By Rev Warren Bardsley, Supernumerary Presbyter, Tamworth and Lichfield Circuit.
 
 
Lichfield is a Cathedral city in South Staffordshire with a growing population.

Lichfield District City of Sanctuary came into being following a meeting in March 2019 attended by some fifty people at which the speaker was the Rev Dr Inderjit Bhogal, founder of the City of Sanctuary movement. We were inspired to commit to the principles and values of City of Sanctuary and in September of that year launched a campaign to seek recognition by the national parent body to become one of some 120 local groups. We achieved recognition the following year, in the context of the Covid pandemic. During this time we became a registered Charitable Organisation, under the title of Lichfield District City of Sanctuary (LDCOS), with a Board of Trustees which has included a refugee from Afghanistan and people of different faiths.

During the past two years we have recruited 70 members and established a response group, with enhanced DBS certification status, which works closely with local refugee families from Syria and Afghanistan. More recently we have supported Ukrainian families in setting up their own Institution. In its 2022 report to Churches Together in Lichfield, LDCOS stated “we still have much to learn, but we love our work and it is wonderful to see refugees growing and gaining in confidence, enriching us and our communities with their culture, work ethic, hospitality and wonderful food. It is a real privilege to know, serve, and learn from them”.

Part of the genius of the City of Sanctuary movement is the establishment of Streams of Sanctuary, which include schools, councils, libraries, surgeries, to name but a few. In 2022, the board of trustees endorsed a suggestion by our action group to approach the churches of Lichfield and the local mosque to consider becoming “Faith Places of Sanctuary”. A letter was subsequently sent to all the city’s churches, explaining this sanctuary stream with an appropriate invitation. Six churches, (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, URC and Quaker Meeting House) and the local mosque responded positively and an initial meeting was arranged in the early summer of 2022, to which we invited Gerard Goshawk, minister of Erdington Baptist Church (the first recognised Faith Place of Sanctuary) to share their experience. The group of twenty five members of the various congregations were enthused and challenged by his simple, straightforward presentation and a series of meetings was arranged to explore what this commitment would mean for us in Lichfield.

Gerard said, “we try to make sure that an awareness of sanctuary runs through all we do, so for instance, woven into preaching, singing and prayer. By asking the question, how would this activity be experienced by someone, who is coming to us; who is in the asylum system? And like everything else in life, people around us see that. By saying that we are a Church of Sanctuary, more opportunities to serve, advocate and celebrate hope have come our way since we took this step. So, go for it! As one of our congregation who is a refugee would say : God bless you more”.

Subsequently we met together over a period of nine months to consider the possibility of our local congregations becoming Faith Places of Sanctuary. Shari Brown, formerly of Restore, the Birmingham Churches Together work with refugees, gave us an excellent evening on the wider global picture; the political implications of the present situation and the importance of challenging government policy on refugees as the need arises. We met to consider what all this would mean for our own congregations, and the opportunities for service, using Inderjit Bhogal’s book Hospitality and Sanctuary for All. We recognised that this is not only about giving, but receiving; that we are not just challenged but enriched by our giving of hospitality to the stranger.

During these sessions we explored what it means to LEARN, to seek sanctuary and be actively involved in awareness raising; EMBED, to take action, make welcome and support those seeking sanctuary and include them in our activities; and SHARE, with pride our vision and achievements, of the positive contributions which refugees make to society and the benefits of a welcoming culture for all.

Each Church Council was then asked to agree to these principles and endorse the “Birmingham Declaration”, that:

• All asylum seekers, refugees and migrants should be treated with dignity and respect.
• A fair and effective process to decide whether people need protection should be in place.
• No one should be locked up indefinitely or left sick and destitute in our society
• We should welcome the stranger and help them to integrate.

Each PCC/Council unanimously endorsed these principles and agreed to be recognised as Faith Places of Sanctuary. The next step was to submit an application, and an assessment interview with a representative panel of the national City of Sanctuary, which duly took place. We were delighted that all six of the congregations which had submitted their testimonies received the Award.

Each certificate was duly framed and presented to the churches at one of their main Sunday services. We felt this was important as it enabled the whole congregation to be present, express their assent and to hear the words, “this is a sign not that we have arrived but declares our commitment to what it means to be a Faith Place of Sanctuary”. Each congregation has agreed to appoint two members to serve on the Lichfield District City of Sanctuary Action Group. In addition we plan to meet from time to time to compare notes and assess progress. It is hoped that as time goes on, other congregations in Lichfield will apply to become Faith Places of Sanctuary.

In the last resort it all comes down to that very simple but profound mutual concept of hospitality. This is well stated in the Celtic Rune of Hospitality:

I saw a stranger yesterday
I put food in the eating place
Drink in the drinking place
And music in the listening place.
And in the holy name of the Trinity
He blessed myself and my family.
As the lark says in her song,
Often, often, often
Goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.

Sanctuary Sunday

Sanctuary Sunday is marked at the end of Refugee Week and aims to promote the Church of Sanctuary programme, building cultures of welcome, hospitality and safety in our churches.

This year Sanctuary Sunday is on 23 June 2024.

For more details and resources, see the Church of Sanctuary website.
 
 
 
This article was first published in the Methodist Recorder.