This year Refugee Week runs from 20-26 June 2022.
Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal and Dr Jayme R Reaves have produced a resource to support individual Christians, Church communities and ecumenical groups in reflecting on the significance of sanctuary for our times in the context of Refugee Week. Titled Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host, Guest and Stranger, it offers reflections, prayers and ideas for action.
The Sunday at the end of the week is designated as Sanctuary Sunday to give expression through prayer and witness to the centrality of sanctuary and hospitality to the stranger in the Christian call to love our neighbours. At its heart, this work is about connecting people, locally and globally, with respect for the dignity of every human person as made in the image and likeness of God.
Launch webinar
This new Bible study was launched at a webinar on 9 June 2022, which you can view above. It featured Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal and Dr Jayme R Reaves, as well as contributions from those who have experienced hospitality while being caught up in the asylum system, and the Churches of Sanctuary who reach out to those in need. Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal has also provided a transcript of his contribution (PDF).
Article in Premier Christianity
Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal writes on how creating places of sanctuary is a biblical concept – it’s time for the Church to step up.
Interview on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence
Listen to Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal and Dr Jayme R Reaves being interviewed about the resource on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence (from 1:15 to 12:50).
Article in The Irish News
Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal writes on the challenge of building communities of sanctuary and welcoming refugees.
Article in The Irish Times
In international law there is no ‘illegal’ or ‘bogus’ asylum seeker, wrote Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal.
Download
Sanctuary: The Hospitality of Host, Guest and Stranger (PDF)
Resources from Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees
Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees has a page of resources and links, including:
- 5 stories told by people seeking and offering sanctuary to inspire conversation and prayer in the days leading up to Sanctuary Sunday.
- Weekly worship resource for Sanctuary Sunday produced together with refugees, asylum seekers, local churches and the Church of Scotland.
- A full ecumenical online service and a series of individual videos that can be used as part of your local Sanctuary Sunday service.
