Open the Book began in 1999 and now regularly reaches over half a million children with classic Bible stories during Collective Worship (often referred to as assemblies).  Open the Book teams are made up of members of the local church or from several churches working in partnership who go into primary schools to deliver a 10 minute Bible story assembly.  Some Birmingham schools are asking for Open the Book and more volunteers are needed to meet the demand.

Birmingham City Mission is facilitating an urban pilot scheme, whereby Open the Book are making subtle changes to their original programme in order to meet the needs of schools in urban areas where school communities are drawn from a variety of faith backgrounds.  A series of training opportunities are being made available.  The sessions are open to anyone interested in sharing Bible stories with children in Birmingham and the surrounding area.

Training sessions are from 9.15am to 3.15pm (with a 30 minute lunch break).  Completion of this training is sufficient for an individual to register as an Open the Book story teller.  Forthcoming training dates are:

• Weds 19th September

• Mon 1st October

• Thurs 25th October

• Thurs 15th November

• Mon 10th December

All courses take place at BCM HQ, 2 Langdon Street, Birmingham B9 4BP

This will take place on Friday 28 September 2018, 4pm-9.30pm at The Church at Carrs Lane, Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B4 7SX.  Come for part or all of the evening:

• See, touch and browse our new Autumn 2018 craft range
• Receive a 10% DISCOUNT on craft orders placed at the event
• Taste our latest new foods
• Hear about Traidcraft’s Vision
• Enjoy time with other people who are passionate about Fair Trade.

As always PLEASE BOOK your place so we have an idea of numbers, and so we can contact you in the unlikely case that we need to cancel.

Contact:

Nicola at Traidcraft:  nicola.bryden@traidcraft.co.uk | 0191 491 0855 or Joan at the Carrs Lane Fair Trade Shop (0121 643 6151 and leave a message or email Fair-trade@carrslane.co.uk).  Please click on flyer for further information.

September 2018 - February 2019.

This will be held at St Mary’s Convent, 98 Hunters Road Birmingham B19 1EB.

Eight Saturday mornings in 2018 (10am -12.30pm):
September 29th, October 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th,
November 10th, 17th, 24th.

Also two weekends in 2019:
1. Saturday January 26th, from 10am – 8.30pm
Sunday January 27th, from 11am – 5. 00pm
2. Saturday February 9th and Sunday February 10th. (Times are the same).

For more information or an application please contact Margaret Brittan,
margaret_brittan@hotmail.com

Please see attached flyer.

EVENT: Twenty years on from the Birmingham human chain, Jubilee Debt Campaign will mark this important anniversary by bringing together campaigners from across the UK to spend a day together talking debt justice campaigning past and future. You can expect a workshop about debt issues in 2018, rousing speeches, a city-centre stunt, catching up with old friends or making new ones, and food and refreshments and films. Drop by for a short while or stay for the whole day.

We're asking for a voluntary donation to help cover the costs of room hire, refreshments and lunch. Please only pay what you can afford.

Date: 29 September 2018, 10.15am - 5.00pm
Venue: Birmingham Midland Institute, 9 Margaret St, Birmingham B3 3BS (Close to Birmingham New Street, Snow Hill & Moor Street stations)
Booking >> Book your place here, you will receive more details about the day, and an optional, small contribution towards the running costs will be welcomed.

To book your place go to www.jubileedebt.org.uk

Political night prayer takes place every 3 months at Cotteridge Church from 7.30 - 9.00 pm on a Sunday. It evolves around a concern which we look at through people's stories, scripture, music and prayer. It is informed by political night prayer in Germany in the 1950s and 60s which was inspired by the theology of Dorothy Soelle.

The next evening is Sunday 30th September, 7.30 - 9.00pm at The Cotteridge Church, with the theme of Health (particularly in the light of NHS 70th anniversary.  Please click on flyer for further information.

One-day conferences. A great educational and networking opportunity.

Date: Monday 1st October 2018, 10.00am to 4.00pm. (Bring own lunch. Refreshments provided).

Venue: Quinton Methodist Church, 10 Ridgeway Ave, Halesowen B62 9AU.

Guest Speaker for this conference will be Piet Van Waarde.

Piet Van Waarde is an author and speaker known for his ability to explore topics like leadership, teamwork, and personal growth through the lens of behavioural change. With 35 years of experience in leading organizations, Piet offers a fresh, research-based and thought-provoking view of how to motivate individuals and organizations to become better leaders and team members through behaviour change.

Piet served as the lead pastor of a contemporary interdenominational church for 22 years, reaching several thousand people throughout Mid-Missouri.

Lyndon Methodist Church invites you to a Circuit wide Messy Church.  This will be held on Saturday 6th October from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

For more information and to book any places please contact Rick Carstairs at rickcarstairs@outlook.com.

Please support this event.

Villa Road Methodist Church invites you to Youth Worship on Sunday 7th October 2018 at 11.00 am.  Please click on flyer.  All welcome to join us.

This is very much a coming together of a few people who have had conversations with young people in our churches and felt God prompting us to do something different and see what happens and where God's Spirit is leading.  

We hope to be inclusive and cut across circuits and ecumenical boundaries. Rev Malcolm Oliver (Stockland Green Methodist), Fitzroy Storrod (Birmingham City Church), Wayne Simmonds (Lay Deanery Sec) have met together with other people (young and old) who have a heart for enabling young people to worship God in a contemporary, relevant way. 

On October 10th, 2018, as part of Birmingham and Solihull’s Connecting Community Networks
Programme, Common Unity will be hosting our World Mental Health Day Conference with a bit of a
difference.

We are passionate about grassroots best practice and are keen that locally based organisations
working in the wellbeing sector are represented on the day at the designated Wellbeing Emporium
with 30 stalls available. If you are interested in securing a stall on the day to promote what EPIC
approaches you take to best support community wellbeing, please return the completed form to
conference@common-unity.org.

If you want more information about The Being Well Works Well Conference then please don't hesitate
to give us a call on 07990947093.  Please click on flyer.

Let’s Talk About TAX – What would a fair system look like?  

Join the ‘Big Tax Conversation’

This free event will take place on 11 October 2018, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at The Priory Rooms, 40 Bull Street, B4 6AF.  

Speaker Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, Vice Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Responsible Tax

Chair Revd David Haslam MBE' Chair of Church Action for Tax Justice

For further information please contact johnbnightingale@hushmail.com.  Please see attached flyer.