This article was written by the Edgehill Reconciliation Programme for the Methodist Church in Ireland website and can be found here

 

‘Welcoming the stranger’

When was the last time you were a stranger? Perhaps it was a time you were new to a community or city, starting a new job or transferring to a new school.  Maybe you experienced what it was like to be ‘the other’ in the context of mission work in another culture or country, while travelling or on holiday.

What was it about that experience of being ‘the stranger’ that turned it into a positive one? And if it was not a positive experience, what was lacking?

A simple smile or ‘hello,’ can turn the experience of being a lonely stranger into one of friendship and welcome.

 

Understanding the issues...

Who is the ‘the stranger’ in your community? And who might ‘the other’ be in the context of where you live?

Might it be the person next door who speaks another language, looks quite different and is new to the country?  Perhaps it is the person living on the other side of the city who speaks the same language but claims a different religious or political affiliation?

Over the centuries on the island of Ireland, migration has tended to be a one-way process as thousands of people left each year seeking to begin lives in other countries. Today, people are still leaving, but people have been arriving in increasing numbers, especially over the last twelve years. Reasons for migration vary; some people are drawn here for economic reasons, educational opportunities or relationships, while others arrive seeking protection from countries torn by war or natural disasters. Others come here as missionaries or are invited because of their skills, expertise or wealth. For more information on migration, visit http://www.embraceni.org/category/information/   

 

'Communities and their members are called to be poor and to do impossible things, such as to build community and to bring healing, reconciliation, forgiveness and wholeness to people. Mission is to bring the life of God to others, and this can only be done if communities and people are poor and humble, letting the life of God flow through them.'

Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche community.

 

This quotation is a reminder that Jesus sends us. We are asked to go somewhere different, to meet different people and in many cases do different kinds of things. A South African, Alexander Venter, speaks about the need to ‘relocate’ if we want to seek reconciliation with others of whom we know little (e.g. white and black South Africans, Catholics and Protestants, Polish, Nigerian and Roma families). Venter argues that Christians have to move into community with the ‘other’ whether that means literally moving into their area or regularly moving ourselves into places where we can meet them in their own context as a listener and learner with our own culture, gifts and insights to contribute.

 

As we journey in our faith, we are sent on a mission and we all have a ministry. It seems that Christians participate in an ongoing mission of reconciliation throughout life, being reconciled to God and reconciling ourselves to others. Much of this work, as Vanier points out, is impossible, especially if we rely solely on our own gifts, ideas and plans, but with God all things are possible.

 

All this involves a level of risk and a challenge to ourselves, yet most of the work is fairly simple – greeting someone we do not know, asking people with knowledge and experience how we can help, responding with compassion according to our gifts.

 

What you can do...

Our response should be motivated and guided by what the Bible says about relationships with newcomers and people who are different from us.

‘When a stranger lives with you in your land, do not ill-treat him. The stranger living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’     Leviticus 19:33

 ‘I think we were very surprised by local people being so helpful... I remember our first day. It was an empty house, totally unfurnished and our neighbors, local retired people coming to our house and offering to help. Them bringing us furniture – it was wonderful.’

A person from Czech Republic in Newry & Mourne, quoted in Dr. Robbie McVeigh ‘We Asked for Workers but Human Being Came’ Report on the Economic Impact of Migrant Workers in Newry and Mourne and Louth for Challenge of Change, 2008, page 28. Quoted in EMBRACE Information Update 2010, page 87.

Here are some ideas and suggestions adapted from the Embrace NI website on how you, personally, and your church can welcome and befriend others.

 

Some practical things you might do personally or in a group

 

• Pass along a simple ‘hello’ and sincere smile. They can go a long way in making someone’s day.
• Consider what you would appreciate if you were in a similar situation—you probably would not want others to be pushy, patronizing or paternalistic, but rather real, relational and respectful.
• Learn as much as you can about the issues surrounding migration, asylum and racism so that you can counter myths and stereotyping. Undertake race awareness or cultural diversity training.
• Invite people from minority ethnic backgrounds to your home.
• Consider training in order to volunteer to teach English as a second language, become an adult literacy tutor, volunteer as a translator, or teach computer literacy.

 

Increasing cultural and ethnic awareness

 

• Visit the cultural centres of minority ethnic communities  to learn and to affirm their presence as part of a shared society.
• Celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year, Eid, Chanukah and Diwali.
• Hold celebration meals such as harvest suppers where you might invite people from a minority ethnic group to cook with you.
• Encourage racial awareness and anti-racism training in your congregation or area.
• Visit cultural centres together, for example, people from a rural background anywhere in the world, will find something in common at somewhere like the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
• Find ways of celebrating and honouring the achievement of individuals and groups from minority ethnic populations in your community.
• Use any forum, inter-church groups, Community Safety Groups, District Policing Partnerships, to make sure that even minor acts of racism are taken seriously.
   

Ideas for congregational welcome 

• Ensure that your church buildings are welcoming from the outside, with clear signs.
• Language is very important and it is helpful if people can be greeted with a phrase or two in their own language in writing and especially verbally.

·         Encourage newcomers to participate, for example, in reading a lesson or taking up the collection/ offertory. Include some aspect of the worship tradition from the country of origin, such as a song or a prayer.

·         Hold special services for example, in Refugee Week, Anti-Racism Sunday, or Holocaust Memorial Day, and invite members of minority groups to speak or attend. Invite members of minority ethnic Christian groups to take part in special services.

• Could your premises be use for a drop-in centre to help people settle in, or host a mother and toddler group, recreation centre (sport or culture) for minority ethnic groups, English language classes, or an advice centre?
• Find out what other churches are doing.
• Visit a migrant-led church or a church of a different denomination with a diverse congregation.

For more information on ‘Welcoming the stranger,’ visit Edgehill Reconciliation Programme  http://www.edgehillcollege.org/Reconciliation%20Programme and www.embraceni.org.

 

EMBRACE is a group of Christians from different denominations, working together to welcome, connect with and integrate newcomers to NI (people seeking asylum, refugees, migrant workers) and people from minority ethnic backgrounds living here.

Embrace is a partner to the Edgehill Reconciliation Programme.

The primary focus of Embrace is to serve and challenge the Churches by providing them with information and equipping them with resources to engage with and relate to new residents and people from different ethnic backgrounds.

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