Guide to Online Worship Resources: Refugees and Forced Migration
Download these resources in pdf format
Materials for a full service
A great starting place from CTBI
A booklet “God with us – worship resources on the theme of refugees, migration and sanctuary” by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Includes Bible studies, prayers, liturgies, songs, stories, ideas for young people and more.
Baptist Union of Great Britain
Welcoming the Stranger brochure with material including sermon notes, suggestions for hymns, prayers and readings, and Bible studies. Also contains practical information on helping and case studies of what churches have done.
CAFOD
Refugee solidarity liturgy based around the Lampedusa Cross. Also a powerful prayer pilgrimage for young people.
Christian Aid
Prayers – short and longer, and litanies on the theme of the refugees, a theological reflection on migration and a 3 minute video “Love the Stranger – a theological perspective”
Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe
Materials for a day of intercession in memory of those who lost their lives on the way to seek safety in Europe. Contains background information, prayers and worship idea.
Churches Refugee Network
Service outline for a vigil
Methodist Church
Worship resources focused on refugees and migrants: example of a church welcoming refugees, Bible study on the “Stranger”, prayers, suggestions for hymns (with references to the Singing the Faith plus website), Bible readings, and links to other materials.
Prayers, prayer stations, hymns and reflections …
Baptist Union
Refugees: a collection of prayers from different sources.
CAFOD
A collection of CAFOD’s considerable prayer resources relating to refugees.
CTBI
A variety of reflections and prayers are available on this dedicated page for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (look especially at 28 April 2017, when a delegation went to Lampedusa and Sicily, and 25 December 2018 A Christmas Prayer for Refugees.)
Resound Worship
A worship song by Joel Payne “Our God was a refugee”- audio recording, lyrics & chord chart available free; full score and MP3 to purchase.
The Stations
A collaborative project by Marksteen Adamson and Justin Brierley, Krish Kandiah, Lou Dawson, Oy Ralfe and Julie Tomlin, using the traditional fourteen ‘Stations of the Cross’ as a framework for Christian reflection on the journeys refugees make.
United Reformed Church
A hymn (2016) by Colin Ferguson ‘God travels with us’ that reflects on the experience of refugees moving in faith.
Bible readings and Bible studies …
Baptist Union of Great Britain
Welcoming the Stranger contains Bible studies focus on Mary and Joseph, and ‘Strangers and Aliens’
Bible Society
Series of 4 Bible studies (2016) ‘Refugees and the Bible – Welcoming the stranger’, with short (1-2 minute) video introductions
Church World Service (US)
A substantial collection of Bible verses relating to refugees and migration. Available as pdf and Word document.
Commitment for Life
Journeying Bible Study
Singing the Faith Plus (Methodist)
‘Refugees and the Bible – readings to explore’ An annotated list, explaining why passages have been selected and giving links to the actual readings.
USPG
‘Migration and Movement’ a six-week study course with Bible studies, stories and prayers.
Poems and other readings …
Brian Bilston
‘Reversible’ poem “Refugees”, which offers two perspectives on refugees and our response – a bottom-to-top reading challenging the attitudes found in a top-to-bottom reading
Videos …
Welcome Churches
https://welcomechurches.org/churches/refugeesunday/
Sign up to receive a Refugee Week inspiring video produced by Welcome Churches to share with your church on Refugee Sunday – which is also Father’s Day. The video tells some of the story of Asghar who arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker but has left his wife and children behind. The theme of the video is Together One Day.
UNHCR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvzZGplGbL8
Who is a Refugee? 3 minute animation video sutiable for age 12+
CAFOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_P9huLYmS0
3 minute animation about forced migration, suitable for children, aimed at Catholics and encouraging supporting CAFOD to help refugees
Inscape Animations
https://inscapeanimations.com/roots-inscape-animation.html
9 minute beautifully drawn, reflective and thought-provoking animation, on migration from the earliest times, refugees’ experience, what makes us secure and our common roots
Home for Good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MX9b1ldWpo
6 minute video (Jan 2018) by Dr. Krish Kandiah calling on Christians in the UK to welcome refugee children and young people in response to the war in Syria.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
http://focusonrefugees.org/reflections-from-ctbi-group-who-visited-mediterranean-hope-refugee- projects-in-lampedusa-sicily/
Video of three participants (a Catholic, a Quaker and a Presbyterian) on the CTBI visit to Mediterranean Hope refugee projects in Lampedusa and Sicily (2017).
Jesuit Refugee Service/Mercy in Motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziz9a-2Zhvs
‘Open Minds, Unlock Potential’ Twelve minute video in which refugees speak in their own words about their experiences, interspersed with words of theological reflection from Pope Francis.
Theological resources to give background for preaching …
World Council of Churches
‘The Other Is My Neighbour: Developing an Ecumenical Response to Migration’ – theological reflection paper.
World Evangelical Alliance
http://www.europeanea.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Justice-and-Compassion-Responding-to- the-Refugee-Crisis-in-Europe.pdf
‘Justice and Compassion: Responding to the Refugee Crisis in Europe’ – sets out some basic context (as of 2015) and offers theological reflect
