It’s late afternoon on Monday and Christ Church, Upper Armley is packed with asylum seekers and refugees at their weekly drop-in, Meeting Point.
Given that many are destitute, with stories of terrible trauma, you might expect it to have a sombre air, but it feels like a warm family gathering. They’re offered free food, clothes, computer use, English lessons and advice, but it’s the caring, accepting atmosphere that is just as important to them. One said, “I love coming here because it’s so friendly, and talking to others really helps with my stress.”
Vicar of Christ Church, the Revd Arani Sen, says, “Meeting Point has a Christian ethos, and although it isn’t explicitly Christian, many just see the love of Christ in the project and want to learn more about Jesus. There are about 30 different nationalities and many people come from oppressive regimes and haven’t encountered anything like this before.”
Darius from Iran said, “It was going to church and seeing how they looked after the disabled children that really affected me. I’ve never known such warmth and kindness.”
Meeting Point began 12 years ago when members of Christ Church wanted to help the growing numbers of isolated refugees and asylum seekers in Upper Armley (the 8th most deprived ward in the country), and it’s now a recognised deliverer of support services, with 50-70 people coming each week.
Along with the volunteers are three part-time staff including Project Manager, Emma Crossley. She says, “What we offer is a life-line for many, from the food to the computers which may be the only way of contacting family back home. But they don’t just come to get something, people find such positivity here. It’s a safe social space to enjoy being together, and we always end with a joint meal, which the beneficiaries take in turn to cook. It’s the West Africans tonight, I can’t wait!”
The church congregation is also incredibly diverse. Arani says, “In the 100 plus that come along on Sunday we’ve got 15 nationalities, so we have bibles in different languages. And in the last five years we’ve seen more than 20 Iranians get baptised.”
Watch the video about Meeting Point here.
Christ Church is also renowned for its Youth Project, read more about it here.
If you’d like to help these projects in any way, please contact Revd Arani Sen.