Hope Center Foursquare church is a rainbow church.

“Revelation 5:9 says, ‘And they (the saints in heaven) sang a new song ... and with Your (Jesus’) blood you purchased men from every tribe and language and people and nation,’” said Pastor Grove Hull. “That’s how I see the body of Christ: multi-racial and multi-cultural.”

Not only is the congregation of Hope Center a cornucopia of races and ethnicity, every age group from babies to 90-year-olds finds a place.

In keeping with his passion for the residents of the South Side, the Rev. Hull asked Pastor Lockley Bremner to come to Billings from the Flathead Reservation and lead a Worship Warfare Conference over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The Revs. Hull and Bremner met at a Foursquare church planter’s boot camp in 2002. The Rev. Bremner, a Blackfeet Indian, and his wife, Tracy, now shepherd a church in St. Ignatius.

“One reason I asked them to come was to break bondages and to speak into the lives of native people, to see that God loves us all,” said the Rev. Hull. “But I also wanted everyone to see that Lockley and I are brothers.”

Lockley Bremner’s worship group, Healing For the Nations Ministry, consists of members from several different tribes: Crow, Blackfeet, Salish, Sioux and Navajo. Though historically some of those tribes have been enemies, no animosities exist. “We are one,” said the Rev. Bremner.

The group ministers in full native regalia.

“One reason we do our native culture presentation is to show others it’s all right to be Christian as well as Native American,” said the Rev. Bremner. “Christianity has demonized the native culture so much. We want them to see that we’re proud to be who God created us to be.”

Darin Cadman walked into the Garfield gym two hours ahead of the 7 p.m. start time, a large Indian man in a yellow shirt. He came out of the dressing room a warrior for Christ, complete with face paint, walking with real pride and dignity. On his head sat a crown of Golden eagle feathers.

“I earned my first two eagle feathers when I was 8 years old, when I caught a catfish with my bare hands,” Mr. Cadman said. “When I got home, my uncle brought out a box and let me pick two feathers.”

Mr. Cadman explained that the white face paint with a jagged bolt of lightning down the right cheek points to the fact that Jesus said “I saw Satan fall like lightning.” (Luke 10:18) “When I come to one of these conferences, I’m going to do battle with the enemy,” Mr. Cadman said, emphasizing that the enemy is never another person. “We’re not here to promote Native culture. We’re here to promote Jesus Christ.”

Cadman is not only a gifted dancer, but he also plays the drums and the native flute. His flute solo was haunting and prayerful, a pleasant contrast to the opening praise songs.

The Rev. Bremner asked the audience to remember that “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians. 6:12). Then, Patrick Matt Jr., a chicken dancer, performed the “sneak-up” dance.

He was sneaking up on Satan, the Rev. Bremner said. Rocky Cadman, 14 and the daughter of Darin Cadman, did a jingle dance for healing. Finally, the members of the troupe took the initiative and invited everyone else to join in the dance. When most of the audience, whatever their ethnicity, were dancing, Indian rapper Tave Handl started his chant. The program had included contemporary praise songs, Native American music, rap and Christian ballads, all played with sincerity and joy.

“God wants to heal the wounded warriors tonight,” said the Rev. Bremner. “He wants you to come forward.” Just about everyone came forward for prayer, whatever their needs or where they stood in relation to faith in Christ.

In an interview the next morning, the Rev. Bremner explained that at one point in his life, he was a wounded warrior himself. “I was in Vietnam as a helicopter warrant officer,” he said. “I started wondering if there was a heaven and hell. Then I came back to the Blackfeet reservation and drank heavily for five years. Finally I went up to the top of one of the hills and said, ‘God, if you’re real, I want to know who you are.’ From that point, God began to reveal himself to me.”

That was in 1975. Lockley Bremner has been a pastor for 30 years. He does not see much happening spiritually in native religion.

“The native religion is types and shadows. It really has no significance to God,” he said. “But we learn from our tradition. We use it to illustrate God’s truth. It all points to Jesus Christ. Even the suffering of the native peoples helps them to identify with Jesus. We tell them that Jesus suffered once for all, that He understands.”

“There is one name for the Creator common to all the native peoples, and that’s Hayah, which in Hebrew is the same name God used to reveal himself to Moses. There is such a tremendous need in people’s hearts,” the Rev. Bremner went on.

“We judge people by their outsides. They need to be loved and accepted so they can get a hold of Jesus.”

As for the Wounded Warriors of all races who fought in Vietnam with him, the Rev. Bremner has this word: “What I would say to my fellow Vietnam vets is that their sin (whatever they saw or did in that war or whatever was done to them) isn’t too great for God to forgive. Jesus can cleanse them from anything.”

“For sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Sunday morning worship at Hope Center is at 9:15 and 11. Celebrate Recovery begins with a meal on Saturdays at 6:30.

Hope Center is at South 28th Street (Broadway) and Fifth Avenue South. The phone number is 294-4673.