At Birmingham Vineyard, one Sunday a month looks a little bit different from the others.

This week we chatted to Alison to find out a little bit more about what they get up to on ‘Community Sundays’…

“Community Sunday has been a prominent strand of Birmingham Vineyard’s DNA for around 13 years. Every fourth Sunday of the month, we take the opportunity to get together in our local communities to invest in these areas, to show love to the people who live in them and to fortify friendships with one another outside of the church building.

Community Sunday can look like a number of different things. It can be anything from sharing a meal together, going out and getting to know the people in the local area, partnering with community organisations or celebrating the different cultures that exist in our city. Doing these things together allows us to go in pursuit of our vision as a church; To follow Jesus, live life to the full and make a difference. 

Pippa is one of the leaders of Northfield Community. She is involved in organising what community Sunday looks like for her community: “Meeting together around food has always been a significant feature of our community! One of the young people said that she appreciated ‘the joyful atmosphere’ there. We come together for a ‘bring and share’ lunch… and washing up and chatting in the kitchen has been a great place for conversation and encouragement. Other people come because they feel accepted and a part of the family. We’re currently running Messy Church on Community Sunday. Excitingly, a few families have joined us in response to flyers put in their child’s school bag. One dad and son came in from the park because a friendly member of the Community invited them, then they both participated in the ‘stained glass biscuit’ making craft (he turned out to be a chef and produced a very cool biscuit!). Messy Church has also proved a great place of connection for families associated with a playgroup run in the community. It’s our constant prayer and desire to reach more families and people who need to find a loving, accepting community which points to Jesus.”

Rachael and Nathan have been passionate about making a difference to Bearwood since moving there in 2015. There is a strong tradition of community activism and this is reflected in what they do together as a Community. They started a small group here in 2016 with a small core of people equally passionate about seeing Bearwood grow. Having recently joined together to form a new community with Harborne, they will be partnering with Bearwood Action for Refugees over the festive period to put together packs of colouring books and pencils to send to refugee camps at Christmas. “We are excited about growing as a community, supporting each other to follow Jesus and make a difference by building meaningful partnerships with community organisations in our local area.”

Do you have a story about what God has been doing in your community? We would love to hear it! Email [email protected].