Church members learned to empathise with people seeking sanctuary and offered practical support to refugees and immigrant families in Nailsea. They ran a Hong Kong Welcome Course and joined forces with other local churches to provide a Conversation Café for refugees from Syria and Ukraine.

‘I still remember the first time we came to Nailsea Methodist Church,’ said Rebecca, from Hong Kong. ‘We could really feel the warmth and acceptance from the church. People were so eager to help us settle in this country.  Such authentic help brings much blessing for us.’

Church minister, Revd Deborah Mallett expressed the central importance of welcoming the stranger. ‘The call to love our neighbour, whoever they are and wherever they are from, lies at the heart of Christian faith. We aspire to be a community of welcome and a safe place for all. This award is a happy marker on an on-going journey to express deeper solidarity with those on the margins.’     

In a specially recorded video message the founder of City of Sanctuary, Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal, addressed the congregation holding a rope recovered from a wrecked refugee boat in the Mediterranean. ‘Some refugees can come here using safe routes without resorting to unseaworthy vessels’, he said. ‘We need the same kind of humanitarian safe routes to be available to all refugees.’

The award was presented to church sanctuary champion Ceri Bowen by Susana Askew from Bristol City of Sanctuary. Guest preacher Forward Maisokwadzo spoke powerfully of his own experiences as a refugee. Forward, who is the National Secretary of the Methodist Church Zimbabwe Fellowship, has played a key role in the growth of the UK sanctuary movement.

The celebration incorporated an extensive exhibition compiled by Ceri which tells the story of the local church’s engagement and presents key facts about the forced displacement of people in today’s world. Ceri, who works at a School of Sanctuary in Easton, Bristol, is a passionate advocate of the benefits of a welcoming culture to everyone. 

City of Sanctuary is a network of ordinary people around the country stepping up to support people seeking sanctuary in our communities. From community groups to schools and universities, local councils to libraries and theatres, City of Sanctuary works with individuals, groups and organisations in every area and sector to encourage inclusivity, solidarity and compassion for people forced to flee their homes. The Sanctuary Awards programme recognises and celebrates organisations which go above and beyond to create welcome, compassion and empowering opportunities for people seeking sanctuary.

For further details, please contact Deborah Mallett at nailseabackwellmethodists@gmail.com Tel: 01275 852473  

Welcome Churches

Our church is a member of 'Welcome Churches'.  

'Welcome Churches' is an organisation which offers information to churches seeking to welcome refugees and signposts refugees to our church.  

To find out more about 'Welcome Churches', please click here.

Refugee Support group

This group was set up by 'Christians Together in Nailsea and District' (CTiNaD) to welcome and support refugee families from Syria who came to the UK under the government Syrian Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), but now supports a family from Afghanistan too.

Our church supports this group through prayer, giving and trained volunteers providing practical support and helping the families to become independent.

For more information about the Refugee Support group, please contact Ceri Bowen via the church office.

Ukraine Welcome Hub

In March 2022, 'Christians Together in Nailsea and District' (CTiNaD) set up a Ukraine Welcome Hub to welcome and support refugees from Ukraine.  Our church supports this hub through prayer, giving - towards welcome boxes for refugee families from Ukraine; and trained volunteers providing practical support for refugees and their hosts.

For more information about the Ukraine Welcome Hub, please contact Ceri Bowen via the church office.

Hong Kong Ready Churches

Our church is a 'Hong Kong Ready Church' - part of 'Welcome Churches'.

Our church recently ran a six session  'Hong Kong Welcome Course' on Sundays afternoons from 2-4pm.  The aim of the course was for new immigrants from Hong Kong to make friends and to learn about British culture in preparation for taking the British Citizenship Test.  The course included video clips, discussions and quizzes followed by refreshments.  The course was a great success.  A reunion event took place in December 2022 which was planned and jointly led by British / Hong Kongers.  It is hoped that more re-union events will take place in 2023 - watch this space!

如果你最近剛從香港來到英國，我們這間教會歡迎你！

歡迎你參與逢星期日上午 10 時的崇拜，和兒童主日學； 每個月最後一個星期日上午 10 時，有大人和小孩一起聚會的“咖啡館教會” café church； 或者可以參與每個月第二個星期日下午 4 時至 6 時“凌亂的教堂” Messy Church，有手工藝活動，聖經主題和敬拜，然後一起享用茶點。

請注意，2023 年 4 月，“凌亂的教堂” Messy Church 將於 4 月 16 日舉行。

If you have recently arrived from Hong Kong, you can expect to receive a warm welcome at our church!  

Join us for worship at 10am on Sundays, which includes Junior Church;  our all age 'cafe church' at 10am on the last Sunday of each month; or come along to 'Messy Church' which includes fun art and craft activities and a short time of worship based on a Bible theme for all the family, followed by refreshments  from 4-6pm on the second Sunday each month.

Please note that in April 2023, Messy Church will take place on 16th April.         

If you would be interested in attending a 'Hong Kong Welcome Course' at our church, please contact Ceri Bowen via the church office.

To find out more about 'Hong Kong Ready Churches', please click here.

Latest News from the Methodist Church - 08 March 2023

Response to the new 'Illegal Migration Bill'

Church Leaders from the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union have signed the following joint statement expressing opposition to the government’s new ‘Illegal Migration Bill’:

We are appalled by the proposals in the government’s ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ to detain, punish and reject thousands of people seeking safety. They are completely incompatible with our Christian conviction that all human beings are made in the image of God, and are therefore inherently worthy of treatment which honours their dignity. Instead of dignity, these plans will foster discrimination and distrust, and cause immeasurable harm to people already made vulnerable by conflict and persecution. If ever there was a contemporary example of ignoring our neighbour and walking by on the other side, this is it.

When two in three people who cross the channel to seek sanctuary in the UK are granted asylum following rigorous checks, it seems unthinkable to reject them before they have even had a chance to have their claim for asylum heard. Many people fleeing war and persecution in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Eritrea and Sudan have been left with no safe and accessible routes to claim asylum in the UK, forcing people to make difficult and dangerous decisions. The UK falls far behind our global neighbours in welcoming people seeking sanctuary into our communities, and yet these plans essentially put a ban on claiming asylum and reject the UK’s responsibility to play our part in responding to global inequalities and conflict.

We all agree that we cannot continue to see thousands of people risk their lives to reach safety in the UK, but the solution cannot be deterrence and punishment. As Christians, we believe that we should be amongst the first to welcome the stranger with open arms. We urge the government to withdraw this legislation, to honour our moral and international obligations and to behave with compassion and fairness by establishing safe and accessible routes to enable the UK to play its part in welcoming people in need of safety.

Signed by

Revd Fiona Bennett, URC General Assembly Moderator

Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union

Revd Graham Thompson, President of the Methodist Conference

Anthony Boateng, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference

Take Action

If you oppose this bill, please consider writing to your MP. You can find guidance on the Joint Public Issues Team website: https://jpit.uk/response-to-illegal-migration-bill 

Useful websites:

City of Sanctuary

Bristol City of Sanctuary

Churches of Sanctuary

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Churches' Refugee Network (CRN)

The Methodist Church

The Joint Public Issues Team

Welcome Churches

Hong Kong Ready Churches

Refugee Week 2023

Bridges for Communities

Borderlands

Refugee Council