Please pray for our friend “R”, an African volunteer at St. Rollox and a brother in Christ. He has recently received the news that he is suffering from leukaemia; he is still awaiting some test results to gauge the severity of the condition. R has struggled with many heath issues in the past, but this recent news is understandably distressing (even though he has taken the news bravely). He told me that he would appreciate prayer.

Also pray for R’s young son, who also bears the weight of his father’s stresses and has some difficulty socially as a result.

The after school club at Tron St. Mary’s has started running again, after a few setbacks. Standing water had ruined the floor, so the club was shut for a number of weeks. After it was repaired, we reopened, ready for the mayhem... the first few weeks were pretty laid back actually. Word of mouth is a powerful thing though and yesterday we had more than 80 children attending the club (this number does not include the parents who often stay for a cup of tea).

Emma, now unable to be involved physically the same way as she was before, runs the registration desk. She’s become quite a hit with the pre-teen girls and has received some wonderful drawings (posted here for your enjoyment).

Tron St. Mary’s is also looking to expand their work with families in Red Road and is about to start an adult English course where their children can attend and get help with their homework. I’m looking forward to seeing how that develops, as the after-school club is too loud and busy for something like this, though I know that a lot of young people would appreciate the help.

In the past few years, it has become quite trendy to organise treks across wild and remote places like the Sahara. Often this is done for charity, the participants being sponsored to take the trip which promises a "win-win" scenario; they get the trip of a lifetime and money goes to a good cause. I've always been somewhat uncomfortable with this format of fundraising for a number of reasons.

This BBC news article about the desperate journey of African immigrants across the Sahara in search of peace, security or just a better way of life stands in sharp contrast to the well-organised and insured-to-the-hilt charity journeys. It's where the journey of some of those we meet in the UK, and those our colleagues meet in Greece and Italy will have begun.

If you are in the UK, you can watch the tv programme Panorama: Europe or Die Trying, BBC One, Monday, 14 September at 2030BST. Alternatively, there are a couple of short clips linked to the news article.

Emma and I recently visited a woman “R” who had been detained in Dungavel prior to her removal to Pakistan. R was coping okay with her predicament until her children were able to join her in the visitors’ area. The youngest child was clearly confused, asking “please, let’s just get the bus and go back home.” At this point, the atmosphere became very emotional and the stressed mother had difficulty holding back her tears.

The detention of children is a particularly controversial Home Office policy. In the first half of 2009, 470 children were put into detention. While detention is portrayed as an inevitable “last resort”, the UKPA reports that “out of 225 children released from detention in the second quarter of 2009, only 100 were removed from the UK - suggesting they had been locked up unnecessarily.” This has raised many questions about current procedures.

As always, it is easy to remain pragmatic about the issue until one actually encounters detained children and sees the effect that it has. There is a danger that those of us who work with asylum seekers will find ourselves constantly at loggerheads with the Home Office, being at the relational end of the issue. I am somewhat heartened that this report about the detention of children came from Home Office itself – and I’m sure they were aware of the negative response it would garner. It’s too easy to criticise the Home Office, without offering anything constructive. I recognise that have the freedom to meet people where they are at, show Christ’s love to people regardless of their good or bad decisions (e.g. Eph 5:2, Mt 25:40, Jn 8:7), and the Home Office does not operate on these principles. This is not an excuse for child detention, but recognition that the issue is multifaceted.

This issue, in particular, has reconfirmed my desire for form a more constructive relationship with the Home Office. We believe in ministry that is relational, and that relational distinctive should include all of those that we come into contact with. What would happen if I offered the Home Office my assistance, rather than criticism alone? Could I ever view the Home Office as a partner, rather than an adversary? This is easier said than done and would require much wisdom, though I believe that greater cooperation would lead to a more accountable process for all involved. For example, it would mean facing the uncomfortable reality that the end of the asylum process might be removal, but working to make this process as just and nontraumatic as possible. Bringing the “human element” into the asylum debate requires more than argument, but relationship (clearly, the last year of criticism has not produced any tangible improvements regarding the detention of children). Cooperation means that we can act as a witness to Christ not only to the marginalised, but those in power.

Pray for the children in detention.
Pray for the people in the Home Office who make difficult decisions.
Pray that everybody involved can work together for more just solutions.
Pray that the Christians involved can bring reconciliation, integrity, and love into a polarised situation.

Are you really a Christian? I’m going to test the validity of your faith with the following questions (checking Google for answers is forbidden):

1) Name Jesus’ twelve disciples.
2) Recite the Apostles’ Creed.
3) How do you cook a turkey?
4) What were the names of the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus?
5) What will happen around the world at the time of the second coming of Christ?
6) What type of fruit was the forbidden fruit?

How did you fare?

I’m sure that many of you could answer some of these, maybe you had difficulty with others, or just confused how some of these questions could possibly help anybody decide whether or not your faith is genuine.

The questions might seem ridiculous, but they are all examples of real questions asked to asylum seekers here who have become Christians and fear for their safety if returned to a hostile country. While it does happen that some falsely claim Christianity, this does not mean that there are not many genuine believers who live in fear of being returned. Most pastoral workers can ascertain whether somebody is genuine over a period of time, though this relational testimony does not seem to be highly regarded by the authorities (in some cases, conveniently ignored). The other issue arises when a particular judge is unfamiliar with aspects of an evangelical faith.

Thankfully , this issue has been flagged by the UK Evangelical Alliance and has received some press. This article from The Times “How the government tests for faith” sums up the issue well. Unfortunately, this article went to press over two years ago and not much seems to have changed.

This is an issue that affects some of the people we’re working with, so please keep it in your prayers: that a just and responsible solution will be found to assess the claims of believers seeking asylum in the UK.