Friday 18 May 2012

The power of stories of sanctuary

I had one of the most beautiful moments in my life yesterday, and I wanted to quickly share it. I was invited to a local secondary school, where a group of students were performing a play based on real life stories from people who had come to Bradford seeking sanctuary.

The play includes that of a man from the Congo that I had the privilege of meeting some years back, and whose story is told in my book 'A Just Church'.

The children were amazing, and clearly the learning of the script had been a powerful learning tool. They were enjoying the gifts of some great drama teachers, and singing music from the extraordinary John Froud (much loved by the kids!)

As they told the story, I could not help but cry - it brought back to me the night I met this particular sanctuary seeker, and my wife and I saw the scars on his back from the torture he had endured. I remembered his call to his wife, letting her know he was still alive (he had only just arrived having escaped from a prison) I remember his night spent in prayer.

Thank God for this project, going into schools and helping young people understand the journeys of those seeking sanctuary. Well done to BEACON and the Zephaniah Trust. Thank you to the young people who are retelling these stories. Thank you for making me cry, and reminding me of the importance of 'sanctuary'.

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