St. Anne’s has built up a community with a nucleus of regular worshippers and a much larger number of local people who are friends of St. Anne’s, but who are not on the electoral roll. These links with the church have been forged over a long period and are sustained through several major social functions held each year, including a grand jumble sale, vicarage garden party, harvest supper, autumn fair and Christmas party. These not only fulfil a social need for the whole community but also provide an opportunity to proclaim the Christian message. St. Mary’s “Coffee and Company” meets on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in St. Mary’s Church, staffed by church volunteers. It provides coffee and other refreshments to a regular core of up to 10 people. It is open to anyone from the community to drop in.
The aim of the 600th anniversary celebrations was for all the inhabitants of Moseley to be aware that Christian worship has been offered on the St. Mary’s site for 600 years, and to encourage local people to come into the Church building. All sorts of festivities were arranged, at least one per month, starting with a balloon launch on 16th January at the Churches Together in Moseley Service. In February, a presentation of the history of St. Mary’s was staged in conjunction with the Moseley Society and as it was Shrove Tuesday, the large audience all enjoyed excellent pancakes afterwards. In March there were various musical events and in April there was a Celebration of Music, Dance and Song covering 6 centuries which embraced the theme of Diversity by including Sikh drummers, who had never been inside a church before. In May the St. Mary’s Youth Group, which had been very active in the 1960s and 70s, staged their reunion and in June – again with the Moseley Society – an Art and Photographic Exhibition was held. This proved to be so popular it had to be extended for a further week. An Art and Craft Exhibition and a Murder Mystery Evening were also held as part of the Moseley Festival.
All these events began to show how versatile the church building could be! In August a choir visited from Poughkeepsie in the USA and in September, a celebrity organ recital, with the première of an anthem especially written for the Celebrations. In October there was a Service of Praise and Thanksgiving, with a further concert in November, and the grand finale in December was a weekend of activities under the banner of “What is Moseley 2005?” This included a Christmas Tree Festival, a Children’s Birthday Party and displays from various groups in Moseley, including secular groups such as the Moseley Society, the Moseley Forum and various inter-faith groups.
From the above one can see the variety of the events in the 600 Celebrations, which have reached a wide and diverse audience. Hundreds of people, by attending events, have stepped inside the building for the first time.
Moseley C of E School is situated in Oxford Road, Moseley, next to St. Mary’s Vicarage. The School is a one-form entry, mixed infant and junior school with about 210 pupils between the ages of four and eleven. The School is very popular, and places are allocated according to five stated criteria, in order of priority inter alia (i) children with siblings already in the School and (ii) children who are baptised and have a verified Church of England denominational claim based on long-term regular church attendance.
The School is voluntary controlled by the Church of England, and enjoys very close links with St. Mary’s. A member of the clergy team takes collective worship twice a month in School, along with representatives from other Christian churches. One of the stated aims of the School is that the Christian ethos is clear and demonstrated in all aspects of school life, where each individual is respected.
The new Priest-in-Charge can expect to be a member of the governing body.
St. Mary’s holds a Schools Service for the School at least once per term, and pupils, both boys and girls, are given the opportunity to join the flourishing Robed Choir of St. Mary’s.
Supporting local educational establishments is a priority. Along with the links to Moseley Church of England School, there are contacts with St. John and St. Monica R.C. Junior and Infants School, which is situated in Chantry Road and Park Hill Nursery, Junior and Infants School, which is located on Alcester Road opposite Park Hill. There are occasional visits from the latter to St. Anne’s. St. Anne’s also has links with the National Institute for Conductive Education, which is situated in Russell Road. St. Mary’s has links with the Uffculme Special School.
Developing links with The Midland Arts Centre and identifying ways in which the arts can be used to tap into spirituality is a perceived need of people in our area.
Several members of both churches are licensed to administer Communion. We urge church members to see all their life in terms of ministry. Families with children are encouraged to participate in leading the monthly Family Service.
We currently have two members participating in a Diocesan training course and one considering ordination. There is a desire to see new people being drawn into the life of the church, especially young couples and families, and to grow the gifts of current members, particularly a lay pastoral team. In-house training for readers, intercessors and those who act as sidespeople, along with support for youth group volunteers and Sunday Club leaders has been offered.
Ministers of the various churches in Moseley meet regularly to share ideas, good practice and local concerns that may have been raised by other local groups, such as the Moseley Forum and Moseley Society.