How can I get involved?
Community Groups
Rather than just gathering in a large group on Sundays, we meet in smaller ‘Community Groups’ during the week. Community Groups provide a place where you belong, are known and are loved, and together we grow in God.
Groups come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. We’d love to help you find a group that works for you!
We normally ask that people commit to one group, to build deeper relationships. But if you’re not sure, why try a group for a bit, and then consider switching? We’ll create new groups from time to time, to serve people as well as possible, and to encourage innovation and freshness.
As of January 2026 we have four groups:
Daytime group for women • fortnightly • alternating Thursday mornings • Christchurch Cafe, Abingdon (led by Julie)
Evening group for women • fortnightly • second and fourth Wednesday each month, evening • locations vary (led by Rach and Lisa)
Evening group for men • fortnightly • first and third Wednesday each month, evening • locations vary (led by Duncan)
Evening group for anyone • fortnightly discipleship evenings, as well as exploring local community engagement • alternating Thursdays • locations vary (led by Andy & Ruth)
Whole-church midweek activity
While the most of our midweek community life, including prayer, is deliberately worked out through our Community Groups, we also enjoy termly Weeks of Prayer, and periodic Church Family Meetings that enable us to pray and dream together as a whole church.
Opportunities to serve
We have people regularly involved in
Contact us for more info, and to get involved too!
Training
As well as Community Groups, we partner with other churches in Advance to train people through participating in annual courses, which can be completed alongside Community Group involvement:
School of the Spirit Going deeper in their knowledge and experience of the Holy Spirit.
School of Leadership For those new to leadership, or new to our churches who are getting involved in leading.
Upper Room Growing leaders who lead with faith, think biblically and relate graciously.
Investing in the next generation!
We love seeing our children and young people growing in their love for God. In our Sunday services, we run sessions for primary and senior school children. One Sunday a month is a Community Service for all ages. There are also monthly boys and girls discipleship groups for older youth.
As part of Salt & Light Advance Youth we also encourage our youth to attend the annual youth camp Relentless, and be part of Thrive and Wildfires.
‘Everyone gets to play’
We love to help each other, play our part in teams and reach out to people beyond the church community. Everyone gets to play their part in making our church community what it is!
Many roles are open to anyone. Some require specific training or safeguarding (DBS) checks, which we provide. For roles involving leading, teaching, worship, pastoral care or prayer ministry you will understand that we like to get to know you first, ensuring that we share key vision and values, and have a good mentoring (‘discipleship’) relationship in place. Usually, this means completing a brief church membership (‘partnership’) process.
Playing our part financially
An important part of church life, often not talked about, is money. But Jesus talks a lot about money, saying “where your money goes, there your heart will go also” (Matthew 6:21). Most church members give regularly, as an act of worship to God, to support the pastoral and missional work of the church, to play our part in God’s work in this area.
Account number: 40674222
Sort-code: 20-97-48
Account name: *Oxfordshire Community Churches Abingdon
Gift Aid is free to you and means HMRC will give us 25p more for every £1 you give! For further info or to discuss setting up please email accounts@hopechurchabingdon.org or read this on how to make a Gift Aid declaration via MyChurchSuite.
*Don’t let the account name confuse you - our (very long) charity name has to come first on our bank account!