WORSHIPPERS have signed a Christmas card urging the Prime Minister to do more to welcome those in need.

Members of Stroud Methodist Church signed a 4ft card Theresa May at their service on Sunday (December 18) calling on the Prime Minister to reflect on her rhetoric about refugees.

The church is supporting Christian Aid’s #LighttheWay appeal which is highlighting the plight of those forced by crisis and violence to leave their homes behind in the refugee crisis.

Minister the Rev Simon Topping said: "The home and family are so central to how we celebrate Christmas and yet the cold hard truth is that 65 million people right now have no safe place to call home.

"Their family, their belongings, their former lives have been left behind due to crisis or conflict.

"We cannot come to church to celebrate Advent and Christmas and forget about those people who do not know what the future holds, what even tomorrow brings.

"We may never be touched by the same desperation or fear of violence. But the same sun warms us, the same stars guide us, and the same light can bring us each out of darkness.

"This Christmas, another human being needs a beacon of hope. All of us can help light the way towards a brighter future. We are sending Theresa May Christmas greetings and asking her to reflect the dignity and worth of each fellow human being forced to do the unthinkable and leave their homes behind."

The card will be making its way to number ten Downing Street this week.

Noel Sharp, Christian Aid’s regional co-ordinator for Gloucestershire, said: "It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the current crisis, but the truth is we can reach out to those facing desperate times.

"Christian Aid was founded to work with refugees and displaced people 70 years ago in the wake of the Second World War, and continues to support those searching for safety today, not only from nations such as Syria and Iraq but also in other countries around the world, providing critical humanitarian aid as well as working with partner organisations to tackle the structural causes of poverty and conflict.

"This Christmas, millions of people can’t fill their homes with light, friends and family as many of us will be doing. But with support from individuals and churches we can offer some hope, hope which is at the heart of the Christian message."

To learn more about #LighttheWay or to donate visit christianaid.org.uk/christmas-appeal