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The World Methodist Council called for a new ministry with migrants during a Consultation on Migrant and Diaspora Churches held 3-6 June in London, an event which gathered a diverse group of about 40 leaders.
The World Methodist Council stated: “Since its beginning, the Methodist movement has responded to the physical and spiritual needs of people who left their home countries; missionaries accompanied migrating people and migrants became missionaries in the places where they arrived.”
During the consultation, stories were shared of mission activities, of struggles to overcome the trauma many migrants face, of gracious ways to support refugees, of pain because of a lack of mutual understanding, and of cooperation and growth in building diverse communities.
World Methodist Council vice president Gillian Kingston stated: “We appreciated anew the significant connections with climate change, religious persecution and political unrest which force families and communities to uproot and travel to strange countries to make new lives.”
Participants affirmed the document “God Is on the Move: A Call to Be the Church in a New Way.” The full document can be found on http://worldmethodistcouncil.org/god-is-on-the-move-a- call-to-be-the-church-in-a-new-way/