SEARCH FOR THE LORD
A MIGRANT CHURCH 3
In the first two sections of A Migrant Church looking at the implications of migration for the Church we examined the words we use (sometimes erroneously) to describe the situation that faces us today. We saw that an influx of foreign-born people into our country is really a constant of our history and we saw what the universal Church had to say about the situation. We observed some ways in which parishes and communities are working to respond to the pastoral demands that migration makes on the Church, and we found that there are many courageous people who have not forgotten the widow, the orphan and the foreigner. In our final section we look at some of the very practical ways in which a parish or community can reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have joined our shores from elsewhere
Good or Bad
Sometimes the challenge to immigrants comes from facing exploitation and at other times it’s just a question of making sure that the whole community has access to the good things to which it is entitled.
So there are cases in which parishes report mistreatment of migrants by unscrupulous employers. Some of these recruit people from abroad and then deliberately sack them after only 13 weeks. They then go on to recruit a new batch of workers and the first group has to vacate the (exorbitantly priced) accommodation that has gone with the job. They find themselves on the streets and, because they have been here such a short time, they are not entitled to many of the benefits that full-time work would guarantee them. Other negative issues include people trafficking and abuse of vulnerable women.
Fortunately most of the challenges of ministering to and with migrants are of the happier variety, ensuring that they feel welcomed and appreciated by their local communities.
Basics
A helpful resource provided by one area is a “parish map”. This is a simplified map of the local area and it pinpoints places that might be useful to those who have just arrived. It shows the position of the church, the doctors’ surgeries, the hospital, Citizens Advice Bureau, Police Station, Job Centre etc. It’s a simple device but a welcoming one.
Working with other Christian neighbours and sometimes inter-faith groups, some parishes provide a hot meal for the more destitute, along with a weekly hygiene pack, baby goods etc. Some parishes provide the bus fare for people to reach their centres.
When someone has recently come to this country their needs are often quite basic. If they have a roof over their head and food in their stomachs they might also require a good deal of advice. Employment, housing, health and the legal system top this list but there is sometimes need for translation while the person is acquiring facility in English.
Many parishes use the skills of their parishioners to offer advice, ranging from qualified legal assistance to basic form-filling, something that can be a headache for many migrants. Nurses are at the forefront of offering medical referrals, including psychiatric, while mums and toddlers groups are found helping children understand their homework when their parents are unable to do this because of language difficulties. Already existing parish societies such as the
S.V.P, CWL and Mothers’ Union etc can be of great assistance here. Because a person is “commodity poor” it doesn’t mean they’re not “time rich”. And this works both ways for the host parish and for the migrants themselves.
In some densely populated areas there are chaplaincies for various ethnic groups. Counselling is important, as is a simple “listening ear” from someone who is friendly.
Moving On
But parish involvement with migrants goes beyond mere crisis management. There are joys to be shared and cultures to be learnt about.
No matter how long someone has been here there is always scope for moving on to better things. People find suitable accommodation, sort out their work permits, national insurance and tax status, and then they want to even more part of the community. Parishes hold English classes and publish a very simple weekly or monthly newsletter for the non-indigenous community. Some large parishes have ethnic choirs that contribute to the regular worship. Others hold social and religious celebrations for the whole parish on the occasion of a particular national feast.
Further education allows people to improve their skills and so become more a part of the local community.
Challenge
When a parish finds itself with a significant migrant population there are great rewards to be had. We are all enriched by the patchwork quilt that is the Universal Church. By minimising any sense of isolation, by providing a welcoming community, friends are made and the true nature of the Church becomes more visible. The challenge is not to watch from the sidelines as other agencies struggle to cope in their own way with the situation, but to bring our Christian faith in the oneness of humanity as created by God to bear on our own area.
We began this series by reminding ourselves that history has always judged a civilisation by the way it looks after the most vulnerable members of society: the widow, the orphan and the stranger (foreigner). What we do for others is not done in our own name but in the name of faith and of Christ. So the words of the Book of Leviticus ring out once more:
If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not molest
him. You must count him as one of your countrymen and love him as yourself, for you were once strangers yourselves in Egypt.
(Lev: 19:33-34)