我想告诉人们，我们圣安德烈教会没有难民计划，没有难民牧师或事工，也没有神奇的难民基金（尽管成百上千的人会告诉你不然）。我为什么要这样说？嗯，因为这是真的。我们是在弥敦道一三八号聚会的教会，众所周知，教会不是建筑物，而是其成员。圣安德烈的成员即使碰巧是难民，他们也与其他成员一样，一视同仁。
弗雷泽（Frasier）是我们教会的成员之一。他是一名难民，但他也是一名教师、牧师、朋友和基督徒。在我记忆所及，他都是我们教会的一员。
弗雷泽开始时参加周四上午九时三十分的崇拜，和晚上男子团契。他是一个很棒的夥伴。他结交朋友，定期来教会，并且是男子团契的忠实成员；他们在那里学习圣经，互相祈祷，一起生活。他们什至偶尔喜欢喝杯雪莉酒。就是这么简单──也这么复杂。
弗雷泽是我们教会大家庭的重要成员。他像其他成员一样的接受教牧关怀、门徒训练和纪律。教会成员和同工支持他应对生活中大大小小的挑战。如果弗雷泽不是信徒，我们就会向他传福音，像跟其他进门的寻道者一样。我们有三十位像弗雷泽这样的成员，我们为每一位都感谢神。
尽管总有改进的空间，我相信在周末和平日聚会中，我们的会员也受到这样的对待。我们会着意欢迎来宾，热情问候，介绍他们给其他会众。我们重视帮助他们参与教会活动和门徒训练小组，没有任何区别。这可能包括志愿服务、加入小组，或像我们其他人一样参加礼拜活动等。虽然有时彼此存在文化和语言障碍，但这对我们的城市或我们的教会来说，并不是什么新鲜事。实际上，正是教会成员的多元使教会更加坚固。这样我们可以摆脱被视为「只是」难民或寻求庇护者的负面标记，更确实地被视为在弥敦道的基督教会聚会的成员。
或许这种想法太理想化了，但当我们思考这些问题时，试图关心我们的成员以及他们在这个城市面临的情况和挑战，很容易感到无助。如果你和我一样，看到巴勒斯坦被迫流离失所的人们悲惨景象，以及阿富汗人民经历接二连三的地震后所遭受的灾难，你会心碎。更不用说城市中的难民问题，有统计指，截至二○二二年城市中的难民和寻求庇护者有大约一万四千人。然而，我们都清楚且深感遗憾的是，实际情况和社会政策远未有所改善。
面对像弗雷泽和这城其他人看似无望的处境，人会置身挫折之中；我在耶稣关于末世最有力的话语中，找到了安慰。在路加福音廿一章5-11节，当他谈到圣殿的毁灭和末世时，他说：「当你们听见打仗和动乱的事，不要惊惶；因为这些事必须先发生，但终结不会立刻就到。」（编按：《和合本修订版》，下同）在这些启示性的语言中，我们得到了旨在保证教会在最具挑战性的环境中、保持对上帝的信任的话语。战争、饥荒和流离失所是可怕的事情，然而，耶稣在描述这些可怕的事件时，告诉他的听众不要害怕。
尽管路加福音廿一章5-11节的语言和意像都是毁灭性的，但它却是一段充满希望的经文，其基础是相信上帝不仅仍然存在于世界上，而且正在引导这世界，这些事情必须在他回来并纠正错误之前发生。对于我们的教友来说，在看似不可能的情况下，我们希望有一天主会回来并纠正事情。情况很糟糕，但我们不必失去希望。因此，我们尽一切所能，期待以赛亚给我们的伟大邀请：「来！你们所有干渴的，都当来到水边；没有银钱的也可以来。你们都来，买了吃；不用银钱，不付代价，就可买酒和奶。」（赛五十五1）。有一天，上帝的子民将会有一场宴会，他们都可以来，他们不需要付钱，所有这些罪恶、死亡、饥饿、流离失所都将被忘记，因为我们将永远享受上帝的国度和上帝本身。
我希望弗雷泽和其他人，在我们的教会学到了这种希望，我们的教会成员也知道弗雷泽是像他们一样的成员，我们共同面对挑战并彼此扶持。我希望我们所有的成员都知道，在一个被罪恶破坏的世界中，上帝拯救了我们，并且有一天将一切置于他的主权之下。对于我们的难民和寻求庇护者来说，这是宝贵的想法。
作者为圣公会圣安德烈堂副牧师(Associate Minister)。
本文属「与难民同行．难民不烂」系列，原文及译文由难民事工小组提供。
小组由香港的基督教教会和机构组成，一直以来支援在港难民和免遣返声请者在房屋、教育、心理、生活上的需要，帮助他们融入社会。
英文原文：
No Refugees Here. Members Only.
I like to tell people we have no refugee programme at St Andrew’s Church, that there is no pastor or ministry worker for refugees and there is no magical refugee fund (although hundreds would tell you otherwise). Why do I tell people this? Well because it's honestly true. We are the church gathered at 138 Nathan Road and as we all know a church is not a buildings but its members. The members of St Andrew’s who also happen to be refugees are the very same as every other member.
Frasier is one of our church members. He is a refugee, but he is also a teacher, a pastor, a friend and a christian. He has been a member of our church for as long as I can remember.
Frasier began attending the 9:30am service and the men's fellowship on Thursday nights. He is a great guy to have around. He has made friends, comes to church regularly, and is a faithful member of the men's fellowship, where they study the Bible, pray for each other, and do life together. They even enjoy the occasional sherry. It's as simple and as complicated as that.
Frasier is a valued member of our church family. He receives pastoral care, discipleship, and discipline just like any other member. The church members and staff support him in all of life's challenges, big and small. If Frasier were not a believer, we would reach out to him with the gospel as any other seeker who comes through our door. We have thirty members like Frasier, and we are grateful for each one.
While there is always room for improvement, I like to think that on Sundays and at our midweek gatherings, our members are treated as just that. We are intentional about welcoming people, greeting people warmly when they arrive, and introducing them to other members of the congregation. We prioritise helping them get involved in church activities and our discipleship groups without distinction. This could include things like volunteering, joining a small group, or participating in worship services just like we would anyone else. And while there are cultural and language barriers at times this is nothing new for our city or our church and if anything makes our church stronger through our diverse congregation. In doing so we can shed the stigma of being seen as “just” a refugee or asylum seeker and more profoundly as a member of Christ's church gathered on Nathan Road.
This may be too idealistic but thinking about these issues it is easy to feel hopeless as we try to care for our members and the situation and challenges they face in the city. If you are anything like me you see the images of the displaced in Palestine and the tragedy that has befallen the Afghani people following the third earthquake in swift succession and your heart is broken. Or grim statistics concerning refugees in the city where 14,000 refugees and asylum seekers were estimated as of 2022. Furthermore, as many of us are aware and lament, the practical situation and social policies are far from improving.
Amidst the frustration of what often feels like a hopeless situation for our people like Frasier and others in the city, I have found solace in some of Jesus' strongest words about the end times. In Luke 21:5-11, as he speaks to the destruction of the temple and the end times, he says, "When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away." Amidst the apocalyptic language, we are given words meant to assure the church to keep their trust in God even in the most challenging of circumstances. War, and famine and displacement are dreadful things and yet Jesus while describing these terrible events, Jesus tells his listeners not to be afraid.
Despite its language and imagery of destruction, Luke 21:5-11 is a passage of hope, grounded in the belief that God not only remains present in the world but is directing it and these things must happen before he returns and sets the record straight. Amidst what seems like impossible circumstances for our church members, we have a hope that one day the Lord will return and make things right. The situation is terrible, but we do not need to lose hope. So in the meantime, we try to do what we can and look forward to the great invitation that Isaiah gave us: "Come, all you who thirst, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!" (Isa 55.1) One day there will be a banquet for God’s people, they can all come, they won’t have to pay and all of this sin, death, hunger, displacement will be forgotten because we will enjoy the Kingdom of God and God himself forever.
Frasier and others have hopefully learned this hope at our church and our members have learned that Frasier is a member just like them and we face the challenges and support one another together as we do it. All our members hopefully know that in a world marred by sin God has saved us and will one day put everything under his Lordship. It is a precious thought to our refugee and asylum seeker members.
Darren Pollock
Associate Minister
St Andrew’s Church
