Guest Blog: St Paul’s Church
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In this month’s Guest Blog the Revd Canon Andrew Gorham, Interim Priest in Charge of St Paul, writes about his experience and plans for the Grade I listed church. For more information visit their website or download the Easter Events Leaflet for April.
St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter Birmingham
I arrived at St Paul’s Church 14 months ago and it has been a privilege to be part of the Jewellery Quarter and its vibrant community. I have come to realise that St Paul’s is at the heart of the JQ and one of the most iconic buildings in Birmingham. This Eighteenth Century masterpiece, with a seating capacity of 400 people and the finest acoustic in the Midlands is, with its huge churchyard, one of the most beautiful locations in Birmingham.
At the heart of St Paul’s is our weekly worship with a growing international worshipping community. The church is a very popular venue for baptisms and weddings and other special services. We also provide a meeting place for the JQ Neighbourhood Forum, the Refugee Support Network, St Mary’s Hospice, and many other organisations. Our events calendar is growing rapidly. We already have some of the most exciting classical music in Birmingham performed by Ex Cathedra, Vivat, Notorious, the Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra, the Midlands Chamber Orchestra, Rococo Revival and many students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with whom we have a close connection.
We are increasing our music profile with some of the biggest folk and contemporary music acts in the country including members of the bands Japan and Tangerine Dream and in the folk world, the Unthanks and Johnny Flynn. We are also participating in the JQ Festival and Birmingham Festival and want to develop our capacity for theatre and the performing arts. We are now receiving requests for use of the churchyard in the summer months for music, food fairs and exhibitions.
Above all, St Paul’s is a space for everybody regardless of their belief or background. We are hoping to open the church every day to become one of the community hubs in the JQ. You are always welcome at St Paul’s. If you have not visited, please do so and keep an eye on our worship and events calendar.