Our History

Our first service was held in a home in Wall Heath on 6th Feb 1949. People began meeting a few years earlier following an evangelistic campaign in the area. A weekly home Bible study group was begun and, from this, the vision to plant a new church in Wall Heath grew.

The present land on which the church is built was bought in 1951, although the first building was not actually opened until 1956. It then consisted of what is now the kitchen and toilets. The church acquired green and gold cinema seats which, though comfortable, made a racket when people stood up to sing hymns!

When the plans were first drawn for this small building, it was always intended to extend in the future. Eventually, after much prayer and faith, the new building was opened on 23rd March 1968.

The church has had three full-time pastors. Peter Hayes, Alan Burns and our current pastor, Matthew Jones.

Until recently, we were in a similar situation to back in 1968. The church had outgrown its building and we needed a new building in order to better serve our community and also provide for future generations. Our new building is now complete and being very well used. It is here to serve not only the church and community of this generation, but will be a lasting resource for future generations to enjoy.

At Easter 2023, WHEFC became known as New Life Church Wall Heath, though in practice this is the operating name for the church - everything else about us remains the same, and our official name is still Wall Heath Evangelical Free Church.

Building for the Long Term

Below is a podcast that was recorded in 2022. Pastor Matt Jones is interviewed by Adrian Reynolds (FIEC) recorded at the regional FIEC conference, in which Matt tells the story of the whole rebuild project.