Website updated: 26th February 2017

mjclaridge@me.com

Minister of The Cotteridge Church

The Cotteridge Church Website

Other Cotteridge Church links:

B30 Foodbank: Facebook
B30 Foodbank: Twitter
Boys Brigade (7th Birmingham): Website
Boys Brigade (7th Birmingham): Twitter
Boys Brigade (7th Birmingham): Facebook
Saplings Stay and Play at CC: Facebook
Young Church at CC: Facebook

The Cotteridge Church is part of:

The Methodist Church
Birmingham Distict
Birmingham Circuit

The Church of England
Diocese of Birmingham

The United Reformed Church
West Midlands Synod

Personal Links

mjclaridge on Vimeo
mjclaridge on Strava
mjclaridge on Facebook
mjclaridge live during 2011 riots (Sangat & Sky News)
The Wheatsheaf, Carters Green
West Bromwich Mountaineering Club
Rourke Bikes
Unite: The Union - Faith Workers Branch
Wilton's Music Hall

Other websites hosted on
www.mjclaridge.co.uk

Black Country Circuit
St Andrew's Church, West Bromwich
 

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I'm Mike Claridge and I live in Cotteridge (Birmingham) with my wife Susan and our daughters, Rose and Anastasia.

I run this website as a way of keeping together various resources and links connected with my work and personal life. I hope that you find the site useful and interesting.

I work as Minister of The Cotteridge Church. This is a joint Methodist, United Reformed and Church of England congregation. It came into existence in 1981 when the then three seperate churches in Cotteridge formed a Local Ecumenical Project. In 1985 the three churches came together in one building and The Cotteridge Church was formed.

We moved to Cotteridge in March 2017. Prior to that, from July 2003 onwards, we were based in West Bromwich. There I worked 'on a joint and equal basis' for the Church of England and The Methodist Church. I had pastoral care of St Andrew's (Carters Green), Ryders Green Road Methodist Church and joint pastoral care of Wesley, West Bromwich. I was also Rural Dean (Area Dean) of West Bromwich, a Church of England role for several years.

I am a son of the Black Country, having been born and brought up in Pelsall, but my wife is from Shrewsbury. Our daughters are also Shropshire born, having entered our lives while I was serving as Vicar at Christ Church, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire from 1995 - 2003.

While at Wellington I was very proud of the links I developed between Christians and Muslims. Our Church Hall was used as a mosque school and for Friday prayers. For a short time, when the hall was out of action, the group used the choir vestry in church as their prayer room. I maintain my interest in interfaith dialogue.

I am a supporter of Inclusive Church and OneBodyOneFaith. I support equal marriage in church, although I recognise the pain that is felt on all sides of the discussion.

Prior to ordination I qualified as a Member of the Institution of Environmental Health Officers and worked with the local authority in Wolverhampton for ten years specialising in Food Hygiene and general Public Health.

I enjoy cycling and am the proud owner of a custom built Rourke bike. I completed a 300 mile London - Paris Sponsored Bike Ride in both 2008 and 2012. Another great passion is genealogy and some of my research can be accessed via the link in the menu at the top of the page.

I also enjoy 'treading the boards' and appeared in Wesley Church West Bromwich's Pantomime productions of 'Babes in the Wood' (2015), 'Aladdin' (2016) and 'Sleeping Beauty' (2017).

This website currently hosts two websites from my previous appointment; St Andrew's Church (West Bromwich) and The Black Country Circuit of The Methodist Church.

Each of my pages on here finishes with a favourite quote or quotes:

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