The White Guys with the Bouncy Castle

“When I first heard about what Zach was doing among First Nations youth, I remember thinking, ‘We could totally help with that!’” said Mike Olynyk, Student Ministries Pastor at South Abbotsford MB Church. “Honestly, I had no idea how much I had to learn.”

Mike first met Zach Hillman, Pastor of Gateway Community Church in Port Alberni, B.C., at a youth pastor’s retreat. Zach was a young church planter with a vision for sharing the Gospel with the youth in his community, particularly youth from the Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nations, which are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth people group of the western coast of Vancouver Island. Ever since Mike and his wife, Cheryl, first launched the church in 2015, they had been intentional about reaching out to these youth. 

“I could see Zach’s missionary heart,” Mike related. “He was already doing a lot with First Nations youth, like an afterschool arts program, and some other educational activities with moms in the community.” 

Mike and Zach hit it off immediately and began brainstorming about partnering in mission to the First Nations of this region. 

“I was pretty confident,” Mike confessed. “I mean, we had been doing day camps and summer camps for a long time, sending teams to Kamloops and California. Gateway Church resources were limited, but South Abbotsford had a strong volunteer base. Thinking about Port Alberni, I was already excited about loving on these kids and sharing Jesus. We also had things like a GaGa Ball Pit and a Bouncy Castle. I was sure they would be a big hit. After all, they’re just kids, like any other kids. Plus, their parents would be relieved to send them off to play with us for the day, right?”

Mike shook his head. “I was so naïve.”

Zach took time to tell Mike some of the painful history of the First Nations people in his region, stories of displacement and abuse. He explained the degree of hurt and mistrust that existed between the Indigenous peoples of Canada and European settlers. Recent discoveries of the unmarked graves of Indigenous children at Residential Schools had only widened that divide and highlighted the generational trauma inflicted on First Nations families over hundreds of years. 

“That’s when I started to realize that I knew nothing,” Mike said. “Nothing.”

The two pastors agreed that any team coming from South Abbotsford MB would need cross-cultural training before launching any kind of summer camp program in Port Alberni. John Johnstone, Multiply’s Indigenous worker among First Nations in Western Canada, was invited to do an interactive historical reenactment called the Blanket Exercise. In the exercise, participants are given various roles to play and, as the history is retold, huddled groups of surviving Indigenous people are left standing on ever-shrinking blankets laid on the floor, having dolls torn from their arms in a vivid portrayal of the appropriation of First Nations children. By then, Mike’s youth team and leaders were in tears, as was he. 

“Suddenly I’m thinking about all our plans in a different light,” Mike shared. “What were we doing? Who did we think we were, telling First Nations parents and grandparents to send us their kids?”

In the end, it was Zach’s credibility in the community that made the difference and bridged the gap of suspicion. Zach and Mike had been hoping that a few First Nations children would show up for the activities, but they were flabbergasted when 102 children and youth showed up. According to Zach, the children told their parents that they just wanted to check out the white guys with the Bouncy Castle.

“There were some things that just broke our hearts right away,” Mike remembered. “Like, these families are in real poverty, and their kids came hungry. It was midday when they heard our parade down the street, and they came without eating any breakfast or lunch. We were not prepared for that.” 

Zach also connected Mike and his team with a trauma rehabilitation center for First Nations families affected by racism and historic oppression. “They invited us to go and share a meal with the families and hang out and play with the youth there,” Mike said. “These kids were dealing with a lot of hard stuff. It meant a lot for them to break loose and just have fun.”

As the week progressed, and the local youth and children began to engage in the activities, Mike and Zach and their teams poured out as much love as they possibly could. By the end of the week, the First Nations youth and their families were invited to attend a Sunday church service and a BBQ. Many did, out of curiosity. Some did so with cynicism, expecting the usual bait-and-switch that churches had done with their people in the past. Instead, they were surprised to find themselves listening not to a sermon from the pulpit, but to an apology. 

Mike spoke. “I didn’t know a lot of your history. I was ignorant. I’m so sorry for what the Church did, for what we did to your people. That was not Jesus.” 

Afterward, one First Nations woman told Mike that this was the first time she had ever heard a white man apologize in person.

“I came back changed,” said Mike, “and wondering how we could do more to build bridges with the First Nations people groups in our own community, around Abbotsford.”

Mike and Zach remain friends, and South Abbotsford has now sent youth teams to partner in Port Alberni for the last four summers. “It’s different every time,” said Mike. “The community is transient, and we don’t always see the same families. But Zach, he’s there, on the ground, meeting with the Indigenous elders, learning their language.” 

Gateway Community Church has a statement on their website: Nobody is perfect. Everybody is welcome. Anything is possible. “For me and my team,” said Mike, “that sums up everything we learned about this ministry, and about partnership.”

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To learn more about Multiply’s Indigenous Ministries in North America, contact your local Mission Mobilizer at 1.888.866.6267.