We have been praying as a church for opportunities to serve our local community, and in October we were approached by a local council asking if we could co-ordinate services from voluntary organisations to new arrivals from other nations who were having to stay in a hotel because no housing was available.
There are 40 families in the hotel from many nations – Afghanistan, Eritrea, Kuwait, Namibia, Kurdistan, Iraq, Iran, etc.
A couple of church members organised a Christmas shoe box for every man, woman and child in the hotel with 100 church members and families each providing one of the boxes filled with Christmas goodies.
We invited everyone to our Christmas events and 40 people came and around 20 come regularly to church on Sundays and some also to our midweek international group. We visit the hotel every week to meet new people and connect them into a range of organisations able to help with language, health, social activities and other things.
We have opportunities to pray with people from a range of faith backgrounds for which they are astonishingly grateful.
Over Easter we are running a kids club for 72 kids that will bring together church kids, their friends and children from the hotel.
We are so grateful that we are able to serve the city and the nations in Jesus name.
David Lyall writes for ‘City Refugee Welcome’, a project run by City Church Newcastle.
Find out more and get in touch here https://citychurchnewcastle.co.uk/refugees/
