Mennonite Mission Network — Members of Native Mennonite Ministries and Mennonite Church Canada Native Ministries honored Betty and Lawrence Hart, two longtime champions of Native concerns who have spent their adult lives ministering to the Arapahoe and Cheyenne people in Oklahoma, in October at the Native Mennonite Ministries Council meeting in Clinton, Okla.
The Harts were presented with a handmade pointing stick and a hand drum painted with a turtle, an animal that in the Cheyenne tradition represents patience and longevity—two qualities the Harts have embodied throughout their lives of service.
Lawrence has been pastor of Koinonia Mennonite Church just outside of Clinton for 48 years. The Harts also built the Cheyenne Cultural Center, an interpretive center that gives visitors a glimpse into the history, struggles, and present day lives of the Cheyenne people. It also houses the Cheyenne Language Institute.
The Harts have spearheaded an effort called Return to the Earth to identify and properly bury the remains of 25,000 Native Americans. The remains are currently housed in various museums around the country.
Download full-resolution image.Lawrence, 78, and Betty, 77, met at Bethel College before Lawrence left to join the Marines. He was called out of military service to be a peace chief for his tribe, the Cheyenne. Today, he is one of the four principal peace chiefs—a fitting role for a Native Mennonite, Hart said.
“The Cheyenne, in particular the tribe that I belong to, have a longstanding peace tradition through peace chiefs who live a life of peace no matter what the costs,” he said by telephone from his home. He said that even if a man’s “own son is killed right in front of his own teepee,” he is forbidden from taking revenge.
“That resonates well with Anabaptist tradition, and so we’re really pleased to be a part of that tradition as well,” he said.
Willis Busenitz, a pastor at White River Cheyenne Mennonite Church in Busby, Mont., first met Lawrence when Busenitz began pastoring Hart’s home church, Bethel Mennonite Church, in Hammon, Okla. Lawrence’s father, Homer, was a lay pastor there.
“As fellow pastors of Cheyenne Mennonite churches in Oklahoma, we began a long and special relationship with Lawrence and Betty,” Busenitz said. “In many ways, Lawrence was a mentor to me and helped me in understanding the Cheyenne way of life.”
“Lawrence has a deep respect for the Cheyenne way of life as well as for the Mennonite Church,” Busenitz said. “He has brought these two together in special ways.”
Lawrence said that he has appreciated Native Mennonite Ministries’ contribution to the broader Mennonite Church in amplifying the voices of Native congregations.
“It’s really important that we recognize that we, too, are Anabaptists, and that we as Native Americans have an opportunity to make a contribution to the overall Mennonite Church and are really pleased to do that,” he said.
The council also read a letter from Mennonite Mission Network CEO and executive director, Stanley Green, who praised the Harts for their four decades of ministry.
“Chief Lawrence Hart’s story is powerful and inspirational,” Green said. “This life is sacred work. We all at Mennonite Mission Network wish to honor Betty and Lawrence Hart, and praise God for their example of following the gospel of Jesus Christ for a lifetime.”
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Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact Andrew Clouse at andrewc@mmnworld.net, 574-523-3024 or 866-866-2872, ext. 23024.
