- Volunteer with, donate to, or join a network from the 'engage' list.
- Tips and suggestions for supporting asylum seekers placed in local hotels, including initial visiting, building relationships, and what support you might be able to give.
- Welcome Churches offers training and support to help your church to be a welcoming community for refugees. Join the network and get resourced. Get involved with Welcome Churches' I'm Not Being Funny, but... campaign, or use their Find Your Welcome hub for key info to support new arrivals in the UK.
- Start a Community Sponsorship group to welcome and support and refugee family into your community, with training and support from Sponsor Refugees.
- Welcome and support Afghan refugees through the new Homes for Afghans scheme, based on Community Sponsorship. Get in touch to find out more.
- Support newly arrived Hong Kongers (NB: the UK government does not class Hong Kongers as 'asylum seekers' or 'refugees' if they are granted a BN(O) visa)
- Host a refugee or vulnerable migrant - get support to temporarily host someone as they look for independent accomodation through: Sanctuary Hosting, Refugees at Home, or Room for Refugees.
- Host a Ukrainian family or individual in your home through the Homes for Ukraine scheme (NB: the UK government does not class Ukrainians as 'asylum seekers' or 'refugees' if they are granted a Homes for Ukraine visa) or support families already in your community.
- Help new arrivals learn English - speaking English enables migrants to gain employment, navigate daily life, and integrate into communities. Sign up to volunteer just two hours of your time online each week as a teaching assistant with Language Learning Links. Sign up as a volunteer.
- Get in touch if you are interested in support and resources for running local, in-person lessons with people wanting to learn English as an additional language to help them navigate and integrate into their new community.
In 2021, as the crisis in Afghanistan began to unfold, the Revd Liz Jackson wrote a powerful message of practical ways to act, as well as reflecting why we should. The points raised here still hold today.
You might like to use the following prompts to aid your prayers:
Dear Lord,
You crossed from heaven to earth,
Laying aside your equality with God,
Humbling yourself because of your love for us.
Your parents fled with you from persecution,
Carrying you in their arms along dusty roads,
Uncertain what was ahead.
You wandered as a teacher,
Breaking boundaries in the people you talked with
And healed… and loved.
You are with us now
In our world in motion.
Amen.
Dear Lord,
We lift before you
All who are fleeing persecution and war
Knowing your love for them and your power to heal and comfort.
In this changing world,
Help all people to recognise your image in each person
And to remember each is precious in your sight.
Guide those in authority
To make decisions about migration
That honour each person’s humanity.
Help us to offer welcome to new neighbours,
Seeing you in the person we greet.
Break down the barriers of hostility
That keep us apart
And diminish our humanity.
We ask these things
Trusting in your infinite love.
Amen.