Amos Winter

The Rev. Amos Winter is a priest in the Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh, which is headquartered in Kingfisher Lake, 350 km north of Sioux Lookout in Northwestern Ontario.  Sharon Dewey Hetke recently talked with him about his ministry, about the pandemic’s impact on his community, and about his experience as a General Synod delegate last July in Vancouver. 

TAP: There has been special concern for Indigenous communities during the pandemic, especially those in remote areas – I believe your community is accessible by air all year, and by waterways in summer and ice roads in winter. Have there been any cases of COVID-19 in Kingfisher Lake?

AW: No. We had some tests done, less than 10, and they were all negative. 

TAP: Can you tell me about the communities that you serve?

AW: Where I am in Kingfisher Lake is kind of a Mishamikoweesh headquarters. We have 22 communities that we care for in northwestern Ontario and in northern Manitoba. 

TAP: So do you travel to minister to different communities?

AW: We have a priest in each of those communities, but when I’m asked to travel to the communities, I do.  We are all non-stipendiary.

TAP: Then do you have other work to support yourself?

AW: Yes, as non-stipendiary priests, we have to work outside of the church to make a living. We do that and that’s hard: we basically work Monday to Friday at another job, then on the weekend, we do a lot of ministry work.  I work for a mine that is near here – I am a liaison that helps people get employment with the mine, making sure they have the training and certifications. But the chiefs and the leadership of the mine have closed it down right now because of the virus.  

TAP: So that they didn’t have workers coming in and out?

AW: Yes… probably only 40% of the employees of the mine are from the five nearby First Nations (which is lower than it should be). With the airline, we used to have regular scheduled service – four flights a day to bring in outside workers. But now we only have 2 flights a week, and just for essential travel, nothing personal.  

TAP: Have you had to stop church services?

AW: We had to shut down the gatherings, but the services are broadcast on the radio once a week. The elders really wanted us to continue.

TAP: Since the lockdown have you had to conduct any funerals? 

AW: We had one just over a week ago and it was so sad, only 10 people could attend. It was so sad. We like to do a wake service and all of that.  And now everything must be from a distance. Normally there’s the wake service and the day after, the funeral. It could be anywhere from two hours, to three or four hours. With a lot of singing. 

TAP: There are also a lot of concerns about mental health issues with this lockdown and the pandemic. Do you have any thoughts about how all of this is affecting people in terms of mental health without being able to have church services and school?

AW: I think that’s affecting everybody.  Here in Kingfisher Lake, we had a mini-Gospel Jamboree on the radio last night, and only four or five people could go in at a time. And we had young and old singing one or two songs each time. So that tells me they’re really looking forward to the regular church services. 

And, of course, for the youth, they are not at school; it’s closed. Our local school only goes up to Grade eight but all the high school students were shipped back home early from Sioux Lookout at March break.

So the youth are getting restless too. They have been playing volleyball at the beach. They’re there all day, until the evening and then at night they’re still just wandering around, running around, playing hide-and-seek, because we’re a small community, about 600. Everybody knows everybody.

TAP: This must be hard on the young people – a combination of isolation and boredom. 

AW:  In April everybody was ice fishing, so people were occupied; we were able to keep busy. Whether it was snow or rain, they were ice fishing. And after the ice fishing, when the geese migrate north, we did some hunting for about two weeks. That was good. Not everyone likes to hunt with a rifle or a shotgun.  But some like to fish instead. But the ice is almost gone now, and the kids are starting to get bored so hopefully regular things can happen again. 

TAP: You mentioned going out on the land and hunting. Do you go out by yourself or do you go with other people? 

AW: It’s part of our traditional practices. I like to be out on the land, and hunt. We also go with someone else – you cannot go alone. That’s what the elders tell us. We take a snow machine across the lake, then we set up a blind where the geese are flying by. That’s how we do it.

TAP: Can you tell me a little bit about becoming a priest? How long have you been ordained?

AW: A long time! 22 years.  Bishop Gordon Beardy ordained me deacon, and in 2006 I was priested by Bp. David Ashdown.

TAP: What drew you to the priesthood? Were you always someone who was in church and involved in the faith or did you feel a call to ministry?

AW: My mom used to take me to the church from when I was a little child. She was in the choir; she and my dad were churchgoers. So I’ve followed their example throughout my childhood and early teenage years and so on.  It’s part of my life, and it has always been.

TAP: I met you in person for the first time last summer in Vancouver. Have you been a delegate to General Synod before and how did you find it this time?

AW: I think that was my fifth one. I had mixed feelings when the General Synod was over. I felt that our bishops were just being pushed around. That’s what I felt.You know, for me, we respect our bishops. And they don’t get that sometimes. Those are some of the things I thought when the meeting was over.

TAP: Do you mean the Indigenous bishops in particular?

AW: No, I’m talking about the bishops in general.

You know, I’ll give you an example. I’m speaking from our side of the story.  In our communities, we have elders and we have leaders and the leader is the chief. So the chief is like the shepherd of the flock of the community. We have entrusted him or her to lead the people. When he does something, we follow suit.  Same with the elders. On the one side are the elders and they advise the chief. If an elder speaks and the chief speaks, we don’t try to manipulate them or walk over them, or push around them. And I know some of the bishops at General Synod, I know some bishops were crying.

TAP: It was a stressful two weeks – I bet you were happy to get home.

AW: Yes.  We had a big meeting happening with a lot of chiefs gathered. But when I got home, I went out on my boat as soon as I could!

TAP:  I’d like to hear a bit more about your congregation.  How many people come to church on a Sunday usually?

AW: In the mornings it’s in our language, Oji-Cree, and usually there’s a group of 20 elders.  In the evening we have an English BAS service, and 30 or 40 come, and it’s all youth.

TAP: Oh, that’s great. So they like to come in the evening better? They probably want to sleep in in the morning, just like the teenagers in my house! 

AW: I have two teenagers (my own kids) that were shipped back from high school in March, so they’re getting bored. And there’s a lot of music at that service. 

TAP: Do you lead the music or play guitar or any other instrument?

AW: I play a bit of guitar, not much, but anybody that plays just takes it and during the Communion they sing a couple of songs.  

TAP: What would you say is one of the biggest challenges that you find in your ministry and then one of the greatest rewards?

AW: The most rewarding thing is probably when I see the youth coming to church. 

Because they don’t really get involved with the church anymore, not like 10 or 15 years ago. So when I see them coming to church and taking the holy sacrament, that’s when I feel whole, when I see that. The most disappointing thing is when I see my fellow clergy people struggling so hard to meet their needs. Some work hard and struggle hard with ministry work and when they don’t have enough to support their families, that’s the painful part for me. And yet we want to do ministry, because we have that call.

TAP: You know, I think a lot of other people would give up, but it amazes me. I used to work for the Council of the North, so I know those stories of non-stipendiary ministry and it’s really amazing.  They love their communities and they know there’s a need.

AW: That’s the most disappointing matter that I always think of. But these people, the clergy still go on. That’s the blessing as well at the same time – for the whole area.   TAP