look clear to the fundamentals of humanity that create the foundation of that religious or spiritual belief and those are easy because that's love and honor and respect and dignity particularly pride compassion understanding truth all those good things when we come from there we will make wrong decisions when we approach one another we will do in a respectful way and that's that you know when we explore other each other's culture and spirituality or religion we find there's more similarities than differences and in every religious belief it's the human human side of people that take those teachings and use them for equal or or for whatever might be in a negative way but the teachings are always consistent the teachings are always good no matter what it is and that's what i learned and like and like my grandfather i have done that i traveled and then i pray i did ceremony with all these different religious beliefs and you know i didn't compromise who i am or where my teachings are but it didn't stop me from having a good pair with somebody so with that a good friend john hale i'd like to come up and represent some of the religious and spiritual organizations in a serious command of effort nation for the inspiring leadership that we're getting from ruben and she lane and the indigenous that are teaching us to come together based on spirit to protect the sacredness of our land and all of the people that are on it and they beauty of having this com from the indigenous is the ten thousand years of authentication that it brings and the beauty is that it is resonating in every spiritual and religious tradition when we go deep enough to the roots of what started them and so today we have several leaders of different traditions to be able to say a brief respite a brief blessing on this gathering we have here today it's up to all of us and the beauty is that when we see the the messages from the different perspectives it enriches the whole and it illuminates the blindspots that we have when we were in our own space i'd like to introduce katie lad who is pastor of the queen and methodist church so i wrote mine down because i preached too long this morning so i've learned i'm long winded so i'm going to stick to a script so you don't have to endure that right now i wan say that methodists are new kids on the block we arrived here on outcry in eight hundred fifty three and became the first church in the seattle region when first united methodist church was founded that year and but that is such a drop in the bucket of the history of people's living in this area and of all the non human creation that has made this place home for so long since we came here in eight fifty three we've now become known as you nine it methodist way so what i'm going to read to you is called our social principle statement on the environment and key in baptists have one lutherans have one catholics have one it goes united church of christ has one so you can walk into any church and use their own words about the environment to get them to be part of this movement and here are the words you can use to get united methodist so these words are supposedly supported by all twelve million members of the united methodist church all creation is the lord's and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it watter air soil minerals energy resources plants animal life and space are to be valued and conserved because they are god's creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings god has granted us stewardship of creation we should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect economic political social and technological developments have increased our human numbers and lengthened and enrich our lives however these developments have led to regional defoliation dramatic extinction species massive human suffering overpopulation and the misuse and over consumption of natural and nonrenewable resources particularly by industrialized societies this continued  course of action jeopardizes the natural heritage that god has intrusted to all generations therefore let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic political social and technological lifestyles to support a more at the logically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of god's children so with those words i want to offer this blessing upon this gathering and my gratitude for be invited to speak at it in the name of god who creates redeemed and inspires me this alliance be as we be led to bold actions that protect all life particularly non human creation may this alliance challenge us to live every day acutely aware of the interconnectedness of all life may we change our habits to use if you are resources and to seek god's shalom above all else may god lead us to lives rooted in justice compassion in peace may god breathe life into this alliance and into each of us so that we might resist all structures and systems that oppress marginalize and exploit and make god brain grace upon the sacred water and upon th sacred land such that we can do nothing but gaze in our and ask and the holiness that infuses it already so in the name of the god who creates redeem inspires may it be so amen and amen michael douglas sloan ella three blessing from the soofi tradition i'm very appreciative to be able to offer a blessing for my tradition for this gathering this is a song a blessing it's a song for the creator of us all whose deepest reality is compassion and mercy the one who has brought us all together on this and who knows what is deep in all of our hearts yeah i mean thank you michael next blessing will come from canton siddur mn from buddhist seattle temple the purpose of this prayer is to give praise and respect to the ancestors of this becomes important for a day like this for a gather like this because it evokes the quality of love and the quality of love is what we have to fuel within ourselves to be able to have the capacity to do what is required of us the rose prayer is ancient and yet it takes us into the future if you imagine your heart within your heart there is a rose that has the capacity when what heard when receiving nourishment it opens slowly broadly completely and the fragrance is released this is where we are in the rows prayer in this is where we have to live every day if we're going to be able to do this work if we're going to be able to do this work with love and if we're going to be able to purify our environment we have to purify ourselves so this prayer comes from that place that purification of the individual the perfection of one's thoughts the perfection of one's actions the perfection of one's speech the perfection of one's desires which is a key point here what we desire we have to have fuel with passion and we desire to love more deeply than any generation has done before so we have to go deeper in this moment now our traditions are diverse but our center is in the heart and it is pure and so this prayer is also a prayer of direction and we say now this prayer may this moment be blessed may goodness be open glorious god to purify and fill our hearts with the light of the gracious name and may the hearts michael ramos is executive director of the church council of greater seattle i'd like to give honor to that the warmest people on whose land we have the privilege of sitting on a bill cecile hansen leaders here indigenous leaders thank you for your leadership and for bringing us here together this is a movement of spirit and you are leading the way thank you very much i want to be clear that while i'm on i'm here on behalf of the churches of this local community that i'm really here for my sixteen and nineteen year old daughters and for the children and for all humankind may they know the sacredness of the sale is seize restore to its fullest capacity let it be hundred eighty seven the church council of greater seattle led the effort among christian denominations to acknowledge our profound lack of respect for the religion and culture of indigenous peoples the failure to honor and support native practices and our racism toward our indigenous brothers and sisters of the pacific northwest over many generations this step was rooted in a deep movement of heart and spirit rooted in renewed relationships and embrace of our common humanity bishops and other leaders pledged to solidarity of our churches with native led efforts to support their spiritual practices to fish their waters and to uphold the integrity of their sacred places such as step one generation ago has been affirmed twice in  and then last friday on august twenty ninth many of you were there at st mark's cathedral our commitment is more than with words for the next generation and the next and the next for seven generations we pledge to live with body mind and soul to embody a genuine and loving solidarity where this spirit will take us we do not know but we embark on this journey willingly  wholeheartedly here today churches responsibility meets the fundamental rights of first nations peoples to live to a sufficient sustainable livelihood to join in honoring the sacredness of mother earth and to protect the sailors sea we hope and pray that the launching of natasa will bear fruit in many encounters of people from all spiritual backgrounds to as the words indicate to act in alliance as one house one heart one prayer are united in power to protect the sacred what more beautiful teaching ten you offer to us what message could be better to reflect indigenous ways which make us whole in one circle of life in our one sail a sea the earth is crying out and we call on liberating and healing spirit to bring life once more from death dealing tar sands destruction and relentless fossil fuel i offer a brief prayer drawn from our apologies spirit honor and celebrate the souter and salmon people you teach us that if we remain silent when sacred sites are torn up that even these very stones will shout the way to right previous wrongs is to join water and blood in our stand together to respect what is sacred and belongs to no one but to you unleash one more time to power of the land and of ancient wisdom so that we might act as one mighty and powerful blasting upon the creation which you really knew and which we have the privilege of walking softly upon to gather three oh goodness and so are turning our alliance our trust knows no international border no artificial boundary as our churches have learned quite late earth air fire and water sacred to all tribal leaders who continue to teach us the ways of reconciliation rebirth in sacred circle and sacred action receive our disposition are open hands and our sign of peace which the world does not understand and lead us to right action right livelihood and right relationship with the sacred seas and land let it be so spirit guides us and so unprecedented unified action brings those of us from different spiritual proto files different activist an issue profiles into alignment to make a difference we all are humbled and inspired by the leadership that brought us here today in our final offering in the spiritual context is with sweet water and nuke representing i don't know more washington she has so many different areas that she gets this with her spirit shakes and sheep know not and i just i would just like a give a moment for my brothers and sisters to introduce themselves what your name and what clan you are from so we know who who  my name is rank walls i am from the i'm just thankful for sale ish people are much people i raise my hands to you the tulalip the next quali any of our other brothers and sisters here those who are here and those who couldn't be here  were originally from alaska and up there we've dealt with the exxon build these oil spill of one nine hundred eighty nine that we're still dealing with today there is no clean oil there is no clean  coal and we're still even our families my my own relatives have died from cancer and many times many many families have been impacted by this and not just our people but those who can't speak for themselves even  killer whale pods are extinct in disappearing now so it's really important that we also i'm grateful to see us all here to stand in one in one voice one body one nation one spirit and it's very important as you know i'm i don't want to preach to the choir here but what we're doing today as my elders have said is it's not for us but our children and our children's children and this is so the work i will be doing with the i don't know more washington i natives in doing this work because it's time as as as we have we've had this here in alaska to the churches presbyterian apologize to our people for the wrongdoings that were done to our ancestors so it's time now as many have said to come together in a good way to lift each other up the prayers that are laid down here are for many generations to come in we were you standing united to stop this and so i'm going to offer a prayer in my language as i was taught and i invite you to pray in your own way however your beliefs and face are from your heart so are praying for the sale h c and all all all all of life i was up in bella bella too and they had a rally up there and i even prayed for the crime minister mean the prime minister and that's what we're doing too for those who think they're in charge those who think they have power we have the spiritual power we have our ancestors who who who laid down those prayers that we could stand here today and so we are very strong in the power we have they cannot take away from us something for an honor to to stand with each and every one of you so please join with me now yeah yeah yeah