The bishops of Manchester and Stockport will host a conference next month aimed at equipping individuals, churches and communities to respond practically to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers.
The conference, which will be opened by Dr David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, will be held at Salford University on Saturday 19 November. Libby Lane, the Bishop of Stockport, will give a reflection on the imperative to welcome strangers in our midst.
The Church of England said that the "conference is designed to help churches and communities explore how they might better welcome people who have been displaced and are seeking refuge."
Bishop Lane said: "The church can play an important part in helping communities welcome refugees and asylum seekers. I want to encourage reflection on how we do this and why it is our calling to welcome those who seek refuge."
The event, which is being organised jointly by the Diocese of Manchester and the charity Greater Together Manchester, will update delegates on the refugee crisis, the government's response both locally and nationally, and the complexities of the UK asylum system.
Delegates will have the opportunity to attend a number of workshops including on how to be a welcoming church; understanding the law on asylum; accommodating unaccompanied minors and community sponsorship; mental health and trauma, and supporting Christian converts with their asylum cases.
Bishop Walker told Christian Today: "If we are going to have asylum seekers and refugees in this country, let's do it well. A number of churches have already embarked on looking after asylum seekers. The church my wife goes to already provides a lunch each week for asylum seekers. Let's help them make the transition as well as possible.
"It's right in our foundational documents as a Church – even in the Old Testament: the orphan, the widow and the stranger in our land – and we inherit that responsibility along with inheriting the Old Testament. We continue to exercise that God-given duty for our generation and our nation.
"I would encourage people to come along [to the conference] and to learn how their church can be part of making Britain a welcoming place for people who in many cases are fleeing war, torture and discrimination in their countries of origin."
Asked about rhetoric in politics and the media around refugees, Bishop Walker said: "Any issues that touch on migration are always going to be politically sensitive and we all have a responsibility not to inflame emotions over these subjects but to deal with them as the Bible tells us."
Lily Axworthy, the development officer at Greater Together Manchester, emphasised the practical nature of the conference. She told Christian Today: "The whole purpose of the conference is to be a really practical day to give people inside the churches and outside a chance to meet people in organisations already working with refugees out in the community. It is about educating individuals on the complexities of the asylum system to allow them better to understand what asylum seekers go through and the differences between a refugee, an asylum seeker and a migrant, getting everyone on the same level. The workshops will be about things that individuals can practically do and know."
She added: "We're hoping we will get a really good turnout because the more people we can equip with knowledge, the more we can counter some of the rhetoric out there that may, for example, have been behind Brexit."
The day-long event is open to all and costs £10 per person. Individuals can book via this link.
The conference is supported by a number of organisations including the Boaz Trust, The Children's Society, For Refugees, and Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit.
Last year, the Government announced that it would take in some 20,000 Syrian refugees to the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) scheme.
In July, the home secretary, Amber Rudd and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby launched the Community Sponsorship programme which enables churches, faith groups, charities and businesses to support resettled refugees.
Members of the public can help refugees via this website.
Young refugees have been arriving this month from the Calais 'jungle' – which is in the process of being demolished – after the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, led a number of faith leaders in calling on the Government to fulfil its legal obligations to accept vulnerable children from the camp and those who have relatives based in the UK.
