Call to Action

The Cinnamon Network have been approached by Government to find out if Churches are able to support refugees as they come in.

As of October, the Government is seeking to house 100 refugees per week, not in settlement camps, but directly into different communities across the UK.

Your help is needed.

Would your local church network be willing, in principle, to work with others in your community to be part of the resettlement and welcome for these refugees?

The Cinnamon Network are working with Derby Community Church and their ‘Welcome Box’ initiative which they have established over the last 3 years. 

The idea is simple but effective: local church members visit newly housed refugees to welcome them to the community with a Welcome Box containing practical gifts and information and as a way of helping them starting new relationships and the journey of integration into the local community. 

In the last 12 months this one church has welcomed 150 refugees to Derby, and has begun to build friendships and relationships with them. This is an approach that Cinnamon believes is replicable in churches and local church networks across the country and so is helping run a ‘Welcome Box’ training and preparation day on Friday 9th October.

Cinnamon would like to be able to go the British government next week with a list of some of local church networks from around the country, and say that, if invited, these congregations would love to welcome refugees into their communities, possibly using the Welcome Box approach.

Can you help?

Time is of the essence with this initiative. Could you somehow make time this week to discuss this idea with the people you need to and see if this is something you believe God wants you to be involved in?

The Church is unique as an organisation in that we have 50,000 ‘local branches’ across the country, both large and small, with people ready and willing to take the love of Jesus to those most in need in their communities. Can we step up to the plate and respond quickly to this need?

Part of this will depend upon where the Government decide to house them – no doubt using SERCO who they use at present.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY 30^TH SEPTEMBER IF YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN BE INVOLVED AS PART OF A GROUP.

ed.saville@blackburn.anglican.org