Stechford Baptist Church facts for kids

Stechford Baptist Church is a small Baptist church located in the Stechford area of Birmingham, England. This church is special because for over 40 years, it has worked hard to fight against racism. It has also helped bring different parts of the community together.

Starting in the 1960s, the church was one of the first to welcome immigrant communities from the Caribbean. It played an important part in standing up to groups like the National Front in the 1970s. The National Front was a political group known for its racist views.

By the 1980s and 1990s, the church had a good balance of members from different backgrounds. About half of its members and leaders were from the local community, and half were from immigrant communities. This was unusual in the UK, where churches often had mostly white or mostly black members.

In the 1990s, the church built connections with black-led community groups. These groups started after the 1985 Handsworth riots, which also affected Stechford. From 2000 onwards, the church supported the rights of people seeking asylum.

One of the church leaders, Mrs. E C McGhie-Belgrave, received an award called the MBE in 2002. She later received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award in 2004. These awards recognized her important work in helping different communities in Birmingham live together peacefully.

History of Stechford Baptist Church

Stechford Baptist Church has kept detailed written records since it first started. A special history book about the church was created in 1998. This was done by a community group called Shades of Black.

The church began in 1906. At first, meetings were held in local schools and then in the Masonic Hall. The building used today was put up in 1926. It was built on a larger piece of land the church had bought.

The current building is made of a Canadian timber frame and asbestos panels. It was only meant to last about ten years. The plan was to replace it with a stronger brick building. However, this never happened. The extra land was sold for houses in the 1970s. For many years, the timber building was known as 'Stechford Baptist Hall'. This showed that people expected a permanent brick church to be built later.

How the Church is Organized

Like other British Baptist churches, Stechford Baptist Church is run by its members. This is called a "congregational" structure. Adult members of the church vote to choose their leaders at the Annual General Meeting.

The church members also decide who will be their pastor. However, for more than half of its history, the church has been led by regular members, not a pastor. The church is part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. This union is an association that helps with administration. It does not control the individual churches.

Where to Find the Church

The church building is on Victoria Road in Stechford. It is located within a specific area formed by Albert Road, Lyttelton Road, and Victoria Road. This area was developed when the railway station was built in 1843.

All the churches in Stechford are found within this triangle. Stechford Methodist Church (which stopped holding services in 2005) is on Lyttelton Road. All Saints Church is on Albert Road. Corpus Christi Church is located between Albert and Lyttelton Roads.