News from the University Church

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Subject: News from the University Church

A City Built on a Hill

by the Revd Naomi Gardom

In this cold season, I’m seeking warmth from memories of sunnier trips. When I was 19, I spent three weeks in July with the Taizé community in the Burgundy region of France. My time was spent roasting in a little tent, gradually relinquishing cleanliness for the sake of Godliness, fitting myself in with the simple rhythm of work, prayer and fellowship. As a solo traveller, I had been nervous about being lonely, but my English reticence was overcome by the friendliness of others. Among these was an American priest with a booming laugh who anointed himself with scented oil every day to remind him of his sacred calling; a young Polish woman who shared her coffee with me when I was unwell, who had come on pilgrimage to discern whether God was calling her to be a doctor or a nun; and two Irish sisters who were so bursting with life and mischief that they could hardly be contained during the long periods of silence which form a part of every time of communal prayer.

The community of Taizé was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schütz. Himself a Protestant, he founded the community as a place for ecumenism, and more than 100 brothers, both Catholic and Protestant, now live together following a simple rule of life. It has become a particular centre of pilgrimage for young people, especially in the summer. They have so many visitors that the Church of Reconciliation, their church building, has had to be expanded several times. It is now so big that the local airbase uses it as a navigation landmark on their training flights. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says that ‘a city built on a hill cannot be hidden’; nor can a sprawling church built to accommodate 5000 people.

When I went to Taizé, I thought I was going on my own, but very soon I found that was not the case. The amazing people I encountered there taught me that I was far from alone, which gave me courage to explore my faith. They were the salt and light that Jesus speaks about in that same passage, lending interest and illumination to my life, and inspiring me to take that out into the world.

This Sunday

8.30am Holy Eucharist - Chancel
Preacher: Joanna Barrington

10.30am Choral Eucharist - Nave

Preacher: Dr Sarah Mortimer

3.30pm Latin Litany with Sermon

Preacher: The Revd Dr Melanie Marshall

This Week

Monday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

Tuesday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

12.45 Canterbury Lunches - Adam de Brome Chapel

Wednesday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

11.15 Coffee and Doughnuts - Adam De Brome Chapel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

Thursday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

13.00 Lunchtime Recital - Nave

Friday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

12.45 Bible Study - Old Library

Saturday

12noon Parish Pilgrimage

Upcoming Services

Special Events

GODLY PLAY – SUNDAY 19 JANUARY

In a change to the usual pattern, the next Godly Play session will take place on 19th January, in the Old Library during the first 45 minutes of the 10.30am service for children aged 3-8 years old and their family. Godly Play encourages children to approach Biblical stories with wonder and imagination. If you would be interested in training to become a Godly Play volunteer, supporting this ministry, we would love to hear from you. Please speak to a member of the clergy to find out more.

SUNDAY FORUM - 12NOON, TODAY

Professor Dean L Winslow, Professor of Medicine and Paediatrics, Stanford University, has worked at the heart of critical global challenges. In early 2021, he led US COVID-19 testing and diagnostic efforts. After the fall of Kabul, he was the Centre for Disease Control senior advisor, helping to resettle the 124,000 Afghan refugees who fled Afghanistan. He also served as Chief Medical Officer for the Southwest border migrant health task force. Join us for this first Sunday Forum of the year, as Dean reflects on his work and the ways his own Christian faith has helped him to respond to these demanding situations.

LATIN LITANY 3.30PM THIS SUNDAY, 19 JANUARY

The Latin Litany is sung at the beginning of each Hilary term and takes place at 3.30pm today. The Revd Canon Dr William Lamb will officiate and the Revd Dr Melanie Marshall will be the preacher.

WPCU SERVICE 5.30PM, 21 JANUARY, ST MICHAEL’S

There will be a special ecumenical service to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 21st January, at St Michael's at the North Gate, 5.30pm. All welcome.

DEATH CAFÉ – 6PM, 24 JANUARY

Gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death. This is a completely open discussion with no agenda, no expectations, and no right answers. Death Cafes have been running world-wide since 2011, and their aim is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.

PARISH PILGRIMAGE - SATURDAY 25 JANUARY

On 25th January the Church celebrates St Paul's conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus. A group of pilgrims from St Mary's will be marking the day by walking from St Margaret's church Binsey to St Frideswide's church on Botley Road, and on to St Mary's (about three miles). The event will start with lunch at The Perch at 12 noon and finish at approximately 4 pm at the University Church. Sign up on Eventbrite via the link on our website.

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY – 5.30PM, 26 JANUARY, KEBLE CHAPEL

All are welcome to join the observance of Holocaust Memorial Day at Keble Chapel with the Council of Christians and Jews, and speaker, Dr Edward Kessler MBE

ANGLICAN LITERARY TRADITION COURSES

On 18 March at Sarum College, and 26-28 March at Gladstone’s Library, the Revd Canon Dr Judith Maltby and Canon Dr Helen Wilcox, will deliver courses focussing on the Anglican literary tradition. Please book via the venues’ websites.

Upcoming Events

www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk

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Subject: News from the University Church