Global Migration in Christian Perspective

Emergency Summit on Global Migration in Christian Perspective

With upcoming elections in the UK, the USA, India, South Africa and 72 other countries around the world this year, and migration is increasingly an area of contention and debate in political discourse, how should the church respond?

What does the Bible teach about asylum, refuge and borders and nationhood?

These are the question at the heart of our inaugural event, Global Migration in Christian Perspective, to be held at St Mellitus College.

The symposium brings together Christian theologians and practitioners from around the world providing diverse and global perspectives on migration to stimulate lively and productive discussion.

Following the event, video assets will be created that will equip the church in its humanitarian and political engagement on migration.

Attend this summit

- To gain a deeper understanding of the current global migration phenomenon

- To be inspired by stories of resilience, innovation and triumph

- To contribute to the dialogue, shaping the academic discourse and practical solutions to issues around migration.

- To connect with global thought-leaders and practitioners in migration

This summit features interactive panel sessions, breakout rooms and workshops that delve into key issues surrounding migration.

Reverend Dr. Hikmat Kashouh is the senior pastor of Resurrection Church in Lebanon, a vibrant and growing missional church located in 13 different locations across Lebanon. Today Resurrection Church is a congregation of more than 6000 people, clustered in 44 spiritual congregations. Each weekend service is broadcast live via satellite TV, radio stations, and social media platforms impacting hundreds of thousands in the Arab World.

Resurrection Church provides a holistic community service to Lebanese, Syrian and Iraqi refugees, offering medical and humanitarian aid, counseling, and learning support projects for children and teens. Resurrection Church has a strong network with churches and NGOs in Lebanon, Syria and in a number of Arab countries.

Hikmat is a theology professor, researcher, a published scholar, and a speaker for various conferences in the Arab world and in the West. He is the former Academic Dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary.

Hikmat and his wife Krista, have three children Markus, Betine and Daniella.

The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani has served as Bishop of Chelmsford since April 2021.

Chelmsford is the second largest diocese in the Church of England in terms of population and serves the communities of Essex and East London. In January 2021, Bishop Guli was also appointed as the lead Bishop for Housing for the Church of England and she has served as a member of the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords since November 2021.

Between 2017 and 2021, Bishop Guli served as the first Bishop of Loughborough in the Diocese of Leicester. As well as assisting the Bishop of Leicester across the Diocese, her specific responsibilities included overseeing and supporting the vocations of those called to lay and ordained ministries. Before she became Bishop of Loughborough, Bishop Guli led Curate training in the Diocese of Peterborough.

Bishop Guli is currently Vice-President of the Conference of European Churches, Vice Chair of the Board of the Church Army and a contributor to BBC Radio 4s Thought for the Day.

Born in Iran, Guli’s family left the country in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1980, when she was 13 years old, and to date she has been unable to return. She is married to Lee, also a priest and they have three children.

Professor N.T. Wright is a leading biblical scholar, former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England, and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was formerly a Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at St. Mary’s College in the University of St. Andrews. He also studied for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, and was ordained at Merton College, Oxford.Wright holds a Doctor of Divinity from Oxford University in addition to several honorary doctorates. Wright has written over fifty books, including the multi-volume work Christian Origins and the Question of God.

Dr CHRISTOPHER J. H. WRIGHT is Global Ambassador and Ministry Director ofLangham Partnership. He was formerly principal of All Nations Christian College,Ware, UK, after he taught at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India. His books includeOld Testament Ethics for the People of God, The Mission of God, Knowing God –The Trilogy, The Mission of God’s People and several commentaries in The BibleSpeaks Today series.

Matthew Soerens serves as the Vice President for Advocacy & Policy for WorldRelief. He also serves as the national coordinator of the Evangelical Immigration Table.He previously served as a Department of Justice-accredited legal counselor at World Relief’s local office in Wheaton, Illinois and, before that, with World Relief’s partner organization in Managua, Nicaragua.

Matthew earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Wheaton College and his Master’s Degree from DePaul University’s School of Public Service. He is the co-author of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (InterVarsity Press, 2009, 2018), Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church (InterVarsity Press, 2022) and of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis (Moody Publishers, 2016).

Originally from Neenah, Wisconsin, Matthew lives in Aurora, Illinois with his wife, Diana, and their four children.

Ruth Padilla DeBorst, a Latin American theologian and missiologist, focuses on integral mission, combining social justice with evangelism. She holds a Ph.D., advocates for integral mission, and leads theological education in Latin America. Dr. Padilla DeBorst lives in Costa Rica, co-leads CETI, and serves on boards of organizations such as A Rocha and the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

Vinoth Ramachandra was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he also had his secondary schooling. He holds both bachelors and doctoral degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of London. Instead of pursuing an academic career in the UK, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1980 and helped to develop an inter-denominational Christian university ministry in that country.

He is an international lecturer and writer. He served on the IFES Senior Leadership Team as Secretary for Dialogue & Social Engagement. His multi-faceted, international ministry includes promoting among students and professors a holistic, dialogical engagement with the world of the university; and helping Christian professionals act with Christian integrity in the face of the social, cultural and political challenges they face in their national contexts throughout the world.

Vinoth’s Danish wife Karin, whom he married in 1998, passed away in 2018. Vinoth has also been involved with the Civil Rights Movement in Sri Lanka, as well as with the global Micah Network (a network of development and justice organizations) and A Rocha (a world-wide biodiversity conservation organization). He is also on the International Advisory Council of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, based in Cambridge, England. He is the author of several essays, articles and books including Gods That Fail (2nd ed. 2016), Subverting Global Myths: Theology and the Public Issues that Shape Our World (2008) and Sarah’s Laughter: Doubt, Tears and Christian Hope (Langham, 2020)

Dr Krish Kandiah is the founder and director of Sanctuary Foundation. He is a social entrepreneur with a vision to help solve some of society’s seemingly intractable problems through building partnerships across civil society, faith communities, government and philanthropy.

He served as the Chair of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board and works as a consultant in global child welfare reform, education and refugee resettlement.

Krish has been involved in refugee support since the height of the Kosovan crisis in 1999. He was involved in welcoming to the UK newcomers from Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

Krish is also a foster carer, a Homes for Ukraine host and a representative on the government's Homes for Ukraine Core Delivery Group as well as the Homes for Ukraine Delivery Board.

He is the author of over 15 books, including children's books and two welcome books for resettled Hong Kong and Ukrainian children.

Krish was awarded an OBE for services to refugee integration in the King's New Year's Honours list 2023.

Environmentalist and theologian, social activist and author, Dr Ruth Valerio is the Director of Global Advocacy and Influencing at Tearfund, based in the UK. She was previously Churches and Theology Director at A Rocha UK, during which time she launched the Eco Church scheme. An in-demand speaker, her first book, L is for Lifestyle, is a bestseller on sustainable living. She lives with her family in the south of England and has a wealth of experience trying to practise what she preaches.

Natalia Serna is La Muna, a mix of (Moon and Luna) and the first word she ever said. She writes songs and stories that explore the themes of spirituality and justice. Much of her work is inspired by the migrants and refugees she has accompanied since moving to the Mexican American border in 2013. In an effort to educate the public on the experiences of migrants and refugees, she has visited universities and organisations in the U.S, Guatemala and Mexico. La Muna has collaborated on radio programmes and documentaries interested in raising awareness around these themes. To see more please visit: https://lamuna.wixsite.com/corazonnorte.

Dr Elaine Storkey is a philosopher, sociologist, theologian, author, lecturer, broadcaster. Currently President of Fulcrum, a Church of England think-tank. Holds a Lambeth DD degree, an honorary PhD, and a Fellowship. Has held academic positions at Open University, King's College London, and Oxford. Advocated against violence towards women through the organization Restored, co-founded with her husband. Known for bringing a Christian perspective to feminism. Recently wrote a biography about a woman dedicated to humanitarian work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Harvey Kwiyani is a Malawian theologian currently working at Church Mission Society in Oxford, England, where he leads the Centre for Global Witness and Human Migration and manages its programmes in African Christianity. He founded and continues to serve as Executive Director of Missio Africanus, an intercultural mission training initiative that seeks to equip and empower the global church for mission in Europe. Having served in mission in Europe and North America for a long time, he writes a great deal on issues to do with cross-cultural mission and leadership. He has authored several books including Sent Forth: African Missionary Work in the West and Multicultural Kingdom: Ethnic Diversity, Mission and the Church. He blogs at https://harveykwiyani.substack.com/.

Easten Law is the associate director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center and associate editor of the International Bulletin of Mission Research. His research focuses on lived theology, religious pluralism, and public life in the context of contemporary China and the Chinese diaspora. He completed his doctorate in theological and religious studies from Georgetown University in 2020 examining how Chinese Christian faith is experienced, negotiated, and expressed in everyday life across cultural and religious boundaries. Easten also earned an M.Div. at Wesley Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College. He is currently pursuing ordination in the American Baptist Church.

Easten has published articles and co-edited special issues on the intersections between theology, qualitative research, world Christianity, and interreligious learning in journals.

Previously, Easten taught intercultural relations at American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China. In addition, Easten has also provided training, lectures, and curriculum design for intercultural communication with a variety of ministries and NGOs in the United States, Switzerland, and China.