July, 1932, saw two important steps towards the new schools. The block freeholds in Shirley and Botteville Roads were obtained at a cost of £360, and promises of donations totalling £1150 were made by seven members of Acocks Green church by Messrs. Morley, Marshall, Crabbe, Whittle, Ault, Rolfe and Barfield.

The Quarterly Meeting in September, 1932, gave formal permission to the Acocks Green Trustees for the erection of new Sunday School buildings and in January, 1933, they accepted the tender submitted by builders, Messrs. William Jackson, Ltd., which amounted to £8589. At the annual church meeting of that year an appeal was made for donations towards meeting the cost. A 'Brick Fund' was one scheme and a 'Mile of Pennies' another. The result of these two appeals were two panels of bricks, inscribed with the donor's name, being incorporated into the wall lining the downstairs corridor of the new school premises.

The new School and Institute was built on the land formerly occupied by the manse, its adjacent garden and the house acquired by the Trust. To accommodate the minister a house in Sherbourne Road, No.5, became the new manse. The builders worked quickly and the opening ceremony was performed by Mrs. H. Hathaway on Saturday, December 9th, 1933, when she formally unlocked the entrance door with a key presented to her by the architect. The hymn "Now Thank we all our God" was sung by visiting guests, congregation and schoolchildren in the Crush Hall outside the Parlour and then all were served with tea in the downstairs schoolrooms. The guests included the Rev. F.H. Benson, Chairman of the District, Rev. Stanley Edwards, Rev. P.J. Kelly, vicar of St. Mary's, Acocks Green, Rev. R. Martin Harvey, minister of the Baptist Church, Mr. E. Neal, representative from the Congregational Church, circuit stewards and the architects and building contractor.

The new buildings were large, modern and spacious. The round floor comprised three large classrooms, corridor cloakroom and kitchen with basement rooms beneath, whilst the first floor was largely given over to a hall with a purpose built stage at one end with dressing rooms off, and a further set of cloakrooms. The church rejoiced in having a building able to accommodate a Sunday School numbering over 650 children and pace for weeknight activities and uniformed organisations.

In those days of relative social stability and before the shadows of Munich were perceived there was only one man amongst the assembled guests at the opening ceremony who voiced his fears hat these premises might become a financial millstone around he church's neck. Perhaps if the Second World War had not intervened the prophesy by the spectre at the feast would not have been fulfilled but it was only up until 1939 that Acocks Green church had the sole use of all the building. Since then the church has depended on income generated from the letting of the school premises - at first from the Ministry of Labour during the war and until 1953, then the Education Department, and latterly from the Social Services Department and the Housing Department of Birmingham City Council. The rents have benefited both the church and circuit but provision always has had to be made for the upkeep of a building too large for the church's needs.

During the Second World War the church premises escaped any serious damage by bombs, although an incendiary bomb fell on to the Guild Room roof during a raid in 1942. Two boys, unnamed, were thanked by the Trustees for helping to extinguish the device.

In January, 1962, the Leaders meeting held a long discussion about the desirability of a Christian Stewardship campaign. The main emphasis was on the spiritual gains to the church but nevertheless the practical side was not overlooked, with stress laid on the expected increased giving in 'Time, Talents and Money'. The majority for its adoption at the meeting was overwhelming, twenty-seven for the motion to hold a campaign, three against and one neutral. The campaign organisers were booked for three weeks in March, 1963. Much preliminary work had to be done with house to house visitations of all persons connected with the church, however remote. Solihull Civic Hall was booked for a dinner at the end of March when the objects of the campaign and personal testimonies would be reported to the whole church family - a concept stressed by the organisers. Between forty and fifty visitors were enrolled and preliminary meetings were held.

That the campaign did have successful results is not denied as an increase in the offers of help within the church and increased collections proved. Covenanted and pledged giving gave the church treasurer the ability to forecast financial resources. But offers of help by members of the congregation were not always taken up and in some quarters a sense of disillusionment crept in. For others the pledging of income resulted in the feeling of a once and for all decision and when soaring inflation came in the 1970s there was no corresponding increase in giving by some church members. The loss of fund raising efforts such as bazaars and socials were regretted and, initially, there was no thought of transferring the effort of raising money for the church and circuit to causes outside the scope of connexional funds.

The centenary of the stone laying of 1863 was celebrated in May, 1963, although at that time nothing was known about the first five years of the first church, the two written histories in circulation at that time giving the date of the first church as 1868.

In November, 1967, much at the instigation of the then minister, the Rev. Ted Herron, an Industrial Sunday was held. The church saw a large collection of products of industry from neighbouring factories on display and so great was their generosity that several church members slept on the premises over the weekend to guard against theft or accident.

In 1968 the Recreation Club grounds in Hazelwood Road were sold for building for a total of £29,000, £26,000 net. Two thirds of this money, £20,000 was invested by the Chapel Committee in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. At the time this investment appeared safe but three years later, in March, 1971, concern was growing both nationally and locally over the financial stability of the Board. With hindsight the local Trustees felt that it had been unwise to place such a large sum in one investment and a letter was sent to the Chapel Committee stating the unease felt by the Trust. A reply stating that the dividend would be paid did little to allay fears when it became known that Parliament was debating a bill which, if passed, would authorise the Harbour Board to defer repayment of capital, repay below par and substitute lower dividends. The loss to both the local church and circuit of an income of approximately £2,000 p.a. would be immeasurable.

Investigations by the Trustees were made to see whether it would be possible to sell the church and land upon which it stood and to alter the Sunday School buildings to make them the church. Unfortunately, building lines and regulations indicated that the land was not commercially saleable and so it was decided to re-let the school premises and to alter the interior of the church. This would enable both Sunday and weekday meetings and activities to be contained within the one building. This was agreed at a Trustees meeting in October, 1971.

The alterations to the interior resulted in the building as we know it today. The church nave was divided in two with the back portion becoming a hall with a kitchen attached, whilst in the front portion the pews were swept out and replaced by chairs. The pulpit was made free standing whilst the platform on which it stood was extended into the main body of the church, the idea being that it could be used as a stage. A screen was erected near the choir entrance. The cost of the alterations amounted to £17,700. On Saturday, June 9th, 1973, the church was re-opened by Miss Ethel Watson in the presence of former ministers, the Revs. J.V. Dibben and E. Herron, and the then present minister, Rev. G. Hawkridge. Mrs Gedye, the widow of another former minister, and Mrs W.H. Harrison were also present.

With this restructuring of the interior of the church it was hoped that major capital expenditure was at an end for some years, but in the late 1970s it became apparent that the church roof needed extensive repair. However, it was the Quinquennial inspection of November, 1984, which revealed the full extent and seriousness of the problem of fabric decay. Estimates had been obtained already to deal with the presence of both wet and dry rot in the north aisle and the Property Committee knew also that the soak away system of storm water drainage was not functioning properly. What the inspectors' report highlighted was the fact that unless these problems were dealt with immediately a basically sound building would be beyond the point of repair within two-five years. The urgency of these warnings gave a spur to the Church Council's deliberations. Meetings were arranged with the Property Committee Secretary of the Methodist Church, the Chairman of the District and the District Property and Redevelopment Committee.

It was known from the 1973 investigations that the church land was not attractive for sale and commercial development. The church members' early enthusiasm for the idea of demolishing the church and replacing it with a modern building was dashed when the cost was found to be prohibitive. The idea of ceasing to have a Methodist church presence in Acocks Green was rejected overwhelmingly at a general church meeting. Instead, it was decided that an architect be appointed to draw up a renovation programme and to invite tenders from contractors.

After consultation the architects Messrs Salt, Crook & Walsh, later Cornfield, Crook and Walsh, were appointed. A scheme costing in excess of £46,000 was submitted and approved by the Church Council in early 1985. It was realised that this figure was not final as some of the structural damage to the church fabric would only be disclosed once work was under way. Messrs W. Weaver of Bromsgrove were appointed the main contractors and work started in August, 1985, and completed four months later.

A Restoration Appeals Committee was set up to orchestrate the funding of the scheme under the chairmanship of the present minister, Rev. William H. Hopkins. Through grants from circuit and connexional funds, appeals to charitable trusts, past and present church congregations, covenants and church funds, bills to the sum of £60,000 can be met. At the time of writing the total cost of the restoration work is not known.

The Appeals Committee decided to ask initially for money to fund Phase One of the restoration work, which is to prevent imminent disintegration of the building fabric. If sufficient funds are available this would be followed by Phase Two which would be concerned with rebuilding or desirable alterations to enable the church to offer its premises for the greater good of the Acocks Green community.