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News
Upcoming events
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Sun20Apr2025
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Sun27Apr202511:00 am
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Category: News
Homelessness and Refugees
Why is homelessness an increasing issue for refugees?
When an individual is successful in their asylum application, and granted ‘leave to remain’ status, they are required to leave the accommodation provided to people seeking asylum. Standard procedure should be for people to receive a letter giving 28 days notice of eviction, but in reality, people can get as little as 7 days’ notice. In this period, people are expected to find new accommodation and move out.[1]
It is worth noting that even the 28 days’ notice, which is very little time anyway, is incompatible with the Universal Credit system, through which most people’s housing costs are met, as this has a wait time of at least 5 weeks before the first payment of a new claim. To add further complication, currently the notice of decision for the asylum claim is often not recognised as sufficient evidence to enable people to apply for housing and other support. In order to apply for rented housing from a private landlord, individuals usually need to be able to provide proof of 6 months employment. Asylum seekers are unable to do paid work. Yet to find employment, individuals need a permanent address. This presents an impossible ‘Catch-22’ situation, in already difficult and stressful circumstances, and is a prime cause of homelessness.
Read more on the Joint Public Issues Team site.
Loss and Damage Funding
Christian Aid has been awarded £250,000 for communities impacted by loss and damage in Dasenech, South Omo, in southern Ethiopia.
Christian Aid has worked in Ethiopia, through local partners, for 30 years. Recently this area of Ethiopia has been impacted by severe drought followed by flooding, in repeating cycles. It’s meant homes, livelihoods and livestock have been destroyed.
The Scottish Government ‘loss and damage’ funding, announced during COP28 will be used in several ways including to carry out repairs to damaged infrastructure like boreholes, re-training and job creation projects, a veterinary programme to boost the health of livestock and much needed psychosocial support for communities feeling traumatised.
You can find out more: Loss and Damage funding for South Omo, Ethiopia – Christian Aid
Act on Poverty
A new Lent Course, produced by Christian Aid, Baptist Union, Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Church Action on Poverty, The Trussell Trust, and others. Together it enables churches and individuals UK-wide to gain a deeper understanding of experiences of poverty, local and global. We’ll be sharing stories of faith and activism that challenge the status quo. And we’ll be offering inspiration for actions big and small that we can all take to tackle poverty together.
Each pack contains:
- Guidance for a short Bible study
- Access to audio recordings of conversations featuring anti-poverty practitioners and activists, many with lived experience of poverty in the UK and worldwide
- Questions and prompts for small group discussion
- Inspiring videos from churches taking practical action on poverty
- A guide to simple steps your church can take to advocate for change
You can also use each pack as a standalone session to explore the issues most relevant for you.
Download the resources.
Unbounded Love worship guidance
Unbounded Love is the theme of the Lent campaign for the Methodist Church in 2024 – holding together our commitments to be a justice-seeking church, and people who experience and proclaim the good news of God’s uncontainable love.
Sign up for our daily reflection emails and find a range of resources that connect the Gospel readings from the Sunday lectionary throughout Lent to weekly themes, each one a line lifted from Charles Wesley’s hymn “Love divine, all loves excelling”.
-
- Access a webpage version of the worship resources
- Download a PDF version of the worship resources
Resources for churches include a poster, ideas for either Sunday services or small groups, and a social media campaign pointing people to local churches.
Dundee Methodists Gathering
The next gathering will be by zoom at 7 pm on Wednesday 31st January.
Jenny E. will be pleased to know of any items for proposal to the East of Scotland Church Council in February, plus topics for our own discussion, conversation, or general socialising.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
A warm invitation is extended to the Service marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at 6.30 pm next Sunday in Broughty Ferry Baptist Church (premises in Panmurefield at 154 Lawers Drive DD5 3TZ).
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Octave is held globally each year, usually observed between 18th and 25th January, based on material prepared by churches from one country or region.
This year’s theme is entitled ‘Go and do likewise’ focussing on a verse (Luke 10, 27) from the story of The Good Samaritan and using material offered by Christians in the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Protestant Churches, and ecumenical bodies in Burkina Faso.
See the booklet, which contains daily readings and reflections.
The Christian influence on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Read the JPIT blog on how this evolved.
Poverty in the UK
Poverty levels in the UK are in violation of international law, according to a UN envoy, last month.
Read JPIT’s blog post on poverty in the UK, and find out what you can do to respond: https://jpit.uk/poverty-in-the-uk
No in-person worship in Dundee 3rd December 2023
The previously advertised worship at Dens Road Church will not now take place.
There is no worship at 17 Roseangle, either.
The congregation is commended to watch the digital service on YouTube.
Homelessness and Refugees
Why is homelessness an increasing issue for refugees?
When an individual is successful in their asylum application, and granted ‘leave to remain’ status, they are required to leave the accommodation provided to people seeking asylum. Standard procedure should be for people to receive a letter giving 28 days notice of eviction, but in reality, people can get as little as 7 days’ notice. In this period, people are expected to find new accommodation and move out.[1]
It is worth noting that even the 28 days’ notice, which is very little time anyway, is incompatible with the Universal Credit system, through which most people’s housing costs are met, as this has a wait time of at least 5 weeks before the first payment of a new claim. To add further complication, currently the notice of decision for the asylum claim is often not recognised as sufficient evidence to enable people to apply for housing and other support. In order to apply for rented housing from a private landlord, individuals usually need to be able to provide proof of 6 months employment. Asylum seekers are unable to do paid work. Yet to find employment, individuals need a permanent address. This presents an impossible ‘Catch-22’ situation, in already difficult and stressful circumstances, and is a prime cause of homelessness.
Read more on the Joint Public Issues Team site.
Loss and Damage Funding
Christian Aid has been awarded £250,000 for communities impacted by loss and damage in Dasenech, South Omo, in southern Ethiopia.
Christian Aid has worked in Ethiopia, through local partners, for 30 years. Recently this area of Ethiopia has been impacted by severe drought followed by flooding, in repeating cycles. It’s meant homes, livelihoods and livestock have been destroyed.
The Scottish Government ‘loss and damage’ funding, announced during COP28 will be used in several ways including to carry out repairs to damaged infrastructure like boreholes, re-training and job creation projects, a veterinary programme to boost the health of livestock and much needed psychosocial support for communities feeling traumatised.
You can find out more: Loss and Damage funding for South Omo, Ethiopia – Christian Aid
Act on Poverty
A new Lent Course, produced by Christian Aid, Baptist Union, Methodist Church, United Reformed Church, Church Action on Poverty, The Trussell Trust, and others. Together it enables churches and individuals UK-wide to gain a deeper understanding of experiences of poverty, local and global. We’ll be sharing stories of faith and activism that challenge the status quo. And we’ll be offering inspiration for actions big and small that we can all take to tackle poverty together.
Each pack contains:
- Guidance for a short Bible study
- Access to audio recordings of conversations featuring anti-poverty practitioners and activists, many with lived experience of poverty in the UK and worldwide
- Questions and prompts for small group discussion
- Inspiring videos from churches taking practical action on poverty
- A guide to simple steps your church can take to advocate for change
You can also use each pack as a standalone session to explore the issues most relevant for you.
Download the resources.
Unbounded Love worship guidance
Unbounded Love is the theme of the Lent campaign for the Methodist Church in 2024 – holding together our commitments to be a justice-seeking church, and people who experience and proclaim the good news of God’s uncontainable love.
Sign up for our daily reflection emails and find a range of resources that connect the Gospel readings from the Sunday lectionary throughout Lent to weekly themes, each one a line lifted from Charles Wesley’s hymn “Love divine, all loves excelling”.
-
- Access a webpage version of the worship resources
- Download a PDF version of the worship resources
Resources for churches include a poster, ideas for either Sunday services or small groups, and a social media campaign pointing people to local churches.
Dundee Methodists Gathering
The next gathering will be by zoom at 7 pm on Wednesday 31st January.
Jenny E. will be pleased to know of any items for proposal to the East of Scotland Church Council in February, plus topics for our own discussion, conversation, or general socialising.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
A warm invitation is extended to the Service marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at 6.30 pm next Sunday in Broughty Ferry Baptist Church (premises in Panmurefield at 154 Lawers Drive DD5 3TZ).
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Octave is held globally each year, usually observed between 18th and 25th January, based on material prepared by churches from one country or region.
This year’s theme is entitled ‘Go and do likewise’ focussing on a verse (Luke 10, 27) from the story of The Good Samaritan and using material offered by Christians in the Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou, Protestant Churches, and ecumenical bodies in Burkina Faso.
See the booklet, which contains daily readings and reflections.
The Christian influence on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Read the JPIT blog on how this evolved.
Poverty in the UK
Poverty levels in the UK are in violation of international law, according to a UN envoy, last month.
Read JPIT’s blog post on poverty in the UK, and find out what you can do to respond: https://jpit.uk/poverty-in-the-uk
No in-person worship in Dundee 3rd December 2023
The previously advertised worship at Dens Road Church will not now take place.
There is no worship at 17 Roseangle, either.
The congregation is commended to watch the digital service on YouTube.