Resources for churches preparing to welcome Ukrainian people to our communities

Welcome Churches

A new website launched by charity Welcome Churches is helping connect people displaced by the war in Ukraine with communities in the UK - including finding a local church to join in worship and receive the support they need.

UkraineWelcome.org includes practical information in English, Ukrainian and Russian such as accessing a GP, finding a school, and how to connect with a local church community.

Churches across the Diocese of Liverpool are encouraged to sign up to the Welcome Boxes scheme, offering training and resources to support church volunteers to get equipped to practically welcome newly-arrived asylum seekers.

The scheme supports sending trained volunteers to deliver a box filled with small gifts and local information to refugees who have recently arrived in your area, and give a warm welcome to them.

Church volunteers then continue to welcome the family or individual over the next three months or so, helping them access support available to them and linking them into your community.

The Welcome Boxes scheme is open to all churches, whether you have a member taking part in the Homes for Ukraine scheme or not, and is an excellent way for newly-arrived asylum seekers and refugees to meet people from your church and community.

Upcoming Coordinator training from Welcome Churches will be happening via Zoom video call on Wednesday 27 April and Tuesday May 24, both from 9:30am – 1pm. Sign up here.

Welcome Churches is also working with churches and organisations across the UK to identify Ukrainian families in need of accommodation via the Homes for Ukraine scheme. Register here to receive support connecting your church with potentially suitable families.

Welcome Churches' vision is for every refugee in the UK to be welcomed by their local church:

Welcome Churches say: “Our Welcome Boxes project gives you all of the resources and online referral and feedback systems you need to manage an effective project, enabling you to successfully welcome those seeking refuge in your community.

“Churches running Welcome Boxes are also automatically included in the Welcome Network, enabling other churches across the country to refer refugees they know to you when they move to your local area.”

”We will train you in the UK system for asylum seekers and refugees; and how to connect with people arriving in your area. We will cover how to build partnerships with other organisations in your area to promote Welcome Boxes so that asylum seekers can be referred to you.

“Our training includes all of the paperwork, safeguarding and data protection information you will need in order to set up the project in your church. We will give you advice about how to recruit a team of Welcomers and how to lead and look after your team.”

The Clewer Initiative

With millions of Ukrainians fleeing the country, many people are thinking about how they can personally contribute to the care of refugees.

Because vulnerable refugees are often targeted by criminal gangs and lured into slavery, The Clewer Initiative has done a lot of thinking about the best way to support refugees as they try to rebuild their lives.

They are trying to provide vital safety information in English, Ukrainian and Russian about how criminal gangs might lure refugees into slavery, signs to look out for and actions to take to protect themselves.

Please read their latest blog and watch out for updates about training.

Church of England Toolkit for churches

The Church of England has published a toolkit for parishes and individuals seeking to respond to the growing refugee crisis from Ukraine. You can download the toolkit here. Key facts:

• The UN estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need relief and protection, while more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees may need protection and assistance in neighbouring countries in coming months.
• Most of those fleeing are women and children, the elderly and the sick. Most are leaving with the few possessions they can carry.
• Those left behind face an uncertain future. People are living with no food, no water, no heat, no electricity. They need urgent respite from violence and humanitarian assistance.
• Despite the heart wrenching stories and distressing pictures coming out of Ukraine, there are practical ways in which we can all help to show solidarity and support with those most affected.

The first thing we can do is pray. On the morning of the invasion of Ukraine the Archbishop of Canterbury and York issued a call for people to pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia and for peace.

Churches organising prayer vigils and services following the invasion of Ukraine are invited to make use of these liturgical resources.

Diocese of Liverpool Q&A

We also encourage you to read this Q&A from the Diocese of Liverpool answering some key questions about how to support people in crisis as a result of the war, including:

How can individual congregation members volunteer to sponsor Ukrainian refugees? Individuals can register for the UK Humanitarian Sponsorship Scheme via the government Homes for Ukraine website.

Can parishes become sponsors? In time the Ukrainian Humanitarian Sponsorship Scheme will be expanded to larger groups and to sponsorship provided by companies, community groups and churches.

Parishes who are interested in getting involved in this scheme are encouraged to register via the Sanctuary Foundation. This means you will receive updates about the scheme and also sends a message to the Government about the level of support available.

Can we make a financial donation? There are two safe and secure ways where your gift can support those most in need:

The first is through the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which is supported by a number of charities including Christian Aid, the ecumenical relief and development agency of the British and Irish churches. Your gift will help provide food, bedding and temporary accommodation for people who have fled the conflict in Ukraine.

The second is through the USPG-Diocese in Europe Emergency Appeal which is looking to support the front line work of chaplaincies across Europe as well as Christian charities carrying out humanitarian work both in Ukraine and responding to the arrival of refugees in neighbouring countries.

Can I help with translation support? If you, or someone you know, can speak Ukrainian, Russian, Hungarian, Polish, German, Czech, Romanian or Moldovan then those language skills could be very useful in translation work. That includes Translators without Borders who are supporting many refugees in translating and understanding forms and procedures.