After a survey of the clergy who have gone through the program in the last five years, the diocese learned that they enjoyed and appreciated the support and opportunities to build collegial relationships with fellow clerics, but many of them found the program to be a large time commitment and contained a lot of content to digest.

“So, we decided to revamp the program,” says the Rev. Canon John Wilton, who led the program’s redesign.

Among the changes to the program are a reduced number of modules, dropping the length of the program from two years to one with the number of monthly sessions now 10. The revamped program will run from September to June, but clergy can join the program at any point. Another change is that the topic of the June module will be chosen by the participants themselves, giving them more control over what they focus on in the program.

“We’ve pared it back to the essentials,” says Canon Mary Conliffe, who also worked on the program’s revamp.

The essence of the program is a focus on sharing, problem-solving as a group and building relationships. To do that, the program is keeping a critical-incident section for each module, in which a member of the group gives an example of a problem they are facing in their ministry, and the presenter listens as the rest of the group discuss their reaction to the issue presented and what insights they may have about what is going on.

“Every time people go through the program, I hear how grateful they are for that support,” says Canon Wilton. “It lets them know they are not alone, and it also lets us celebrate their accomplishments.”

That approach to problem-solving is part of appreciative inquiry, which is a guiding principle of the program that looks at what works and how resources could best be used to implement solutions, rather than focusing on the problem.

“It’s a much more positive way to look at transitional issues,” says Canon Wilton. “It shifts the focus from what’s the problem to what’s working.”

Those supportive experiences form the basis of relationship-building, which is at the heart of the Fresh Start program, says Canon Conliffe. “The relationships are the product,” she says. “And we’ve seen the payoff for that in the life of the diocese.”

The Fresh Start facilitation team spent two years reworking the content of the program, deciding what modules to keep, compress or remove. Updated graphics and presentation slides have also been created. Finding the balance between providing participants with informative content and creating more space for participants to interact with each other was key to successfully revamping the program.

“While this is a mandatory program for clergy, we also want to make sure it’s worthwhile” says Canon Wilton. “We’ve listened to our clergy, cut down the content and increased opportunities for support.”

While the program is mandatory for clergy, there are also valuable and meaningful ways for congregations to support a new cleric entering their church. In workshops such as history-sharing, facilitated by volunteers, members of the congregation have the opportunity to tell their stories and new priests can see what challenges and opportunities exist in the parish, says Elizabeth McCaffrey, the diocese’s Volunteer Resources Coordinator. The stories often bring out themes of resiliency, and people see themselves as being able to withstand trials and hardships, she says.

“Fresh Start reminds us of the importance of our stories, and we are people of the story,” she says. “I think history-sharing is the most helpful and fun workshop, and it can be transformational.”

The revamped program launches in September with groups in each of the diocese’s four episcopal areas. With the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, these first participants benefit even more from the program.

“In uncertain times like these, transitions will be more difficult, which makes Fresh Start more important,” says Canon Wilton.

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In the Diocese of Toronto, PWRDF pedallers have been among hundreds of cyclists and walkers who have descended upon Ashbridges Bay Park in Toronto. The event is a key fundraiser for PWRDF, bringing in about $30,000 a year for a designated partner. PWRDF supports vulnerable communities in Canada and around the world on behalf of Anglicans in Canada.

But this year, COVID-19 skidded into the Ride for Refuge. Rather than apply the brakes, Blue Sea is riding on, just in a slightly different direction. A new “freestyle” category has been created that is limited only by your imagination. Participants can still ride or walk for refuge on Oct. 3 (though not at a designated time and place) but they are also welcome to paddle, knit, climb, bake, read, or do anything they can think of for refuge.

Participants can register on the Ride for Refuge website (rideforrefuge. org/pwrdf) in the same way as before. You can join a team, start a team or register as an individual.

One such individual is Archbishop Linda Nicholls, the Primate, who has pledged to sing hymns for refuge. As a choral enthusiast, Archbishop Nicholls thought this would be a fun and engaging way to get involved. When giving to her, donors can make a request to hear a specific hymn. She performed on Facebook Live on July 26 and will do so again on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

This year’s participants will be raising funds for St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka, Uganda. St. Jude’s is an agricultural school that strives to improve the quality of life in the surrounding community by ending hunger and empowering women, children and youth. As people learn more about how to grow their own nutritious food, they are able to feed their families, earn an income, send their children to school and become stronger and more selfsufficient. The school also teaches permaculture to people from other parts of Africa and the world. The fundraising goal is $25,000.

St. Jude’s co-founder, Josephine Kizza Aliddeki, and her son Daniel, an agronomist, recently participated in a webinar for PWRDF volunteers interested in joining this year’s event. “We are so grateful to be able to connect with people who are enthusiastic about transforming communities that are less privileged,” she said prior to joining the Zoom call.

If you would like to support PWRDF and participate in the Ride for Refuge, visit rideforrefuge.org/pwrdf for details on how to sign up and for inspiration on how to ride “freestyle.”

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Collectively, we have moved from fear and disillusionment to rebirth in a very short period of time. The latter is still a work in progress, but we are reconstructing what it means to be Church. It is as if God is making things new again and again and again.

The way we practice our faith has changed markedly. Corporate worship has been suspended and we have relied on virtual gatherings on Zoom and Facebook to meet for morning prayer, Bible studies or coffee hour. For many of us, it is not the preferred way of doing worship, but there is no doubt that these online platforms are effective tools for evangelism.

Most of us long to return to face-toface worship, even with allowances for music and communion. But for some, this will be the new and only way they will inter-face with the Church. We cannot neglect this. Imagine the possibility of a church plant where a congregation meets and celebrates exclusively through virtual means?

Doing stewardship has also changed. In April, I was given a wonderful opportunity to meet, via Zoom, with clergy and lay leaders from across the diocese to address this important topic. In the span of three weeks, I presented my observations and suggestions to more than 400 people. That is an astonishing number. Never in my nearly 17 years with the Diocese of Toronto have I had such a captive audience. I was able to share my knowledge about Pre-Authorized Remittance and e-giving, the importance of staying connected and communicating with members of the congregation, establishing an online presence and encouraging generosity, and re-imagining how we might hold a special fundraiser.

COVID-19 may have imposed a lockdown, but it did not deter the Church from transforming itself. We adapted to the new reality better than most businesses and charities. On the first Sunday after the government announced the lockdown, dozens of churches had online worship available to the faithful and curious alike. Within a few weeks, we began to “pass the plate” virtually, with viewers encouraged to make online donations and e-transfers. Those with envelopes were invited to drop them off at their church during the week and receive a blessing from the parish priest.

Online giving to FaithWorks reached unprecedented levels. In April alone, more people gave to FaithWorks than in the whole of last year. That generosity has continued, as we achieved a $100,000 matching challenge by a generous donor in record time. Many not-for-profit organizations have found the current environment to be especially challenging to connect with donors and secure support. Despite this, Anglicans across our diocese have demonstrated generosity and a passion for outreach that is heart-warming. Despite the obstacles, charity abounds.

The pandemic has also changed the way we host special fundraisers. The need for physical distancing has forced us to transform the Bishop’s Company Dinner into a diocesan-wide cabaret. The annual dinner – which would have been our 59th – is a focal point on the diocesan calendar, an opportunity to socialize, network and raise funds.

We have adapted to our reality, reimagining this year’s dinner as a pre-taped virtual cabaret that will be held on the evening of Oct. 16. Through the power of Zoom technology, we can enjoy amazing talent from across our diocese, including a presentation by Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Our hope for the cabaret is to highlight the diversity of our worship communities, through music, dance, song, theatre, and poetry. There will be something for everyone – young and not so young alike. Admittance to the event can be secured by making a freewill offering of any amount to the Bishop’s Company; details will be made available through Facebook and the diocesan webpage in September. Who knows, the cabaret may become the new way we raise funds for clergy in need?

This period of change has brought uncertainty to all of us. I am grateful that despite the lockdown, Anglicans have been and are faithful in their generosity. The pandemic has meant doing Church differently but still doing Church. The beauty of faith is that “despite the hardship or distress, nothing separates us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39).

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This year, the heads of the Anglican and Lutheran national churches in Canada and the U.S. have come together to create a resource for it. The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Most Rev. Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church and Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have prepared devotional reflections for each Sunday in the season. Each reflection touches on the lectionary readings for the day, and each leader has suggested hymns that speak to our spiritual connection with God’s creation and our divine calling to care for that creation.

“This is a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our commitments to God, to one another and to all of creation – relationships at the heart of Christian discipleship,” say the national bishops. “Our stewardship of the earth is not bound by national or ecclesiastical borders, but by our common baptism. By enriching our spirits together, we become emboldened as disciples of Christ and enlivened in our witness to the One, who came to redeem all of creation.”

The resource can be downloaded at www.anglican.ca/publicwitness/ season-of-creation/. Additional liturgical resources and hymn recommendations can also be found on that page.

Several parishes in our diocese have taken up the observance of the season. The Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street has held special events and services since 2018. Parishioner Grant Jahnke, now co-chair of the Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care, feels that it has transformed and enlivened the congregation. St. Aidan in the Beach is following up its Green Lent programming and summer book study with ambitious plans for the Season of Creation. It plans to include outdoor activities like a lakeshore hike, hosting guest speakers or podcasts, and liaising with the Toronto Environmental Alliance on advocacy campaigns. All of these activities can be safely done under the COVID-19 restrictions. John Brewin, a member of the parish’s Eco-spirituality Committee, says the parish has been steadily incorporating creation care as a core element of its spirituality and ethos.

While COVID-19 has preoccupied many of us with concerns around parish re-opening, health and even survival, creation continues both to inspire us with assurance of God’s providence and call us to repent and reframe our lives as it groans in travail. Longer and hotter heat waves – affecting everyone from southern Canada to the Arctic – and more intense storms remind us that the climate crisis has not gone away, despite our reduced travel. The proliferation of disposables, including masks and gloves that are needed to slow the spread of the virus, can be seen in the litter and pollution along our sidewalks, green spaces and waterways.

And yet, amidst the anxiety-provoking headlines, more and more of us are stopping to observe the birds. Downloads of bird-identification apps and people sharing sightings of the birds in their yards and local parks have exploded over the past weeks and months. More people are delighting in their own and their neighbour’s gardens as flowers break into bloom, and growing one’s own vegetables is, literally, grounding – offering people a tangible connection with the earth as well as food to sustain them.

“The cycles of the natural world haven’t been marred by the coronavirus, and witnessing that gives us a sense of hope and even reassurance in this dark and chaotic time,” says Julia Zarankin in a Globe and Mail op-ed. Similarly, Jesus in the gospels urges us to consider the birds of the air and lilies of the field, to set aside our worries and remember that God is the ground of our being and the source of all we need.

As we reflect on our connection with creation and the Creator during this Season of Creation, may we also move into a deeper understanding of our calling to tend and care for the earth and all her children.

Visit our webpage, www.toronto. anglican.ca/environment, to learn how our diocese and Christians across Canada are heeding the call to care for creation and how you can be involved.

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“I’ve been so impressed and encouraged by churches engaged in outreach and continuing this work,” says Ms. Hocking.

She knows how much people rely on services that churches provide. As the director of outreach at the Church of the Redeemer in downtown Toronto, she oversees its drop-in program, The Common Table, which serves people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges and addiction. Typically, daily life for them is stressful and precarious, but the pandemic – and the public health measures to combat it – have made it more complicated, she says. “Things were already on thin ice for them. A pandemic just cracks that ice wide open.”

Keeping the church’s program open wasn’t an easy decision, considering the health risks posed by the pandemic. “There are very good reasons to close and very good reasons to stay open,” she says. “We decided that we’re going to focus on what we can do really well. We’re going to commit to being a good food provider and a good community anchor.”

That decision to stay open has proven to be a lifeline for hundreds of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Since the onset of the pandemic, the number of people using the program has nearly doubled, from about 70 people per day to about 130. Meanwhile, the drop-in has been reduced to providing meals at the side door. Partnerships with local restaurants provide 100 meals per day, while staff make 30 meals per day for those with dietary restrictions.

“Our people are so grateful to show up and get a meal” she says. “It shows how hungry people are.”

Around the same time, staff at All Saints Church-Community Centre, east of Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, were anxious that there wouldn’t be enough personal protective equipment to continue to safely provide frontline services, such as food, tents, blankets and other essentials. The Rev. Dr. Alison Falby, priest-in- charge, was worried she wouldn’t be able to keep the church’s drop-in program open without her dedicated staff.

“I really wasn’t sure if we would have the staff to stay open. That was my biggest worry,” she says. “But our staff and volunteers are a very committed bunch.”

They’re so committed that in the first month of the pandemic, volunteers cooked big batches of casseroles and chili off-site and brought them safely to All Saints to feed their clients. Now, Dr. Falby has arranged for individually packaged meals to be delivered five days a week, but the dedication of her staff and volunteers in the early stages was invaluable. “

We couldn’t have gotten through without them,” she says.

For them, there was never a question of not wanting to continue to support the people who visit All Saints. The work is meaningful for them, which is what keeps them going, she says. “They love the people.”

Due to social distancing restrictions, they have had to limit the number of people admitted to the drop-in to 25, reducing the number of people they can serve. Staff members aren’t able to provide as much support as they would like to. “We have fewer opportunities to connect with people on a human level, and that makes me really sad,” she says.

The human connection that All Saints provides has a significant impact on the people its frontline workers serve, and its loss is that much more deeply felt. In 2015, the Halo Project found that All Saints prevented 69 suicides, 150 incarcerations, and helped 260 people with drug or alcohol abuse. If All Saints hadn’t stayed open to serve people through the pandemic, there would be more overdoses, suicides, crime, and more people experiencing hunger and sleep deprivation in its community, Dr. Falby says.

The Rev. Leigh Kern, the Diocese’s Indigenous ministries coordinator, has been serving members of Toronto’s Indigenous population, including pregnant mothers, elders and residential school survivors who live on the street.

Through the Toronto Urban Native Ministry and Church of the Holy Trinity, they have been serving 200 meals a day, six days a week, and arranged for culturally appropriate mobile testing of COVID-19 to be provided where people live.

“It’s been an exhausting 11 weeks in providing for our community’s basic needs and helping them survive,” she says. “Their way of life needs to be supported.”

But providing that support comes at a significant health risk, she adds. Despite wearing personal protective equipment, there is still a chance that she or her colleagues could get COVID-19. “We knew that we were all taking a risk. But the health impact on this community is devastating.”

It’s not just churches in downtown Toronto that are continuing to provide essential services. St. John the Evangelist in Peterborough has continued serving meals at the door to anyone who needs one. Typically, St. John’s One Roof dropin program serves meals on plates with silverware like a restaurant. Now, after scrambling for takeout containers, it serves individually packaged meals by the door, says the Rev. Brad Smith, incumbent.

“The staff were amazing at being able to pivot,” he says. “Everyone was on board.”

The early dedication of the staff was critical, especially in the first week when St. John’s was the only meal program in Peterborough, he says. They knew there was a need for their services, but due to physical distancing restrictions they couldn’t provide the medical, social and hygienic care they usually provide.

“It was easy to decide to stay open. It was hard to decide not to do everything else,” he says.

For now, at 1 p.m. every weekday, tents and picnic tables are set up outside the church and visitors stand behind orange lines six feet apart. Staff wearing personal protective equipment place a meal on the table, step away and then the visitor takes their lunch. The process minimizes physical contact as much as possible.

“We’re doing the best we can to keep everyone safe,” he says. “We depend on our fantastic staff and need them to stay healthy to continue the program.”

Back on Zoom, Angie Hocking continues to host a weekly Zoom call with over a dozen churches doing outreach across the province. They share resources, establish best practices and host guest speakers. Churches across the Diocese say funding and supplies of personal protective equipment are common challenges. But these are challenges best met together, she says. “The least we can do is band together. We have a nice group now that we didn’t have before.”

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I plan and lead Sunday School and organize and lead our summer church camps. We have been doing Sunday School via Zoom since the pandemic lockdown began, and it is great to still be able to see the kids every week, even if only on screen. Otherwise, I try to help out where I can.

St. John’s recently partnered with Port Hope for the Future (PH4F), a local environmental group comprised mainly of young families. We held Port Hope’s first Repair Café in February. The Port Hope community in general really got behind the project. It was held in our parish hall. We had scores of volunteers, from the church and the wider community. Over 200 items were given a new lease on life by volunteer repairers. There was food, music, kids’ activities, art and yoga workshops, a piano recital and great conversations going on all day. It was fantastic. We had planned to host another Repair Café in August, but that has had to be postponed. We are maintaining our relationship with PH4F and co-planning other environmental projects with them for the community, such as a community garden and tree planting. Building partnerships with other local organizations in the community is one of the things St. John’s is pretty excited about. PH4F has been a great partner. We really appreciate what they bring to the table and their energy and passion.

The upcoming online Summer Church Camp is pretty exciting, too. We ordered a kit from Illustrated Ministries called Compassion Camp as the base for the project, but we are adding to that by creating a St. John’s Compassion Camp website where families can access all kinds of resources to help them talk to their kids about anti-racism, social justice, inclusion, empathy and more. There will be a Google Classroom page for the kids to post pictures of their projects and share their thoughts. Camp will last six weeks. Each week will start with a one-hour Zoom session on Sunday where we set up the sub-theme for the week and then the rest of the materials the families will access online. My teaching partner from school and great friend, Nikki Cooper, is helping me with the tech side of things. She is amazing, and I treasure her.

The best part of my ministry is the community we are building here, one that extends beyond the walls of the church. I am working with people who really understand the concept of “love thy neighbour,” and that this means all our neighbours. To be part of such a dynamic congregation that just rises to every challenge and opportunity with such welcoming arms and positive energy is such an amazing experience, and I feel very, very fortunate. I don’t really feel that there is a worst part to my role; perhaps just the lack of hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. But I am learning patience. I am in the Education For Ministry (EFM) program. Shane Watson is our mentor. I am learning a lot from him about giving things time to happen.

I was born in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. I went to Bishop’s University and Université de Sherbrooke, and later University of Toronto. I moved to Peterborough in 1991 to teach French. I lived and worked there for about 14 years. Starting in the late 1990s, I started visiting Port Hope and fell in love with the town. It felt like home as soon as I came off Highway 28 that very first time. I bought my house here in 2005 and plan to never leave. When I first started attending at St. John’s, I helped out with the Christmas Story. The Christmas Story has been a Port Hope tradition for 60 years. The current director is Kathy Mason, and she is so wise and talented. I did a lot of sewing for the Christmas Story, usually taking down or putting up hems, because if the shepherds were short last year, for sure they’ll all be tall this year, or vice-versa. Ditto for the angels. A lot of my students from my day job are part of Christmas Story, so it felt like going home, too.

I had a very chaotic childhood. My family was very poor, my parents were often ill. The neighbourhood we lived in had a lot of problems such as family violence, alcohol and drug use, and exploitation of children and the elderly. I saw a lot of things when I was little, but hope didn’t factor onto the list. The names of God and Jesus were curse words shouted in anger, not comfort words. It was a hard place to be a kid. Then one of my school teachers encouraged me to go to Sunday School, and because I loved and respected her, I went. There, I saw an alternative to hopelessness. In Christianity, I saw a way to live life with dignity. This dignity did not depend on how much money you had, the clothes you wore or the kind of home you lived in. Dignity came from the understanding that I was a beloved child of God and as such had value that the world couldn’t take away.

I believe that the purpose of our lives is to praise God by working to ensure that everyone gets to live in dignity, to feel valued and to experience hope. That is what I try to do, and the Church provides me with the foundation to engage in that work while at the same time being the recipient of the work of others. I am extremely grateful to have been received into the community of the Anglican Church and into my church family at St. John the Evangelist. From Fr. Jesse Parker and the whole congregation, I am learning so much and feel so loved, words fail me.

I retire from teaching in a couple of weeks. I hope that I will be able to continue working with the amazing people in my church community and the wider community. I hope to learn more and grow in understanding, with God’s help, and to continue to take part in community building. I have a very big soft spot for young families. I really do feel that the road for young parents today is a hard one. I love kids, but increasingly, I believe that you can’t support kids without supporting their families. That is the filter through which I look at a lot of things now.

I have a few favourite passages from scripture, but I am particularly partial to Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” When things are looking grim, like on the news most nights, and the challenges seem great, that passage calms me and I trust in the underlying and undeniable wholeness of Creation.

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In many ways, the Canadian and American contexts are the same. Black people continue to endure the same pain visited upon us by the systemic racism that has infected every institution, including our Church. Saying that “we are not like the Americans” does not absolve us from confronting the sin of racism, nor does it erase the fact that slavery existed in Canada and that racism and racial segregation exist now as they did in the past.

Our hands are not clean, nor have they ever been! To set the record straight, when New France was conquered by the British in 1759, approximately 3,600 enslaved people (Indigenous and Black) had lived in the settlement since its beginnings. That Canada was the terminus for the Underground Railroad in the mid‐ 1800s does not invalidate these issues of slavery and racism in our country.

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked when or if he would apologize for Canada’s history of the enslavement of African people (a recommendation in the 2017 United Nations Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its Mission to Canada), he replied, “We will continue to work with the Black community on the things we need to do.” This affirms the Canadian reluctance to acknowledge that racial slavery was a constituent part of our colonial origins, national consciousness and legacies that are present today in our society and institutions.

The ambiguity of episcopal support was evident in our House of Bishops’ response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police, in their statement in June. The compassion, commitment and condemnation of acts of oppression usually expressed towards the Indigenous community, which are important, were absent in reference to the plight of Blacks in Canada and the issue of anti-Black racism. The statement did not mention the word “Black,” except in the reference to “Immigration policies restricted Black, Asian and Jewish immigrants.” There was no indication that our bishops were standing in solidarity with the issues of anti-Black racism in Canada or with the marches and protests across the globe! The opportunity to identify with those issues and to name the racism that exists toward Black people in Canada, in general, and Black Anglicans in our Church, was squandered.

The bishops went on to say that, “It is a matter of public record that The Anglican Church of Canada has been committed to and learning about a new path to reconciliation with Indigenous Anglicans. We recommit ourselves today to that path.” This begs the question, “What is the record of commitment to Black people and other non-white people?” Again, benign neglect!

The bishops further stated that they “repented” of their complicity in the continuing structures of racism and oppression in our Church and society, by naming racism as a sin.

The Church speaks of repentance but it can only do so if we are prepared to acknowledge that repentance demands a recognition that there is a problem, a resolve to repair it, a reorientation of minds, hearts and wills, and a response that will bring about change. The penitent Church must be the paragon of compassion. The compassionate Church cannot be an observer on the sidelines, reluctant to judge the values by which racism is allowed to take root. It must be disposed to listening, open to being transformed by reality, and accountable for being contributory to the situation, where that is the case.

With cautious optimism, I welcome the bishops’ “re-commitment” of “ourselves and our dioceses to confront the sin of racism in all its forms and the patterns of silence and self-congratulation, which have silenced the experiences of people of colour, First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of this land.” I do so because I have seen the words “Black” and “racism” mentioned more in the last three months in our Church media and by our bishops, than I have seen in my 27 years serving in this diocese.

Bishop Asbil wrote the following in July: “It is time to challenge and to question how structures shape our attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and bias. We must understand and confront white privilege, institutional and systemic racism that so many of us have been blind to for too long. And we must not be afraid to become agents of transformation.”

At long last, the message may have gotten through. Time’s up. We have to move from studies, surveys and statements, to making bold, transformative decisions that will change the face of our Church in Canada.

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However, instead of landing in Toronto, the aircraft circles the airport for several hours until the fuel runs dangerously low. It is finally allowed to land at Downsview, where it sits for days, while the crew are not allowed to leave. When the crew ask why, officials shrug their shoulders; the rules are in flux, so everyone has to stay on board, in isolation.

The crew become very frustrated. They are not able to connect with their families, as there is no WiFi on board. They are fed, and there are beds and showers in the first-class compartment. And there are certainly lots of movies. But personal contact with the outside world is very limited. They aren’t sure if they’re being paid or not; most importantly, no one can or will tell them when their isolation will end.

Now, substitute this scenario for a ship’s crew. Substitute the aircraft for a cargo or cruise ship and you will have some idea of what has been happening with seafarers around the world since the first major outbreak of COVID-19 on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess on Feb. 4. Eventually all the passengers were released and flew home, but what about the crew?

As of mid-June, more than 40,000 crew members remain on cruise ships, some in isolation. Many are unable to be repatriated because cruise lines would have to charter flights to return them home and they refuse to cover the costs. With many airlines cancelling flights and countries’ rules about crossing borders changing rapidly, the opportunities for seafarers to return home are simply not available. The condition is incredibly stressful: multiple suicides have been reported as a sense of hopelessness descends on thousands of seafarers who are being treated so cavalierly by governments, institutions and their own employers.

Many seafarers on commercial vessels are working months longer than their contracts stipulated. Most contracts run about 9 to 11 months, yet we have met many seafarers in our Canadian ports whose contracts have been arbitrarily extended to as many as 17 months. Most of this is a result of incoming crew changes: borders are closed to “foreigners” and flights simply don’t exist to enable travel. Crew changes and repatriation are at a standstill.

To make matters worse, most seafarers arriving in Canada have already been in a position to self-isolate for at least 14 days, but they have not been allowed off their ships for fear of bringing in COVID-19. In fact, it is we landlubbers who pose the far greater risk, yet seafarers are being treated as pariahs.

Late on June 30, Transport Canada and the federal government made Canada one of the first countries in the world to facilitate shore leave, crew changes and repatriation for seafarers. Previously, seafarers were only allowed off their vessels to the bottom of the gangway; now, they are able to visit “seafarers welfare facilities” for a “controlled visit” of up to four hours. Prior to that, a “seafarers welfare worker” (i.e., a Mission to Seafarers ship visitor) met the crew, picked up their shopping list and headed out to pick up such items as groceries, socks, toiletries and medication (remember, they arrived with the amount of meds needed for an original contract, not the extended version). One ship’s crew requested 100 bags of Lay’s potato chips. This would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

Most importantly, Canada is one of the few countries in the world that have declared seafarers to be “essential personnel.”

The next time you enter a grocery store, a dollar store, or any other multi-purpose department-style store, think of the sacrifices made by the world’s seafarers to ensure that we are able to continue to buy all the things we need. Remember that it is the seafarers who ensure the supply chains stay open and operational – transport trucks and trains need the cargo ships to arrive before they can load their own cargo. And please think about 1.7 million seafarers and their families who are still “up in the air.”

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Alongside the devastation wrought by COVID-19, this summer has brutally reminded us of the devasting legacy and present reality of the sin of racism. The deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, amongst so many others, have not only shone a light on anti-Black violence, but have highlighted the persistent and insidious nature of structural racism, both in the U.S. and here in Canada. As a white woman of privilege, while I am aware that the sin of racism infects my own heart, I also acknowledge that I cannot fully understand the impact and effects of racism on my racialized brothers and sisters. This summer, as part of my own education, I am reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree by the late James H. Cone. If you haven’t read this seminal work, do.

I can’t breathe were the last words of George Floyd. I can’t breathe are the words of many who have been suffocating under the weight of systemic racism and violence for centuries. Racism is smothering the beauty of God’s rich and diverse creation, and racism will smother our ability to follow the God of mission in the Diocese of Toronto. Racism sucks breath and life out of people, so we can be comforted and rejoice with the prophet Job (33:4) that “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Lament is not simply the shedding of tears but is crying out to our Heavenly Father in pain. It is prayer, at the invitation of God, to renew our confidence that in Jesus Christ all things are being made new and the Spirit of God is being poured out on all flesh. As the current Diversity Officer for the Diocese of Toronto, I am working closely with the Intercultural Committee to bring anti-racism and anti-bias training to our diocese this fall. This training will be mandatory for all clergy and leaders of diocesan committees. While under no illusions that such training will “solve the problem,” it is my hope that it will raise awareness about systemic racism and galvanize the people of God across our diocese to pray and work alongside each other on this painful, yet hope filled, journey.

Part of our vocation, as people learning how to follow Jesus, is to allow the breath of the Almighty to call us to truth telling, and then repentance and reconciliation, so that more and more people, reflecting the marvelous diversity of creation, can experience hope and new life. The well known and beloved prayer of St. Francis seems an appropriate prayer to pray together as a diocese as we journey forward in these extraordinary days.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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“We had some concerns about whether we could conduct the service safely,” he says.

That same day, the Diocese of Toronto provided guidelines to suspend in-person worship at all its parishes in response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though church buildings were closed, Mr. Webb wanted to keep parishioners connected to the church. Absent an obvious solution, he prayed for advice: “God, give me guidance to keep people focused on you.”

Then came a revelation. “I had this idea of drive-through blessings.”

On Palm Sunday – the first day that he offered drive-through prayers – 30 parishioners came to the church’s parking lot to receive blessings.

“I thought, ‘if we just have one person come out, then I’ll do it again,’” he says. “That day got us going.”

Since that first Sunday, he has been offering prayers and blessings in the parking lot of the church to about 20 parishioners every week. Now, his Sunday mornings consist of hosting a Bible study on Zoom from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., and from 10 a.m. until noon he provides prayers to a lineup of physically distanced parishioners who can catch up and connect with each other.

“Parishioners have enjoyed seeing other parishioners when they come,” he says. “It’s given them a way to feel connected. It’s given them time to reflect on what they’ve missed and what they appreciate.”

Most often, they ask him to pray for protection from COVID-19, for their neighbours, for compassion, for frontline workers, for those suffering from the virus and for those who have lost a loved one during the pandemic. The response from parishioners shows that they are craving a worshipping community when they can’t gather in person, he says.

On top of offering drive-through blessings, he has been trying anything he can to create and maintain connected communities among parishioners during the pandemic. He has set up a YouTube channel to post pre-recorded sermons and sent packages to every parishioner containing small crosses and a reflection guide to remind them of the certainty of Christ in these uncertain times.

“I was game to experiment and adapt on the fly,” he says. “I’m up to try anything to get people thinking of one another and thinking of Jesus.”

When he came to the Church of the Incarnation less than a year ago, he couldn’t have imagined that he would be praying for parishioners from the parking lot, but he is grateful for the chance to keep people connected to the church even if they aren’t physically in the church.

“There was no sense that there was going to be a pandemic, but God doesn’t waste anything,” he says. “There have been many positives that have occurred already and many more that will come.”

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