EMBRACE is a group of Christians who have come together to promote a positive response to minority ethnic people in Northern Ireland. We seek to equip the church to fulfil its call to welcome the stranger, by providing information, training, materials and channels for practical help.

EMBRACE seeks to:

• Reflect gospel values of compassion, hospitality and justice
• Raise awareness and provide information, resources and training
• Respond to those in need by acting as a channel for voluntary assistance
• Support people by human rights and welfare advocacy
• Network with relevant agencies and groups
• Make informed responses on issues of public policy

Agape
Fairgate House
Kings Road Tyseley
Birmingham
B11 2AA
Tel: 0121 765 4404
Website: www.agape.org.uk
Suppliers of the Jesus Video in the UK. Supplied with commentary dubbed into hundreds of languages.

Bible Society
Stonehill Green
Westlea
Swindon
SN5 7DG
Tel: 01793 418100,
Fax: 01793 418118
Website: www.biblesociety.org.uk
Supply Bibles, Bible portions and tracts in many languages

Chapter Two
Fountain House
Conduit Mews
London
SE18 7AP
Tel: 020 8316 5389,
Fax: 020 8854 5963
Email: chapter2@aol.com
Website: www.chaptertwo.org.uk
Extensive range of foreign language Bibles

Christianity Explored
Website: www.christianityexplored.com
Christianity Explored is an informal course for people who’d like to investigate Christianity. Eight bible studies in St. Mark’s gospel available for speakers of English as a second language

Easy English
Website: www.easyenglish.info
Easy English is a form of simple English developed by Wycliffe Associates (UK). This site contains Bible commentaries and other materials written in EasyEnglish. They are free for downloading and use.

Elam Ministries, UK
P O Box 75,
Godalming,
Surrey
Tel 01483 427778
Farsi/Persian literature, language, people and media resources. Catalogue available

Good News English Course
Website: www.gnews-english.org
Resource for refugees: a teach-yourself English course based on the Bible, for absolute beginners. It is free, can be downloaded from the internet and is available in several different languages. The course leads on to upper intermediate level and aims to develop all the language skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening.

International Bible Society
Email: ibs_uk@eur.ibs.org
Website: www.ibsdirect.co.uk
Bibles and New Testaments in different languages

Iranian Christian Fellowship
158 Sutton Court Road,
Chiswick,
London
W4 3HR
Tel: 020 8995 4966
Website: www.icfchurch.com
Church services and Bible Study groups in Persian/Farsi in London. People resources/Farsi speakers for ministry elsewhere in the UK

Kitab Asian and Oriental Booksellers
PO Box 315,
Oldham
OL1 3YW
Tel: 0161 678 6838
Email: Kitab.uk@domini.org
Website: www.kitab.org.uk
Suppliers of leaflets, books, Scriptures, videos and audio tapes in English and 70 other languages for the understanding of and outreach to Muslims and Islam. Owned by Interserve. Catalogue available

London School of Theology
Green Lane,
Northwood,
Middlesex
HA6 2UW
Website: www.lst.ac.uk/bookshop
Online stock catalogue lists many written and video resources for Islamic studies/outreach. 

No Frontiers
26-28 Lottbridge Drove,
Eastbourne,
East Sussex
BN23 6NT
Tel: 01323-437723
Fax 01323-411970
Email: office@nofrontiers.org
Website: www.nofrontiers.org
Christian literature available in many languages - catalogue available

Sat-7 Trust Limited (Satellite Television)
P O Box 1214,
Bristol,
BS99 2RS
Tel 0117 953 7773
Fax 0117 953 7774
Email: bristol@sat7.org
Website: www.sat7.org
Arabic resources on website plus resources for Christians and Muslims. Broadcasts from a Christian worldview to the Middle East and North Africa.

Scripture Gift Mission
Radstock House,
3 Eccleston Street,
London
SW1W 9LZ
Tel: 020 7730 2155,
Fax 020 7730 0240
Email: lon@sgm.org
Website: www.sgm.org
Selection of Bible Resources/Christian literature available in many languages. Supplied free for sharing on a one-to-one basis. Not for mass distribution.

SOON Ministries (WEC International)
44 Twyford Road,
Willington,
Derby
DE65 6BN
Tel 01283 702334
Email: admin@soon.org.uk
www.soon.org.uk = Outreach site
www.web-evangelism.com = Training guide
www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/free-papers.php
Evangelistic papers, Bible Study materials and New Testaments in easy-English, aimed primarily at those who speak English as a second language. Evangelistic papers are available free in reasonable quantity to any Christian ministry who can make use of them.

Tearfund
100 Church Road,
Teddington,
Middx
TW11 8QE
Tel 020 8943 7791
Fax 020 8943 3594
Email: info@tearfund.org
Website: www.tearfund.org
Befriending Pack for Asylum Seekers providing guidance to churches and Christians seeking to support asylum seekers and refugees.

Word of Life
PO Box 14,
Oldham
OL1 3WW
Tel 0161 628 4051
Email: info@word.org.uk
Website: www.word.org.uk
Calendars with Scripture verses in different languages. Bible correspondence course for Muslim enquirers.

ANIMATE
Unit T2
Dungannon Business Park
2 Coalisland Road
Dungannon
BT71 6JT
Tel: 028 8772 9439
Fax: 028 8772 2869
Email: info@animate-ccd.net
Web: www.animate-ccd.net

Concordia
c/o Countryside Services Ltd
97 Moy Road
Dungannon
Co Tyrone
BT71 7DX
Tel: 028 8778 8242
Fax: 028 8778 8240
Email: info@concordiapartnership.org
Web: www.concordiapartnership.org

Rural Community Network
38a Oldtown Street
Cookstown
Co Tyrone
BT80 8EF
Tel: 028 8676 6670
Email: info@ruralcommunitynetwork.org
Web: www.ruralcommunitynetwork.org

St Vincent de Paul Society
EIA House
196-200 Antrim Road
Belfast
BT15 2AJ
Tel: 028 9035 1561
Web: www.svp-ni.org

STEP (South Tyrone Empowerment programme)
Unit T7
Dungannon Business Park
2 Coalisland Rd
Dungannon
Co. Tyrone
BT71 6JT
Tel: 028 8772 9002
Fax: 028 8772 9008
Email: info@stepni.org
Web: www.stepni.org

The Welcome Centre
65 St Peter’s Square North
Belfast
BT12 4DH
Tel: 028 9023 4387

Latest

EMBRACE ‘Who’s who? Who’s here?’ leaflet available.
Jan 2008
EMBRACE have prepared a leaflet entitled ‘Who’s who? Who’s here?’ which gives summary information relating to commonly asked questions concerning people seeking asylum, refugees, migrants and migrant workers who come to N Ireland. For more information or to obtain free copies, please contact our office.

EMBRACE AGM considers the shadow cast by slavery
The Keynote speaker at the EMBRACE AGM 2007 was Arlington Trotman, the Moderator of the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe. He said that African descendants are always aware that skin colour is at the heart of the matter. Africans were deemed to be inferior and European enslavers superior. This was used to justify the horrific slave trade, and was reinforced by Enlightenment thinkers. The slave trade was economic and made huge wealth for Britain and Europe, all at the expense of enslaved Aficans traded in America and the Caribbean. Even Christian themes were used to justify enslavement: One of Sir John Hawkin’s slave ships commanded by Francis Drake and owned by Queen Elizabeth was ironically called The Grace of God.
Today, some 10.5 million people exist in various forms of slavery, including bonded labour and sex exploitation. The systematic extraction of mineral resources from Africa and Asia over the centuries has contributed to abject poverty in those continents, and deep mental slavery. The Bible challenges dehumanisation but proclaims the oneness of the human family. We have to strive together to confirm the equality of all human beings, and to reunite humanity socially, economically and politically.

EMBRACE Launch ‘once we were strangers’ CD Rom
On Thursday 25th January 2006, at St. Columcilles Church Hall, Belfast, EMBRACE launched ‘once we were strangers’ CD Rom. This resource consists of a collection of nine first-hand accounts of the experience of arriving and settling here. In addition there are Bible studies, reflections, discussion starters and group activities, which provide opportunities to consider the issues and how to best respond in welcome.
Alongside the CD, Dr Scott Boldt launched a booklet entitled ‘Intercultural Insights - Christian reflections on racism, hospitality and identity from the island of Ireland’. The booklet consists of 16 short pieces on the theme, suitable for personal reflection or use in sermons and talks, and comes out under the aegis of the All-Ireland Churches’ Consultative Meeting on Racism which is part of the inter-church structures (Irish Inter-Church Meeting).

Copies of both resources are available from the EMBRACE office.

Assistance parcels for Destitute Migrant Workers
As part of a response to the destitution of migrant workers EMBRACE has established a pilot project with several Belfast churches through which basic packs of essential items are prepared and distributed to those in need. 

2006 AGM
The EMBRACE 2006 AGM was held at Edgehill Theological College on the evening of Tuesday, 16th May. The keynote address was given by Dr Neil Jarman, Director of The Institute for Conflict Research. Dr Jarman spoke on the topic of ‘Migrant Workers, new trends and new challenges’, providing a coherent assessment of the movement of workers into Northern Ireland, primarily from the EU accession states, their needs and the impact on the local community and economy.This was followed by the reflections of Anna Lo, from the Chinese Welfare Association on the experience of the Chinese population in settling in Northern Ireland in the past 40 years.

Quoted in What the Bible says about the stranger by Kieran J O’Mahony OSA. The Churches’ Peace Education Programme, Irish Commission of Justice and Peace & Irish Council of Churches, Maynooth and Belfast, 1999.

Christian love should be at the heart of all our relationships. However, we are sometimes diffident when facing people from another culture or unsure of how to communicate welcome appropriately and sensitively across cultures.

Our response should be motivated and guided by what the Bible says about relationships with incomers and people who are different from us. The Christian welcome we give will be appropriate to the needs and resources in our own locality. Christian voices tell us the experience and heart cries of others who actively seek to welcome the stranger.