At General Synod and General Assembly 2015, Global Ministries is launching the Middle East Initiative. The Global Ministries Middle East Initiative invites the whole church to focus on the region of the Middle East for the next 18 months, through the end of 2016. Through highlighting aspects of mission and partnership, the Initiative offers an opportunity for the church to become familiar with the range of denominational partners in the region, the issues they face, and the context in which they face them.
While this initiative is being led by Global Ministries, the whole church is invited to participate, including general ministries, Regions and Conferences and, of course, local churches. In anticipation of the launch, various leaders from both the UCC and Disciples are traveling to the Middle East to visit partners that work in the region, learning from them about their contexts, how they are seeking to address vital issues, and how we can all walk together in solidarity with one another. We will begin our trip in Amman, Jordan, and we invite you to journey, learn, and be inspired with us by the faith and lives of our partners.
Trip participants include:
Jon Barnes, Executive for Mission Education, Global Ministries
Ron Degges, President, Division of Homeland Ministries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Pat Donahoo, Executive Director, Disciples Women
Chris Dorsey, President, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
J. Bennett Guess, Executive Minister, Local Church Ministries, United Church of Christ
Peter Makari, Executive for the Europe and the Middle East, Global Ministries
Katie McCloskey, Director, Social Responsibility, United Church Funds
James Moos, Co-Executive of Global Ministries and Executive Minister, Wider Church Ministries, UCC
Sharon Moos
Anthony Moujaes, United Church News
Mary Schaller Blaufuss, Team Leader, Global Sharing of Resources, United Church of Christ
Paul Tche, Moderator-Elect, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Bernard Wilson, Chair, United Church of Christ Board
We hope that you will participate with us in these coming months as we seek to build on an enduring legacy, sustain hope for the future, and envision together a just peace for the region and our world.
Follow DOC/UCC Leadership Pilgrimage to the Middle East Blog in the coming days to share in the learnings of this trip.
By Jon Barnes, Executive of Mission Education, Global Ministries
Read an Article about our journey today posted on the UCC News website.
Day 1:
We stood nervously in line at the immigration control desk at the airport in Amman, Jordan, waiting to be given permission to enter the country for a visit with church partners. This group of thirteen seasoned travelers, leaders in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), had all the necessary documents in hand. Yet, I found myself swaying from foot to foot as each person in the group stepped up to the desk to receive that stamp on the passport indicating we could cross over into Jordan. The relief felt physical as I picked up my own bags and joined colleagues in stepping officially over the international border into the beginnings of our eagerly anticipated solidarity and accompaniment visit in the Middle East.
The experience made me reflect once again on the journey of refugees. What would it feel like to journey toward, and hopefully across, that international border without documents or not sure if your temporary documents will be accepted once you step up to the officer? We arrived for two weeks with multiple bags. Refugees arrive with what can be carried. We left loved ones safely at home and miss them. Refugees leave loved ones in unknown or continuing dangerous situations and miss them.
My
reflections on refugees crossing borders were reinforced during visits
arranged by the Orthodox Initiative of the Middle East Council of
Churches. Throughout the day, we met with refugees and with those in
Jordan who work long term and tirelessly with them. We sat in a church
parlor with families from Syria and from Iraq, both Mosul and Baghdad,
as they told us their stories. They were stories of experiencing
violence and extreme fear. We heard of the love of parents for their
children and fear for their safety and for their futures. And while
expressing gratitude for Jordanians offering immediate safety and
refuge, frustrations poured out about the long wait for resettlement
possibilities and the lack of work visas or residency permits in
Jordan. Wafa, the head of the Orthodox Initiative spent much of the day
translating between English and Arabic languages. At times, she would
add her own commentary, “These refugees from Syria and Iraq are just
like us. They are at home eating and working and going to school and
suddenly they are fleeing with their home burning behind them.”This despair, hopelessness and frustration is very real. No easy answers exist in this complex and complicated reality. We saw the faces, heard the stories, hugged the shoulders and kissed both cheeks of those who struggle. But that is not all we experienced today.
The
delegation also visited a youth community center near Karak, a couple
of hours’ drive south in Jordan from Amman. The Orthodox Initiative is
working with a local university to establish a residential youth center
to address the long term needs of refugees and the host community. This
youth center will build bridges between distinct groups - including
participants who are Syrian refugees, Iraqi refugees, and Palestinians
who were refugees in 1948 and 1967 and now are Jordanian citizens. It
will build bridges of hope. This is a poor area of the country with few
employment opportunities. Jordan does not have the infrastructure to
enable the refugee youth to attend school. Fears of extremist groups
luring youth through social media with enticements of payment and
purpose lay heavy on the hearts of adults in their lives. This youth
center will provide education, vocational training, mentoring by those
who can guide them in ways other than extremist groups, opportunities to
play ball outside, and the possibility to make new friends. At the
heart of this work is the dignity of each person and of all the
community together. It is a long-term, whole-person, and community
approach.
While
with the refugee families, we thanked them for strengthening our faith
through their witness, promising our continued advocacy on their behalf
for peace in the region and for resettlement opportunities. When one in
our delegation asked, “What do you ask when you pray to God?” The
reply was, “Forgive me if there is anything wrong I have done. Help all
the poor people. Help all those suffering from illness and poverty.
And never let my enemy see what I saw when women and children left home
in fear in the middle of the night.”International border crossings are rarely easy. Fleeing violence and living an uncertain future are incomprehensible to one who has not experienced such uprootedness. What our new friends found in the local and wider church in Jordan though is a safe space that offers a place to wait and to hope - a new kind of home. The prayers of all of us continue together.
By Mary Schaller Blaufuss, Team Leader, Global Sharing of Resources, United Church of Christ.
Read an Article about our journey today posted on the UCC News website.
Day 2
Baptisms, Borders, and Bridges
We
began the day with driving west from Amman to visit the site where
Jesus was baptized on the Jordan river. That is to say, it is the site
where most archeologist and scholars say he was baptized. The area is
called "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" and near the baptismal site the King
of Jordan set aside land to be made available for a number of churches
with a historic presence in the region to build churches there. The
scene is spectacular.The site of the churches sits high on a hill overlooking the Jordan river valley. From this site you can look down into the valley and across the river you can see the Israeli occupied territory of the Palestinian West Bank. Our guide was pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. He led us down a quiet winding path toward the baptismal site. Along the way he pointed out some of the additional features of the area, which included baptismal pools, hermitage caves, and the ruins of 5th century monasteries. The facility around the baptismal is designed to accommodate a constant parade of a thousands of
visitors
a day. Today there are only a few of us, so we are able to explore the
area at a leisurely pace. After we see the baptism site, we walk further
down toward the riverbank. There we see the border between Jordan and
the Israeli occupied territory of the Palestinian West Bank.At this point of the Jordan, the river is no more than 30 feet across. The barrier between the countries consist of a pool type line of 'floaties' that presumably couldn't keep even a child from crossing over. But there are cameras watching and undoubtedly there are armed guards nearby, out of sight, who would appear instantly if someone were to try to cross. But, for the experience of the visitors, the area must look and feel as peaceful as possible: the way Jesus would have experienced it. Looking across the barrier there is an Israeli controlled visitor center and a steady stream of tourists who are visiting what they are told is the site where Jesus was baptized. They come from many different countries, don baptismal gowns and wade into the water, there at the border to experience and connect with the One who routinely transgressed borders (both geographical and social) to speak of peace, justice. But no one dares cross this border.
As we leave the site, we walk back up toward the hill we came from and across a small wooden bridge. Our guide makes the comment. The problem with this region is that there are many borders and people are very good at constructing barriers and walls, but there aren't enough bridges. We returned to our vehicles to prepare for our journey across the renowned King Hussein / Allenby bridge into the Israeli occupied territory of the Palestinian West Bank.
The process defies sufficient explanation. We had to check in on the Jordanian side with passport control and have our bags scanned before loading onto the bus. Having heard stories of the challenges of getting through the checkpoint, we were all anxious about the journey across the bridge. As we drove toward the occupied territories, this border was very different from the serene and minimally secured border near the baptism site. There were concrete barricades, barbed wire fences, and very visible guards with military grade weapons throughout the area. The bus arrived on the other side of the border and began the entry process of winding our way through passport control, magnetometers, and other elaborate border control measures. One thing became clear, the Palestinians who were making the journey were being put through additional measures and interrogation along the way.
Having made it across the bridge and after successfully completing the entry process, we boarded a private bus to travel to the next stop on our trip: Jericho. Jericho is said to be the oldest continuously settled city in the world. There we encountered bridges of a different sort.
Our
first stop was at the YWCA of Palestine. We had the chance to see the
facility where volunteers and clients learn to prepare and package food
to be sold in the region. It is an empowerment and training program
specifically designed to help women, while providing opportunities for
self-sustaining food independence in the region. We also heard about the
history of YWCA and the many other programs they support. These program
help women and their families deal with the harsh realities of living
in the occupied territory. They connect women with resources and with
job opportunities. The other site we visited was a youth service center
for youth and young adults that was run mostly by young adults. It was a
place where young Palestinians can go to socialize, learn life-skills,
and get connected with educational and job opportunities. These
represent bridges to a more hopeful future.We left Jericho to complete our journey for the day by driving to Jerusalem. It was an interestingly complex day. A day of baptism, borders and bridges.
By Chris Dorsey, President, Higher Education and Leadership Ministries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Read an Article about our journey today posted on the UCC News website.
Day 3
Walls and Bridges
The visit to the Middle East is so full of experiences and thoughts it is difficult to try to put them together coherently. We bounce from the weight of all the history of this region to the awe of the details of our faith story tied to every location we visit.
We knew that sometimes the crossing from Jordan to Israel can be very slow, detailed, and frustrating. We also knew that sometimes, the answer is "no." While we visited Jordan the anticipation of that time hung in the back of our minds.
We walked the path down to the baptismal pool where historical evidence of churches and shrines marks what is believed to be the place where Jesus, against the Baptizer's objections, was baptized by John...where the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. It was a time to remember our own baptisms as well as the significance of this place. The path that led there required a slow pace which presumably gave Jesus some rare time alone which, perhaps, prepared him to make this request of John.
As
we walked further on to the place where the Jordan River separates
Jordan and Israel we were surprised to find that at least in these times
of troubled ecology and lack of water the river crossing was small
enough we could walk across it. Of course our political times would not
permit this. On the Israel bank was a large ornate modern building where
tourists came out in large groups, some jumping in the water in their
underwear and others wearing white robes to be baptized in that part of
the Jordan River. We meditated on the contrast between the wilderness
walk to the baptismal pool and the more commercialized feel of the
opposite side...the two sides separated by a rope...a wall but no
bridge.We met with the pastor of the Lutheran church there near the baptismal pool and he remarked, "we have too many walls and not enough bridges." Exactly what that separation at the Jordan River symbolized.
As it turns out our crossing into Israel was uneventful...a bridge performing the function of a bridge.
Today
we went into the walled off area of Palestine. We traveled through a
checkpoint and followed a wall that seemed endless...a wall that
separates God's people from God's people. We took some pictures of the
wall where the Palestinians had tried to make it a wall with a new
purpose...there was artwork, social commentary, nonviolent resistance,
pleas for change, etc. One particularly notable message was "Mr.
Netanyahu, tear down this wall" recalling another wall that divided a
people. There were beautiful designs and scriptures but the message was
again "we have too many walls and not enough bridges."For us as people of faith the walls that need the most attention are those walls we build in our minds and in our hearts. We build walls of ignorance and think we know a person's situation by what others tell us about that person. We build walls of racism or xenophobia because we are told only the negative story of a group of people...not even knowing if those stories are true or if it is "spin."
The
story of the people of the Middle East reminds us of our American
story...we build walls much more efficiently than we build bridges.The bridge in our experience so far is what we were most anxious about. And, yet, the bridge allowed us to view the region from both sides of the Jordan River and was a blessing to our growing understanding and our experience of faith in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
Is this the story of who we are? Do we find security in walls and anxiety and fear in bridges? Is this who we are called to be?
Tonight I am considering what walls I build and if they get in the way of my bridge building.
By Pat Donahoo, Executive Director, Disciples Women
Day 4
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show
hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels
without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:1-2
Hospitality is one of the most important aspects of many cultures
around the world. Having lived internationally in southern Africa, I
have had the opportunity to experience the warmth and grace of strangers
opening their homes, sharing a meal and offering an invitation to
engage deeply in conversation and life. Sometimes these are once off
experiences and one is grateful for paths crossed. Other times,
hospitality leads to lifelong friendships of love and care that are true
gifts to all involved.
Today
our delegation visited Hebron. It is a place filled with history. As
the burial site of the patriarchs and matriarchs, it is considered a
holy city for Jews, Muslims and Christians. It is specifically
associated with Abraham and, for Muslims and Jews, the Ibrahimi Mosque
and Abraham's Synagogue. However, it is also a place filled with a
history of violence and pain, including the massacres of both Jews and
Arabs in 1929 and 1994. Unfortunately, violence and pain continues today. While we have heard much about life for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories since our arrival two days ago, we experienced this in a much more profound and visceral way as we were led through the city by young people working with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), a church program that places human rights monitors in the Occupied Territories to document and report cases of human rights abuses. The city is divided into areas of control, with the Palestinian Authority overseeing some zones, Israelis in charge of settlements in and around the city, and some areas of divided control. To regulate the movement of Palestinians, there are eighteen checkpoints throughout the city, run by the Israeli Defense Force. Today, our group experienced life in Hebron in a small way, accompanied by EAPPI monitors, who helped us navigate both the winding streets as well as the armed checkpoints.
As
we walked, they shared their experiences over the past weeks of serving
as human rights monitors. We heard about the growth of Israeli
settlements and the displacement of Palestinian families. We heard
about the daily harassment of Palestinians, including children on their
way to school. They shared their personal experiences of interviewing
youth as young as 15 years old who had been arrested by security forces,
emotionally and even physically abused, and sometimes even imprisoned
for simply responding to settler provocations. Everywhere we walked, we
saw evidence of the occupation in the form of armed soldiers, watch
towers, barbed wire and barricades, all part of the profound subjugation
of Palestinians living in Hebron today. As we walked, one person in
our delegation remarked to me that “I can feel the oppression around
us. It is palpable.”
Near
the end of our time, we were told that, before leaving, we would eat
lunch together. We followed our guides off of a larger road to a side
alley and then up a narrow flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs,
we entered into a large, welcoming room that had been prepared for us. I
don’t know about others in the group, but as I was invited to sit and
to eat, the oppression and hatred that had been felt so profoundly
melted away. And as we sat and talked, learning each other’s names,
sharing about our families, learning from one another’s stories, a peace
came over that place.Hospitality humanizes and invites us to share our lives with others. In the midst of oppression and open hostility, we were invited into a sacred space of welcome and peace that was simply overwhelming. Is it possible for peace to come in Israel/Palestine? While walking the streets of Hebron today, it seems difficult to imagine. But we also experienced hospitality and grace. We experienced openness and care. We experienced, in the home of our Muslim host family, an encounter with the holy. And, even in the midst of oppression and hatred, it offered us a word of hope.
By Jon Barnes, Executive of Mission Education, Global Ministries
Day 5
Let’s Go
“Yallah.” In every place we’ve been, this has been uttered nearly constantly. It’s Arabic for “Let’s go” which can be used, for example, to indicate that chit chat over breakfast is finished and the group must hoof it somewhere. But as our learning and sharing has deepened in the Middle East, yallah is taking on another meaning – a reminder that time is fleeting and action must commence.
Most things here in East Jerusalem are complicated. Time is no exception. Many Palestinians here “have too much time on their hands” because the conditions on the ground prevent the creation of a meaningful job market and they don’t have the right to travel freely to find work or new opportunities. On the other hand, we are told again and again by our partners in the region that on a daily basis the lucky, employed Palestinians face hours of waiting time to go through checkpoints to get to get to their (mostly agricultural) jobs in Israel. These people wake in the middle of the night to ensure that they get to work on time so as not to jeopardize their work permits. So time also comes at a premium here.
There
is no exception for children. After meeting the children at the vibrant
primary school Rawdat al Zuhur (Garden of Flowers), a partner
institution of Global Ministries, it is hard to imagine that these kids
may wait hours to get through checkpoints to get to class. Inside the
walls of the school these children bloom. The school has modern
amenities while maintaining traditions. We were delighted to watch girls
and boys dance the dabkeh, a high-stepping line dance. 226
children from kindergarten through grade 6 learn English, Hebrew, the
arts, math and science in this wonderful haven. Many of our delegation
will long feel the bittersweet emotion of joining a classroom of
Palestinian children singing “We Shall Overcome.”
The
Tantur Ecumenical Institute, on a hill in Jerusalem on the way to
Bethlehem, welcomed us next. We learned about this place of
scholasticism and retreat before being honored by the opportunity to
speak with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib Younan, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. We had a far ranging conversation -
but the highlights were his requests of us, American Christians:- Speak about Jerusalem and the injustice and encroachment that is happening here
- Stop the settlements in any way you can - including boycotting those products made in settlements
- Speak about the inequity in resource sharing - especially water
- Support the right of return for Palestinians
- Don't accept "aspirin for cancer" by applauding acts by politicians that are so diminutive as to make no difference to the situation on the ground
We
stopped at a tiny falafel shop near the Mt of Olives. Israeli Police
presence was inexplicably heavy as middle school and teenagers walked
home from school, and then tensions rose as the police donned riot gear
and made a show of having their tear gas guns and machine guns raised
and ready. When they walked down the road a bit, 30-40 nursery school
children came out of the school that the police had been right in front
of. A young Palestinian man watching our delegation said to us "You
should go away now if you don't want to get shot. Go into your church
and pray." Despite his warnings, we stayed. By standing there a little
while longer, we learned that a 17 year old boy had been shot 10 times
at point blank range by the police there a week ago.This event laid heavy on our visits to the Mt. of Olives, the Garden of Gethesmane, the Church of All Nations, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The sites of Jesus's persecution and death continue to be linked to persecution and death.
We
then boarded the bus to Ramallah to meet with Omar Barghouti, the
co-founder of BDS Palestine. The BDS Palestine movement has grown in
leaps and bounds since its inception in 2005, asking for the
international community to boycott products, divest of companies, and
call for sanctions against the Israeli Occupation. Part of the growth of
support for these actions can be attributed to what the world saw
happening in Gaza last year, Dr. Barghouti explained. He reminded us
that John Dugard, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for
Israel-Palestine said the "litmus test for human rights” is Israel
Palestine. If you fail here, you fail on human rights. His thoughts and
information were especially helpful in light of the UCC General Synod
Resolution that will be deliberated in June, but he also illuminated for
us that doing right by the Palestinians was in accordance with, not
opposed to, doing right by the African American communities in Ferguson,
Baltimore, and all the places in our country that are seeking justice
from racially motivated oppression.
We
ended the evening by sharing a meal with Jean Zaru, the clerk of the
Friends Meeting in Ramallah and a long-time collaborator with Global
Ministries. An outspoken advocate for Palestinians and women, Jean is
the only female head of communion in the Middle East. Jean's deep faith
and intellect captivated our group and left us wiser. Two things Jean
said are particularly instructive to our delegation: “God will not
choose you at the expense of the liberty of others” and “There are many
things in the Bible that need to change with the times.”So here we are again at the crux of it: Time is pressing in and changing circumstances and calling us to act. We have been tasked. Yallah.
By Katie McCloskey, Director, Social Responsibility, United Church Funds
Day 6
We
have left Jerusalem, a city at the heart of what is typically called
“the Holy Land.” For centuries, Christian pilgrims have come to the
Church of the Holy Sepulture. Within its expansive space tradition
locates the places of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The most
sacred site in Judaism is the Western Wall, a retaining wall dating to
the time of King Herod; it is thought to be the closest place to the
former temple. Jerusalem is also home to the Dome of the Rock and
al-Aqsa Mosque, which are among the most sacred sites for Muslims. All
of these holy places are located within a few blocks of each other. And
yet, it is precisely holiness that is in desperately short supply in
this land called “holy.”
In
east Jerusalem, where these and other sacred places are located,
Palestinian residents have a precarious existence. While their
ancestors may have lived in the city for centuries, they now must have
residency permits, permits that are subject to revocation without
notice. Here, as in the occupied territories, Palestinian houses are
regularly demolished and Palestinian children grow up passing through
military checkpoints, even on their way to school. We ate lunch
standing on a street where, last week, a 17 year old Palestinian boy was
shot and killed at point-blank range by security forces. Police
carrying automatic weapons and tear gas launchers stood nearby as we
ate.Throughout our visit to Israel and Palestine, we have heard many stories of injustices and we have seen some of those injustices with our own eyes. Clearly, Palestinians bear the brunt of the suffering, but Israelis are also negatively impacted. The occupation is a cancer on the soul of Israel which seeks ever elusive security through violence and repression. Among the other pieces of graffiti on the separation barrier at Bethlehem, I found this message from a Palestinian to Israel: “We may be trapped by your wall, but you will always be trapped by the truth.”
It’s
important to note that there are Israelis who recognize the injustice
of the occupation and are committed to action. We were pleased to visit
Global Ministries partner B’Tselem, the Israeli information center for
human rights in the occupied territories whose work informs the global
advocacy movement.However inspiring the stone edifices that pilgrims and tourists alike flock to, they are not the source of true holiness. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all recognize the prophetic tradition, which has a clear message of justice. Justice demands an end to the occupation for the sake of Palestinians and Israelis, and for the sake of regional and global peace. It is only when justices is restored that the Holy Land will live up to its name.
