Welcoming the Stranger - Print.

A practical and inspiring guide for churches and community groups seeking to build relationships with migrants and refugees through intentional hospitality and peacemaking.

This book offers thoughtful guidance to help readers:

• Develop a deeper understanding of what true welcome means
• Clarify values and motivations for engaging in cross-cultural friendship
• Learn from a real-life New Zealand church’s experience of refugee sponsorship
• Discover practical ways to build bridges in diverse neighbourhoods
• Navigate difficult issues like bias, service providers, and faith conversations
• Build long-term, authentic relationships with newcomers
• Create safe, connected, and resilient communities

 
Features

• Draws on the lived experience of a Christchurch church responding to local and global events
• Offers four core “threads” and practical “signposts” for action
• Includes reflections on the March 15 terror attacks and refugee sponsorship
• Written in clear, humble, and accessible language for group or personal use
• Contains endorsements from respected leaders in community development and Christian mission

Philip Garside Publishing Ltd (2019)
Language: English
Words: 13,300
B/W text, 50pp, 6: x 9"
Soft cover
ISBN: 9781988572239

 Description

This small but powerful book offers churches and community groups a roadmap for welcoming refugees and migrants with care, wisdom, and integrity.

Drawing on his experience as Resettlement Coordinator at South West Baptist Church in Christchurch, Nick Regnault tells the story of how one congregation responded to the refugee sponsorship programme – and to the March 15 terror attacks – by reaching out with compassion, humility, and deep respect.

Through stories, reflections, and practical suggestions, Nick distils four key threads that can help any group build bridges of belonging.

He urges readers to start not with logistics, but with values: authenticity, humility, and empowerment.

From there, he encourages working in partnership, reimagining neighbourhood spaces, and deepening knowledge of both others and ourselves.

Rather than a step-by-step manual, Welcoming the Stranger offers a flexible and thoughtful framework adaptable to any community.

It addresses the messy parts too – conversations about bias, money, and navigating faith differences – with honesty and grace.

Grounded in Aotearoa’s context and shaped by Christian faith, this is a book about listening, learning, and loving well. It invites us to the long-haul journey of peace-making with open hands and open hearts.

About the Author

Nick Regnault is the Resettlement Coordinator for South West Baptist Church in Christchurch. He led the church’s participation in New Zealand’s pilot refugee community sponsorship programme and continues to work alongside organisations and volunteers to establish long-term frameworks for welcoming refugees across Aotearoa. All profits from this book support that ongoing work, thanks to the support of the Lang Centre for Civic and Social Responsibility.