About St Mary’s

St Mary’s Bearwood is a community made up of all ages, different backgrounds and different experiences of faith. Wherever you are on your journey, whether you’ve been believing for years or you’ve never stepped foot in a church before, you would be so welcome, we’d love to meet you.

- Revd Ben & Johanna Baker

The vision for St Mary’s is sharing God’s heart for Bearwood in the heart of Bearwood.

Life Together.

It’s not easy to be a Christian by yourself! We are committed to community, supporting one another as we seek to live out our faith in the day to day, and to developing friendships across all cultural barriers. We may be different in many ways but we are one church and want everyone to find they are included, feel at home and are able to participate in our community life.

Shaped by Jesus.

Our lives are built around Jesus, whose life showed us the best way to live and whose death and rising again gave us the power to do it. We are all somewhere on the journey of following Jesus: seeking to spend time with Jesus, become more like Jesus and do the things that Jesus did for the sake of the our friends, communities, and the wider world.

Being Good News.

We have good news for our Bearwood community, that there is a God who cares for us and invites us to receive his love, joy, and healing presence in our lives. We want to demonstrate this good news of God’s love in both our words and actions, not just talking about it, but being a living, breathing people who show it. Our prayer is as Jesus prayed, that God’s will would be done in Bearwood as it is in heaven.

St Mary’s has a rich history of over 130 years at the heart of the Bearwood community. From its construction, at the time Bearwood was developed between Smethwick and Harborne in the 1880s, to its location, opposite Aldi, amid a busy high street, St Mary’s has a clear call to serve its community. For years, its hall and Sunday school were a hub of community activity and this heart for Bearwood has never wavered.

Revitalisation 

In 2022, with support from Church of England Birmingham and St John’s Harborne, St Mary’s embarked on a new chapter of change, seeking new life in our church and community.

This revitalisation brought renewed energy to the church’s mission to be sharing the good news of God’s great love with all in the Bearwood area. With old and new we are a diverse church that brings together a breadth of tradition and personality, united in our desire to share the love of God with our neighbours. We’d love you to join us on this journey.

Meet the Team

  • Ben Baker

    VICAR (STAFF TEAM)

  • Sarah Down

    CURATE (STAFF TEAM)

  • Roz Tang

    CHILDREN & FAMILIES WORKER (STAFF TEAM)

  • Ruth Downing

    OPERATIONS MANAGER (STAFF TEAM)

  • Kalowa Magwira

    OPERATIONS CO-ORDINATOR (STAFF TEAM)

  • Millie Ferguson

    COMMUNITY OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR (STAFF TEAM)

  • Yasmin Bavington

    ADMINISTRATOR (STAFF TEAM)

  • Ben Prentice

    CHURCH WARDEN & PCC MEMBER

  • Frank Herbert

    CHURCH WARDEN & PCC MEMBER

  • John Bamford

    PCC MEMBER

  • Ian Chadwell

    PCC MEMBER

  • Ben de Waal

    PCC MEMBER (TREASURER)

  • Vicky Fasham

    PCC MEMBER

  • Laura Gilyead

    PCC MEMBER

  • Christine Midgley

    PCC MEMBER

  • Eric Ngugi

    PCC MEMBER

  • John Reynolds

    DEANERY SYNOD & PCC MEMBER (LAY CHAIR)

  • Ian Thorley

    DEANERY SYNOD & PCC MEMBER

  • Will Tomlinson

    PCC MEMBER

  • Ben Tucker

    DEANERY SYNOD & PCC MEMBER (SECRETARY)

Join us on SUndays.