People are being encouraged to love their neighbours and build community as churches prepare for Racial Justice Sunday on February 8th.

Revd Grace Kanungha, Bodmin, is Bishop’s Advisor on Racial Justice, she is calling on people to get to know those who live in their community – which she says is a core value in the Cornish culture.

Members of St Petroc’s Church, in Bodmin, will be using the Racial Justice Sunday material found on the Churches Together website  and Church of England resources on Sunday, February 8.

She said: “Racial Justice Sunday is an opportunity for our churches to take or continue taking steps towards getting to know our neighbours and building community with them. I hope many of us will take this opportunity in 2026.”

She said the racial landscape of Cornwall has changed significantly over the years and so was encouraged by this year’s theme.Image shows Revd Grace Kanungha stood outside with shrubbery behind her.

She added: “As a Cornish person I know community and family are core values in our culture, as the wife of a man from the Tanzanian Gogo tribe I know that also to be true of other cultures.

“I am encouraged to see that this year’s resources for Racial Justice Sunday are themed around Love Your Neighbour.

“To love our neighbours, we need to know who they are. Whether they live next door or in the next village or town, whether they attend our church or hold a different faith, we can’t love our neighbours unless we get to know them.

“Only once we get to know our neighbours, can they hold a place of value in our communities and be adopted into our families. Once we get to know our neighbours, we discover that despite differences, essentially we are all very much the same, yet our eyes are opened to other people’s experiences of what it is like to live within our communities. The challenges and injustices they face as well as the joys they find.

“We can ignore the plight of a stranger far easier than that of a friend.”