Work gets underway on first Oxfordshire church this century

|PIC1|Work has started on the first new church to be built in Oxfordshire this century.

A ground breaking ceremony was held last month on the site of Emmanuel Church in Bicester’s Bure Park.

Those present included the Bishop of Dorcester the Rt Rev Colin Fletcher and members of the congregation, who currently meet for services at Bure Park School.

Emmanuel Church Vicar the Rev Chris Boyce said it was beginning to feel “uncomfortably full” at their present premises and that they were looking forward to being able to expand.

The congregation has already managed to raise £350,000 but is fundraising to meet the full cost of the £1.75 million development. An art auction raised £1,600 earlier in the year and the church is planning to raise more funds through fun initiatives like ‘buy-a-brick’ and sponsored slims.

Rev Boyce said: “We had to decide in faith to commence construction before we had sufficient funds to complete the building.”

The church plans to run mums and tots clubs, parenting courses, and engage in youth work when it is completed.

Bishop of Oxford the Rt Rev John Pritchard and Bishop Fletcher have pledged their support for the new church and are encouraging churches throughout the Diocese of Oxford to donate to the scheme as a Christmas gift.

In a letter to the church, they said: “Building a new church and community centre at a time of recession may seem like madness but the church has always been called to be counter cultural."

They continued: “This is an occasion when, by building our first church in Oxfordshire in the 21st century we can say very strongly to those who have written us off ‘we are here to stay’, and to those who long to see us playing our full role in the community, we are aiming to be a beacon of hope for many years to come.”