The Faith Stream of Sanctuary was developed to celebrate and promote the good practice of different faiths that are fostering a culture of welcome and inclusion for all, especially people seeking sanctuary and their families. The call to ‘welcome the stranger’, through protection and hospitality, and to honor the stranger or those of other faiths with respect and equality, is deeply rooted in many religions.
The Faith Stream of Sanctuary Award
The Faith Stream of Sanctuary award offers an opportunity to educate people about the right to sanctuary and to further engage with people seeking sanctuary and their families in their local communities.
The aim of working towards the award is to create a safe environment that welcomes people seeking sanctuary and support faith communities to learn about sanctuary in the UK and extend welcome in their wider communities.
Image credit to Easton Christian Family Centre, awarded Church of Sanctuary status in 2024.
Please note that there are also specific Church of Sanctuary award guidelines that were developed in partnership with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and built upon the work undertaken by the City of Sanctuary founding Patron Inderjit Bhogal. We would encourage any faith or interfaith organisation to get in touch with [email protected] if they would like to work in partnership with City of Sanctuary UK to develop specific guidelines for another faith, or to discuss any amendment to these generic guidelines (including any suggestions on use of language).
A faith setting can attain an award if they are able to provide evidence that they have integrated our three core processes:
Learn: learning about what it means to be seeking sanctuary, both in general, and specifically.
Embed: taking positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion. To take steps to ensure this progress remains sustainable.
Share: sharing your vision, achievements, what you have learned, and good practice with people from other faiths, the local community and beyond.
Image credit to Easton Christian Family Centre, awarded Church of Sanctuary status in 2024
Steps for Achieving the Award
- Read through the Faith Stream of Sanctuary Guidelines or the Church of Sanctuary Criteria and contact [email protected] to express your interest in the program.
- Sign up to our organisational pledge, committing your group to acknowledge and support the Bristol City of Sanctuary vision.
- If you have already made progress towards creating a welcoming place of safety, use the self-assessment tool (Appendix A) to find out where you are in the sanctuary journey and support planning for further development.
- Produce a plan for how you will meet the Faith Stream of Sanctuary criteria considering what can be appropriately embedded within your context. We suggest that you consider the creation of a portfolio of activities to evidence progress as you work towards an award. For inspiration have a look at these case studies and other resources.
- When you feel you are ready, you can submit the Awards Application form.
- The nomination will be appraised by a Sanctuary Recognition panel which will normally include as a minimum, a local member of City of Sanctuary, someone who has experience of seeking sanctuary and an expert in the field. The panel may request a visit to the nominated organisation during the appraisal, and will usually involve a conversation between key members of staff, members of the congregation and the panel.
- Once the award is agreed, you should organise a celebratory event where you can make a public declaration of support for people seeking sanctuary and City of Sanctuary.
- The conversations begun during appraisal will continue throughout the three year award period and will inform a review at the end of the three years, when an updated certificate of recognition can be issued.
In Iranian culture, even after leaving your father’s house, it is like your own home. You go there whenever you like and without prior arrangement or invitation, and you will always be met with the smile and kindness of the parents.
For me, ECFC is like my father’s house. From the first day I came here, I was welcomed with open arms. I was saying to myself, how can they be so kind to me who they don’t know?
It’s not just about me. All my Iranian asylum seeker and refugee brothers and sisters here feel the same way, and this is a safe haven for them. In the ECFC, we are together in times of sadness and joy, and we always feel the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As stated in the word of God: do you not know that you are the temple of God that the spirit of God dwells in you? (1.Corinthians 3:16)
ECFC member
