Racial Justice Sunday

This Racial Justice Sunday 2024 resource explores the movement of people from their homelands to the places they now call home, and examine the motivations behind this movement – the journeys made, and the reception or welcome received on arrival.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), ‘At least 108.4 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 35.3 million refugees, around 41 per cent of whom are under the age of 18.’ ⁱ

Europe is one of the areas of the world to which people have been fleeing for safety. In recent years, the region has witnessed arrivals escaping war and upheaval in Afghanistan, Syria and the Ukraine – the top three countries in the world for refugees.ⁱⁱ Equally, protracted conflicts in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia have been ‘push’ factors for movement to Europe.

While Britain is no longer part of the European Union, its links to continental Europe remain indelible and, alongside Ireland, it is regarded as a ‘destination’ for many seeking refuge. What is more, over the last few years it appears as if attitudes have hardened regarding ‘inward migration’ to these shores. It can be argued that the worldwide refugee crisis, political opportunism and a cost-of-living crisis have served to change the narrative, especially towards those from outside Europe who are seeking sanctuary within it.

Given the crisis, this Racial Justice Sunday resource aims to shine a biblical light on what is currently taking place, and the way Christians are (and can) make a difference within these spheres. This is a racial justice issue because, apart from the Ukraine, most of those seeking sanctuary have Black and Brown faces. What is more, it is an interfaith/religious justice matter because a good number are not Christians.

This resource aims to inform, challenge and inspire everyone to pray and take action, so that hospitality and not hostility becomes our overall approach to those fleeing persecution, peril, poverty and war.

(Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, https://ctbi.org.uk/racial-justice-sunday-2024/)