On Sunday 22nd June 2025, churches around the world will be marking Sanctuary Sunday, a time for us to express our prayers and solidarity with people seeking sanctuary around the world and an opportunity raise awareness again of our Christian calling to welcome the stranger and show loving hospitality to all those in need.
This year we are delighted to share with you our new worship resource, Sanctuary Stories. To mark the 10-year anniversary of Scottish Faith Action for Refugees, we are resharing ten powerful stories that we have heard and collated over the years. Each one offers a personal account of seeking sanctuary, highlighting both the hardships faced by refugees and the joy of being welcomed into community. There is so much to learn from these stories, and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to share them with you.
As you prepare for Sanctuary Sunday we encourage you to share one of these stories with your congregation. Each story is accompanied by prompts for reflection, action, and prayer to help shape your worship. The resource includes written stories suitable for reading aloud, along with four short films from our Journeys of Faith and Welcome series.
Additionally, SFAR contributed to the Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship resource for Sanctuary Sunday with Bible reflection the lectionary readings and prayers. The resource, including reflections by Prof Alison Phipps and Rev David Nicolson can be found here.