European Methodists and World Refugee Day

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, from 2001, June 20 should be celebrated as World Refugee Day. The European Methodist Council has recently published a Liturgy that aims to enable Methodist congregations all over Europe to observe this special day and to focus on refugees and migrants in a special worship service on or around June 20.
 
The European Methodist Council (EMC) includes a colorful variety of member churches: autonomous Methodist Churches such as those in Britain and Ireland or in Portugal, the European Episcopal Areas of The United Methodist Church, but also the Church of the Nazarene, the European branch of the Korean Methodist Church, and United Churches such as those in Spain or Sweden, where some of the local churches have Methodist roots.
 
Some of the aims of the EMC are to develop a stronger Methodist witness and service in Europe, to share material, personal and content-related resources, and to consult together on matters of common concern. 
 
One of these matters is «Refugees and Migrants». The EMC would like to challenge all its member churches to be engaged in this matter regardless of whether they are situated in countries that are traditionally arrival, transit or destination countries for people from Africa and the Middle East.
 
EMC members from the Methodist Church in Italy, which is strongly involved in ministries for and with these people (see also the  powerpoint presentation on the program «Mediterranean Hope»), have recently prepared a Liturgy focusing on «Refugees and Migrants». You can download it from  here. This Liturgy aims to help Methodist congregations all over Europe to celebrate a worship service on or around June 20 and to think of those people who do not see a future in their home country and who are trying to get to Europe on their journey of hope. 
 
Source: European Methodist Council