A sign tells us the distances to important Biblical places nearby: Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (46 km), Bethlehem (50 km), Jericho (27 km) and the Sea of Galilee (105 km). This was the land Moses never reached, turning over leadership of the Hebrew people to Joshua.

It’s believed Moses is buried near this site on Mount Nebo. A church was built here in the fourth century, and its mosaic floors have been preserved.

Mount Nebo is only one of a number of Biblical sites in Jordan, a predominantly Muslim country with a small but influential Christian minority. Our group was able to visit not only the site where Jesus was baptized at the Jordan River, but the ruins of many early Christian churches and places that Jesus visited in what was then called the Decapolis.

In northern Jordan, close to the Syrian border, is Umm Qays, which overlooks the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. It is part of the story of the Gadarene swine, told in the Gospel of Matthew (8:28-34). The residents of what was then called Gadara asked Jesus to leave the area after he cast demons out of two men who were possessed. The demons entered a herd of swine, which went off a steep bank into the water. We saw at Gadara how Christians in the fourth century used Roman ruins to build a church where Jesus is said to have performed the miracle of the swine.

In Rihab, also in northern Jordan near the Syrian border, is thought to be one of the earliest Christian churches in the world, dating back to the first century. It has been found underneath the remains of St. George Church, which itself dates back to 230 CE. Abdul Qader al-Husan, head of Jordan’s Rihab Centre for Archeological Studies, believes the first-century church sheltered early Christians who fled Jerusalem after the Romans crushed the Jewish rebellion in 70 CE.

In Rihab are the remains of at least a dozen churches. Jesus and the Virgin Mary are believed to have passed through the area.

At Anjara, also in northern Jordan, we met Father Hugo, an Argentine Roman Catholic priest who served at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountain, a place where Jesus and Mary were said to have rested on their journey through the Decapolis. Fr. Hugo says there are 1,000 Christians in Anjara, a town of 20,000, and ministry is demanding. He visits prisons regularly and runs a school for 36 students, a third of them orphans.

There are biblical connections everywhere that we travel in Jordan. The Jordan Valley has small villages, agriculture, olive groves and wildflowers, along with ancient ruins.

Going south toward the Gulf of Aqaba, we got off the highway to view Mukawir, the stark hilltop fortress where John the Baptist was imprisoned during the reign of Herod Antipas. It was here that Salome did her famous dance for John’s head. The terrain here is barren, like much of Jordan outside the lush Jordan Valley. We saw shepherds with tents in the fields as they watched over flocks of sheep, as they have done for thousands of years.

No visit to Jordan would be complete without a trip to what is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world – the ancient city of Petra. Nabataean Arabs ran a commercial empire, with Petra as its capital, from the sixth century BCE until 100 CE, when the Romans assumed control.

After many years of being uninhabited, Petra was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer in the 19th century. The city is a fascinating trip into the past. There is stunning architecture, such as the famous “treasury,” which was used in the filming of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Visitors to Petra travel on foot or by horse down a gradual slope surrounded by high cliffs. The art and architecture are a blend of Roman, Greek, Mesopotamian and Egyptian styles, a reflection of Petra’s status as an advanced civilization at the height of its remarkable independent existence.

As with many ancient sites, there are remains of the early Christian church in Petra, a reminder that Jordan was the home of many of the first Christians who fled Judea and Palestine.

As well as being the first place of refuge for Christians in the first century, Jordan was also the first place for Muslim expansion beyond the Arabian Peninsula many centuries later. Muslim pilgrims look to Jordan as the place where some of the Prophet Mohammad’s followers died and were buried as martyrs for their faith.

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Among the first nations to open its borders to the refugees was Jordan. A group of religion journalists from North America, including this writer, met some of them last October at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Amman.

We were welcomed by Father Khalil Jaar, who told us that he considered the Christians from Mosul to be guests, not refugees. He believed that any country would be lucky to receive them. Many were well educated and dedicated to their faith.

The courage of these people, who left with little more than the clothes on their backs, was inspiring. Many of them told stories of heartbreak and loss.

Brothers Sief and Jacob Jebrita ran a small videography and photography business in a village just outside of Mosul. Six weeks after ISIS took over the village, they received a letter ordering them to stop work because what they did was forbidden under Islamic law. The brothers and their families were forced from their homes. They witnessed intimidation. A soldier ripped an earring out of a girl’s ear, causing it to split open, because jewelry was not acceptable under ISIS. They saw men killed for refusing to convert to Islam and women sold into slavery. Two of their neighbour’s children were killed.

They said there is no going back to Mosul, not only because of ISIS but because the relationship between Muslims and Christians has been shattered by the violence. Years of peace between the different religions and sects is over.

But the refugees had not given up hope. They prayed nightly and discussed their dreams for the future as they began to rebuild their lives. A common belief was that out of suffering could come good, thanks to their faith in God. Said one older woman: “Do you want a clearer miracle than this? We have lost everything, but we did not lose our faith.”

Fr. Jaar was a vocal and enthusiastic advocate for his guests. He worried about finding winter accommodation for them. The church was trying to find apartments for them in Amman. He has publicized their plight and is seeking funds to house and feed them. The children are attending classes at the school attached to the church. The refugees have communal meals twice a day, after noon and in the evening. The food is served from a makeshift kitchen.

We also met Father Nabil Haddad, a Jordanian Christian who is working for peace and reconciliation with Islam. A Melkite Catholic priest, Fr. Haddad says Jordan’s Christians, who make up the oldest Christian community in the world, have much to contribute to peace and reconciliation, despite being only two per cent of the Jordanian population. “We have been here since the day of Pentecost and we need to share with our Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said.

He announced a new initiative called Karama, using the Greek word for dignity. He believed that Judaism, Christianity and Islam – all faiths coming from Abraham – could find common ground by talking about dignity and respect for all humanity. “I grew up like an Arab Jordanian child, but in a devout Christian family. Islam is a part of our culture and civilization. But I learned to be a witness for Christianity.”

Since 2001, he has been especially active in interfaith work, trying to help Muslims and Christians work together through education. “We are a people of faith, love, mercy and respect. It is so rewarding to conquer someone’s ignorance with a Christian message of love.”

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Ms. Goar believes churches and other non-governmental organizations working on issues of poverty, homelessness and the gulf between the rich and the poor have made incremental changes possible.

She cited the increase in the minimum wage, the creation of the Ontario Child Benefit and the increase in social assistance payments to single adults, as positive results of the social justice movement.

“These are small things, I acknowledge, but they have made a material improvement in people’s lives,” she said. “And they wouldn’t have happened if people like you hadn’t led by example and stood with those who couldn’t afford basic necessities in a rich, advanced nation.”

Ms. Goar’s keynote address at the conference, held in Richmond Hill, kicked off a day of discussions and workshops. Workshop topics included reconciliation with First Nations, Biblical storytelling, restorative justice, ethical investing and whether the Gospel is political.

The conference brought together clergy and lay people who are engaged in outreach work in the diocese. This year’s theme was “Repairing the Breach: Signs of Healing.” (Isaiah 58:12).

Despite the incremental changes, many challenges remain, said Ms. Goar. “The biggest, in my view, is that millions of Canadians – good people who help their neighbours, donate to charity and belong to your congregations – sincerely believe we can’t afford to do more than we’re doing for people in need.”

Over the past 20 years, she said, political leaders at all levels of government have systematically re-shaped public opinion, convincing Ontarians that increasing social assistance rates is dependent upon reducing the province’s deficit.

She said governments and special interest groups use different ways of measuring poverty to suit their own goals. These conflicting messages create confusion in the minds of people.

The third biggest challenge, she said, is the current political fixation on the middle class. She said the next federal election will be dominated by appeals to the middle class, leaving little room for others. “Unless voters demand it, poverty will be an afterthought – if that.”

She finished by saying that probably the toughest challenge is for people not to feel overwhelmed by the needs and complexities of those in poverty. “Most of us don’t feel equipped to deal with this daunting snarl of pathologies. Even if we could, it would be hard to bring others along. So what can one person or one church or one group do?”

She encouraged people to keep helping and advocating for those in need. “No matter what has gone wrong in a person’s life, he or she still needs a meal, a safe place to sleep and wash and the knowledge that they’ll be welcome somewhere.

“You can show it’s possible to treat everyone with dignity regardless of their mental health, addiction, appearance or behavior. You don’t have to know how to deal with their problems to listen respectfully. You don’t have to be a therapist to offer marginalized people the humanity that is usually missing from their lives.”

She said there are lots of ways that people can help the poor, from assisting them with paperwork to attending rallies. She said church groups can launch a speakers’ series, hold an all-candidates meeting, and produce easy-to-read facts on poverty. Individuals can urge their family members and friends to speak out and vote to send a message about the kind of province and country they want.

Group fights against ‘wage theft’

A group that worked on a recent campaign to increase the minimum wage to $14 an hour is broadening its effort to increase legal protection for low wage workers in Ontario.

Beixi Liu, an organizer for the Workers Action Centre, outlined the group’s efforts to convince the provincial government to strengthen Bill 18, the “Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act” which is being studied by the legislature.

Mr. Liu, speaking at a workshop at the Outreach Networking Conference, said stronger measures are needed to address “wage theft,” when workers don’t get paid for the work they do. Wage theft happens in a number of ways, he said: not paying overtime or vacation pay, issuing bad cheques, denying access of CPP, EI, and worker’s health and safety compensation.

The Diocese of Toronto supported the drive to increase the minimum wage to $14 before the last election. Many vestry meetings last winter approved the call for the increase from $10.25. However, the government increased the minimum wage to $11.

Mr. Liu said his group still believes that minimum wage increases are necessary. A participant in the workshop noted the minimum wage in Australia is $17, which is above the poverty line, so it can be done.

Now the group’s focus is on a comprehensive bill that addresses working conditions and protections for non-unionized workers. Mr. Liu said Bill 18 needs strengthening in a number of ways. Deadlines for reporting wage theft need to be increased to two years. Government must take more responsibility for enforcing compliance, rather than waiting for complaints. Another challenge is dealing with temporary workers, hired by agencies, who are paid as much as 40 per cent less than other workers. “We need equal pay for equal work,” said Mr. Liu. He added that barriers that prevent temporary workers from being hired permanently need to be lowered. Also, documents outlining workers’ rights must be translated into other languages, for Ontario’s diverse work force.

Local pipeline for tar sands oil raises concerns

A pipeline that opened in 1975 to ship oil from Montreal to refineries in Sarnia has become a symbol of the potential dangers of climate change caused by the use of heavy oil from the Alberta Tar Sands.

Environmental activist Lynn Adamson told a workshop at the Outreach Networking Conference that Line 9, which passes through southern Ontario, is set to carry three million barrels a day of tar sands oil.

What worries environmental groups, local politicians and academics is that Enbridge, which is responsible for Line 9, has a record of 610 spills, including a massive oil spill in 2010 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which was the largest in United States history.

The pipeline running through southern Ontario has about nine million people living within 15 km of it.

Participants viewed a film on the Line 9 controversy, which showed the efforts to stop the Enbridge plan, and how they have been ignored by governments and the petroleum industry. At this point, the pipeline change in direction, which will carry the tar sands oil from Sarnia to Montreal, is likely to be approved soon by the National Energy Board.

The Rev. Maggie Helwig, who is the priest-in-charge of St. Stephen in-the-Fields, Toronto, has been part of protests against line 9, chaining herself to heavy equipment. She has been present at “integrity digs” to inspect the pipeline.

Ms. Adamson says Line 9 crosses every river that feeds into Lake Ontario, so an oil spill would be devastating. She says 18 First Nations within 50 km of the pipeline have not been consulted.

The Line 9 issue is also linked to current climate change discussions. The heavy oil from the tar sands is more dangerous to ship, even by pipeline, and it is the same type of oil as was involved in the Lac Megantic train derailment. It takes 350 gallons of water to produce one barrel of heavy oil, or bitumen, and carbon emissions are huge.

Ms. Adamson said it is easy to “throw up our hands,” considering the immense implications of climate change. “But we have a prophetic mandate, because it is God’s creation we are talking about.”

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Established in the mid-70s as an effort to give a boost to choral singing among girls and young women ages 8 to 18, the school – affectionately known as “choir camp” – has brought fun and lots of singing opportunities to generations of young choristers.

Director Tony Browning, music director for 39 years, says the school’s success lies in the balance between musical training and singing services at churches in the Diocese, and lots of activities.

During the reunion at the Trafalgar Castle School in Whitby, where the camp is held, alumni joined current campers in a typical day, compressed into an afternoon. It included choir practice, games, a scavenger hunt, chapel, supper, a sing-along and a slideshow from past years. One of the former students drove from New York to attend the reunion.

Every year, the choir camp concludes with a recital and Evensong at St. James Cathedral in Toronto, an annual service that attracts a congregation of hundreds, including many proud parents. This year’s service included a new musical composition by Andrew Agar, specially commissioned for the choir to perform. When welcoming the choristers, Dean Douglas Stoute said his daughters had attended the choir camp many years ago, and it has been an experience which has impacted many lives.

Mr. Browning says the choir school has proved to be the foundation of not only a loyal volunteer staff, most of whom have been serving for decades, but many participants who come back year after year. Some who maintain ties with the camp will form the nucleus for maintaining the choir school in the future, he said.

The choir school has benefited from financial bequests to the Diocese and other foundation grants to provide some bursaries for campers. That has allowed the registration fees to remain at $900 for two weeks.

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