Working with Sanctuary Seekers
Discover the impact of our ministry with Sanctuary Seekers for yourself — watch this highlights video from Refugee Sunday 2025.
Cafe Connect is a monthly drop-in supporting sanctuary-seeking families resettling in Thurrock, connecting them with the local church, support agencies, and each other. Team members assist with welcoming guests, distributing toiletries, and helping families with practical tasks such as form filling and phone calls. This role requires completion of Community Church's Safer Recruitment process and essential safeguarding training.
Training
What is an Asylum Seeker?
This video introduces key terms volunteers will encounter at Cafe Connect, explaining the difference between asylum seekers, refugees, and sanctuary seekers, and outlining how the UK asylum process works. It highlights the challenges people face while awaiting a decision, including limited access to benefits, housing restrictions, and the inability to work.
An Introduction to our work with Sanctuary Seekers
This video introduces Cafe Connect, part of Community Church's social action arm, which currently supports 65 asylum seeker and refugee households across Thurrock. It outlines the three core areas of work — welcoming new arrivals, helping families access local services, and supporting integration into the wider community. Volunteers are encouraged that no specialist knowledge is needed, as simply being a kind and friendly presence can make a profound difference to the families they serve.
How you can help
This video outlines what serving at Cafe Connect looks like in practice, describing it as a monthly drop-in at two Thurrock locations where volunteers help sanctuary-seeking families through practical support such as form filling, signposting, and toiletry distribution. It covers the time commitment, the shape of a typical session, and the kinds of tasks volunteers might be involved in, all supported by a session host.
You've now had a chance to hear more about who we are, the community we serve, and what volunteering at Cafe Connect looks like in practice. If this feels like something you'd like to be part of, we'd love to hear from you! You can begin the onboarding process by completing the application form, or by reaching out directly to Elle Knight. We hope to welcome you to the team soon!