A CHRISTIAN community in Stourbridge is getting set to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury to their harvest celebration this weekend.

The archbishop, Justin Welby, will be present at a service being led by Christ Church and Stambermill curate, The Rev Tom Fish, at Rufford Primary School at 11am on Sunday morning (October 9).

Archbishop Justin will be on hand at the school half an hour before the service to chat with local residents during a special brunch.

His visit to Stourbridge is part of a tour of Dudley borough where he will meet church members, school children and members of the public to support and encourage them and share some of his own faith journey.

Rev Fish said it will be an “honour” to welcome the archbishop to his congregation. He said: “About five months ago Graham Usher, the Bishop of Dudley, called me as the archbishop wanted to spend his Sunday morning visiting somewhere unusual.

“He asked how I would feel if the archbishop would come and take my service, and obviously I was absolutely delighted.

“We’re different to others as we aren’t based at a church building, but we are trying to start a new church here for the community.

“We only have a small building and normally meet in a small space with a congregation of between 20 to 25 people, so it will be very different on Sunday where we expect to have many more.

“There has been quite a bit of talk around the area about the visit and I really hope the archbishop will help put this small corner of the Black Country on the map.

“It is an honour for me to have the archbishop here, but it is not about me, it’s about this wonderful community and what they are doing to enhance the lives of each other.”

Those wanting to attend the Harvest service at Rufford School can bring tins and packets of food which will be donated to Black Country Foodbank.

Prior to his Stourbridge visit, the archbishop will meet members of the interfaith community at Dudley Council House on Saturday evening.

He will follow this with ‘The Power of Hope’ event, when he will be in conversation with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai at Dudley College in front of a specially invited audience of young people and adults.

From 2.30pm on Sunday, Archbishop Justin is visiting the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Brierley Hill, where along with other local church members, he will walk around the centre, praying for those he meets.

His visit to the borough will then be concluded with a special ‘Songs of Praise’ style event, with plenty of songs and hymns that everyone will be able to join in with.

The Bishop of Dudley, Graham Usher, is part of the team organising the visit, he said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to have Archbishop Justin with us for these three days.

“We can show him the great work being done by our churches in their local communities. Through the public events, we hope as many people as possible will get a chance to see and interact with him.

“It’s going to be a busy three days, but will be lots of fun.”