Smethwick Old Church is both an historic building and a family of Christians. We share our trust in Jesus Christ with 2.2 billion people, about a third of the world’s population. Since 1732, our spiritual home in this Church of England parish has been the oldest building in Smethwick, a Grade II listed gem and a place of worship for generations of Anglicans. It was built with money left by Dorothy Parkes, hence its original name, Parkes’ Chapel.

We worship together each Sunday with a service of Holy Communion at 10:15 am. You will find the details on our News page. We celebrate Evening Prayer on Sunday at 5.00 p.m. You will find the details on our News page.

Junior Church meets monthly in the church vestry during the 10.15 service. Talk to the Vicar or to Rebekah Horton about the timings. Or write to them using the Contact page. Holy Communion is celebrated every Tuesday at 10.00 a.m.  The church has a loop system and there is adequate access for those with mobility problems.

Old Church is set in the Deanery of Warley and Edgbaston in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham.

We are very easy to find, about 4 miles west of the centre of Birmingham and less than 10 minutes from Junction 2 of the M5. The 89 bus service runs between Birmingham City and Oldbury with a stop on The Uplands, by Old Church. For satnav users, the post-code is B67 6EQ. There is no difficulty with on-street parking.

At Old Church, we believe in Inclusive Church, a church which does not discriminate, on any level, on the grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, race or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ (Inclusive Church Statement of Belief). Click here to visit the Inclusive Church website.

Presence and Engagement is the Church of England’s national programme that hopes to equip Christians for mission and ministry in our diverse society. Old Church is proud to welcome into its community many who come to the UK as migrants, seeking to start new lives on a foreign shore. We are delighted to welcome numbers of Farsi speakers and on occasions elements of the liturgy are spoken in Farsi. Click here to access the Church of England Presence and Engagement website.

The Dorothy Parkes Centre is just across the road from Old Church; it is a project of Old Church. Many of the church activities take place in the Centre. The Centre opened in 2000 and was created out of the Old Church parish hall by an innovative partnership between the Parish Church Council, Sandwell Area Health Authority, Harborne Parish Lands Charity, the New Opportunities Fund and the Church Urban Fund. You will find more information about the Dorothy Parkes Centre on the Social page. You can access the Dorothy Parkes Centre website by clicking here.

The Church of England – Birmingham is committed to promoting a Safer Church for everyone. We will seek to promote the welfare of children, young people and adults, work to prevent abuse from occurring, protect those that are at risk of being abused and respond well to those that have been abused.

If, at Old Church, you have any concerns about matters of Safeguarding, you should speak immediately to to our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Anne Mazungunye, to one of the Churchwardens, Matthew Turley or Stephanie Percival, or to the Vicar, The Reverend Sara Moore, 07473 385789. Anne Mazungunye and the Vicar can be contacted or through the Contact page. The Bishop of Birmingham has a Safeguarding Adviser who may be contacted at 07342 993 844.

Old Church has a number of specific policies in connection with Safeguarding. These can be found on the Documents page of this website or by clicking the relevant document,
Domestic Abuse Policy 2024
Promoting a Safer Church Policy 2024
Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy 2024
Responding to Concerns and Allegation Procedures 2023