During an event on September 22, 2025, Dr. Wendsler Nosie, Sr., spiritual leader of the San Carlos Apache tribe and leader of their advocacy group, Apache Stronghold, spoke at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church to raise awareness of the struggle to save Oak Flat in Arizona for religious ceremonies. Oak Flat is threatened by efforts of an international conglomerate to gain permits for copper mining. Environmentalists believe the planned changes threaten Arizona’s ecology.
The Episcopal Church has long supported the protection of Oak Flat [pictured] as a religious site. Read this Episcopal Resolution on Oak Flat:
- Protect Oak Flat
https://extranet.generalconvention.org/governing_and_interim_bodies/executive_council/resolution?id=358
Oak Flat is a mesa located in a national forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The San Carlos Apache Tribe considers Oak Flat to be ancestral sacred ground and has conducted celebrations and sacred ceremonies at this mountain-top location for generations. They have fought hard to insist on continued access to Oak Flat and have framed this battle as a fight for religious freedom.
There has been a great deal of public support over the past 20 years for Apache and environmental efforts to preserve the area, including legal battles, peaceful protests, rallies, prayer circles, public outcry, reverent ceremonies, and community outreach. The "Defend the Holy" tour is the latest effort to draw attention to the long battle.
The September gathering was held by Rev. Abhi Janamanchi, Senior Minister, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda. St. John’s was invited to join with other churches that are in solidarity with the San Carlos Apache Tribe on the issue of religious freedom and that support the tribe’s efforts to retain access to their sacred ground. St. John’s was represented by Bill Raisner, chair of the Racial Justice and Equity (RJE) Committee, and Trish Berne, a member of the RJE committee and its Indigenous Rights Working Group. [Click here to read the comments that Trish shared at that meeting.]
The tribe is now represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and environmental groups are also continuing to oppose the use of the disputed area for copper mining. Although the US Supreme Court has twice refused to hear a case on this matter, cases are pending at the appeals court level and the legal fight continues. The tribe, environmental groups, and Apache women have filed three cases since 2021 that are now in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The three cases are scheduled to be heard in January 2026.
Representatives of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and leaders of Apache Stronghold are asking churches to raise awareness by using social media to spread information about Oak Flat and the right to religious freedom, which is so important to all those with religious traditions.
- Trish Berne, member of St. John's Racial Justice & Equity Committee and its Indigenous Rights Working Group.
Questions?
To learn more about St. John's Racial Justice & Equity Committee or its Indigenous Rights Working Group, use this form to contact parishioner Bill Raisner.