Press Releases
CHURCHES' UNITY SERVICE TREASURES REFUGEES
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18 to 25 January) millions of Christians throughout the world will be offering prayers for the unity of the Church and the unity of all people who are made in God's image. In praying for the unity of the Church, Christians are reminded of their duty to pray for the unity of all people who are made in God's image. This year prayers will be centred around a text from 2 Corinthians chosen by Christians in Argentina who assert that 'the 'treasure in clay jars' - the glory of Christ- is a gift from God to strengthen all who are suffering or sad. They firmly believe that Christians have a responsibility to share the light of Christ and welcome strangers into their midst.
In making this choice the Churches in Argentina were guided by their reflection on the fact that Argentina is a nation built up by native peoples and immigrants. Here, the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, published by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) carry the same clear message: Churches have an obligation to welcome asylum seekers and refugees and be enriched by their lives and gifts.
At a time when Christians in Britain are expressing concern about the withdrawal of support from some asylum applicants, these prayers will have a particular poignancy. New measures just brought into force under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act mean that people arriving in Britain will have to claim asylum immediately or lose state support. Currently sixty per cent of refugees do not claim asylum immediately.
' We are not asking for an unlimited flow of asylum seekers to this country but what we are asking is that they should be treated with compassion and dignity as their claims are being considered,' says the Revd Jean Mayland, CTBI's Coordinating Secretary for Church Life.
'All asylum seekers are made in God's image and should be treated as such. We also need to remember the treasures they bring in their insights and skills,' she said.
This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the death of the Abbe Couturier, the priest from Lyons who was a great advocate of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In 1908 Paul Watson proposed a 'church unity octave' between the feasts of St Peter (18 January) and St Paul (25 January). This was broadened by Abbe Paul Couturier's call in 1935 for a universal Week of Prayer for Unity, a unity to be achieved 'as Christ wishes and by the means which he desires'. Today resources for the Week are used in 72 countries.
NOTES
- Churches Together in Britain and Ireland co-ordinates the work of its 31 member Churches and liaises with ecumenical bodies in Britain and Ireland as well as ecumenical organizations at European and world levels. Its work includes Church Life, Church and Society, Mission, Inter Faith Relations, International Affairs and Racial Justice. It provides a forum for joint decision-making and enables the Churches to take action together.
- CTBI resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity include: English pamphlet at Stg£0.50p each; bilingual Welsh/English pamphlet at Stg£0.50p each; A2 poster at Stg£1.00; planners' resource book at Stg£3.00 each and planning pack at Stg£8.50 each (includes one poster, ten pamphlets and one resource book.) Send orders to:
CTBI Publications,
31 Great Smith Street,
London
SW1P 3BNTel: +44 (0)20 7898 1300
Email:CTBI Publications
Via the website: http://www.chbookshop.co.uk - The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was proposed by Paul Watson in 1908. The movement was given momentum by the Abbé Paul Couturier of France. From 1957 a common Week of Prayer for Christian Unity text was prepared through informal co-operation between the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Ecumenical Agency Unité Chrétienne. Since 1966 the WPCU has been a joint project of the Faith and Order Commission and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
- There will also be a series of events celebrating the memory of the Abbé Paul Couturier; see http://www.paulcouturier.org
Further information from:
Anne van Staveren Press Officer, CTBI
Tel: +44 (0)20 7523 2137
or UK mobile 07939 139 881
Jean Mayland CTBI Church Life Secretary
Tel: +44 (0)20 7523 2132
or UK mobile 07940 529 288