Every year on the Sundays nearest to 20 June, World Refugee Day, we encourage EBF member bodies to commemorate World Refugee Sunday. This is a time to both remember those who have lost their lives seeking safety in the last year and to celebrate the gifts that refugees bring to our churches and to our communities. The email includes resources for you to utilise in your context to learn more about the realities of refugees and displaced people in our region and ways to pray for refugees in our region.
Utilise these resources to deepen learning and reflection in your community on refugee issues:
The Refugee Highway Partnership Europe has resources for use in church services and children's programmes.
The World Evangelical Alliance is focusing on the theme of food insecurity among displaced people this year.
The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (PDF attachment) has up-to-date statistics on the number of people who lost their lives attempting to seek safety in Europe and ways to commemorate their lives.
The UNHCR has resources and more information on celebrating World Refugee Day.
Pray for peace, justice, and stability in countries where people flee from so that fewer people are forced to leave their homes and seek shelter.
Pray for those in transit, many separated from family, who find themselves stuck in uncertain and dangerous situations. Pray particularly for vulnerable populations and children.
Pray for those in destination countries who are attempting to reshape their lives in new contexts.
Pray for aid and relief workers, volunteers, social workers, and church workers who dedicate their time and energy to help lift the burdens of those who have been displaced.
Pray that governments will be just and compassionate when extending asylum and protection to those in need.
Pray that churches will be places of peace, hospitality, and hope for those who have been displaced.
Pray for EBF for our Baptist brothers and sisters who are caring for and empowering displaced peoples across the EBF region.
The European Parliament recently approved a new EU Migration Pact that will go into effect across member states in the coming years. EBF produced a brief on the Pact to help you better understand and respond to the changes that will come when the new measures go into effect.
Will Cumbia, who has worked as the EBF Coordinator for Migration Issues since March of 2021 and served on the EBF Refugee Working Group prior to this post. He has worked closely with the EBF Commission on Migration and EBF staff to network and resource the Baptist family to better respond to refugee and migration issues. Reflecting on his time with EBF Will writes,
“It has been an immense privilege to support and network the EBF family over the past years on the important area of refugee and migration work. I have been consistently inspired and encouraged by the faithful work of Baptists in our region as they care for and lift up those who have lost everything. I will miss being in fellowship with this branch of the Baptist family dearly, but look forward to bringing the lessons learned into my home context back in Virginia.”
Will has moved back to Richmond, Virginia, USA and will be starting new work with a non-profit that supports refugee integration this summer. The Coordinator for Migration position was generally supported in partnership with BMS World Mission.