St. Andrew's Church, West Bromwich
Encyclopedia
St. Andrew's Church, West Bromwich
, England
is part of both the Church of England
and the Methodist Church
through an arrangement known as a local ecumenical partnership
. Members of both traditions worship together and play a part in the life of both the Church of England and the Methodist Church throughout West Bromwich. The church is situated at the junction of Dudley Street and Carter's Green.
, with worship continuing on the premises in Old Meeting Street until the 1920s.
In 1915, work started on a new church building at Carter's Green. The First World War
prevented much work being done and the official foundation stone was not laid until 1922. The first part of the building was completed in 1924 and consecrated for worship the following year. Just before the Second World War
, two bays and a baptistry were completed and consecrated on 21 January 1940.
In 1982, work was completed to create a social area, kitchen and other facilities, and in 1998 a coffee lounge was created alongside the kitchen.
In 2002, the joint congregation signed a Declaration of Intent for Ecumenical Partnership, and there is now fully a Partnership Congregation.
St. Andrew's is also host to Forward in Faith Ministries, a church of Zimbabwe
an origin and tradition (with no connection with the Anglican organisation of the same name).
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is part of both the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and the Methodist Church
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
through an arrangement known as a local ecumenical partnership
Local ecumenical partnership
In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations....
. Members of both traditions worship together and play a part in the life of both the Church of England and the Methodist Church throughout West Bromwich. The church is situated at the junction of Dudley Street and Carter's Green.
History
In 1869 a day school was opened in Old Meeting Street, West Bromwich, and the buildings were soon used for Sunday worship. The Parish of St. Andrew, West Bromwich was created in 1879 as part of Lichfield DioceseDiocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
, with worship continuing on the premises in Old Meeting Street until the 1920s.
In 1915, work started on a new church building at Carter's Green. The First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
prevented much work being done and the official foundation stone was not laid until 1922. The first part of the building was completed in 1924 and consecrated for worship the following year. Just before the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two bays and a baptistry were completed and consecrated on 21 January 1940.
In 1982, work was completed to create a social area, kitchen and other facilities, and in 1998 a coffee lounge was created alongside the kitchen.
The Parish
The title of the parish is formally "The Parish of St. Andrew's-with-Christ Church, West Bromwich". Christ Church was an imposing building on High Street, now demolished. In 1988 the parish of Christ Church was divided between the Anglican parishes of The Good Shepherd with St. John, St. Philip's and St. Andrew's. The site where Christ Church stood is within St. Andrew's parish boundary and hence this parish's expanded full name.The Ecumenical Partnership
Swan Village Methodist Church and St. Andrew's had shared in joint services for many years. When the Methodist church building became difficult to maintain, the congregation decided to join together with the Anglican congregation in the St. Andrew's building. The arrangement was further established in 1988 with a formal Sharing Agreement. Funds from both churches were used to build the extension, including an upstairs room for meetings - the Cygnet Room.In 2002, the joint congregation signed a Declaration of Intent for Ecumenical Partnership, and there is now fully a Partnership Congregation.
St. Andrew's is also host to Forward in Faith Ministries, a church of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an origin and tradition (with no connection with the Anglican organisation of the same name).