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Ahead of Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, two aviation ministries highlight an approach built on invitation, long-term commitment, and relationships that extend far beyond the flight.
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Guelph, Ontario, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Across Northern Canada, vast distances can make reaching remote First Nations communities a challenge. But for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Canada and the Lutheran Association of Missionaries & Pilots (LAMP), getting there is only the beginning.
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Through the secondment of MAF missionary pilot Andrew Anstey to LAMP, the two Christian aviation ministries are working together to support long-term ministry relationships across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Anstey flies LAMP pastors and staff across an area of roughly one million square kilometres, helping to support ministry in approximately 50 remote First Nations communities.
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The partnership combines MAF’s experience in mission aviation and supporting missionary pilots with LAMP’s more than five decades of ministry and relationships in northern First Nations communities.
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“MAF and LAMP share a conviction that aviation is a tool for ministry, not the ministry itself,” says Rev. Dr. Steven Schave, LAMP Executive Director. “Andrew’s secondment allows two ministries with a shared calling to serve together, while keeping the focus where it belongs: on the people, the relationships and what God is already doing in these communities.”
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For LAMP, that focus begins with invitation.
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“We don’t go to a community unless asked to come,” says Anstey.
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Teams enter communities as guests, reconnecting with local leaders and families and responding to what is happening locally. Vacation Bible School is one of LAMP’s most visible ministries, but volunteers are asked to think beyond a single summer trip. Teams make a minimum five-year commitment to the same community because the goal is not simply to run a program, but to allow trust and friendship to develop over time.
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That approach is particularly significant in communities where trust toward churches and outside institutions cannot be assumed. The history of residential schools and other harmful experiences with Christian institutions remains part of the context in which ministries serve today. MAF and LAMP do not present their work as an answer to reconciliation, but their approach emphasizes listening, invitation, humility and consistent presence.
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As Canadians prepare to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, those principles offer a timely reminder that meaningful relationships cannot be rushed.
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For one First Nations resident who has watched LAMP teams return over many years, the impact is visible among younger generations.