“I was a stranger and you invited me in”

Restore Befriending

“I was a stranger and you invited me in” those are the words of Jesus.  Treating the oppressed fairly and with compassion is a thread running through the Bible. In the current debate on asylum, the vision of Restore for a society into which all refugees and asylum seekers are welcomed, valued and integrated seems more counter cultural than ever!  But we remain committed to that vision.

We need to speak truth into the migration debate.  The Home Office’s own figures show that 76% of asylum claims receive permission to stay at the first decision stage.  This is because the Home Office recognises that those claiming asylum have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country.  The Government currently provides safe and legal routes for some Ukrainians and some Afghans.  There are currently no safe and legal routes for those fleeing persecution from other countries like Syria, Iran or Eritrea. This is why many resort to perilous Channel crossings.  Many making those crossings are coming to reunite with family members already here – and wouldn’t you rather be with family than on your own in another foreign country?

It is into this context that our volunteer befrienders offer welcome, help with conversational English and opportunities to learn about life and cultures locally.  These relationships combat isolation and loneliness.  One befriended asylum seeker wrote, “…what I love most is the befriending. My befriender is more than a ‘Mum’ to me. She has been really good to me. She’s been like a mentor.”  Another commented,  “She is the best person I know. She is my best friend now. Thank you for introducing her to me.” 

We ran another training course in October and are delighted that we have several new applicants who will soon start befriending.  If you would like to make a difference by joining our befriending team, please come along to our next course in February.  As we’ll still be in the chilly depths of winter darkness, we’ll be running the course via Zoom.  For more information and to sign up, please click HERE

It’s great to see churches taking action to challenge measures within the new Nationality and Borders Act and particularly the Rwanda Plan.  A massive ‘thank you’ to All Saints Church, Kings Heath for hosting a #FillTheSkiesWithHope event which was attended by local MP, Tahir Ali, challenging the Prime Minister to abandon the Rwanda Plan. The need to welcome displaced refugees is a world-wide challenge and Britain needs to play its part.  International figures show that we receive relatively few refugees and asylum seekers when compared with countries like Turkey, Poland and Pakistan and also when compared to some of our closer European neighbours like Germany and France.

There is often a claim that no alternatives are presented to current Government policy.  Here are a few very clear alternatives:

Provide more safe and legal routes which would cut the risk of Channel crossings;

Put more resources into determining asylum claims, this would reduce the backlog, reduce the negative impact long periods of uncertainty have on the well-being and mental health of asylum seekers and reduce the cost of supporting them during long waits; and

Allow asylum seekers to work after they have been here for 6 months as this would have many benefits including reducing the cost to the taxpayer.

For more information about campaigning for change, please see the Together with Refugees and Lift the Ban websites.

As Christmas approaches, we remember that Jesus had to flee persecution as a young child.  Jesus became a refugee in Egypt.  If Jesus had been born today and had to flee persecution, his refugee journey may include a boat across the Mediterranean or across the Channel.  Would he end up in a marquee at a reception centre in Kent or be sent off to Rwanda for processing?  Or would we offer welcome and sanctuary?  Let’s remember that as an adult Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”