Children are very welcome and are an important part of our worshipping community. They have every right to be in church and participate in all worship in whatever way they are able to. We also know, however, that it is sometimes not easy as parents to occupy or engage children for a whole service. We have lots of resources available for children and families to access if and when they need to. We also have a couple of services a month that are particularly designed with children in mind.
St Mary’s Kidlington
We are working to redesign and refocus our church activities for children. If you would like to be part of that, please do contact one of the clergy. On the second Sunday of the month the morning Communion service is particularly planned to include children, especially our choristers.
St John’s Kidlington
We have a dedicated team of volunteers who run a fun and engaging Junior Church during the weekly services at St John’s and the monthly joint Parish services. Whilst small in number, our children currently range in age from 3 – 16 and can often be heard enthusiastically enjoying their time together during the services and continue to play together during coffee time. The children are an integral part of the congregation; returning back into the service for communion and to share their learning and creations with the ‘grown ups’ at the end. A Nativity performance is often the highlight of the year, birthdays and school achievements are celebrated and lovely intergenerational relationships are nurtured.
St Mary’s Hampton Poyle
There is a children’s area in the church with a selection of books and toys. Children are encouraged to take part in the service, often taking the collection or acting as welcomers.
Junior Church
Our All Together services, held on the first Sunday of each month at St John’s, have gained real momentum over the past couple of years with a growing number of regular attendees. The service is planned and run by a team of lay people, currently led by Revd Katie Tupling, with an emphasis on making the services accessible to all. Liturgy is stripped back, bible readings are often dramatised, reflections are short, activities varied and a mix of traditional hymns and modern worship songs are interspersed with quizzes and games! The idea of these services is whether you know a lot about Christianity or not much at all, everyone goes home with something to reflect on (and usually put on their mantelpiece or fridge!)
St Mary’s Choristers is a mixed children’s choir, offering young singers an opportunity to explore their musicality and lead the worship in their local parish church, continuing a centuries-old tradition of Anglican church music. Our philosophy is to strive for musical excellence, while being as inclusive as possible. As members of the choir, choristers learn the fundamentals of voice production, musicality and performance discipline and receive a comprehensive training in musical notation and music theory. But being a chorister is about more than just music – we aim to provide choristers with a supportive and stimulating environment in which they can build self-confidence and develop values of teamwork, responsibility and leadership that will last a lifetime.
Find out more here.
In 2026 we’re running a Lent Course for all the young people of secondary school age who have some connection to, or relationship with, the church. It will be on Wednesdays from 6-7pm, starting on Ash Wednesday (Feb 18th 2026) and running for a further five weeks (so six in total). Each week we’ll look at one of Jesus’s parables and see what the group makes of it. The parable will form a starting point from which they can raise or explore ideas and issues, ending with a short and simple time of prayer. The group will be led by the TIG leadership team (Scott, Diana, and Oliver)
The venue will be St John’s Vicarage (16 Broadway OX5 1EF, next door to St John’s church) And the first parable we’ll look at will be The Workers In The Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16.)
There’s no charge or cost, and no resources to buy. The only prior preparation will be to read – and ideally think about – each parable beforehand; I will email and/or give hard copies of the following week’s parable at the end of each session. However, places are limited and after the first week we will be asking for a commitment to the rest of the course for the sake of cohesion and continuity.
To book a place for your child, find out more or if you have any questions feel free to email Oliver or call / text / whatsapp on 07787 991320