What does it mean to offer hospitality and sanctuary to the stranger? Never has this been a more pertinent topic as a growing number of people are displaced around the world due to war, persecution, natural disasters and climate change. Inderjit Bhogal writes: “My understanding of hospitality is expanded by sanctuary, a deeply spiritual concept […]
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.
Sanctuary prayer upon Mediterranean tragedy
Holy God, creator of all there is, You make all people in your image, each person unique, each life sacred. In Jesus you reveal yourself taking sanctuary on earth, fleeing with family as a child into exile and sanctuary, enduring false testimony and persecution. We hold before you all who are deprived of their homes […]
Sanctuary Sunday – 25 June 2023
Take part in Sanctuary Sunday to help build cultures of welcome, hospitality and safety in our churches.
Church of Sanctuary Training
Explore how churches can offer greater welcome, hospitality and safety to those fleeing violence and persecution.
Methodist Circuit in Brighton and Hove becomes Circuit of Sanctuary
On Sunday 12 March 2023, Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal, the lead person of the Church of Sanctuary movement, presented Church of Sanctuary awards to five Methodist Churches in the Brighton and Hove Circuit at a service in the seaside city of Brighton and Hove. He also had the pleasure of welcoming the entire Brighton and […]
Sanctuary, justice and refugees, and the small boats
“Applying for ‘asylum’ is not a crime, but criminalising people for even trying to get to a safe place is a crime against humanity”, says Inderjit Bhogal, former President of the British Methodist Conference and Founder of the City of Sanctuary network and movement. In his latest blog on the Church of Sanctuary website, he […]
Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host, Guest and Stranger
Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal and Dr Jayme R Reaves have produced a resource titled Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host, Guest and Stranger. It aims to support individual Christians, Church communities and ecumenical groups in reflecting on the significance of sanctuary for our times, and to give expression through prayer and witness to the centrality of […]
Church of Sanctuary on Sunday Night Live!
Rev Inderjit Bhogal, a former president of the British Methodist Conference, who is working with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) on the Church of Sanctuary project, featured on Premier’s Sunday Night Live! on 3 July 2022 (see above) to explain how churches can strengthen their engagement with refugees. He was followed by Dr […]
Sanctuary resources for Refugee Week
‘Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host Guest and Stranger’ offers reflections, prayers and more for Refugee Week and Sanctuary Sunday.
Sanctuary resource launch for Refugee Week
Watch again: first streamed live on Thursday 9 June 2022. Find out about this new Bible study: Sanctuary: the hospitality of host, guest and stranger, written by Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal and Dr Jayme Reaves, focusing on the significance of sanctuary for our times in the context of Refugee Week, which takes place from 20-26 […]
