Despite the drift away from the churches, their buildings were still beacons, every spire a focus.

He had been involved with the redevelopment of Redditch, where, though there had been little consultation, the town centre had been re-planned, with palms and an ecumenical centre in Kingfisher Square! There had also been a turnaround in Stoke-on-Trent, with the re-development of Trentham a highlight. It was important that people could take pride in their town, and notwithstanding commercial interests and government policies, it was essential that regeneration schemes be relevant to people’s lives.

SARAH MIDDLETON (Chief Executive of the Black Country Consortium) spoke of the beginning of the 30-year journey of regeneration (27 to go!). The Black Country Consortium, needing to pack punch in seekingt o deliver the regional agenda over the four-town sub-region of 1.1 million people, served as a constructive irritant.

Against a history of parochialism, the facts and figures illustrated the direction required. To reach (or exceed) the UK average considerable improvement was necessary.

• Instead of losing people, the population needed to grow (by 120,000).
• Average earnings must increase.
  
• The level of skills was rising but not swiftly enough.
  
• The socio-economic mix needed to change.

However, the aspirational vision for 2033 was shared by the political parties. The cross-boundaries Black Country Study saw the environment and education/skills as the drivers.

The website gives details of the £3bn productivity gap, and a high rate of worklessness but a need for 63,000 skilled workers. The confidence of businesses requires this to be addressed. So the Consortium is working with agencies concerned with education in a targeted campaign, in which the four local authorities need to work as one (for instance counting Brierley Hill as vital to the whole Black Country). There needs to be a network of local communities, and a considerable change of land use from industry to housing.

The Black Country Urban Park speaking of Beacons, Corridors and Communities requires radical transformation and much attention devoted to transport.

A partnership with Microsoft is envisaged. An increase in productivity, skills inclusivity would be expected, with the establishment of learning centres. The Black Country is an area on the UP.

MALCOLM DUNCAN (Director of Faithworks) began by suggesting that the ingredients of a healthy community were health, education and housing. But the  assembled company added much more, viz., mutual respect, responsibility, 
conviviality, belonging, trust, safety, conversation, caring, celebrating diversity, and these qualities, the speaker pointed out, are not given by government.

A faithful city has the potential to be transformative. But we need to change the way we think concerning how to be a presence in the community, how to be credible and relevant when our churches are introvert and detached!

The challenges facing the Church are:

• of Purpose (why are we here? a centre of joy! having a mission to others! So what does the community need? How can we serve?)

• of Partnership (are local congregations together, for they can’t act alone?) Needs require a holistic approach. But we must not set our faith aside, for it is faith that leads to action. Mutual respect and no patronizing is required, from conception to delivery. Remember, the Church has the largest network, with a presence everywhere, with huge capacity in buildings and volunteers: we are not to be marginalized!

• of Presence (by being faithful in words and action, doing what is right). It is a question of how to practise the presence of God in a broken community (and it is vital not to think in terms of either/or, EITHER (social service) OR (preaching centre). We believe in incarnational ministry, in being involved all the time, and it does not matter when some of what we do does not carry "our" label. Like St Francis, can we see God in the eyes of the poor? Are we humble enough to experience an exchange of grace.