Over recent months, many communities in our country have experienced division and racial intolerance and hostility towards people of BAME heritage. Our churches have been responding with concern and compassion, including St Luke’s Church, Bournemouth, who, in collaboration with local group Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), organised a Silent Vigil last week. The aim was to create a space where people can stand together in an act of solidarity with those of different backgrounds who are feeling anxious, unwelcome, isolated and unsafe.
Revd James Sharp, Pioneer Minister of the Benefice of Four Saints, said, “We are living in a time when Christian symbols and identity have increasingly been co-opted by ideologies of fear, exclusion and nationalism. This ‘Christian nationalism’ betrays the message of Jesus Christ – he came with the message of reconciliation, hospitality, peace and the welcome of the stranger. It is deeply distressing when the Cross is held high at protests of exclusion. The Cross is a symbol of Christ’s salvation for all and it is distressing when this becomes associated with division rather than unity.”
Bishop Rhiannon also added her voice: “The Church cannot be silent on the matter of racial injustice. We are called to show authentic, Christ-like behaviour in a time of hostility and anger. Christ sat down and talked with people on the margins. He listened to their stories and humanised them, and it is by participating in this silent vigil we will be called to remember God’s important commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves.”
Hannah Lindner of SUTR said, “By holding this vigil, we aim to provide a safe and visible space for solidarity and reflection, ensuring that the silence is not filled by ignorance, prejudice, or false narratives about racial communities.”
One of the individuals who came along to the vigil said, “During the hour or so we were there, we initially spent time alone around the church, sitting or walking. Later we gathered round a ‘firepit’ of candles to be united in focusing on this issue. It was good to talk together with others who were supportive of this issue over coffee and cake at the end. My decision to attend was an Advent challenge: making room in my heart for those suffering in this way, and saying ‘Yes’ as Mary did to the Angel.”
Mel Osborne, part of the Winchester Diocese Racial Justice Group and an Ordinand/Children and Families’ Worker at Brockenhurst Church, spoke at the service. Find her words below:
“Being part of organising this event has helped me more than I expected. I didn’t realise how much worry I’d been carrying until I found a safe place to talk about it with the team. That sense of disquiet; the feeling that something is not quite right, has been growing in me this year, and it’s where I want to begin. I wonder if any of you have felt that disquiet too?
“My concern about racial justice didn’t appear suddenly. For me, it has been a lifelong journey but around the time of Brexit, I started to hear comments about “foreigners” and an uptick in comments said publicly. Twice, I was told to “go back home”. At the time, I tried to shrug it of but this year something shifted.
“The atmosphere feels different. It’s not just the odd comment anymore – there is a visible sense of division. Flags, slogans, protests, and online words used almost like weapons. And the message behind them, however it’s explained, lands very differently when you’re someone with a different ethnic background to UK British. My dad came to this country from Yemen on a boat. So, when I hear chants of “send them back”, it stings in a very personal way.
“Recently, someone said to me, “You only feel strongly about racism because you’ve got a chip on your shoulder.” I spent a long time talking with them, trying to explain that when people speak up about justice, they’re not trying to be victims. They’re trying to tell the truth of their experience so they don’t have to carry it alone.
“And here’s something I want to share carefully. I won’t go into detail, but throughout my early life I had moments where people were aggressive and physically intimidating with their racism. I don’t tell those stories often because they make me feel vulnerable. But a few years ago, when I briefly mentioned one of them, someone looked at me with compassion and simply said, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” And it was the first time I felt truly seen. Something healed in me that day. It reminded me that being believed and being valued can restore things that fear has tried to take.
“This summer, as flags were painted on bridges and zebra crossings, as protests filled city centres, many friends of mine, friends from different ethnic backgrounds, began sharing their own stories again. Stories they thought they had moved past. Many of us have felt anxious, distracted and even frightened. And anger began to rise in me too because fear can push people into irrational places.
“So, I prayed. And I reflected on Jesus’ words about being salt and light. Salt is there to protect what is precious. Light reveals what is hidden and changes the atmosphere of a room. I realised that I didn’t want to respond with fear or hatred and that I wanted to shine a different kind of light onto this issue.
“Someone said to me, “Nothing you do will make any difference.” But I genuinely disagree. When we shine a light on injustice, when we choose presence instead of silence, things do change. Community has the power to make changes and standing together in solidarity changes things. A single kind, honest sentence “I’m sorry that happened” changed and healed something in me.
“In Scripture, God’s heart is always turned toward the outsider, the stranger and the misunderstood. Jesus spent His time on the margins, restoring dignity to those who had been pushed aside. And in my Christian community, I have experienced that dignity, that belief that every person carries the image of God. I truly believe everyone should know that grace, whether or not they share my faith.
“I also know that conversations about racial justice can make people uncomfortable. Many good, kind people have told me they feel guilty or ashamed even though they’ve never acted in racist ways. And I want to say clearly: that is not the aim. When people share their stories, it is not to make others feel bad. It is to humanise something that is usually discussed at a distance. It is to help us hear one another and stand alongside one another.
“Tonight, this vigil is our way of shining light without shouting, resisting hate without violence, standing with those who feel unwelcome, and praying for reconciliation in our communities. Our silence is not passive. Our silence says: we see you, you belong, and we will not look away.”
We are aware that this is a very pertinent issue for many churches and Christian leaders who are wanting to engage with and support their communities and have constructive conversations. The following are a few resources published across the Church of England which might help shape our own responses:
- Bishop Philip hosted a webinar for the Good Faith Partnership entitled ‘Christ and Country in Our Politics’ looking at questions such as ‘How should Christians respond to the perceived rise of Christian nationalism?’ Watch below….
- Charities Against Hate – How to Respond to Racism
- Do Not ‘Co-opt’ the Cross to Divide: Bishops Join Church Leaders in Message After Rally
- New Posters Share Jesus’ Love for All This Christmas – Diocese of Leeds
- Joint Public Issues Team – Supporting Churches to Respond to the Co-option of Christmas by the Far Right
