Report from this conference exploring how churches are responding to the call to offer sanctuary.
Church of Sanctuary
Churches should be welcoming places of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
Sanctuary is a long-standing prophetic theme of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and the idea of a Church of Sanctuary has evolved from the City of Sanctuary movement, building cultures of welcome, hospitality and safety. There were over 100 cities/towns/boroughs/areas in Britain and Ireland working with the City of Sanctuary vision as of June 2017.
There are excellent initiatives being taken today by churches and church groups building welcome, hospitality and sanctuary alongside refugees and those seeking sanctuary.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is working with Rev Inderjit Bhogal, a former president of the British Methodist Conference, on the Church of Sanctuary project to encourage local congregations to become churches of sanctuary.
Website
We publish posts related to the Church of Sanctuary project below, but there is also a dedicated website.
How six churches in Lichfield became Faith Places of Sanctuary
By Rev Warren Bardsley, Supernumerary Presbyter, Tamworth and Lichfield Circuit. Lichfield is a Cathedral city in South Staffordshire with a growing population. Lichfield District City of Sanctuary came into being following a meeting in March 2019 attended by some fifty people at which the speaker was the Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal, founder of […]
Discover how Chester Cathedral became a Cathedral of Sanctuary
By Rev Dr Jane Brooke, former Canon Missioner and Vice Dean, Chester Cathedral. I was appointed as Canon Chancellor and Canon Librarian at Chester Cathedral with a responsibility for education in 2010 and then from 2019 as Canon Missioner and Vice Dean with a responsibility for outreach in the community. I consider hospitality and ‘welcoming […]
Sanctuary Sunday 23 June 2024
Take part in Sanctuary Sunday to help build cultures of welcome, hospitality and safety in our churches.
Comment: Immigration is not a crime – Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal
Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal will be presenting a workshop at the Church of Sanctuary Conference on Saturday 8 June 2024, in Birmingham. In advance of the event, he provides a comment on social justice in immigration. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has recorded that over 100 million people have fled their homes because of […]
Church of Sanctuary in action
The Brighton & Hove Methodist Circuit Refugee Project, was set up in January 2022. It is an integral part of living out our faith. Jesus said, ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ [Matthew 25:35]. Three of our members, in liaison with our Circuit Meeting, were inspired to set up the project after seeing […]
The Rwanda bill, April 2024
The so-called Rwanda bill is unethical. It aims to scare already traumatised refugees away from the shores of the UK. It reflects a callous mindset. It brushes aside the UK Supreme Court which ruled it to be unlawful and defies international commitments to human rights and protecting refugees, including the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees […]
A prayer for Racial Justice Sunday
Migrant God, unbound and free from borders, your presence spans the universe. In all our travel and travail, you are the constant companion of all, in you is our eternal rest and refuge. In Jesus who had nowhere to lay his head, you reveal yourself taking sanctuary among us. We behold you still in the […]
Speak up for Sanctuary handbook and training
City of Sanctuary UK has introduced a new programme “designed to support people who may have little or no previous campaigning experience to recognise their power in making change, to speak up for refugee rights and to supercharge efforts to build welcoming and compassionate communities”. The programme consists of a 1.5 hour webinar and a […]
Hospitality and Sanctuary for All: The Hook Lecture 2023
Responding to refugees with Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal. How can we respond to the call to welcome refugees to Leeds and build a city of sanctuary for all? The annual Hook Lecture returned this year, on 24 October 2023, with Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal, former President of the British Methodist Conference, and Founder of […]
