Willing to change
Now we’ve had time to break our New Year’s resolutions it is almost time to start considering what to give up for Lent.   More>

Topical Comment

Bishop of Northern Malawi thanks Birmingham for support
The Bishops of Northern Malawi and Lake Malawi visited Birmingham during January.   More>

News

Join the Carbon Fast during Lent
06 February 2012
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Community Launch for Near Neighbours
01 February 2012
A new initiative which aims to turn neighbours into friends is holding a launch event in Central Mosque on Friday 3rd February, as part of World Interfaith Harmony Week.  More>

Renewal of marriage vows at Birmingham Cathedral
26 January 2012
St Valentine’s message of love will be celebrated in Birmingham Cathedral on Sunday 12 February as couples are invited to come along and re-new their marriage vows.  More>

Birmingham Film Series
24 January 2012
B1 Church are very excited to be working with the charity Unchosen, The Adavu Project, Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and Costa Coffee in the Bullring, to bring a film series to Birmingham at the end of February and the beginning of March.  More>

Articles for Parish Magazines
18 January 2012
Parish Pump (www.parishpump.co.uk) is offering a series of articles written by David Winter, former head of Religion for the BBC, marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.   More>

£10,000 prize for commissioning new art for parish churches
18 January 2012
Parishes throughout England can apply for a £10,000 prize for the best developed proposal for commissioning a new work of art for their church.   More>

Update from the Church of England
16 January 2012
A monthly update from the Communications Unit of the Church of England.  More>

'Call the Midwife'
12 January 2012
There is a new six part television series due to commence on BBC1 this coming Sunday, 15th January at 8.00 pm. The story concerns Sisters of the Community of St. John the divine, Alum Rock when they had a Part 2 Midwifery Training School on the district in the east end of London.   More>

Parish Church fights back after roofing thefts
08 December 2011
When copper thieves helped themselves to some of the metal cladding around the lantern light at St David’s, Shenley Green recently it became the catalyst regarding a long standing structural problem.  More>

Turning out to thank the troops
29 November 2011
Rev Dick Rodgers is seeking invitations to visit churches to drum up support for a good turn-out of church members at the short open air church service in Centenary Square, which marks the start of festivities on Armed Forces Day next summer.   More>

Diocesan Pilgrimage to Taizé, 21st-30th July 2012
29 November 2011
A group from the Diocese will be going on pilgrimage to the Taizé Community next summer, under the leadership of the DDO, the Bishop’s Adviser for Youth Ministry and other youth workers and clergy.   More>

Interfaith Launch for Near Neighbours in Birmingham
24 November 2011
A £5 million fund was launched in Birmingham city centre today as part of a series of events to mark inter-faith week.   More>

Faith Map launched at Birmingham Cathedral
23 November 2011
The web-based map allows people to search by postcode, ward or constituency and by faith tradition. It includes 632 places of worship from all the major religions practiced in the city.  More>

Government minister launches £5m Near Neighbours programme
15 November 2011
Near Neighbours - a £5 million government-funded programme bringing people together in diverse communities, was officially launched yesterday. Listen to the Church of England podcast with the Revd Jemima Prasadam and the Bishop of Birmingham.  More>

Barefoot Anniversary for Birmingham's Bishop
14 November 2011
Barefoot Bishop days are days on which the Bishop aims to get close to the heart of the city by meeting people informally and visiting places and organisations that connect to the essential issues of the community.  More>

Poignant work of art remembers armed forces for Remembrance
14 November 2011
A sea of humble empty chairs were installed in St. Mary’s church, Hampton-in-Arden to honour service personnel who have died in Afghanistan.   More>

Springfield Children's Centre receives an outstanding rating by Ofsted
09 November 2011
Springfield Children's Centre received the outstanding award for overall effectiveness and also for capacity for sustained improvement.  More>

Narthex Sparkhill - Encouraging Cohesion
27 October 2011
Narthex Sparkhill run a number of projects supporting the wider community, including children's work, advice, sports clubs, and a lunch club for elderly people. The project also works with refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom have no income and no other form of support.  More>

New church-backed centre opens to connect communities
18 October 2011
Birmingham’s church leaders have launched a new centre which aims to build bridges between people of different religions and equip Christians to live out their faith in a relevant way.  More>

Real Easter Egg profits handover
17 October 2011
Over £25,000 has been given to charity from profits made by sales of The Real Easter Egg. The Real Easter Egg is the UK’s first ever Easter egg to mention Jesus and tell the Easter story on the box and was sold for the first time last Easter.   More>

Light shines for city professionals
12 October 2011
A pioneering Birmingham based service which helps hundreds of professionals, is expanding its work, to support the city’s business leaders of tomorrow.   More>

Theft of Metal from Church Buildings
06 October 2011
The English Heritage have produced new guidance notes in response to the epidemic of lead theft which is affecting historic buildings and in particular parish churches.  More>

Courses

Birmingham Churches Together Training Opportunities
BCT Training provides learning opportunities for those who facilitate or support the learning of adults, young people and families.  More>

MA degree in Christian Spirituality
The UK's only ecumenical master's degree in Christian spirituality.  More>

MA degree in Christian Liturgy
The study of Christian Liturgy within theology seeks to learn how Christians have worshipped in the past, and to understand better the evolving worship patterns in today’s churches.   More>

MA Courses ...
Sarum College is now able to offer MA courses in the following subjects: • Christian Spirituality • Christian Liturgy • Theology, Imagination and Culture • Faith-based Leadership  More>

Foundation Degree in Theology for Ministry
Distance learning with the option of short visits to college.  More>

Child Protection Training Sessions
Details of two training sessions which can be held in your parish.  More>

MA’s in Theology, Imagination and Culture and in Christian Approaches to Leadership
Our new MA’s in Theology, Imagination and Culture and in Christian Approaches to Leadership are recruiting now, for entry next January.  More>

Communications Training
Professional, cost-effective training from the Church of England.  More>

Thinking of doing a Lent Course … ?
preparation for Easter, is an ideal opportunity to put aside time for regular meetings for joint study. You can get five or six in between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It’s not easy to forget if it becomes a regular annual event.  More>

MA in Mission & Ministry
Involved in ministry and mission and want to deepen your theological understanding and reflection on practice?   More>

PGDip/MA Course in Consultancy for Mission and Ministry
The course is based on a distance learning format with workbooks covering the main strands of Organisational Studies, Mission Theology and Practice, and Consultancy Praxis.  More>

MA Evangelical and Charismatic Studies
Our new MA Evangelical and Charismatic Studies programme offers you the opportunity of exploring the faith, practices, worship and teaching of these communities from a critical academic perspective which emphasises their global and contextual nature.  More>

MTh in Chaplaincy Studies
This is a unique, innovative and thought-provoking programme offering academic and professional development for chaplains in all sectors.  More>

Scared of social media?
Churches looking to get into social media, to work more closely with their local media, considering a stand at a wedding show, or wanting to improve personal communication skills, will be keen to study the latest communications training website from the Archbishops' Council's Communications Office.   More>

Full and part time degree programmes for those wishing to train professionally in ministry with young people, children and families or in schools
The Centre for Youth Ministry (CYM) is a specialist institution which provides training and resources for Children and Youth Ministry.  More>

Your church and the media
Would you like to help your church work with your local media?  More>

NEW YOUTH 3D
This year as part of our commitment to Transforming Discipleship, and enabling young people to grow as confident followers of Jesus, we will be running a Youth Stream of the 3D course(Diocesan Developing Disciples).   More>

Youth Work and Community Development (with JNC) MA / PGDip
This course is suitable for those who want a JNC approved qualification and for those working in a community or Education setting predominantly with young people.   More>

Youth and Community Development MA / PGDip
This course is suitable for those who may already be JNC Qualified, or equivalent or for those who want a Postgraduate qualification.   More>

Learning for Discipleship 2011 - 2012
‘LEARNING FOR DISCIPLESHIP’ has grown out of and builds on the popular Introduction to Theology programme and offers many of the same opportunities, plus some exciting new ones.  More>

York Courses. Lent 2012: Handing on the Torch, sacred words for a secular world
A 5-session ecumenical discussion course for groups or individual study.  More>

Skills for Pastoral Supervision & Reflective Practice
A practical course for people of faith who want to: reflect deeply on their own work and ministry; enhance competence and confi-dence in supervising others; promote reflective practice; join the dots linking practice and theology.  More>

Going for Growth
This course about how churches grow today is for all clergy and other lay leaders who wish to see their churches flourish and grow numerically and spiritually.   More>

Poetry as Pilgrimage
Are you journeying spiritually and looking for resources for your journey?  More>

Experiencing God’s Love
This new five-part course compiled by the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, aims to deepen understanding and first-hand experience of living a life of faith.  More>

Communications Training from Church of England
Magazines Masterclass, How to get your Church Noticed, Social Media and more.  More>

Listening Skills Week
A skills based course which also provides the basic counselling theory necessary to understand what constitutes good practice in listening in pastoral care.  More>

Top Up Your Theology Week
Canon Dr Christina Baxter, Revd Dr Andrew Angel and other Faculty share the latest developments in theology.   More>

Pastoral Ministry and Christian Spiritual Direction
An exploration of the nature of Christian ministry, broadly defined.   More>

3D Course
Would your Parish benefit from holding a 3D course?  More>

Safeguarding Adults - Basic training sessions for 2012
  More>

Signposts
If you are exploring the possibility that God might be calling you to the ordained ministry .... then this is for you.  More>

Science, Religion and Atheism
Is the discussion between science and religion affected by its narrator, be they theist, atheist or agnostic?   More>

Believing in Baptism?
This year we propose to explore the theology and practice of baptism, approaching the topic by way of integrated theology.   More>

Healing & Wholeness - An opportunity to explore the nature of the healing ministry
  More>

Birmingham Cathedral Lent Course 2012 ‘Confident Christians in a Multifaith City’
Come and learn about our Christian faith… how to live alongside members of other faiths with confidence and respect … discuss a range of opinions to help you form your own…hear Christian practitioners and theologians reflect on their experience…come and worship.  More>

Growing Gifts Study Days Spring 2012
This day will give us a chance to think about central issues in our Christian belief and to do this with the world of today in mind.  More>

Biblical Study Break: Rediscovering Jesus
Explore the contribution that all the Gospels make to our reconstruction and understanding of the person at the heart of ‘the Jesus movement’.   More>

Faith Communities - Spring Seminar Programme
Church law can make some activities more complicated than in other contexts. We specialise in looking at issues from the perspective of Faith Communities – the rules, regulations and how to preserve your faith distinctive.   More>

Events

Engaging with Muslims
31/01/2012
Time: 10.00 to 16.00. A day event for Christians to explore why and how to engage with Muslims. Bookings: www.christianmuslimforum.org  More>

Tuesday Talks
31/01/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

“Faith In Justice” Conference
02/02/2012
Time: 10.30am – 3.45 pm. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of Dharmic Faiths with other faith communities and to raise awareness of JDC's multi-faith project during World Interfaith Harmony Week 2012.  More>

Choral Eucharist
02/02/2012
Time: 7.30 pm. Choral Eucharist for Candlemas. Preacher: The Dean  More>

Wholeness & Healing Service with Communion
04/02/2012
Time: 9.00 am.  More>

Belief and Being in School II
04/02/2012
The aim of the conference is to bring together Christian and Muslim teachers and teaching assistants from mainstream schools to get to know each other and share their experiences as people of faith in a school environment. For more details see: http://christianmuslimforum.org/index.php/events/event-listing/621/  More>

Candlemas Evensong & Concert
05/02/2012
Time: 6pm The Community will sing evensong of Candlemas, enjoy a wine and cheese celebration and then return to church for an evening of music provided by friends – this will include the new organ, a string quartet, a brass ensemble, a clarinet recital, and some singing reminiscent of the Last Night of the Proms. Please purchase your ticket in advance.  More>

Mothers' Union Display for 'Wave of Prayer'
06/02/2012
6th - 12th February. During open hours.  More>

Tuesday Talks
07/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Choral Communion Service
08/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Transforming Outreach using sports ministry and the Olympics
08/02/2012
Time: 7-9pm. What better motivation than the Olympics to start engaging with young people and the community than through sport and fitness. This evening will be an interactive evening including theology and models of good practice. Come, be inspired and share your stories and ideas. Contact Jelena to book.  More>

The Diocesan Scheme for Offering Pastoral Care and Community Skills
08/02/2012
Time: 1 pm - 3 pm, preceded by lunch at 12.30 pm. A consultation for clergy who would like to know more about the approved diocesan scheme for lay people offering pastoral care and community skills. Please book in advance.  More>

Don’t do God? How to have easy conversations about Faith in everyday situations
09/02/2012
Time: 10 am to 1 pm (with lunch). Led by Dr Andrew Smith, Bishop’s Director of Interfaith Relations, Diocese of Birmingham. Getting people of different faiths into the same space is the beginning of process that can be hugely enriching, transformative and exciting but it does not happen naturally. How do conversations move from the superficial to the spiritual without feeling artificial and stilted? This course is aimed at anyone who is running events, particularly Near Neighbours events, which bring people together and would like some fresh ideas to help stimulate ‘God’ conversations. Please register at admin@faithfulneighbourhoods.org.uk  More>

Wholeness & Healing Service with Communion
09/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Friday Recital
10/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm. Pro Cecilia Valentine's Day Recital  More>

Church Textiles open day
10/02/2012
10 - 11 February An invitation to anyone who would like to see what the team can create for your church. www.church-textiles.co.uk  More>

Young Vocations Conference
13/02/2012
13-15 Feb A national conference for young people aged 16-19 who would like to explore the idea of being ordained into the Church of England. callwaiting.org.uk/conference.aspx  More>

Tuesday Talks
14/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Holy Communion Service
15/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Birmingham Council of Christians & Jews: Competitive siblings? Questions of mission and conversion
15/02/2012
Time: 7.45 pm The Revd David Gifford, Chief Executive of CCJ.  More>

Friday Recital
17/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm. Thomas Rhodes - guitar and Sophie Hickman - flute  More>

Choral Evensong with Visiting Choir
18/02/2012
Time: 3.30 pm.  More>

Choral Evensong with Visiting Choir
19/02/2012
Time: 3.30 pm. Choir: St Luke's Chelsea  More>

Tuesday Talks
21/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Choral Communion Service
22/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Ash Wednesday Choral Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes
22/02/2012
Time: 7.30 pm. Preacher: Dr Andrew Smith  More>

Friday Recital
24/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm. Birmingham Royal Ballet  More>

Tuesday Talks
28/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

Holy Communion Service
29/02/2012
Time: 1.10 pm.  More>

City Women Lunch
29/02/2012
Time: 1.00 - 1.55 pm. You are warmly invited to the first CITY WOMEN lunch of 2012. After the lunch Amy Brann, who works as a organisational coach, will speak briefly about having an increased sense of Christian hopefulness in daily working life following which there will be time for discussion in small groups. You can now book at our website http://www.chaplaincyplus.org.uk/events/city-women-lunch-3/ ‎ or contact Clair Dinsdale.  More>

Engaging with Christians
29/02/2012
Time: 10.00 to 16.00. A day event for Muslims to explore why and how to engage with Christians. Sessions: Why is it OK to engage with Christians? What should we know about Birmingham Christians? Muslim Responses to Christianity. Da’wah and Christian Mission. Speakers: Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra and Imam Dr Musharraf Hussain OBE. Afternoon speakers: Julian Bond, Christian Muslim Forum and Dr Andrew Smith, Faithful Neighbourhoods  More>

Chaplaincy in Education
01/03/2012
10.00am – 4.00pm. A day conference exploring new opportunities in school and college chaplaincy. Inspirational stories, opportunity to network, focus groups. More information at: www.scriptureunion.org.uk/chaplaincyineducation   More>

Growing with God
03/03/2012
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm Growing with God is for everyone in church who works or helps with children on Sundays or midweek. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get new ideas, meet others doing the same work, discover new resource, worship together and be inspired by the workshop leaders. Full details of the workshops and a booking form are at: http://www.birmingham.anglican.org/upload/pdf/GrowingWithGodBooklet12.pdf   More>

Muslim Christian Engagement
08/03/2012
Time: 10 am - 3 pm. Aimed at Muslims who want to engage with Christians and need some support and encouragement.   More>

One Big Day
10/03/2012
Time: 10 - 3 pm. Aged 5-11? You are invited to One Big Day - celebrating God and having a lot of fun: live music, workshops, games and stories. www.bigministries.co.uk  More>

White Working Class – a response to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report
20/03/2012
Time: 10.30 am to 12 noon. A consultation with the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Aston, to consider our response to the views of those interviewed for the report who felt left out of regeneration and community cohesion programmes. This is a chance to hear more details about the report, to reflect on whether the findings are relevant in our areas (part of the research was undertaken in Birmingham) and to share some ideas and thoughts of how Near Neighbours might be helpful in addressing this.   More>

How to engage men at a local level
21/03/2012
Time: 10 am to 1 pm (with lunch). Led by Dr Andrew Smith, Bishop’s Director of Interfaith Relations, Diocese of Birmingham. Many men are busier than ever – holding down several part-time jobs, bringing up their kids and involved in their places of worship. At many interfaith events men are a tiny minority and traditional events seem to miss the mark. This course will give you some new ideas about the activities and projects that will engage with men in a local neighbourhood, provide an opportunity to hear what others are doing and should stimulate some ideas for Near Neighbours applications and funding. Please register at admin@faithfulneighbourhoods.org.uk  More>

Think Tank Conference III ‘Re-imagining Sacramental Ministry for the 21st Century’
22/03/2012
22-23 March 2012 at This Think-Tank will focus on the challenges and opportunities facing clergy in the rapidly changing cultural context in both church and wider society and look at how dioceses can help clergy engage with these positively and creatively.   More>

Birmingham Council of Christians & Jews: The Life of Brian
25/03/2012
Time: 3.00 pm – joint showing with BPS Film Club, followed by light refreshments and discussion.  More>

5 day Individually Guided Retreat
26/03/2012
26th – 30th March 2012 – led by Rosemary Moffat A time to be still and a time to reflect. An individually guided retreat is an opportunity to enjoy some time apart with a spiritual guide to accompany you each day. The retreat will be silent throughout to enable you to encounter the mystery of God in prayer, Scripture, worship and space. www.launde.org.uk  More>

Holy Week & Easter Retreats
02/04/2012
2nd – 8th April 2012. These two retreats can be combined or attended separately to suit the individual. The Holy Week retreat will follow the events leading up to the agony of the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday, while the Easter retreat will take us into the joy of the resurrection. www.launde.org.uk  More>

Raids on the Unspeakable
09/04/2012
9-11 April 2012 All are welcome to the Thomas Merton Society’s conference. Key note speakers: Liz Carmichael; Jim Forest; Jonathan Montaldo To book, or for further details, please visit the website or contact: Booking secretary, Kymin Cottage, Westhide, Hereford HR1 3RG www.thomasmertonsociety.org.uk  More>

A quiet day in Eastertide
16/04/2012
Time: 9.30 to 3.15. The world is a noisier place than it has ever been. A media-driven culture seems designed to prevent people from being or becoming reflective, quiet, non-active and still. God is calling us to be still and to listen to his Word in silence and at depth. To help you to do this, The Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer is arranging a day of silent listening to the Word of God.  More>

Pakistani Awareness Training
25/04/2012
Time: 9.30 to 4 pm Led by Karamat Iqbal this course is a chance to learn more about the Pakistani-British community here in Birmingham thinking about the history and development of the community, the issues and needs generally and of particular groups and the particular role of the church.   More>

Birmingham Council of Christians & Jews: experiences of discussing Israel/Palestine
01/05/2012
Time: 7.45 pm The Birmingham Methodist-Jewish dialogue group will share their experience of discussing Israel/Palestine.  More>

Birmingham Council of Christians & Jews: Jewish commentators on the Bible
24/05/2012
Time: 7.30pm. Rabbi Harvey Belovski of Golders Green Synagogue.   More>

Birmingham Council of Christians & Jews: Faith and Poetry
12/06/2012
Time: 7.45 pm Rabbi Margaret Jacobi, Mandy Ross, The Revd Mark Pryce.  More>

Annual Jewish-Christian Study Day
13/06/2012
Time: 9.45am to 3.15pm. Topic: The State We’re In: Issues of Social Justice Keynote Speakers: Rabbi Janet Burden, Dr Chris Shannahan.  More>

Visit to Beth Shalom, The Holocaust Centre
08/07/2012
Leave 8.30-9.00 am - Return 6.30-7.00pm Visit to Beth Shalom, The Holocaust Centre in Laxton, Nottinghamshire.   More>

Celtic Summer Pilgrimage
11/07/2012
11th-17th July. A week of visits (Whitby, Lindisfarne, Bamburgh, Lastingham, Monkwearmouth, Jarrow) exploring the writings of The Venerable Bede. A coach leaves from the Diocese of Birmingham. Call for a Brochure or visit: www.ukltg.com   More>

Pilgrimage to Taizé
21/07/2012
Saturday 21st - Monday 30th July 2012. Aged 16-29? Searching for something more? Looking to explore or refresh your faith? Every year, thousands of young people from across the world journey to Taizé to seek communion with God and others through prayer, discussion, silence and a shared way of living. If you would like to find out more, you are invited to a 'Taizé Taster' event on Saturday 21st January, 12.30-2.30pm St Francis' Church Sycamore Road Bournville B30 2AA. For more info visit: http://www.b-inspired.net/festivals-and-residentials/taize.aspx  More>

Anglican Lutheran Society Conference 2012 - Life Together - Christian Ministry in Tomorrow’s World
03/09/2012
Monday 3rd to Friday 7th September 2012. The conference is intended for 'people who have recently begun a public ministry, either lay or ordained, and for students preparing for ministry'. The programme combines some impressive input with space for reflection, seeking to model its theme of 'Life Together'. More details can be found at: http://www.anglican-lutheran-society.org/Mirfield.htm   More>

Individually-Guided Retreats in the Ignatian tradition
01/10/2012
1st - 7th October These residential Retreats are conducted in silence with an experienced guide to work alongside you as you pray with scripture and other aids, according to your individual need and temperament. Guides; Rob Hingley and Frances Henley-Lock.  More>

Individually-Guided Retreats in the Ignatian tradition
22/10/2012
22nd-27th October These residential Retreats are conducted in silence with an experienced guide to work alongside you as you pray with scripture and other aids, according to your individual need and temperament. Guides; Pauline Green, Rob Hingley, Rachel Willard, Janet Lindsay-German.  More>