Birmingham Community

We are small-ish group of people commited to each other and to being a faith community together here in Birmingham, UK.

Things started in June/July 2003 when Joe and Sarah Baker decided to start experimenting what it might mean to be a local church energised by the vision of shalom. Things were fairly quiet for the first year as we gently thought through the implications and applications of all that we'd percieved within the shalom vision. We were very conscious of not coercing anyone to join us or corralling people into acting, behaving or believing in a particular way, joining a movement (or indeed creating a movement to join) or dragging people away from other churches or commitments. Being inspired by the Anabaptists, coercion of any sort was not the way to start!

Things were very gentle until summer 2004 when suddenly several people decided to join us, until now (Winter 2006) we number a little under 30 people (roughly 50:50 adults and children).

We meet regularly on a Sunday lunchtime in each other's houses for some acts of worship, some storytelling, some art, craft and fun, and most imporantly a shared meal. Some don't stay for food, some stay for the rest of the day. It's a time focussed on the children, for passing on the stories of faith from one generation to the next.

There's a fairly regular Thursday-ish gathering about every two weeks, which is intended more for adults - film nights, book club, discussion, experiential worship and spiritual reflection, etc. etc.

And then, every two months or so we have what we call Table Talk. It's something we started doing here in the Birmingham community, but the idea seems to have spread around quite a bit as we've talked to friends and aquaintances about it. We have a swanky meal, a heavy weight subject, often a scholar or expert in the field to help steer our conversation, and a wonderful evening of invigorating and challenging discussion around the meal table. Table Talk is a vitally important part of our community life.

Recently we've started to include a bi-monthly-ish 'symbolic meal' to intersect with the Table Talks. These, like the Jewish Shabbat or Passover, are meals in which the both the food, the elements on the table and what conversation there is are all significant, connected together to the theme of the evening. It's more a time for spiritual reflection, meditation and inspiration than robust conversation or interchange as with a Table Talk.

Having been together as an intentional community (though geographically dispersed across the city) for a good time now, we're just starting to discuss together what might be the practical, social, political and justice manifestation of our communal life - if we are going to be commited to each other, what might that commitment look like in a practical sense to the 'outside world? What are we going to do together? Answers are starting to form, but it's a long path to a shared embodiment. Watch this space.