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Greetings
to all from the Pine Ridge Reservation. For those who do not know about the reservation,
we are the second largest reservation in the nation (after the Navaho Reservation)
and the poorest area of the country. Our two SBC churches, Lakota Baptist and
Sharp's Corner Baptist, are the only Southern Baptist Churches on the reservation.
They were started in the early 1970s.
Lakota Baptist
is located in the village of Pine Ridge. There are about 3700 in the town. The
church is in the poorest neighborhood of Pine Ridge. Much of the reservation comprises
of government housing, but this neighborhood is mostly privately owned "homes."
Many of those in private homes in this neighborhood are in condemned or sub-standard
housing awaiting the day when they can get a government home. Many people accept the validity of Christianity in the village, but alcohol, drugs and materialism keep many away. Believe it or not, materialism seems to have the greatest hold on those who have the least.
Sharp's Corner
Baptist is located about 40 miles away near a housing development with a few homes. The work is looking for a pastor. A Celebrate Recovery is being held there on Fridays at 6PM. Sharp's Corner is mostly an intersection
at the edge of the Badlands. The only other entity there is a gas station. Oglala
Lakota College is located about 10 miles from Sharp's Corner. A large community
exists about 7 miles away. The closest town is Porcupine, about 15 miles away.
There are homes spread all over this area. This area is steeped in Native Religion.
These ministries
include a food bank, clothing distribution and give-aways,
church services, children's activities, shoe-box ministry at Christmas, neighborhood
construction and repair and Vacation Bible School. Neither church receives funding from
the North American Mission Board. Both ministries depend on contributions from churches and individuals to continue.
To help support either church, you can contact the churches individually. All support is tax-deductible and 100% goes to the support of the churches which are a lighthouse in the poorest and one of the darkest areas in the United States.
