On Tuesday, 19 August, I had the immense privilege of joining the summer trip to Barry Island, organised by the Weoley Castle URC Pioneer team and supported by the Synod Mission Committee. Thanks to a generous mission grant, the team was able to hire a coach and provide a subsidised day out for local residents—many of whom would not otherwise have been able to afford such a trip.
The response was overwhelming: over 80 people signed up, with more on a waiting list. To help accommodate everyone, I volunteered to drive a minibus to support the overflow. However, just as we set off—following the coach packed with excited children and adults—my clutch gave out. Disaster, I thought.
However, within minutes, the spirit of the community shone through. The coach turned around, Sam, our Pioneer Minister, quickly arranged a car, and a generous neighbour with a seven-seater also stepped in. No one was left behind.
Throughout the day, I watched this incredible community in action—helping each other, welcoming newcomers, and ensuring no one felt excluded, including me. It was a living example of working-class resilience, hospitality, and inclusion, in a place so often unfairly portrayed in the media through the lens of poverty or negativity. Weoley Castle has been presented in the media as a place filled with Union and St George flags, but our experience that day was of a diverse and friendly community, with people of many different backgrounds on the tour.
It reminded me how many of our URC churches stand as beacons of Christs hope within communities that are often forgotten or misunderstood. Because outsiders rarely engage meaningfully, they miss the treasure—the deep love, care, and strength rooted in these neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods deeply loved by God and not forgotten by the people of God.
Weoley Castle URC is one such place, where the spirit of Christian service is most alive not just on Sundays, but throughout the entire week. Gods work in the lives of the neighbours is obvious and growing. The church thrives thanks to incredible people like the ever-committed Red Ted, the amazing Christine, and the marvellous Mary—stalwarts who’ve kept the lights on so a new generation can step into this legacy.
What a joy and honour to be part of this day—and this church community.
Rev Anji Barker