Smethwick Old Church

24/05/2026

A great Pentecost celebration! Music, candles, dancing, craft and food (no photos, enjoyed too quickly!). Come, Holy Spirit! 🔥 🕯 🕊 💨 🔥

23/05/2026

Don't forget that tomorrow we celebrate Pentecost, with a service at 10.15am, Junior Church and a bring and share lunch at the DPC afterwards. Bring your favourite food to share!

Sunday 24th May is Pentecost Sunday, when Christians celebrate the coming of God's Holy Spirit. We'll be celebrating with our morning service, followed by a cold buffet bring and share lunch at the Dorothy Parkes Centre. Please bring something that you'd love to share with others - a family favourite, something that reminds you of the place you were born, or just something you'd love to share!

15/05/2026

Tomorrow! Come and show your care for our community. 10am at the Dorothy Parkes Centre.

10/05/2026

Dying Matters Week: what happens next?

After a funeral, we are here to continue supporting you. You might like to meet others at a church service or event, and we can offer time to help you in your grief, sometimes by signposting to other local groups. Grief looks different for each person; there is no right or wrong way to grieve.

Each year in late October or early November, Old Church holds a service for All Souls. At this service, we remember and read aloud the names of all those we have taken funeral services for in the last year, and others we have been asked to remember. This is a beautiful opportunity to remember and give thanks together, and anyone can come and add a name to the list.

09/05/2026

Dying Matters Week: What happens if I cannot attend a funeral?

We know that sometime illness or distance makes attending a funeral tricky. You could remember the person in your own way on the day, and this link allows you to light a virtual candle as part of that remembering: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/funerals/light-candle-remember-someone

08/05/2026

Dying Matters Week: can children come to a funeral?

Funerals can help people of different ages to say goodbye to somebody they have loved. Children are always welcome to attend funerals, and can often express their feelings and bring comfort in unexpected ways. It is important to know that there is no right or wrong in the decision you make.

If you are concerned about bringing a child to a funeral or want to talk about it in advance, the minister helping you to plan the service will listen to your worries and can help find a way for your children to be involved in the service.

07/05/2026

We're really exciting to be working with Greenpeace and the Dorothy Parkes Centre for our next churchyard litter pick! Meet at the DPC on Saturday 16th May at 10am to focus our work around the churchyard and surrounding streets, then share in refreshments and hear about the work of Greenpeace locally. It's a great way to meet others, show you care, and make a different to the place we live in and care for!

07/05/2026

Dying Matters week: what can I include in a funeral service?

Christians believe that each and every person is uniquely made in the image of God. So a Church of England funeral is a good place to give thanks for all that was special about the person you knew and loved.

There are choices you can make about:
- Music to arrive and leave to
- Hymns, if you wish (you don't have to have hymns at a Christian funeral)
- How we might remember the person's life (the minister will help you to do this)
- A poem or some music to remember the person who has died
- A reading from the Bible, to help us think about God's promises and the hope that death is not the end.
- Prayers for those who are grieving and for the person who has died

There is no silly question when planning a funeral! It is important that we work with you to help the service reflect the life of your loved one.

07/05/2026

Sunday 24th May is Pentecost Sunday, when Christians celebrate the coming of God's Holy Spirit. We'll be celebrating with our morning service, followed by a cold buffet bring and share lunch at the Dorothy Parkes Centre. Please bring something that you'd love to share with others - a family favourite, something that reminds you of the place you were born, or just something you'd love to share!

06/05/2026

Dying Matters Week: who can have a church funeral?

A Church of England church funeral service can be held for anyone who has died. They don't need to be a regular member of this or any church; we are here for this community and will be for as long as you need before and after the service.

Ministers from Old Church can also take funeral services at a crematorium, simply let your Funeral Director know your wishes and they will contact us.