Sanctuary by Christa Kuljian

Bishop Paul Verryn knew he had a problem when xenophobic violence erupted in South Africa in May 2008 and the threat of it spreading to Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg became very real. Already there were over a thousand migrants living in the church, most of them having fled across the Zimbabwean boarder in search of a life beyond poverty and political oppression. Every square inch was occupied – at night men, women and children squeezed into makeshift sleeping places, on and beneath pews in the sanctuary and the chapel, and on every step of the staircases, on landings and in hallways. On the sidewalk outside the building, hundreds more lay head to toe under threadbare blankets.

Christa Kuljian’s Sanctuary: How an Inner-city Church Spilled onto a Sidewalk tells the story of how this church and its controversial Bishop came to offer refuge to people who had nowhere else to turn. Many ask, how did a place of worship turn into a shelter for thousands of refugees? The answers date back to the history of the church’s stance against apartheid, its outreach programmes and its overriding mission to serve a changing city. Woven into the main narrative are the author’s firsthand accounts of the extraordinary stories of some of the individuals who found shelter there over the years. Sanctuary is a powerful testament to the indomitable strength and often simple courage of the human spirit.

Date of Publication: February 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4314-0475-9
Publisher: Jacana Media