The Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre

The Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre (FNC) has been set up to resource Christians living in a multi-faith city and to be a place where people of all faiths, and none, can meet one another and find ways of working together to improve and strengthen their local areas.

Dr Andrew Smith, the Bishop’s Director for Inter-faith Relations, is the director of the FNC. The centre is the Bishop of Birmingham’s centre for Presence and Engagement – a national strategy of the Church of England which aims to equip Christians for mission and ministry in a multi-faith society. The FNC has been established in partnership with Birmingham Churches Together.

What we do

Located in Sparkhill, the FNC is the Birmingham base for the Near Neighbours programme, which aims to connect communities and strengthen neighbourhoods by bringing people together from different ethnicities and faith traditions. Thrive Together Birmingham, a joint venture between the Diocese of Birmingham and Church Urban Fund, helping churches respond effectively to issues of poverty and deprivation in their local neighbourhoods, is also based at the centre.