ministry to students
St Columba's is the Reformed churches' chaplaincy to the University of Oxford. It was founded as a Presbyterian Chaplaincy, and is now a congregation of the United Reformed Church. It is part of our mission to provide a place where students may encounter a Christian community which has been shaped by the Holy Spirit's work through the Reformation (and of course before and since!), where students from churches in the Reformed tradition may find familiar worship and Christian practice, and where they may meet those who will offer care, support and encouragement through a significant time in their journey of life and faith. We share in this ministry with Mansfield College Oxford, a college founded by Congregationalists and which has a URC Chaplain.
Here are some things we do to support students.
The centre of our life is the Sunday morning service where we gather to worship God and to hear the Gospel proclaimed. On many Sundays there are other activities too; lunches, Bible studies, concerts, or informal gatherings at a nearby pub. You will find opportunities to meet and to befriend other students or people of student age, as well as people of all ages and backgrounds. We are a mixed and diverse community and pleased to be so!
Keeping in touch. There is a mailing list for students at St Columba's. To subscribe, send an email message to st-columbas-students-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk. There is also a Facebook group for the whole St Columba's church.
John Wesley Society. St Columba's works very closely with Wesley Memorial Church and our students are welcome to join in with the activities of the John Wesley Society (JWS), the student society based there. In return St Columba's invites JWS members to our annual Burns Supper in January, a feast not to be missed!
There are also opportunities to be involved in service to the community, through Wednesday Welcome (a call-in cafe for those hurt by loneliness) and by volunteering at the Gatehouse (where the homeless of Oxford are offered food and support).
Pastoral care and support. Whenever students come to our congregation we offer them an opportunity to have their own Elder. Elders are an important part of our way of being the Church and they are people who offer the whole congregation leadership and pastoral care. Each Elder has a number of people for whom they particularly care and they are very happy to welcome students. An Elder is someone who is available to you as a friend and supporter and will be glad to meet with you and to talk or to pray.
The Chaplain. The minister of our congregation is also Chaplain with the University to students in the Reformed tradition (with the Chaplain at Mansfield College).
The Chaplaincy Fund. The Oxford Chaplaincy Fund was raised to provide for expenses in connection with the URC Chaplaincy in Oxford. The Elders have decided that one seventh of the income from the fund each year (about 1,000 pounds) is set aside 'to create a fund to which students can apply for grants to finance any travel, attendance at conferences and other activities that will develop their faith, particularly in the Reformed tradition'. No single grant normally exceeds either 200 pounds or 50% of the cost of the activity involved, and it is asked that the recipients share their experiences with the congregation as a whole (e.g. by giving a talk or writing a newsletter article)
Mansfield College. The college has close links with St Columba's. The worship in the Chapel there draws on Reformed traditions and you would be very welcome to Tuesday morning Communion (7.45am) followed by breakfast or the Wednesday evening service (6.15pm).
First Sunday: on the first Sunday of each month there is an evening gathering for LGBT people and their friends, for Christian fellowship, worship and food. All are welcome.
Where is God in the world? Where might God be in our lives? These questions are the only agenda of Faith2Day. Meeting on the second Sunday of each month for an hour (12:15–13:15), Faith2Day is an open conversation, welcoming questions, critique and wonder and promising no easy answers. Come and enjoy!
