“Each year, Singing Feather looks for ways to bless tribal communities with food, clothes, items for elders, and any other needs that are brought to our attention. Our annual Thanksgiving Outreaches were just one example of the many ways we have reached out to native communities with the love of Jesus.
This is part of our Isaiah 58 mandate and promise. We view each gift of compassion as an act of intercession and repentance before heaven and as a protocol gift to our native brothers and sisters, knowing that the greatest need in all of us, is for an encounter with the living God. He is the only one Who can make all things new.
God gave me a promise in September 2008 saying,
“If you do Isaiah 58, I will do Isaiah 58,” and that is why reaching out through the loving and compassionate provision of needs, as laid out in the scripture of Isaiah 58, is the backbone of Singing Feather Ministries.”
~Cindy Butow, Founder/President
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are [d]cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The [e]pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of [g]Streets to Dwell In.
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob, your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Our journey in ministering to Native Americans began in 2008, when our Founder and President of Singing Feather Ministries, picked up an old book off of a dusty bookshelf and had an encounter with God. “Cindy, do you love California? Will you pray for California? Will you pray from a place of knowledge and understanding? It all starts with Native Americans.”
This first encounter led to hours and then turned to years of intercession, not only for California Natives, but for Native America in general. As with anything, when you intercede for something or someone, a deep desire to meet needs and show love in practical ways begins to emerge.
This happened in late 2008, when Cindy began to ask the Lord if there was something more she could do. His answer was clear and with a promise, “If you do Isaiah 58, I will do Isaiah 58.” This began a journey of discovering what it looks like to give benevolence without pity, giving honor where honor is due, and expecting an answer from God regarding His promises. Cindy can often be heard saying, “It isn’t us that is needed, it is HIM, and we will do whatever we need to, to make a way for Jesus to be fully known for all He truly is, in all of His love, for His glory alone.”
Over the years the Lord has broadened our vision to include Indigenous communities outside of California and throughout the world, wherever He leads. As part of this expanding of our “tent pegs,” we have visited and revisited many reservations and some of the oldest villages in North America, Bedouin communities in the Middle East, and soon remote islands in the South Pacific, with our new launch, Singing Feather Pasifika.
Some of the many ways that we minister to indigenous communities is through gifts of food, clothing, bibles, prayer, encouragement, and mentorship. As a ministry, we seek to understand the support that is needed and then call on others to help us meet the need. Oftentimes, you will find us ministering to families in their homes, visiting native friends and loved ones in jail, or the hospital, or simply praying for those in native ministry on the phone and in person.
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…
