A Place Where Two Things Can be True at Once

Ivan Armando Flores/Texas Observer

Rev. JB Jackson hugs a parishioner who was in tears during part of the service. The Dallas Indian United Methodist Church aims to foster an inclusive space and has members from various indigenous nations.

On a Sunday in June, Michael Tongkeamha wears a casual outfit, all black from head to toe. He stands tall at the pulpit next to Pastor JB Jackson at the Dallas Indian Mission United Methodist Church, the raised platform they share decorated with purple fleece blankets covered in a Native-inspired design, similar to ones sold at any powwow. Before them, some 40 congregants from at least 15 different Indigenous nations fill the wooden pews. Tongkeamha, the chair for the church’s board of trustees, is helping to lead service as a lay speaker, a member of the local church who is ready to serve—one of many that rotate at the church.