A ‘Macedonian Call’ at Strawberry Thanksgiving 2026

When Adrian Jacobs first gathered a small group in 2007 for a "Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion," about 40 people showed up. A second gathering the following year drew about 50 people. Then the initiative went quiet for over a decade while Jacobs served in Alberta and Manitoba.

Returning to Ontario to work as the senior leader for Indigenous justice and reconciliation for the CRCNA in Canada, Jacobs has helped organize an annual gathering since 2024, and the June 2026 Strawberry Thanksgiving was a sold-out event. This year’s ecumenical event was led by Jacobs and supported by a planning team from Mennonite, Christian Reformed, United, and Lutheran churches and organizations. The event was held at Six Nations Polytechnic postsecondary school in Ohsweken, Ont.

In the main hall at Six Nations Polytechnic the maximum capacity is 200 people, and every ticket was purchased. Another 50+ participants tuned in online via livestream from across Canada—including viewers from Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

A Fresh Pick from the Vine

At the heart of the day were strawberries—vibrant red to the center, sweet, and freshly picked from a local greenhouse.

For the Haudenosaunee people, the strawberry ripening marks a season of thanksgiving and traditional ceremony. Jacobs is quick to clarify that this gathering in June is not that specific, sacred ceremony. Rather, it is an occasion to highlight the strawberry in a shared thanksgiving address, enjoy the fruit together, and enter into an intentional time of ecumenical Christian communion.

Jacobs reflected on the mood of the gathering for all who could join in person: "The buzz in the room—that’s what you don’t get when you aren’t there physically. All the people talking, the smiling, the catching up, the big hugs—the atmosphere was just beautiful."

The gathering also featured small-group tours of the Indigenous Knowledge Centre located next to the main hall. Because of the delicate and irreplaceable nature of the artifacts on display, including historical wampum belts, pottery, and traditional headdresses, knowledge keepers who welcomed visitors placed artifacts onto large display tables and answered questions in an interactive, open-library setting.

A "Macedonian Call" to the Church

When asked why a gathering of this nature matters so deeply today, Jacobs referenced the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action, which explicitly challenged the church to confront its role in the legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

Jacobs said, "We think of mission all the time as us, the church, winning the world because we have the answer. And we do, in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. But we also need to have our ears open to hear that actually the gospel—the good news—comes back to us too." 

He explained, "The forgiveness of survivors, reaching out to the church and saying, 'Help us heal, be a part of the healing'—that is gospel-centered work. The church cannot wound others and not be wounded itself. This isn't just a social gospel side-project; this is Christ's work."

Jacobs likens the experience to the "Macedonian Call" in Acts 16, where we read of the apostle Paul receiving a vision of a man begging him to cross the sea to Macedonia, saying, "Come over here and help us."

"For me, when I heard this call from the survivors, it was burned into my heart," Jacobs said. "The Holy Spirit directed it. Indigenous believers tell the church: ‘It wasn't your pews that saved us. It wasn't your songs, your pulpits, or even your preachers. It was the message. It was the gospel. It was Jesus. And now the invitation is to come over and be part of the healing."

Simple Bread, Shared Journey

A central feature of the day was an ecumenical communion service led by Norma Lickers, a Mohawk elder from Grand River United Church. She opened the liturgy in the Mohawk language before reading Scripture and inviting people to the table. Attendees partook of traditional scone (for bread) and strawberry juice (in place of wine or grape juice).

Attendees also heard various church teams share about their steps toward local "spiritual covenants"—long-term, relational commitments between congregations and local Indigenous communities. Jacobs said, “They’ve taken their first steps, and sharing those honest stories helps the next church realize that they can begin a journey too. It frames the work clearly as a justice response."

An example of this response comes from Meadowlands Fellowship Church, where the community decided to move directly from education to action. Challenged to find a concrete way to practice reconciliation, Meadowlands embraced the concept of a spiritual covenant by committing 1 percent of their annual operating budget to Six Nations Polytechnic. Framed as a symbolic lease payment, the ongoing funding acts as a tangible recognition of the vast tracts of land taken from Indigenous peoples and establishes the church as an active participant in righting historical wrongs.

Building Global Momentum

From a small gathering of 40 people in 2007 to a nationally streamed, cross-denominational movement in 2026, the mandate of Strawberry Thanksgiving remains focused on local relationships. As Jacobs reminded the crowd at the close of the day: "There are Indigenous people scattered all throughout your neighborhoods. Get to know them, ask questions, and make friends again."