Last Sunday, Steve shared with us that God wants to punch holes in long-standing barriers... ethnic barriers, geographical barriers, and cultural barriers. One longstanding barrier in the city of Oxford is between different socioeconomic groups, expressed as 'town and gown', or 'rich and poor'.
As a church, we know that Jesus' death on the cross was the birth of a new community, not joined by ethnic identity, economic status, or geographic location, but by our shared commitment to following Jesus!
One way we have seen this play out as a church is through our ministry on the Leys (Blackbird Leys & Greater Leys). Since 2002, OCC has had a church community on the Leys, meeting faithfully each week, reaching out to those around them, and responding to practical needs. In 2020, we welcomed Daniel Martin-Thomas into our employment to lead our youth work there, helping young people grow in leadership and confidence.
This summer, we want to profile two wonderful people raising money for this work. Would you consider supporting them?
First up, Gavin Jones...
Gavin was raised on the Leys and now runs a successful IT company, Planet IT. On 3rd October 2021, he's running the London Marathon for our youth work. To donate and support this vital work with young people on the Leys, please visit this link.