A place to belong
A beacon of hope

What we’re like ▪ Our people ▪ Our connections

Hope Church is a place to belong and a beacon of hope - a community where God transforms lives!

It’s really easy to get involved, find community and belonging, and play your part. We’re also connected more widely (see below) which means we benefit from larger events, to training and other initiatives.

Our people live in Abingdon itself, and in the many surrounding villages, including Appleford, Appleton, the Baldons, Bayworth, Berinsfield, Burcot, Clifton Hampden, Culham, Dorchester, Drayton, Kennington, Long Wittenham, Marcham, Milton, Radley, Shippon, Steventon, Sutton Courtenay, and Wootton.

We’re in a season of replanting. What do we mean? In a season when God is moving in our nation, he has led us to relocate and reposition our church to better serve all the people in a fast-growing town and its region.

What are we like?

WE OFFER HOPE as we see God transform lives, heal brokenness and bring justice.

WE WELCOME EVERYONE INTO GOD’S FAMILY, an authentic community where everyone gets to be known, loved and nurtured.

WE EACH PLAY OUR PART in church life as we grow together, honour each other, and are served by godly leadership.

WE ARE GENEROUS AND JOYFUL, giving our best to serve others, drawing on God's life in us, and seeking rest in his presence.

WE EXPECT TRANSFORMATION as we eagerly learn from God’s Word and Holy Spirit.

WE DREAM BIG, trusting our unlimited God, praying big prayers in faith, looking beyond ourselves to reach others.

For more on our beliefs and vision for church read below about our identity as part of Salt & Light Advance, and our membership of Evangelical Alliance.

Who is the team?

Hope Church is led by a team, mostly volunteers, of different gifts and ages, serving to bring overall pastoral, directional and spiritual leadership to the church. There also are lots of other volunteers serving in specific areas of church life: the people you’re most likely to connect with first are shown below.

In this season of replanting, our interim extended leadership team includes people from Oxford Community Church. We’re also being closely supported by a ‘support team’ from our S&L Advance family of churches.

  • Andy and Ruth O'Connell headshot

    Andy & Ruth O'Connell

    Team leaders Andy and Ruth have a strong track record in Oxford Community Church of growing people of all ages through discipleship and leadership development. They are members of the S&L Advance Vision team and Church Oversight apostolic teams and lead our replant team.

    They have 4 adult children, and one grandchild.

  • A woman smiling, wearing glasses and a teal collared shirt, sitting indoors with a radiator in the background.

    Dorothy Baldwin

    Dorothy joined us when she moved to the UK from Guyana with her husband, recently retired from the diplomatic service. A native of South Africa, Dorothy co-leads our Connection Team, as well as being a Street Pastor and a trustee of Street Pastors Abingdon.

  • Phil and Rach headshot

    Phil & Rach Gallant

    Phil and Rach have been part of the church for 10 years. They live in Berinsfield, where they help lead an inter-church outreach project, the Living Room.

    Rach is Hope’s part-time administrator (1 day/week). Phil is a cabinet maker, and they have 2 children.

  • Julie and Duncan headshot

    Duncan & Julie Graham

    Duncan and Julie Graham have been part of the church almost since it was planted in 1992. They live in Bayworth. They have 3 adult children and several grandchildren.

    Duncan is an elder, and he and Julie help Sunday services.

  • Robin and Lisa headshot

    Robin & Lisa Howard

    Robin and Lisa have been part of the church since the late 1990s, and live in Sutton Courtenay. They have 3 adult children.

    They both regularly lead Sunday services. Lisa heads up monthly Community Sundays, and Robin our worship team.

  • Al and Caroline headshot

    Al & Caroline McNicoll

    Al and Caroline are part of our support team. We’re delighted to benefit from their regular support, especially on Sundays, in worship leading, hosting and preaching.

    They’re part of Oxford Community Church, and usually come with their 3 children, who also play their part in serving us, especially in the band.

  • Ruth Morton headshot

    Ruth Morton

    Ruth has joined the replant team in 2026, moving to us from Oxford Community Church where she has served in numerous teams, including pastoral, School of the Spirit, and preaching. We’re enjoying having her on our team now!

  • A man with glasses and short gray hair, wearing a purple shirt, sitting on a train with a headrest pillow behind him.

    Richard Owen

    Richard moved from Oxford Community Church in 2026 to play a role in the replant team. As well as being a tech wizz he is also a senior leader in Oxfordshire Scouting, previously responsible for young Leader training across the county.

  • A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a colorful floral dress and earrings, smiling in front of a purple background.

    Maureen Sim

    Maureen and her family joined us, having been part of two other churches in the S&L Advance family of churches, including experience of church planting in an area of deprivation. Maureen is amazing with people and co-leads our Connection Team.

  • Silhouetted people standing on a beach at sunset, with an airplane flying in the sky.

    Is God calling you?

    As part of our 2026 Replant (read more about that here) we’re asking God to add some younger leaders to our team to help us position the church as well as possible to reach young adults and their families.

Connections

Salt & Light Advance logo with a stylized lighthouse icon on the left, background gradient from dark teal to lighter teal.

We’re part of Salt & Light Advance with sister churches located in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire - as well as globally in the Salt & Light International family of churches.

The Advance vision for church and culture statement are inspiring summaries of what we think about church and the culture of leadership, and you’ll often see leaders from other Advance churches serving us at Hope.

Logo for Oxford Community Church featuring a stylized red cross and church name in red text

Hope Church was first planted as Abingdon Community Church in 1992, with people and support from Oxford Community Church, which remains a key link for Hope Church, as part of the Advance family of churches.

In a season of change at Hope, we’re enjoying close support from a ‘Support Team’ from Oxford Community Church and Advance.

Logo of Evangelical Alliance with overlapping colored circles and the slogan "together making Jesus known".

We are affiliated to Evangelical Alliance, an alliance of evangelical churches sharing the gospel, lifting voices of hope, and building unity. We agree with their basis of faith (statement of core theology) and affirmations on human relationships.

Logo of The Church in Abingdon featuring a black cross with a Celtic knot design inside a circular border.

We collaborate on key town-wide events with other churches in Abingdon through The Church in Abingdon. We also work together with others in some specific projects: Street Pastors, Foodbank and Living Room.