Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Oxford Bible Church Services

Updated Saturday 22nd January

In line with current government guidelines, please see below for the latest update to Oxford Bible Church's Services and procedures we have in place for those in attendance. If the government should change its guidelines we will respond accordingly. Do check this website and our Facebook page for all updates.

Please read the information below carefully, for full details of what to expect on Sunday mornings. Don't worry if you're not able to join us at Cheney School - as all Services are still Live Streamed on YouTube.

To watch the Live Stream visit OBC's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/OxfordBibleChurchOBC

FROM SUNDAY 23RD JANUARY & ONGOING

ARRIVAL & ENTRY TO CHURCH

* Upon arrival, hand sanitiser is available, either from an Usher at the door or by using the sanitiser dispenser provided by the School.

* If you have the NHS Covid-19 App on your mobile phone, there is a QR-code poster at the entrance which you can scan when you arrive.

DURING THE SERVICE

* Face Coverings: The wearing of face masks is no longer mandatory. Those who wish to wear a face covering may do so and masks are available in the Lobby area.

* The chairs in the Main Hall are naturally spaced slightly apart, but people are welcome to move their seats closer together with those they are with. Ushers are on hand to help you to your seats and oversee the seating arrangements if necessary.

* There is an offering bucket at the door inside the Main Hall, where you may place your offerings. Collection bags will not be passed around the congregation during the Service.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

* All Children's Church groups are holding Sunday Sessions, meeting in various classrooms on site. Children will join adults in the Main Hall for the Worship time at 11am before being dismissed to their classrooms.

Parents & Babies - The regular room for parents to take babies/toddlers is open

Kinder Church (ages 3-6), are meeting in their regular space in the Community Hall

Junior Church (ages 6-8) & Super Church (ages 8-13) are meeting in Lane Building as usual.

Youth Church (ages 13-17) are also meeting in a ground-floor classroom in the Lane Building

FURTHER POINTS

* There are currently no Evening Services, only the Service at 11am.

* The Main Hall, including all surfaces, door handles, chairs etc will be thoroughly cleaned & sanitised.

* Anyone who has symptoms (the recent onset of a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell) should not attend, nor should anyone who has been asked to self-isolate. Anyone who has been shielding, as per government guidelines, also anyone who has travelled in from abroad, must follow the relevant updated government advice.

* We understand that not everyone will be able to attend the Services at this time. You can still join us online, as Services will still be Live Streamed on YouTube each Sunday morning.

* Only the 11am Sunday Service is happening at Cheney School at this time. Certain Home Groups remain open, with online meetings and outdoor, socially distanced gatherings. For up-to-date info on exactly which groups are meeting and how, please contact the Home Group Pastor, Mark Makau on 01865 310558.

For any further information, or if you have any questions, you can contact the Church Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01865 515086.

Machine Gun Preacher

One Man Can Make A Difference!

Come and hear the true story of Sam Childers, who overcame a life of drugs and violence to embrace Christianity and wage a 13 year 'war' to free enslaved child in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan.

Oxford Bible Church is pleased to host Sam Childers, the 'Machine Gun Preacher' on Monday 19th March. Sam's story is one that will inspire and motivate you - from being a drug dealer/user & gun toting thug - to rescuing thousands of South Sudanese and Northern Ugandan children.

Sam Childers grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania. His parents were decent, honest people but at an early age Sam started to show a knack for getting into trouble. His father, a former marine, grew fond of saying “Boy, somebody’s gonna kill you one of these days!”

By his early teens Sam was sliding deeper into a life of violence and crime. He became a Shotgunner – an armed guard for drug dealers. It was during this stage of his life that he met Lynn, a stripper, who would later become his wife.

Haunted by his father’s words, Sam distanced himself from his former life and, together with his wife, found new hope through faith in Jesus Christ. Slowly, things began to change for the better. Lynn gave birth to a healthy baby girl and Sam started his own construction business. Little did they know that their greatest challenge was just around the corner.

In 1998, Sam arrived in Southern Sudan. The African nation was in the midst of the Second Sudanese War, and Sam, urged by his Pastor in America, had joined a mission group to help repair huts damaged in the conflict. During this assignment Sam stumbled across the body of a child torn apart by a landmine. He fell to his knees and made a pledge to God to do whatever it took to help the people of Southern Sudan.

Sam established and run a mobile clinic and later began building an orphanage for the children on the Ugandan border. The local people though he was mad. At the time, the Lord’s Resistance Army, a brutal rebel militia that had kidnapped 30,000 children and murdered hundreds of thousands of villagers, was laying waste to the area. But Sam was adamant and slowly the orphanage began to take shape. During the day Sam cleared the brush and built the huts that would house the children. During the evening, he slept under a mosquito net slung from a tree: Bible in one hand, AK47 in the other.

With the orphanage finished, Sam began to lead armed missions to rescue children from the LRA. It wasn’t long before tales of his exploits spread and villagers began to call him “The Machine Gun Preacher.”

Today the orphanage is one of the largest in Southern Sudan and has fed and housed over 1,000 children. In 2017, more than 185 children call the orphanage home.

Sam is just as dedicated today to the plight of the Sudanese children as he was to when he first went there. Sam’s biography, Another Man’s War, was made into a Hollywood feature film starring Gerard Butler. The film was released in September 2011

MACHINE GUN PREACHER: Come and hear Sam's story and invite others to join us too. All are welcome to what promises to be a powerful evening: Monday 19th March, 7:00PM for a 7:30PM start at Cheney School Hall, Cheney Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7QH.

Entry is FREE. There will be a free-will offering for the work Sam does in South Sudan & Northern Uganda.

For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01865 515086

David Hathaway

THE MINISTRY OF DAVID HATHAWAY

David Hathaway is the Founder and President of Eurovision Mission to Europe and has ministered worldwide for over 60 years. In September 2016, he was presented with a medal in the Israeli Parliament, from the United Nations, in recognition of his many years of humanitarian and evangelistic missions in the former Iron Curtain countries and Israel. 

After 11 years as a full-time pastor and evangelist in Britain, David's ministry to Russia and Europe began in 1961 when he organised the first ever expedition to Jerusalem by road, through the Iron Curtain countries. Out of this experience, David began smuggling Bibles into Russia and Eastern Europe until, in 1972, he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned in Czechoslovakia. After serving just one year in prison, David was released by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. This miracle and his experience with God in the prison meant that before returning to work in Eastern Europe, David told his story around the world, leading more than a quarter-of-a-million to Christ in just two years. 

Over the following 40 years since his release, David's heart has continued to burn for Eastern Europe, the last words of one of his fellow prisoners continually ringing in his ears: 'David, don't forget us. No one knows, no one in the West cares.' In 1976 he organised the successful worldwide campaign for the release of Georgi Vins, a renowned Russian pastor from Kiev, sentenced to long years in a Siberian prison for his faith. After this, David continued to go into the underground churches to preach until eventually, in the 1980s, he began to openly hold services and conferences in the communist countries; this grew and developed throughout the 1990s and 2000s - preaching to tens-of-thousands of people in stadiums and arenas, and broadcasting these services live on television across all Russia, Ukraine and East Europe, with hundreds of thousands responding through the free-phone call centres being operated. 

Despite his age, David continues travelling and speaking extensively. Since 2011, David has ministered to Russian Holocaust Survivors and their families living in Israel: in partnership with Israeli public organisations, he provides spiritual and material support; for this work he has received numerous awards and letters of appreciation from the Knesset. Whilst in Ukraine, David organises the annual National Day of Prayer, which is fully supported by every Christian denomination, and recognised by the President of Ukraine.

Join us at Oxford Bible Church for 2 powerful Services with David Hathaway on Saturday 21st April at 7PM and Sunday 22nd April at 11AM. Venue: Cheney School Hall, Cheney Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7QH.

Entry is FREE and no registration is required.

Nearby Hotels:

Sandfield Guest House

Oxford Guest House

The Conifers Guest House

Red Mullions Guest House

Dial House Guest House

The Tree at Iffley

Church Events

SUNDAY SERVICES: 22nd DECEMBER

11am: Peter Hockley: He Shall Be Great

6pm: NO EVENING SERVICE

BIBLE STUDY TEACHING - Uploaded to YouTube on Thursdays by 6pm

NO BIBLE STUDY UNTIL NEW YEAR

SUNDAY SERVICES: 29th DECEMBER

11am: Pastor Derek Walker (Holy Communion Service)

6pm: NO EVENING SERVICE

TUESDAY 31st DECEMBER

10pm - 12.30am: New Year's Eve Prayer Vigil

SUNDAY SERVICES: 5th JANUARY

11am: Simon Potter

6pm: Evening Service in Community Hall

SUNDAY SERVICES: 12th JANUARY

11am: Pastor Derek Walker: Gospel of John (10): The Healing of the Nobleman's Son

6pm: Evening Service in Community Hall

To watch our Live Stream Sunday Service & Mid-week Bible Study online visit our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/OxfordBibleChurchOBC

HOME GROUPS -  For up-to-date info on groups and their meetings, please contact our Home Group Pastor, Mark Makau on 01865 310558 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Meeting across Oxford throughout the week, Home Groups are the heart and life of the church. Each group has its own unique flavour and they are a great way for Christians to develop friendships, pray for one another and receive pastoral care. Why not try one of our Home Groups and get connected! For a list of our mid-week meetings click here.