We are pleased to be “back to normal” for services in our churches, while we also continue with our online worship. For details click on Worship Onsite or Worship Online.
Everything we do as a parish is an attempt to reflect our developing faith in Christ and his teaching of love. The congregations are serious about their faith, and exploring ways of developing their Christianity. People are ‘up for’ trying new things and respond positively to new ideas. The congregations value thoughtful, thought- (and action-) provoking preaching. Services are well-ordered, and while different in atmosphere at each church all seek to be inclusive and not stiff.
People are welcome at all times to attend any of the services at any of our three churches in order to experience the varying styles of worship and participation.
Vestments are used for most services in all three churches. Incense is used only on major festivals. All three churches use service booklets derived from Common Worship (usually with a specific booklet for that day). You can find out more about the styles of worship and services in our individual churches and beyond here:
Worship at St Mary’s Kidlington
Worship at St John’s Kidlington
Worship at St Mary’s Hampton Poyle
Worship Online and in the Community
Below you will find the normal times and locations for all of our services.
Our main Sunday services are at 10am, following the pattern:
- 1st Sunday: Sung Eucharist at St Mary’s Kidlington, “All Together” Family Service at St John’s, Eucharist or Service of the Word at St Mary’s Hampton Poyle
- 2nd Sunday: Eucharists at St Mary’s Kidlington (with a particular child-focus) and St John’s
- 3rd Sunday: “Open Space” creative service at St Mary’s Kidlington which may or may not be a Eucharist, Eucharist at St John’s, Eucharist or Service of the Word at St Mary’s Hampton Poyle, Choral Evensong at St Mary’s Kidlington
- 4th Sunday: Joint Eucharist at either St Mary’s Kidlington or St John’s alternating
- 5th Sunday: Eucharists at both St Mary’s Kidlington and St John’s.
There is also a regular 8am Said Communion on Sundays in St Mary’s Kidlington. Occasionally services at St Mary’s Hampton Poyle are held in the afternoon, e.g. Rogation, Pet Service, Harvest.
- Tuesday 7.30pm St John’s – Iona Service (usually Communion)
- Wednesday 11am St Mary’s Kidlington – Holy Communion
These include Christmas services (Community Carols, Christingle, Crib Service, Midnight Mass etc), a Palm Sunday procession, Lent and Holy Week services and special services for Easter, Ascensiontide, Harvest, All Souls, Remembrance Sunday, Advent Sunday and Patronal Festivals. Most are well-attended and offer considerable scope for further ways to reach out to the local community.
At Pentecost we join with all members of Churches Together in Kidlington for a joint service in St Mary’s or one of the other churches in Kidlington.
The Remembrance Sunday service is the only regularly occurring “civic” service, and St Mary’s is full to overflowing with the various local uniformed organisations and their families.
One of the ways our congregations get together is in small groups for study, reflection or worship. These include weekly groups for meditation or bible study, a monthly Women’s study group, and seasonal study groups for Advent and Lent. The smaller congregations at our early morning or weekday services also form close, sharing groups. We are now looking to start a Men’s group.
You can find out more about all the small groups here.
One very active thriving group is our Making Group who meet, especially during Advent and Lent to reflect on a particular theme and use their creativity to produce something to enhance our worship at those seasons. These may range from a wonderful half-size Nativity scene, to banners or panels hanging in St Mary’s.
