Religion
West Bromwich is a culturally diverse area with many places of worship for several different religions.
The Church of England provides the most places of worship across the geographically wider West Bromwich Deanery (taking in West Bromwich, Hill Top, Stone Cross, Carter's Green, Holy Trinity, All Saint's, St Andrew's, St Francis, Friar Park and others) which contains nine Anglican churches and the newly formed West Bromwich Network Church. Other Christian denominations are present, including Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist, Baptist, Elim Pentecostal, Assemblies of God and other independent churches. The deanery of West Bromwich is under the Diocese of Lichfield.
West Bromwich has three main mosques, two on Dartmouth Street. 47 Dartmouth Street accommodates up to 400 worshippers during busy periods like Friday Prayers and Eid Prayers: it is mainly a Pakistani traditional mosque, soon to be reconstructed. 67 Dartmouth Street was the first mosque in the area, of Bangladeshi origin: it holds many programs and events. It will be shortly moved to a larger location. There is also another mosque, Madinatul Uloom Al-Islamiyah. It is situated at 1a-1b Moor street, and was previously a church. The transformation begin in 2001 and it now has Islamic evening classes and a big prayer facility. This mosque is also managed by Sunni Bangladeshi but attracts citizens from all backgrounds, including Pakistanis and Arabs.. The building is also used for National Curriculum English, Maths and science tuition by members of the wider community, including people of other faiths. The tuition centre is run by local teachers and is called Cohort Tuition.
There is also a very large number of Sikhs in the area. There are many Gurudwaras. Sikhs have settled in the area since 1950, when the first influx of immigrants came.
Hindus have had a formal place of worship in West Bromwich since the opening of the Shree Krishna Mandir in 1974, in a converted church once called Ebenezer Congregational Chapel, which had closed in 1971. It was damaged by fire on 8 December 1992, the same date that a Mandir in Birmingham and another in Coventry were damaged in arson attacks. It was believed to have been connected to religious violence in India that was spreading into Britain.
West Bromwich also has a significant black Afro-Caribbean population.
In 1875, being locked out of a packed Evangelist meeting in Birmingham caused John Blackham of Ebenezer Congregational Church to start the Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Movement.
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Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“In this great association we know no North, no South, no East, no West. This has been our pride for all these years. We have no political party. We never have inquired what anybody’s religion is. All we ever have asked is simply, “Do you believe in perfect equality for women?” This is the one article in our creed.”
—Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)
“... it was religion that saved me. Our ugly church and parochial school provided me with my only aesthetic outlet, in the words of the Mass and the litanies and the old Latin hymns, in the Easter lilies around the altar, rosaries, ornamented prayer books, votive lamps, holy cards stamped in gold and decorated with flower wreaths and a saint’s picture.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)
“Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.”
—Thomas Paine (1737–1809)