House groups are small groups of people (around 8-10) who meet together in homes throughout Oxford for Bible study, discussion, prayer and support in the Christian life. They generally meet once a week during term time, but not in the week of the first Monday each month.

Our house groups play an important role in helping us get to know one another in a large church. There are about 20 groups which meet on different evenings. Each group has its own pattern but all include Bible study and prayer. There are also day time groups. Everyone is welcome to join a group.

For further information please contact Claire Lewis using the form below

 

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Current House Groups

Monday 7:30pm

Leaders: Guy and Mary Jane Axelson (guyandmj@btinternet.com)

Location: Marston

Programme: Currently working through the Acts Bible Study

Pattern of meeting: Pudding, welcome, worship, word, prayer

Vision: We hope to grow fellowship and love for God's Word as we encourage each other in Jesus.

Monday 7:30pm-9:30pm (once a fortnight)

Leaders: Matthew and Judi Banks (m_banks@hotmail.com; j.banks@bluemonster.net)

Location: Vicky & Nic Russell OX5 1DQ, David & Katie Eyre OX3 8PA, Steph McConville OX3 0QH, Ian & Shelley Salisbury OX2 7AU
Programme:

Pattern of meeting: Food, study, discuss, pray

Vision: Learn from one another. Pray and care for one another. Commit to Undertaking a Besom project once a term

Tuesday Evenings

Leaders: Donald and Elizabeth Hay, Elizabeth Gittins (donald.hay@dsl.pipex.com; elizabeth.hay@pipex.com; gittins@herald.ox.ac.uk)

Location: 51 Beechcroft Road OX2 7AY

Programme:

Pattern of meeting: Prayer and Bible study; one-off “specials”

Vision: To enable members to grow as Christians by:

a)     Providing a small group for friendship and mutual support

b)     Providing an opportunity for members to pray together

c)     Following a programme of Bible study which is accessible and challenging

d)     Learning to lead times of group prayer and study

Tuesday 7:45pm

Leader: David Cundy (david.cundy@ntlworld.com)

Location: 18 Rosamund Road, Wolvercote OX2 8NU

Programme:

Pattern of meeting: Coffee, worship, Bible study, prayer

Vision: Mutual support, helping one another to deepen our faith, support for our mission partners, developing a possible community spirit.

Tuesday 8:00pm-10:00pm

Leader: Heather Bliss and Kathy Stubbings (heatherbliss@sapphire.entadsl.com; kathy.stubbings@gmail.com)

Location: Kidlington or North Oxford (currently 4 Morton Ave) OX5 1BS

Programme: Currently studying Pslams

Pattern of meeting: Worship with prayer and song, Bible study or other studies, Refreshments.

Vision: Inclusive, wide age-range group, foreigners especially welcome. We care for and encourage one another in our individual walks with God

Tuesday 7:45pm-9:30pm

Leaders: Gordon Johnson, Ann Johnson (g.j.johnson@btopenworld.com)

Location: Rotate round members homes OX2 7QB

Programme: Programme is decided be discussion within the group and each week’s meeting is led my members in turn

Pattern of meeting: 7:45 for coffee/tea, 8:00 welcome, opening prayer then Bible study for approx one hour followed by sharing prayer needs and prayer. End promptly at 9:30. one or two social events each term.

Vision: To support and encourage each other. To study Scripture and help each other to apply it in our daily lives. To be faithful in prayer for each other, for those known to us who are in particular need and to pray for our church community.

Tuesday 7:30pm-9.30pm

Leaders: Hugh Atherstone, Ruth Atherstone, Matt Long and Jenny Long

Location: 3 Ashcroft Close, off Eynsham Road

Programme: We use Bible Studies to learn about different books or parts of the Bible

Pattern of meeting: Pudding and chat followed by some worship. Then into Bible study and finish with a time of prayer.

Vision: We meet to support one another and to find out more about God through studying his Word and praying together. We eat and have fun

Wednesday 8:00pm

Leaders: David Wright, Joyce Francois

Location: Houses of members, mostly in North Oxford OX2 8BT

Programme:

Pattern of meeting: Bible Study 8:15pm-9:05pm. Prayers til 9:30pm; coffee. We span a wide age group. We give room for members to develop their gifts. We share leadership in the studies and anyone is encouraged to lead. We reflect the St Andrew’s motto of ‘growing Christians’, and indeed our group has gone on to lead groups themselves. We are exceptionally pastoral, sharing hospitality during our meetings and meeting often for social events. We care. Our missionary commitment is to the exciting work in Tamale, Gahana, led by Joyce’s brother and sister-in-law.

Vision: To be a place where we learn together, pray together, and pastor one another.

Wednesday 8:30pm once a fortnight

Leaders: We share this role throughout the group

Location: 33 Leckford Road, Oxford, OX2 6HX

Programme:

Pattern of meeting:

Vision: We prayerfully read books that broaden our spirituality. We are a group of mostly people who have been Christians for sometime, and want to ponder and reflect on some of the deep issues of faith.

Wednesday (every 2nd Wednesday) 8:00pm-10:00pm

Leaders: Jeremy Gibbons and Margaret Lamb (jeremy.gibbons@comlab.ox.ac.uk; thelambhouse@btinternet.com)

Location: 24 Feilden Grove, OX3 0DU or 16 Hobson Road, OX2 7JX

Programme: We usually follow the church’s suggested study each term, substituting one of our own choice when no central one forthcoming. During Autumn tern 2007 we assisted with the Alpha course in church instead. We try to have one or two socials per term, either Sunday lunchtime or Wednesday evening in place of a study. The Lambs and the Lanes are Mission Partners as well as group members; we provide prayer support for them and get updates about the mission work in return.

Pattern of meeting: Typically study and prayer first, then tea, biscuits and chat

Vision: The group works as a cooperative with no single formal leader: we share responsibilities between members and take turns in hosting meetings and leading studies.

Wednesday 8:00pm

Leaders: Jonathan and Kirsten Herring-Johnson (jon.herring@law.ox.ac.uk; krj@onetel.com)

Location: 18 Feilden Grove, Headington Hill, Oxford OX2 0DU

Programme:

Pattern of meeting: Coffee and fellowship followed by Bible study and discussion worship and prayer.

Vision: We are an open and friendly group which enjoys discussion, prayer and fellowship. We aim to encourage each other in our faith in a supportive and positive way. Every meeting includes time for sharing our concerns and praying for one another. We have social evenings once a term and “Prayer and Share” at leader once a term, where we can talk and pray more in-depth about individual concerns, for the work at St Andrew’s and for our world.

Wednesday

Leaders: Anne and Ron Stern (ron@thesterns.org.uk)

Location: Wheatley area OX33 1NW

Programme: As with St Andrew’s. Biblically based.

Pattern of meeting: Worship, study, discuss, prayer.

Vision: For Bible study and mutual support. A heartfelt passion to reach our communities.

Thursday 10:00am-12:00pm

Leaders: Judy Rous, Sally Styles and Judy Harvey (tjrous@ntlworld.com; sally.styles1@tiscali.co.uk)

Location: Contact one of the group leaders for details of where we are meeting.

Programme: We generally follow the church's fellowship programme for 2 terms and choose our own programme for the third term.

Pattern of meeting: Start with coffee, study the passage, share praise and prayer requests, then pray for what we have learnt from the passage plus the prayer requests. Once a term we may have a special prayer focus.

Vision: to encourage women in their walk with Christ, to be challenged and encouraged by God's Word, to support and befriend one another and to reach out to the world around us. Together we make sandwiches for the Gatehouse guests once a month and occasionally hold events for our non-Christians friends. Also, approximately once a term we hold a purely social event.

Thursday 10:00 am - 12:00pm

Leaders: Diana Briggs and Carolyn McCrum (diana.briggs@gmail.com; candgmccrum@btinternet.com)

Location: 23 Staverton Road OX2 6XH

Programme: When available we follow the suggested studies. At other times we vary the programme to have a balance of OT, NT and thematic studies. We often have one meeting a term which is more reflected or devoted to prayer, and try to include an additional social event, either a lunch, or else a supper with spouses. Once a month we do sandwiches for the Gatehouse and attend the Thursday morning communion at church. We support a mission partner in prayer.

Pattern of meeting: 30 minute arrival, coffee and socializing, 10 min worship, 1 hour Bible study, 20 minute prayer.

Vision: To walk with one another in our lives and spiritual journeys, being an encouragement, support and challenge to one another, in order to grow more Christlike.

Thursday 10:30am (except first Thursday 10:00am for Holy Communion, and 12:30 Lunch Club days)

Leader: Maurice Wright and Gwyneth Johnson

Location: Southside most days. First Thursday, Parish Room. Lunch Club 12:30pm in Parish Room OX2 6UG

Programme: Currently studying Letter of James

Pattern of meeting: Bible reading, talk and discussion with time of sharing and prayer.

Vision: To deepen faith.

Thursday 7:45pm

Leaders: Felicity Gunn

Location: 27 Middle Way, Summertown OX2 7CG

Programme: Bible studies and discussions. Sharing our individual journeys with one another.

Pattern of meeting: Bible study, discipleship and prayer.

Vision: To encourage, pray and journey with each other as we expand our understanding of God through the Bible and life.

Thursday 7:45/8:00pm-9:30/9:45pm

Leaders: Robert and Elizabeth Pitkethly 

Location: Headington OX3 8AY

Programme: Bible studies and discussions. Sharing our individual journeys with one another.

Pattern of meeting: Most weeks we meet for Bible study and to pray for each another and for others but we also have social evening about once or twice a term.

Vision: A mixture of members including several couples with young and older children, but also single people. We meet in central Headington and there is some geographical bias towards Headington/Cowley but some members live in other parts of Oxford and outside Oxford

Friday 9:00am-11:00am

Leaders: Brenda MacRitchie, Joyce Francois, Rachael King and Alison Massara

Location: North Oxford OX2 6JT

Programme: We usually follow the Good Book Guides or recommended study notes from St Andrew;s church.

Pattern of meeting: Meeting for coffee and catch up 9:00-9:30am then moving into time of  Bible study followed by prayer, ending by 11:00am.

Vision: Our group has grown following several of our members having attended the Alpha course, and we have welcomed this new dynamic to the group. We are committed to learning how we can follow Jesus’ teachings and display our faith in our homes and communities. Several members assist in more practical ways to share Christ’s love in action, making sandwiches for the homeless at Gatehouse, soup for Porch, while others have felt called to support projects with families on the Cutteslowe estate as well as helping to run Alpha courses at Bullingdon Prison.

Friday 9:00am-11:00am

Leaders: Bridget Robson and Anita Mathias

Location: OX2 6XW

Programme:

Pattern of meeting: We are a group of mums with school aged and older children. We meet to study the Bible and pray together.

Vision:

Beginners Bible Reading Group - meets on a day and at a time agreed by the current members

Leaders: David and Gwyneth Johnson (david.gwyneth@ntworld.com)

Location: 59 Merton Court, Rutherway, OX2 6QZ

Programme: Our immediate aim is to read through most of one book of the Bible during a term. We divide the book into sections, usually of a few chapters, reading a section a week at home or on our own.

Pattern of meeting: We talk about things we've discovered and any questions. We finish with a brief introduction to the next section of the book and provide a handout.

Vision: Our longer term aim is to foster the enjoyment of reading Scripture and a growing confidence to talk about our faith such that members of this group can go on to join a normal house group and feel comfortable in it.