Activities at Aston Parish Church

Below is the typical timetable showing the activities taking place each week at Aston Parish Church, followed by further details of the various activities and groups.

Parent and Toddler

A parent and toddler group meets in Aston Parish Church Centre. It runs on Monday and Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons during term-time for those not yet of school age. Although group size varies, we usually have a small group containing five to ten children, allowing for a very sociable atmosphere for child and parent alike.

We engage in an array of craft activities, singing sessions and opportunities for the children to learn through play. When funds allow, we also arrange local trips – in the past we’ve visited the children’s farm, the safari park, and to pantomimes.

Parents have valued these sessions both for their children’s development and also for the informal support they have received from one another for things such as toilet training, sleeping, and behaviour. We often see the children grow in confidence as part of the group and develop their social skills, including sharing, turn taking and making friends – all important for their transition to nursery and reception classes.

For more details come along to one of the sessions and ask for Julie Brown, or telephone Julie on 0121 240 6628.

Boy's Brigade

The Boys Brigade at Aston Parish Church is proud that it is the 1st Birmingham Brigade. It is split into two sections depending on age: the Junior Section (8-11yrs) meet on Monday in the Church Centre from 6:30pm until 8:00pm with the Company Section (11-15yrs) meeting afterwards between 8:00pm and 9:15pm. All boys within that age range are welcome.

The Boys’ Brigade aims to provides a balanced programme of activities for the boys. We hope through these programmes they will be able to make a positive contribution to a young person’s life and be able to share their faith in Christ. The Boys’ Brigade objective is:

“The advancement of Christ’s kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness.”

We regularly take part in church community activities with family and friends helping out with events such as our annual car wash. We’re also very active in the sporting arena, regularly winning medals giving our battalion a great sense of pride and achievement.

Follow this link to visit the national Boy’s Brigade website and learn more about what it means to be a member of the Boy’s Brigade.

To find out more our Boys Brigade groups, come along and meet us on a Monday evening.

Guides / Brownies

Our Girl Guides (10-14yrs) and Brownies (7-10yrs) groups are both held on Tuesday evenings in term time in Aston Parish Church Centre. Brownies runs from 6pm till 7.30 pm and Guides from 6:30pm until 8:00pm. All girls within these age ranges are welcome.

The Girl Guide movement aims to enrich the lives of young women through a huge range of activities. It encourages women to:

• Be challenged by new experiences and achieve a sense of pride in accomplishment
• Think for themselves and make decisions
• Undertake teamwork and acquire leadership skills
• Acquire self-awareness, self-respect and self-confidence
• Develop personal values which give their lives meaning and direction
• Do their best according to their abilities
• Seek spiritual development – whatever faith they belong to
• Contribute to society
• Live by a simple code – the Guide Law.

To learn more about Girlguiding for the different age groups, visit the national Girlguiding website .

To find out more our Guides and Brownies groups, come along and meet us on a Tuesday evening or contact the Guide Captain (Margaret Griffin) on 0121 240 7853 or Brown Owl (Virginia Adams) on 0121 382 0038.

Church Band

The band meets to practice on Wednesday evenings at 7pm at Aston Parish Church. Members of the band play piano/keyboard, electric guitar, drums and french horn, and we are always keen to recruit more singers and musicians or different instruments. The most important thing is that you want to worship God with music!

We provide the music for the Sunday morning service on the third Sunday of each month.

To learn more about the church band, contact Rosemary Cripps.

Bell Ringing

There are 12 bells in the tower at Aston Parish Church, and there is a very long history over several centuries of bell ringing at Aston.

Bell ringing practice is on Thursday evenings beginning at 7 30. New ringers are always welcome. To find out more please contact Don Finnemore.

In addition to Thursdays, we also ring before the Sunday morning service at Aston Parish Church, for weddings when requested (there is a fee for this), and also for regular peal attempts (an attempt to chime a complex pattern).

For more information bell ringing in general, please visit the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers’ website.

Music Practice

The musicians meet to practice on Friday evenings at 7.30 pm at Aston Parish Church. We are always keen to recruit more singers and musicians. The most important thing is that you want to worship God with music!

We provide the music for the Sunday morning services on the first, fourth and fifth Sundays of each month.

To learn more about the church music, contact Rosemary Cripps.

Asian Fellowship

The Asian Fellowship meet at 10am on Saturday mornings. For more information on the Asian Fellowship, please see the Asian Fellowship section of the site.