We Support...
Lotubae
For over 25 years the church has been supporting the Africa Inland Church at Lotubae in Northern Kenya. This arose from the concern of a Church member who worked as a missionary nurse in the area. This project has in turn paid for the training of an agriculturalist, provision of seeds and tools, the building of a dispensary, school equipment, teacher’s salary, food for the nursery school children, evangelists salaries, and a roof for their Church. In all about £1500 is sent each year. We receive regular letters from their Pastor and exchange news of Church activities.
Christian Aid
The church actively supports the work of Christian Aid. In particular during Christian Aid Week when the area of Hall Green is divided between ‘Churches Together in Hall Green’. We cover some 20 or so roads, some of them much longer than others, collecting about £2000 a year. Apart from responding to emergency appeals by retiring collections, there is an annual “Fast before the Feast” when we share a bread and cheese lunch on the Sunday before Christmas raising about £250.
MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY
As part of the Make Poverty History Campaign the Church hosted a Trade Justice stall on the Stratford Road asking passers by to sign vote for Trade Justice cards. Some members participated in the 24 hour Fast in April. The church was wrapped overall with an enormous white banner for the G8 Summit in July. The congregation have been regularly updated on the campaign and sent cards to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
FairTrade
We hold a Fair Trade Certificate which means that all the tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits used for refreshments by all of our organisations are Fairly Traded products. A Traidcraft stall is held once a month selling coffee, tea, cereals, dried fruit, chocolate, sweets and some paper products. Sales are increasing as more members become ‘fair trade minded’. Last year turnover was over £1,100. Members are encouraged to look for and buy Fair Trade goods at their local supermarket.
Churches Together in Hall Green
Eight churches in Hall Green work, pray and worship together. All churches have signed a covenant proclaiming their faith in One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The churches seek to study together, share the good news, develop youth work, and work for peace and justice locally, nationally and globally.
St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing
The Centre, which is part of the St Martin in the Bull Ring, was set up in response to an enormous range of needs that exist in Birmingham city centre. Faced with issues of poverty, emotional and physical needs, homelessness, mental health difficulties and brokenness, the Centre was created to provide a co-ordinated and professional response within a Christian context.
It currently provides a range of services - a Helpdesk providing a listening ear, guidance and support, Professional Counseling, Outreach advice and friendship to vulnerable and homeless people, and Promotion of positive mental and physical health.
For more information about the Centre's services, to joint the Friends of the Centre, or to discuss volunteer opportunities please contact: The Director, tel: 0121 600 6025 or email: healthandhealing@bullring.org
Moseley Road and Sparkhill Circuit
Hall Green Methodist Church is part of a larger group (Circuit) of Methodist Churches set within a segment of Birmingham stretching south-east from the inner part of the city out into the rural perimeter. Grouping together in this way helps us to share the resources we have and to support each other in the task of sharing the love of Jesus with the people living in this large and diverse area of Birmingham.
The Circuit is divided into 3 Clusters, and Hall Green is part of the Compass Cluster with Sparkhill Methodist Church, St Michael's Local Ecumenical Project also in Hall Green and St Mary Magdalene Local Ecumenical Project in Hazelwell.
Three full-time and one part-time ordained ministers, a deacon, two lay pastoral workers, a youth work enabler and an administrator form the staff team for the Circuit. One full-time and one pastoral worker serve the Compass Cluster specifically together with the Anglican clergy appointed to the Local Ecumenical Projects.
Circuit Office, Maypole Methodist Church, Sladepool Farm Road, Maypole, B14 5DL
It’s Your Move
Its Your Move is a special book produced by Scripture Union (SU) for Year 6 pupils as they prepare to move to secondary school. For several years we have given about 60 books each July to leavers at Yorkmead Primary School, which is about 50 metres from our church. The books are always very well received by the pupils (and staff!). Its Your Move is full of practical advice as well as some Christian stories presented in an appropriate way. We helped SU sell 200,000 of the books in the first two years of publication - a success indeed!!
www.scriptureunion.org.uk/schools
Church for All
We welcome children and adults with disabilities and will take all reasonable steps to enable you to access our Sunday services and activities throughout the week. By using the Churches for All resources we plan to become registered as a church which is disability friendly to at least the Bronze Standards, preferably the Silver Standards. Already we can offer a range of supportive features e.g. a dropped curb, sound loop, large print words for hymns and songs, adapted toilet. If you or your child has a particular disability contact us and we will work with you to make things as accessible as we can.
The New Boot
Sue Morgan
I work at 'The New Boot' which is a 24-hour, direct access hostel for twenty-one young men aged 16 - 25 run by St. Basils, one of the largest organisations working with homeless and vulnerable young people. We work with our own young people and also with refugees who have come to this country seeking Asylum. At 'The New Boot' we provide accommodation, training, mental, emotional and physical support for many young men who are victims of torture, abuse, who are deeply hurting and who have many challenging needs. Through a policy of meeting the young person at their deepest need, supporting and providing the care and resources needed to help them, we gradually enable the young person to develop feelings of self-worth, to resolve or cope with their problems, and to eventually live independently, with continuing support. Hall Green Methodist Church supports the invaluable work carried out at 'The New Boot’, throughout the year and also promotes an 'Asylum Seeker Fund' where money is collected and used for the many needs of the Asylum Seekers/Refugees with whom I work.
Junior Mission for All (JMA)
This is the young people's part of the Mission at home and abroad of the Methodist church. The children who belong to this, between the ages of 3 and 18, have a collecting book, and sponsors make contributions weekly or monthly which is recorded. An annual presentation service gives thanks to both collectors and contributors, and awards are given in the form of certificates and badges. Each quarter a magazine called 'Rainbow' is given to each collector, which describes the work of JMA at home and abroad. The JMA promise is written inside each collection book - I promise to learn, pray and serve with the world wide church of Jesus Christ.
Whilst we have only a few collectors at the present time, we still manage to amass over £3.000 as a yearly total. At Hall Green we have had JMA collectors for over 50 years.