
Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World: Recognizing Spirituality in Early Christianity while Honoring the Spirituality of Indigenous Cultures
Pre-Festival Offering
Thursday August 28, 2025
9 am – 5 pm
cost: $59.00
In hopes of strengthening our modern resolve to proclaim a world of peace and reverence for the diversity of creation, Ancient Wisdom in a Modern World will attempt to offer a moment of learning or re-remembering some of our basic understandings of a holy existence by deconstructing colonizing forms of Christianity while also introducing and celebrating Indigenous modalities of spirituality and existence.
This Pre-festival gathering led by Rev. Chebon Kernell, an elder in the United Methodist Church and a traditional practitioner of Indigenous Spiritualities, will offer a time of remembering and recovering ancient wisdom in early movements of the ancient world that evolved into Christianity. Also, while briefly analyzing a variety of texts from the first and second centuries, the group will quickly journey through history by briefly acknowledging the harms of classical Christianity and its impact on Indigenous cultures of North America. Following this acknowledgement of history, participants will have an opportunity to engage in conversations about Indigenous spirituality of creation, ceremony, and the earth.
Chebon Kernell has been an executive in the United Methodist church for the past decade. He has worked for the General Board of Global Ministries and the denomination’s Native American Comprehensive Plan. In this role, he has worked with the World Council of Churches, the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA), the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops assisting in a denominational mandated effort to improve relationships with Indigenous People through dialogue, study, and local or regional acts of repentance acknowledging harms inflicted upon Indigenous communities. In addition, he spends his time raising awareness, increasing advocacy, and supporting the empowerment of Native American and Indigenous communities globally. Chebon is of Seminole and Muscogee Creek heritage and is a traditional practitioner of Indigenous culture.
Check In for pre-festival events will be available on Wednesday from 1 pm to 5 pm, and Thursday from 7am to 9 am.
If you’re tent camping, there’s no additional campsite charge for Wednesday night.
Some campsite locations are restricted due to large venue tent construction in several areas.
RV campers will need to purchase an additional night.