Emmanuel Church


Mission Statement




General background


Redditch is a town with a population of approximately 90,000. It was designated a New Town in 1964 with the object of reducing overcrowding in Birmingham. The town is a unique blend of old (dating back to a 12th Century Cistercian Monastery) and new. The town also dominated the global needle-making industry in the 19th century. The remains of the Cistercian Bordesley Abbey and the Forgemill National Needle Museum are popular attractions for visitors to the town.

Redditch is located in the beautiful rolling countryside of Worcestershire and is also in the centre of the national motorway network. There is a rail-link into the centre of Birmingham (40 minutes).

One of the most striking features to a visitor to Redditch is the vast amount of greenery and open space. New housing, industrial and office developments have been carefully blended to fit in with the town. The 900 acre Arrow Valley Park runs through the heart of the Borough with extensive woods and park land all around.

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Short History of Trinity and Emmanuel Church


Emmanuel Church is a URC/Methodist Ecumenical Partnership, originally formed in 1976 when Redditch New Town was being developed. The Congregational Church was demolished to make way for the Kingfisher Shopping Centre and as Bates Hill Methodist Church was old and in need of extensive repairs, the two congregations decided to form a united church known as Trinity Church. The combined congregations began worshipping at their shared premises known as the Ecumenical Centre in 1976.

Initially the church had two ministers, one URC and one Methodist, the Methodist also having pastoral
responsibility for Alcester Street Methodist Church. In 1991 Trinity Church considered that to continue having two ministers emphasised the division of the two founding churches rather than the unity to which they aspired and it was decided therefore to have only one minister and a second person (Deacon or Lay Worker).
Subsequently, close links in the life and work of Trinity and Alcester Street Church were developed
which culminated in a formal local Ecumenical Partnership agreement in December 1999. Because of
an aging and reduced membership together with increasing need for costly maintenance, the Alcester
Street building was eventually closed and sold, as it did not prove possible for the premises to be
developed for mission and work in the community. The two congregations then merged fully to become Emmanuel Church.


Ministry and Leadership


The minister with pastoral responsibility for Emmanuel Church is appointed in turn by each of the LEP denominations. The present minister is from the Methodist tradition and his predecessor was from the URC. There is also a Lay Worker, employed by the church, to work alongside the minister in a complimentary ministry. She happens to be Methodist and also a lay preacher. Her predecessor was a Methodist Deacon. The Church has a core of active, loyal and capable lay leaders. The church is part of the Redditch Methodist Circuit and also a member of the West Midlands URC Synod.

The ring road makes the town centre an island and this means that as the church is located within this island its congregation is largely a dispersed congregation with many members travelling several miles into church and therefore not in the centre except on Sundays.



Ecumenical Centre


Emmanuel Church occupies a unique position on the second floor of a modem building within the Kingfisher Shopping Centre. The sanctuary is at the heart of the building; it is of modern design, light in its decor with moveable chairs and furniture offering opportunity for flexible use in worship and other activities. Other facilities include a carpeted area adjoining the sanctuary called the Narthex, a large hall capable of partition into a large and small hall, a large meeting room, kitchen and coffee bar, minister's vestry, church office, small interviewing room and Centre Administrator's office. Other office space is currently occupied by Carers Careline, BARN (Bromsgrove and Redditch Network), Nightstop and Victim Support. On the upper floor is what was once a caretakers flat which now provides office space for young offenders support from the Probation Service and St. Basils Youth Workers.

The church employs a Centre Administrator for 20 hours per week to deal with the day to day running of the centre.

Many groups within the town hire rooms at the centre on a regular basis. New groups which need a room to meet are welcome, often for no charge to enable them to get started.

There is a thriving coffee bar open 6 days a week, where fair trade products are sold. It is staffed by volunteers and is open from 10-12noon Monday to Saturday. On Friday lunchtimes 12-1.30pm sandwiches and ploughmans lunches are served together with a choice of mainly homemade puddings.

A Child Contact Centre runs on Saturday afternoons to enable children of divorced and separated parents to maintain contact. This is run by a a group of volunteers mainly from the church.

Some of the organisations which use the Ecumenical Centre are listed below:


Darby & Joan Club St. Stephen's Womens Fellowship

Borough Council Indoor Bowls Age Concern Keep Fit class

Redditch Music Society Princes Trust

Kingfisher W.I. Emmanuel Womens Fellowship

Widows Friendship Club Belly Dancing Classes

Rainbows, Brownies & Guides Redditch Older Peoples Forum


Wheelchair access is reasonable and there are disabled toilet facilities.



Congregational Life


Emmanuel Church is a United church with one membership roll, each member holding joint membership of both traditions. For denominational purposes the total number is equally divided. Members presently number 160 plus about 100 adherents; and a Junior Church roll of 20.

The total attendance at worship on Sunday mornings is about 100. Evening services are more
informal with an attendance ranging from 25-35.

A variety of groups meet in the week in people's homes for Bible Study, prayer and fellowship. Many people find them to be a rich place for sharing and asking questions, for mutual support and growth.

There is a Womens Fellowship group which meets every Tuesday afternoon which attracts ladies from other churches as well as some non-church attenders.

There is another Ladies Group called Moveable Feast which meets on the 6th of every month in the evening with occasional evenings also open to men.

A bi-monthly newsletter is produced by teams of lay-people


The Junior Church


There is an active Junior Church which meets with the whole Church at the start of morning worship and then retires for its own session.

There is a fortnightly Sunday afternoon youth fellowship and many events and trips organised.



Decision Making


The Church meeting makes all major decisions in the life of the church, receives reports and acts on them, develops areas of witness and mission. A church meeting is convened 6 times a year.

Elders Meeting.

Elders are accountable to the Church Meeting and meet twice a year.

Other Groups.

Other groups which meet regularly in order to facilitate the life and mission of the church include:

Finance, Property and Management; World Service and Mission, Worship, Strategy, Social and Catering.


Pastoral Care


Members of the congregation assist with pastoral care, with appointed teams of pastoral visitors who take responsibility for groups of members and adherents The group meets at least twice a year.


Worship


Services are held at the following times:


Sundays Monthly 9.15am Communion (Every 4th week in the month)
Weekly 10.30am (Communion on the 1st Sunday morning)
6.00pm (Communion on the 3rd Sunday evening each month)

Thursdays Weekly 11.00am An informal act of worship on a regular pattern including, music and meditation, holy communion, prayers for wholeness and prayers for peace and justice (Attracts attenders of the coffee bar and occasional passers-by).


Ecumenical Involvement.


The church supports 'Churches Together in Redditch' and there has been a Covenant between some of the churches in the Town centre for a number of years:


St. Stephen's Church (Anglican)

St. George's Church (Anglican)

Mount Carmel Church (Roman Catholic)


The Redditch Corps of the Salvation Army has recently joined the covenanted churches.

Each Friday morning the Town Centre ministers meet together in the Ecumenical Centre for breakfast and prayers. The churches occasionally share together in joint services and social events, also act together in joint ventures whenever this would be useful and possible.

Current Employees


URC/Methodist Minister, shared with other Churches in the Methodist Circuit and URC .


Lay Worker, to support the pastoral care of the congregation


Centre Administrator, to support the tenants and all organisations who wish to use the facilities of the centre.


Cleaners, to keep the public places hygienic


Volunteers, Upward of 50 people who staff the coffee bar, maintain the building and ensure the efficient running of the Church and Centre.