18th December 2009: Some 70 representatives of churches from across Europe and participants from other world regions recently met in Budapest to launch the focus year of “European Churches responding to Migration” - a joint initiative of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe.

The churches will be carrying out activities aimed at making visible their commitment to strangers, responding to the message of the Bible, which insists on the dignity of every human being throughout the year 2010.

The General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches, the Ven. Colin Williams, stated. “Churches shall be encouraged to strengthen and enhance their work with and for migrants, refugees and ethnic minority people.”

At the same time, the activities aim at improving the situation of migrants in Europe very concretely – through joint advocacy for migrants’ and refugees’ right to a long-term residence status after five years of legal stay, irrespective of the grounds of stay.

Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, President of CEC said: “Migration is an overall reality in society today – migration is posing challenges to societies, political institutions and churches. At the same time, migration offers perspectives for living in diversity, enrichment for personal life as well as for Churches’ life. As Christians we are obliged and invited to ‘welcome the stranger’”.

The churches have come up with a calendar for the year 2010. The calendar highlights specific area of churches’ work on migration and encourages churches to further develop and give more visibility to these activities.

Suggestions range from organising bible studies between congregations with different ethnic background and joint worship of congregations worshipping in different languages to the setting up of psychological support for refugees and advocacy for irregular migrants.

“Migration has become a reality in almost all European countries, be they more immigration, emigration or transit migration countries,” CCME General Secretary Doris Peschke stated. “It is important to recognise this reality and overcome fears in our societies. Migration is a blessing and not a curse,” she added, as churches have a rich biblical basis to understand migration in a more positive way.

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