Well friends, we have some news! There are some exciting changes ahead for Inclusive Gathering Birmingham this Autumn.
Starting on the 5th September, we’re moving our Sunday afternoon meeting time one hour earlier to 3pm and we’re moving to a new location: Edgbaston Quaker Meeting House at Five Ways!
We’ll be Hosting In-Person Gatherings more frequently!
We’ll be gathering in-person at the Meeting House at Five Ways on the 1st & 4th Sundays of each month and for other special events. Our in-person gatherings will ALWAYS be livestreamed to FB Live & YouTube for those who aren’t with us at Five Ways (including some creative ways of engaging in discussion online).
From September, we’ll also be re-launching IGB Kids Club during our gatherings on the 1st & 4th Sundays for kids 2-10.
You can read more of the details of what to expect each Sunday right here. And you can read our Covid Safety plan for the Meeting House at Five Ways here.
Our Weekly Online Gatherings continue …
As a Hybrid Church, we are committed to meeting online (via Facebook Live & YouTube) EVERY Sunday afternoon at 3pm. So you can always find us there no matter what.
The 2nd Sunday of each month will continue to be online ONLY – a live gathering presented and streamed to FB Live & YouTube by IGB’s Leadership Community.
More Collaboration with Like-Minded Friends …
On the 3rd Sunday of each month we will be focussed on actively collaborating with likeminded friends, groups and churches!
In September, we’re launching a monthly 5:15 Zoom Workshop on Neurodiverse Spirituality (hosted in collaboration with Aspergers’ Heroes).
And coming soon …look out for the launch of a truly ecumenical Open Table Birmingham gathering in North Brum with LGBTQ+ friends and allies from around the Midlands.
Our dear friends at the Church at Carrs Lane have hosted us so graciously for our first 5 years – We’re extremely thankful for them and our strong friendship with them continues, regardless of where we meet. We’ll still be partnering with Carrs Lane, particularly for weddings and funerals and other city events and opportunities.
More about our new venue near Five Ways
Edgbaston Quaker Meeting House at the Five Ways end of the city centre is located at 11 St James Road B15 1JP (on the corner of St James & George Roads). It’s a cosy, wheelchair accessible building with lots of character and adaptable rooms that meet our needs for gathering, childcare and hospitality right now. It’s got some lovely outdoor space that gives us lots of options and flexibility for outdoor events and for chatting in the open air. We’re thrilled to be hiring a Quaker space with their long history of justice-seeking and pursuit of radical inclusion.
The Meeting House is VERY close to travel links AND there is plenty of free parking on George Road. It is just 500m from Five Ways Train Station (which is a 2 min train trip from New Street) and near multiple bus routes (including 1 & 8). For reference, both the Big Morrisons and the Broadway Cinema are just about a 10 minute walk away.
Our slightly earlier start time of 3pm makes joining us in person a bit easier for folks with children or have an early start the next day. It also means more of you might feel more able to pop to the pub for a bit of social time after our in-person gatherings.
With the recent changes to the city centre (driving routes, parking, clean air zone), for many of us this new venue at Five Ways will be easier to get to. But we recognise that for some people, this move may add a bit to the journey. If you have questions about getting to the Meeting House or if there is something we can do to make it more possible for you to join us there, email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com. Change (even good change) isn’t always easy for everyone, so please do let us know if we can help, especially on your first visit to Five Ways.
We’re excited about this next phase of Inclusive Gathering Birmingham. As we always say, we’re a learning community, so inevitably we’ll settle in and learn together how to make the most of our new space. Whether you are new to IGB or have been around since the start, we’re praying this new season is one where we learn to love one another, to love God, and to know and love ourselves and the people around us a bit better.
Danielle for the IGB Leadership Community
