We work together with other churches to make a difference beyond our parish to the lives of those in need.

We do this by organising Christian Aid lunches, which are open to everyone in our local community, and by providing a team to make and take soup and sandwiches to over 50 homeless people on the streets of Birmingham on the third Thursday of every month.

We are delighted to support local events and, every year, we aim to have a presence at the Knowle Festival and Dorridge Fun Run and Summer Fair, which are great fun for all the family.

You may have seen us at Dorridge Day, giving out information and holding an open air service.

Christian Aid Lunches

We organise a Christian Aid lunch every first and third Wednesday of the month, from 12.15 pm until 1.00 pm in St Philip's Church Hall, Manor Road, Dorridge.

The lunch, which costs £3.00 and comprises of homemade soup, a roll, salad, a piece of cheese, coffee, tea and fruit juice, is open to anyone from our local community, and children (for whom we make no charge) are made very welcome.

We offer a choice of four or five soups, made at home by our dedicated team. Among our favourites are carrot and orange, mushroom, parsnip and apple, or red pepper and potato. It's always advisable to come early for the best choice!

All the money we raise is donated towards the crucial work of Christian Aid which aims to bring an end to poverty and injustice around the world.

We serve these lunches every Wednesday during Lent when we share the running of them with Dorridge Methodist Church and St George and Teresa's Church.

If you would like to get involved, please contact the Parish Office.

Eco Matters

The Church of England is encouraging churches to reduce their Carbon Footprints in an initiative called 'Shrinking the Footprint'.

We have already implemented a lot of ideas such as low energy bulbs, reducing our use of paper through recycling at St Philip's and St James', as well as at large events like the Dorridge Fun Run and Holiday Happening. We also use Fair Trade products and this also helps us to ensure that our 'neighbours' are having just treatment.

But we need to do more!

• We are looking for anyone interested in joining a St Philip's and St James' Eco-group to meet quarterly to share ideas and support the Church to further reduce our carbon footprint. Any offers please?
• We are also feeding from that Group to a 'Churches Together' group to work as a team in sharing ideas, supporting each other and our congregations to be 'greener', preserving the planet for the future, and showing our love for our neighbours and our thanks for our beautiful planet.

We are already working with the Methodist Church, including a 'litter pick' with them, and have started to share ideas with each other. We are working with the 'Churches Together' group to include the other Churches.

Ideas and help are always welcome. Contact us via the Parish Office.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Carol Linfield

An Eco Tip: Why not use products that are Local, Organic, Animal Friendly and Fair Trade? Go on, use your LOAF!