SUNDAY WORSHIP
The centre of our church life is the Sunday morning service, where we gather to worship God & to hear the Gospel proclaimed. Below are details of this time of worship.
Time of worship
Our Sunday services start at 10:45am in-person. We live stream most of our services on our YouTube channel.
Worship Style
Our worship is in the Reformed tradition, with emphasis upon the reading of the Bible and the preaching of the Gospel. Members of the congregation read from the Bible and lead prayers, as we seek to include within worship the needs and gifts of all God's people regardless of sex, sexuality, age, social situation, nationality, ethnic origin, and much more. We also sing hymns and include prayers from a variety of traditions, seeking to embrace new approaches. We are an affirming and inclusive church. The Oxford Safe Churches report says: "St Columba’s URC is a welcoming and inclusive church with a strong focus on making LGBTQIA+ members feel accepted and respected. They put their beliefs of affirmation into practice through their hiring and monthly meetings, it is easy to give this church a rating of 5."
Family worship
We recognise the importance of - and worshipping together as a - family. Therefore, the initial part of our Sunday service is specifically adapted for children.
We have adapted our facilities for use by families. There is a sofa area with toys & creative materials and there are smaller chairs available for the smaller childern of the congregation. One of our rooms has been adapted to provide a creche facility, which includes an audio link from the sanctuary, and there are also baby changing facilities on site.
Junior church
During the second part of the Sunday service, the younger members of the congregation are invited to leave the main service for their own fellowship. This is not only an essential element for the spiritual development of the children but also contributes to the life of our church, including services led by Junior Church.
After-service activities
Following Sunday services, refreshments are usually available in the church hall. A Fair Trade stall is usually present. Various additional events and activities, such as church lunches and guest speakers, also occur throughout the year.
Communion Sundays
We celebrate Communion on the second Sunday of every month and at major festivals (e.g. Easter). All are welcome to participate. These services usually include collections of money and food/toiletries/other house products for good causes (e.g. the Oxford Foodbank).