One of the joys of being in Oxford - and in OCC - is that lots of new people come to the city each year. As we've noted before, this dynamic provides a great opportunity to serve God's Kingdom, as we see disciples and leaders sent to other cities and nations.
However, as well as a joy, this turnover presents us with a challenge! We invest in new relationships, and people then move away, sometimes suddenly. We get to live with constantly changing small groups (our Communities). All of this means we need to regularly give attention to the kind of church God has called us to be.
So what sort of church has God called us to be, as Oxford Community Church? What is our vision?
Let the dream animate you!
In 2019, as part of our part of our Future Focus, we published 'The Dream'. Resulting from 18 months of prayerful consideration and consultation, this sets out a rich, multi-faceted, biblical view of the sort of church we believe God is calling OCC to be. It's a high call, a long-term vision, an aspiration, a dream - but a dream that is possible as we find God's strength and enabling.
As we approach another new term, new academic year, and again welcome new people to the city, why not take time to pray through The Dream, asking God to animate it in your heart, show you the part you get to play and fill you afresh with his grace and energy?
Let values shape your habits!
At OCC we are also shaped by our 6 core values and 6 key practices. Unsurprisingly, these are not unique to OCC (as they all come from the Bible!), but they describe the kind of church we see in the pages of the New Testament, and consequently the kind of church God calls us to be: A church in which the Bible is our final authority, where we eagerly desire the activity of the Holy Spirit, where we seek to grow as disciples following Jesus in all that we do, where we prioritise worship and prayer, where we are committed together as a community (extended family) not just a crowd who gather for events, and where we play our part in God's mission in his world.
Part of living out these core values comes through key practices which seek to build into our life as individuals and together as a church.
September 2020
In September 2020, we're taking four Sundays to celebrate these values and practices, committing afresh to being the people God wants us to be - people that love God, love each other, love growing and love our city.
As we emerge from lockdown, we invite you to join us, in person at The King's Centre, or online.
If you're newer to OCC, then we warmly invite you join us in our next 'Exploring Membership' evening, a conversation to look at all of this in more detail. Look out for details in the bulletin, on the website or email the church office.
