Serving Our Communities
Emmanuel loves to reflect the love of Jesus to the communities of Oxford, particularly the poorest and most disadvantaged. Just as Jesus came to bring peace and liberty, so too are we sent to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). At Emmanuel, there are opportunities to serve in this way and we love to help people get involved. We also partner with other local charities, supporting their vital work.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering the sight of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
(Luke 4:18-19)
Cross-Cultural Communities
Emmanuel loves to serve and build relationships with refugees and those seeking asylum in the UK, believing it to be an integral part of our expression as a church. To do so in the most honouring fashion, we partner with Welcome Churches who train and equip churches to welcome, empower and build healthy relationships with individuals from different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds.
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Emmanuel is a church community which includes individuals from a multitude of cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. We believe that being part of a more diverse community forms the foundations for a healthier, more complete and reconciled church family.
As part of cross-cultural communities, we currently run a weekly bible study on a Sunday evening. Additionally, we anticipate growing this part of our ministry through a mid-week chat café for anyone who has English as a second language, to come play games and practice English over tea and coffee, with individuals from Emmanuel Church. Each session will conclude with a time of sharing stories and discussing bible passages for those who would like to stay and listen.
Emmanuel has also been a host within the national Homes for Ukraine scheme. The joy of hosting Ukrainians has opened many opportunities for us as a church community to meet and serve others, leading us to adapt our Sunday meetings to include dual language on-screen slides and to create spaces for Ukrainian speakers to meet and find community.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
Emmanuel is one of the founding churches in the Oxford Churches Debt Centre (OCDC), a shared charity that supports our CAP Centre. We love CAP and all that it models of the gospel of Jesus. CAP supports individuals through prayer, befriending, financial gifts, courses, social events and Christmas Hampers.
As partners with CAP, Emmanuel delivers a free Life Skills Course focused at equipping each member with the necessary social, economic and dietary tools to form healthy routines and habits whilst on a low income.
Click here to listen to a recent interview about the course:
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Life Skills Course
Life skills is a friendly group that will give you the confidence and decision-making skills needed to live on a low income. Each Life Skills course runs once a week for 8 sessions and offers members a place to learn practical money saving techniques, such as cooking on a budget and minimising energy costs, alongside how to form and maintain positive relationships and a healthy lifestyle.
CAP Community Cafe
The community café runs every Thursday afternoon between 2:00 – 3:30pm at St Ebbe’s Church Centre, Pennyfarthing Place. It serves as a fantastic way from individuals who are or have attended life skills courses to stay connected and continue to form a community and friendships. It is a time for playing games, sharing experiences and supporting one another.
Please note: this community café is not exclusively for CAP members, all are welcome.
Children Heard and Seen
Emmanuel practically supports the work of Children Heard and Seen (CHAS) who seek to break and overcome the intergenerational trauma of shame, stigma and isolation in children who are or have been impacted by parental imprisonment. Volunteering opportunities include face-to-face or online mentoring and serving at their summer residential.
Anti Slavery Initiative Oxford (ASIOX)
Emmanuel supports the work of ASIOX in many practical ways. ASIOX helps us understand how and where modern slavery is happening in our communities, how to identify it and what we can do if we have concerns. ASIOX provides us with opportunities to directly support survivors through initiatives like their Befriender Programme and their Christmas Gift Campaign.
