Christ Church Moreton Hall

There is both good news and bad news for Moreton Hall this month.

The good news is we have a brand new youth centre for the youth of the estate. It was good to be at the opening and all those involved should be warmly congratulated in getting this project completed. We now need to see EVERYONE in the community, old as well as young, get behind it and make it work.

There is more good news in that so many young people came to our Holiday Club and were entertained during the last week of the school holidays. Every day over forty five children came along and heard about Jesus and how to live the Christian life. The final service on the Sunday was a great event with its barbecue and the church was packed. Our next family event will be on the 7th of October at 10:30am and will be our Harvest Service. Don’t miss this fun event.

As you will see there is another chance for adults to learn about the Christian faith at Alpha and in October we will be holding another of our concerts on the 12th of October, which so many of you enjoy.

Now for the bad news. Many of you will have met the Christian singing group from the Congo called "Quatuor Yimbila" because over the last few years they have played at many of our churches and schools. They lived in Raedwald Drive and often came to our church. Their visas were coming to an end and they were preparing to leave at the end of August.
What a shock it was when on the 31st of August, immigration officials arrested them, split them up, imprisoned them in three separate detention centres and then forcibly deported them. The officials refused to let them take more than a suitcase each of clothes, even though they have a house full of possessions and a car. Joel Baganguildila, Joseph Ngitoukoulou and Antoine Nkenda had committed no crimes, were not terrorists, had done nothing but good, yet where scooped up and treated shamefully. It would seem that the immigration services had a quota of places to fill of deportations that month, and took these men because they knew where they were. Taxpayer’s money was used to deport people who were going to leave anyway at their own cost. Now their friends have to arrange for all their things to be sent on to them including the car, all of which could have been avoided. When we tried to find out why we were told "We cannot talk to you as you are not an appointed lawyer.”. That such a thing should happen anywhere, let alone here, is a disgrace. I hope someone will answer the question why we cannot deport convicted murders from this country, yet the law abiding visitors who keep to our rules are treated so badly?