Ekklesia Annual Appeal - Make Room at the Inn for Christmas and beyond

At Christmastide we are aware of the huge numbers of people displaced and on the move both at home and abroad. But there will be no room at the inn for too many this year - whether it is refugees fleeing wars in Syria and Iraq, families forced to move due to the benefit cap, or disabled people unable to afford the bedroom tax.

In 2015, Ekklesia has worked hard to highlight these issues in a number of ways. We have produced groundbreaking research on migration, welfare and the environment. Our team of commentators continue to challenge the status quo on issues such as austerity, the economy, and immigration. We have hosted events on migration, the Armenian genocide, and the right to offend. In addition, we have coordinated an open letter from Catholics to Iain Duncan Smith and launched research led by disabled people to replace the flawed work capability assessment. Finally, we will shortly be launching our first book, "Sexuality, Struggle and Saintliness: Same Sex Marriage and the Church" by our associate Savitri Hensman.

We are a small think tank with big ideas. In the year ahead we would like to build on this work by helping create a habitable nation and planet where all displaced people have a place.

• . Publishing our research on the work capability assessment
• . Producing a book on Christian responses to the UK housing crisis
• . Promoting the rights of refugees and migrants
• . Continuing to work for peace through promotion of alternatives to Remembrance and developing peace chaplaincies
• . Running events on housing, welfare and sexuality
• . Challenging the churches to make the oikoumene, 'the whole inhabited earth' the focus of their mission.

To do this we urgently need your help. We have set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target of £5,000 this Christmas so that we can carry out this work.

£10 donation pays for a week's phone bills, or a month's worth of stationery.
£20 ensures the website is functioning effectively to give you up to date, readily accessible information and commentary.
£50 will help fund the refreshments for an event.
£100 pays for speaker's costs
£250 will contribute to the printing of a report
£500 will pay for half a year's website maintenance, or quarter of a researcher's fees.

We are very appreciative of your support, which is vital to keep the work of Ekklesia going.

You can help the work of Ekklesia in by sending a donation, marked 'annual appeal' to Ekklesia, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8EP or by donating via our Paypal Account.

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