Sanctuary: How an Inner City Church Spilled onto a Sidewalk
Please join us for a seminar and discussion presented by
Christa Kuljian
Sanctuary: How an Inner City Church Spilled onto a Sidewalk (Jacana 2013)
Sanctuary tells the story of how Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg and its controversial Bishop Paul Verryn came to offer refuge to people who had nowhere else to turn. Christa will present photos and discuss the origins of the book – exploring the xenophobic violence of May 2008 and its impact on Central Methodist and the people seeking shelter there. At the time, there were already several thousand people living in Central Methodist, many of whom had fled from Zimbabwe after the political violence and failed elections there, but others were from the DRC, Burundi, and elsewhere, as well as a growing number of homeless South Africans. Verryn’s open door policy had plenty of critics, from within the church, from the Municipal and Provincial government, and from the church’s neighbours, who were ready to take legal action against the church. Woven into the book are the accounts of many individuals who found shelter at the church over the years. Our discussion will also go back in time to review events in a changing Johannesburg during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, which provide context for the more recent controversial events at this church in the city.