What are we Learning? Reaching Refugees

This blog series flows out of our What Are We Learning? Spring Seminar Series—three sessions focused on key areas where the global Church is being stretched, challenged, and invited to grow. In March, we explored the dynamics of building intercultural local churches. In April, we turned to the vital work of supporting and sustaining those we send. Now in May, we’re reflecting on what we’re learning about reaching refugees. Each session has brought together voices from around the world, sharing real stories and lessons from practice. These posts are my way of processing some of that learning—personally and prayerfully—as we seek to listen to what God is doing through his people in these times.

We hope that you enjoyed this short series. Get in touch if you have ideas for the next series, or stay in touch via our blog, news, events or follow us on socials.

In our increasingly unstable and broken world, large numbers of people are on the move, seeking to escape war, persecution, poverty, natural disasters and other situations that put their lives at risk. Others are seeking greater opportunities, or to join family members who are part of diaspora communities.

The changing shape of the world caused by shifting geopolitical realities means that there are possibly more migrants in the world today than at any other time in human history.

These are times of great opportunity for God’s people. Because behind the shaking up of our world, God is on the move, intent on advancing his missio deo. Intent on reconciling all creation back to himself through Christ. Scattered Christian refugees and migrants are taking the gospel with them and making disciples of Christ in the communities in which they settle. Those from people groups that are unreached or hard to reach with the gospel are now our neighbours, giving us wonderful opportunities to share the love and life of Christ with them.

That’s why the Unreached Network’s recent online What Are We Learning? event that was focussed on the topic of Reaching Refugees was so relevant and enriching. So, grab a coffee, and may you be challenged and inspired to action as you read this summary of the session.

Lived Experience

It was great to ‘sit at the feet’ of those who shared presentations during the session, because each one of them has significant, experience of working with people who have refugee status. This was no academic exercise. Rather, the presentations were deeply rooted in passionate care and concern and lived-out callings. Recurrent emerging themes emerged from the talks illustrating that although host communities and cultures may differ, there are some common lessons that we can learn from when seeking to reach refugees.

Tim did a great job of hosting the event. He has experience of working in cross-cultural mission overseas and is now a staff member with Welcome Churches – a new charity that has created a network of over 1400 churches across the UK who are welcoming people with refugee status: https://wecomechurches.org

Presenters

The following practitioners shared their learning and experience at the event:

SD is a leader in a church in a South Asia nation that has been welcoming Rohingya refugees for the past six years. Originally from Myanmar, the refugees are now stateless – victims of ethnic cleansing and experiencing opposition from multiple sides. According to SD, they are considered one of the most rejected and marginalised people groups on earth. Most of the Rohingya refugees that the church is engaging with were already Christian before they arrived and were seeking a place of belonging.

Samuel Luak is leader for Refugee Integration, Discipleship and Leadership Development for Welcome Churches in the UK. He came to the UK as a refugee so has lived experience.

As an Iranian, S.S. too first came to the UK as a refugee. After a poor experience of being received into a church when he first arrived, he ended up being welcomed into a church where he found community and was able to integrate and flourish. He and his wife are now involved in cross-cultural mission in a nation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

J and S are working with people with refugee status in a city in Greece. They have a base from which they offer hospitality and build friendships with those who are refugees from many different nations. S. is part of a team that works with trafficked women and madams in local brothels.

Key learning points from the talks and discussions

Why welcome refugees?

Welcoming refugees is a biblical mandate that reflects God’s heart

Samuel quoted from Ephesians 2 verse 19: So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

God has welcomed us into his family. So, we must welcome those who are refugees. They are not strangers, but our brothers and sisters.

Samuel also reminded us of our Lord Jesus’s words in Matthew 25:37- 40 where he said that whenever we extend hospitality to strangers and care for the vulnerable, we are doing it to him.

All people bear God’s image, (Genesis 1:27) so we must see them through the eyes of God. Refugees have a role to play in God’s story, and reaching out to them is a witness to the world.

S.S. reminded us that our Lord Jesus himself was a refugee. His mother Mary and earthly father Joseph had to flee with Jesus to seek sanctuary in Egypt to escape Herod’s infanticide. S.S. shared the story of Ruth the Moabite woman who was also a refugee. People are stirred by refugees. They are blamed for problems in a community and often perceived as a threat to the host nation. But in Ruth 2:5, Boaz sees Ruth: Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?” As a refugee, a Moabite and a woman, Ruth was triple-marginalised. But Boaz sees the marginalised. Ultimately, he and Ruth were married and became ancestors of Jesus Christ. The Church needs to see refugees and recognise the mandate they have to receive them with love and compassion; to make them part of the family and to help empower them. Said S.S. “Jesus is the greater Boaz who works through his church to be his hands and feet in response to people with refugee status. We need to provide mothers and fathers to those who are unwanted.”

2) Welcoming refugees is part of God’s work

“We don’t welcome refugees as a project,” said Samuel, “but rather as part of God’s work. Many come as Christian believers and are looking for fellowship. Others are curious about what we believe or are looking for friendship. It is part of our calling to live out the welcome that Christ has given us.” As we open our hearts and homes to those with refugee status, God opens up opportunities for sharing the gospel of Christ and for kingdom advance.

Samuel shared that when we welcome people well, it helps to bring holistic healing to those who are traumatised and experiencing pain. It builds trust and safety and restores human dignity. It opens the door to community and to belonging. We may be the only family that refugees have. It also creates a pathway to integration.

And as we reach refugees in Christ’s name, it not only transforms the lives of those we are seeking to reach, but transforms our own lives too. It transforms both the welcomed and the welcomer.

How should we welcome refugees?

With the right posture of heart

SD shared that we need to welcome people with humility and see them as a blessing rather than a burden. Crisis opens our hearts to them and their hearts to us. It doesn’t close people to God – it opens them. The church often works through pain, so the church needs to be ready with an attitude of compassion and to share the good news of the gospel with people who are refugees. The Rohingya have helped the church to become resilient as the members witness their suffering, and the church is also helping them to become resilient. They are growing in faith together and reaching out with the gospel to others.

“We need to be intentional and consistent in working with refugees,” said Samuel. “This has to become something that is an integral part of our lives and ministry.”

SD spoke of the importance of seeing the gifting in each person. They don’t want pity. They can contribute and have much to offer and they want to contribute. Don’t see them as being dependant and as nobodies. The Rohingya refugees began to help their children with non-formal education and the church opened education centres for the children. The church also involves the Rohingya refugees they are working with in what the church is doing to serve in their local community as well as training them in leadership. One of the Rohingya refugees has become a leader on a global team serving into the nations. Another has translated the New Testament of the Bible into Rohingya which is an incredible achievement. This version was released just recently and it’s exciting that it was done by someone who has experienced crisis. It’s important that we don’t see people with refugee status as being anything less than we are.

“We need to look past a person’s refugee status” advised J. “Our experience in Greece is that many are highly skilled people who had high status in their own country. They can be highly resourced. Some are doctors, business people and have good family networks. Understanding them and the trauma they have faced is important.”

Samuel reinforced the importance of seeing refugees as people who have something to give. We must empower them through discipleship rather than making them dependant. See the potential in others and not just the need. Create space for contribution and not just for care.

Celebrate diversity as strength. God has sent us people to welcome and when God is on the move and people are on the move, we have to be part of his journey. We need to see people from kingdom perspective.

SD spoke of the importance of cultural sensitivity. We need to listen well to those we are welcoming and be super-sensitive in asking questions. Slow down, listen more so that respect can develop. Learn their history.

J&S agreed that cultural sensitivity is vital. In their work they are involved with migrant people from many nations. They have had to shed their own culture and to learn the cultures of those they are welcoming. SD also spoke of the importance of the welcomer having to change if we are to welcome well.

Samuel shared that we need to identify with the trauma and pain of those we are welcoming. Find out the person’s story and history. But do so with sensitivity. Have discernment about when to ask questions and how to ask them. We don’t want to reinforce the trauma that the refugee has been through. Know when not to ask questions. Be led by the Holy Spirit.

Bonding and bridging

SD emphasised that the Rohingya refugees they are working with need acceptance more than relief. So, his church encourages ‘bonding’ in which, as a group, the refugees are encouraged to practice and flourish in their own language and culture. “We want them to grow and to bond in who they are and in their own culture,” shared SD. “Not to grow and become like us.” However, his church also encourages ‘bridging’, in which they bridge with those in their host church and culture so as to become friends. They do this through holding camps and picnics and having weekends together where they can feel accepted and build friendships with others in the church. The Rohingya refugees have started their own congregation in the church, and decided to call it ‘Bridge’ in the local language.

Offer hospitality

Every presenter spoke of the key part that offering hospitality has to play in welcoming people with refugee status and building trust and friendships. J&S serve coffee to refugees from their base and play chess and backgammon with them during the evening. They often share meals with them. “It’s the simple things that are most effective in building relationship,” said J. “Through simple acts of hospitality, people have started coming to the church. Us just being ourselves is the most fruitful thing.” J&S also spoke of integrating hospitality with sharing Bible stories through the Discovery Bible Study approach as being an effective way of discipling people who have refugee status.

Samuel acknowledged that sharing life and being generous with our time is key.

4. Language Matters

Samuel highlighted the importance of referring to those we are seeking to reach in ways that do not stereotype or dehumanise them. So rather than just calling someone a refugee, we should refer to them as, “A person with refugee status.” Or “A person who is a migrant.”

J&S shared about the challenges of connecting with so many people with refugee status who often speak many different languages. It can be a real barrier to communication, although J. acknowledged that the people he feels closest to don’t speak English. Their relationship somehow transcends language. In J&S’s experience, English can be a good bridging language. They try and worship and read the Bible in different languages depending on who is in the room. In their Bible discussion group, they often have to translate into multiple languages. There can be a real sense of God’s presence when the Bible is read in a person’s own language.

SD acknowledged that they communicate through a mix of their local language, Rohingya and use English as a core language. They encourage the Rohingya people to use their own language as much as possible because that is part of their identity.

Challenges

The key message that came out from this WAWL event is that reaching refugees is infinitely enriching and rewarding and a wonderful means of reaching people with the gospel that we may otherwise be unable to reach. However, it is not without its challenges.

The need for partnerships

“We can’t do this work alone” confessed SD. “We realise that we have very little to offer, because we just don’t know how to engage with refugees. We’re learning their culture and learning how we can intervene. Some of the Rohingya have United Nations refugee cards and some don’t. How do we get legal help for them? The Church can stand in the gap, but we need assistance.” SD described a crisis that they are going through right now whereby 15 of those from their Rohingya community have been detained in a detention centre. The government will probably deport them, but they have nowhere to go as they are unwanted in Myanmar. So, the church has formed a partnership with Christian legal entities and others in the United Nations. The church doesn’t have the capacity and capabilities to deal with these challenges, so advocacy and building partnerships are a vital part of their work.

2. Political challenges

As well as the possibility of deportation because of government stances, there are other political challenges. J&S cited the situation where government policy towards refugees has changed in Greece. Now they can no longer visit people who are refugees in the camps as this is now forbidden. J&S have to be flexible in their approaches and roll with the government policies. Greece doesn’t welcome refugees and policy has hardened. So, it’s important for churches to do what they can to give them a warm welcome and to do what they can. “We have to be a consistent friend,” said J.

3. Unpredictability of people and situations

J&S described how they can form a good relationship with someone, but then they suddenly leave to go to another country. “That can be frustrating,” said S. but in all the uncertainty we have an opportunity to sow seeds and bring spiritual growth and friendship.”

4. Other challenges

S. laughingly shared that the concept of time can be a source of frustration. Often the users of their services turn up very late. “We just have to start when people have arrived!”

Refugees can be exploited by others in the host nation. J&S shared the story of a man with refugee status who was thrilled to get a job, but it transpired he was working incredibly long hours for just a few dollars a day. Their goal is to help people to find good employment and are working towards this.

J&S have learned that the use of money can complicate things. If they give money to those they are reaching it can cause problems. Christianity becomes a career choice and it creates dependency. So, it’s important to build relationships that are not built on money.

Hearing tragic stories week in and week out can be heartbreaking. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, so it’s important just to do what you can and to keep a balance.

What happens if we don’t welcome people who are refugees?

Samuel brought the event to a close by describing what happens if as churches and individuals we do not welcome refugees:

We disobey God’s command to welcome the stranger in our midst;

We weaken our mission;

We hurt the vulnerable;

We miss God’s presence in unexpected places;

We miss opportunities to encounter Christ;

We perpetuate injustice;

We lose the blessing of mutual transformation;

We drift from God’s heart for justice and mercy;

We damage our witness to the world.

“This is a wake-up call to the church!” said Samuel. “Through this work we help people move from darkness to light, from pain to healing. We have to be on the move with God and his people and to experience the joy that this work brings.”

Finally

Right wing and supremacist ideologies are gaining traction across the globe. It is vital that God’s people go against the flow, and create welcoming communities for those seeking a new life in our neighbourhoods. As we do so, we create the possibility for Holy Spirit to bring lasting transformation to their lives and to ours.

Many thanks to all our contributors for sharing so generously on this call, and to Susie Howe for so beautifully drawing together the threads of our shared learning. If you’d like to connect with any of our speakers or have suggestions for future ‘What Are We Learning?’ sessions, we’d love to hear from you—please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Resources

On the following websites, there are a range of training, teaching, reading and podcast resources to help you to reach refugees:

Welcome Churches Resources

Welcome Churches resources page
Cross-cultural awareness and trauma awareness – available on request
Co-ordinator and welcomer training (volunteers) for hotels work
Welcome Plus Training (for churches) Training for welcomers and co-ordinators working in the community with contextualised support available.
Looking after yourself (wellbeing) – how to empower refugees and avoid trauma
Welcome Course – Helping to acclimatize those new to the UK – available in different languages.
Afghan Resources
Love the Stranger Podcast – Worldwide migration and the future of the Church with Patrick Johnstone
Refugee Prayer Hour
I’m not being funny but…. Engage your church community by asking and addressing the difficult questions around migration.
Refugees in God’s Story: Bible Studies on Migration and Displacement
Books Welcome resources in Farsi and Pashto.