Embracing Refugees: Exploring the Role of Christian Faith in Creating Welcoming Communities

Stories affecting refugees and people seeking asylum continue to dominate our news cycle. Whether it be protests outside hotels accommodating people seeking asylum, the war in Ukraine, or the boats crossing the English Channel… there are countless examples of lives getting caught up in politics. These stories are about real people, many of whom are known by name to our church communities across the UK.

There is a strong, clear biblical mandate to welcome the stranger, and to offer hospitality in our church communities to all those fleeing war and persecution. Welcome Churches exists to enable the UK Church to fulfil this Biblical mandate in 2023, particularly if you are struggling to know how to respond as a church to the multiple headlines we continue to see in the news each week. Here are some simple examples of how you can start to respond as a church to this incredibly important issue in today’s world:

• Teach what the Bible says about welcoming refugees. Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 of ‘Welcome the stranger’ are an obvious place to start, however, there are so many more references throughout the Bible that can be used to show how important this issue is to God!

• Share our ‘Find Your Welcome’ video on your church’s social media to let refugees know that you are so pleased that they are here!

• Use the Mercy song in your church service to enable your prayers for all those seeking refuge.

• Make your church a Welcome Churches Mission Partner to show how welcoming refugees is a priority in your church financial giving too.

• Join our Welcome Network so refugees can easily find your church community if they move to your area.

And those are just some starting points! There is so much more that your church can do to welcome refugees, and we would love to explore what that looks like for you in your unique setting. Get in touch with our Church Engagement Team today to find out how we can help you become a truly refugee-welcoming church community in 2023.