Churches encouraged to offer support to migrants

Following on from a Notice of Motion presented to this year'sMethodist Conference, all Methodist churches are being encouragedto provide support to at least one individual or family crossingEurope from the Mediterranean fleeing from conflict.

The Revd Olufemi R W Cole-Njie, who proposed the motion, said"Social action is at the heart of Methodism. When people are inneed it is our role as the Church to step-up and help the hungry,the weak, the stranger. Thousands of people are fleeing their homesin fear for their lives. How can we on one hand say that we welcomeJesus into our lives, and yet on the other not welcome those inneed?"

In addition to encouraging its own churches to do more, theConference has urged the Government to accept those seekeing asylumon a much larger scale, commensurate with Britain's size andresources.

Praising the enormous contribution that migrants and refugeesmake in Britain, the Conference welcomed the recent Statement bythe Conference of European Churches that encouraged EuropeanChurches and Institutions to support refugees, and applauded theongoing efforts of the Churches in Greece and Italy, particularlyfor the 'Mediterranean Hope' project.

The Revd Stephen J Burgess, Chair of theYork & Hull District, added "What this practically looks likewill be different in each community and for each church. But inputting this forward, we are encouraging and reminding our churchesto fulfil the words of Wesley: 'Do all the good you can, by all themeans you can, in all places you can.'"

Notes:

The Conference ofEuropean Churches is an ecumenical fellowship of Churchesin Europe. The statement regarding those fleeing war can beread here
TheMediterranean Hope project is the Mediterraneanobservatory on migration based in Lampedusa, the Federation ofEvangelical Churches in Italy