Give the Gift of a Welcome this Advent!
December is here! We may think that this is the end of 2022, but, according to some Christian traditions, this is actually the new year season - the Advent season, meaning “Coming (of Jesus Christ)”!
On the coming Sunday (11 Dec, the Second Advent Sunday), you may see two purple candles lit in some churches. The second candle, representing the Second Advent Sunday, is also called the Bethlehem Candle. It commemorates Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
But Mary and Joseph’s journey had not ended in Bethlehem. In fact, after Jesus was born, they could not head home to Nazareth. They had to run to a strange, unfamiliar country. This video below highlights their story, compared to a refugee family’s story today…
The Refugee King video (with traditional Chinese subtitle)
For various reasons, just like so many of us from Hong Kong, many around the world also have to make the difficult decision to leave their homeland. Even Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus. And they needed help on their journey - the guidance of angels, the kindness of local people. And just like Jesus’ family, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants need help on their way - practical help like housing, resources, and emotional support - before they can settle in the new country, to start anew.
UKHK, one of the many projects launched by the Welcome Churches, is launched with this goal - to welcome people from Hong Kong, and, through connecting them with local churches, to support them so that they can start anew.
Grace and Joanna
We hope that UKHK has been able to help you on your journey. Could you help us to extend this welcome, to people from Hong Kong and also refugees and asylum seekers from all over the world, by supporting our work and giving a gift of welcome this Advent Season?
We are not the only ones on this journey. And if we support each other, we can make it together. To this new beginning.
Donate today, and give the Gift of a Welcome this Christmas to help Welcome Churches provide more projects, like UKHK, to be there to provide care and support to new arrivals to the UK.
