Temple Cowley United Reformed Church
Oxford Road, Cowley, OXFORD, OX4 2ES
Sunday Calendar
Awaiting developments
This site last updated July 6th 2018
Sermons and prayers on the ‘Articles & Sermons’ page are selected to give an idea of the sort of Christian outlook the church had.
End of an era at Temple Cowley United Reformed Church
The Temple Cowley congregation of the United Reformed Church marked the conclusion of its life as a worshipping congregation in a service on November 5th 2017, when the witness and service of the church over nearly 140 years of its history was celebrated by almost a hundred people who had been part of the life of the church in the past, together with representatives of other congregations of the United Reformed Church in Oxford and churches of other denominations in Cowley.
Founded in 1878 as a Congregational
Church, membership soared during the 1930s as migrant workers were welcomed and supported, necessitating the larger building opposite Cowley Police Station, completed in 1930. It became part of the United Reformed Church on the union of Congregational and Presbyterian Churches in 1972. The tradition of hospitality
The Temple Cowley congregation of the United Reformed Church marked the conclusion of its life as a worshipping congregation in a service on November 5th 2017, when the witness and service of the church over nearly 140 years of its history was celebrated by almost a hundred people who had been part of the life of the church in the past, together with representatives of other congregations of the United Reformed Church in Oxford and churches of other denominations in Cowley.
Founded in 1878 as a Congregational
Church, membership soared during the 1930s as migrant workers were welcomed and supported, necessitating the larger building opposite Cowley Police Station, completed in 1930. It became part of the United Reformed Church on the union of Congregational and Presbyterian Churches in 1972. The tradition of hospitality
continued with the development of the church hall site for the Emmaus Community House, and support for individual ‘undocumented migrants’.
Following the closure, responsibility for the building passed to the trustee body, The United Reformed Church Wessex Trust, but a couple of local community groups continued to use the building. Following a rigorous process of advertising and shortlisting of bids, the building was sold in the early summer of 2018 to the Littlegate Trust who have been in discussions with St Ebbe’s Church in the city centre about starting a new congregation to serve the local community and share the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bishop of Oxford and Revd Canon Geoff Bayliss, the Team Rector, have given their warm support.
Following the closure, responsibility for the building passed to the trustee body, The United Reformed Church Wessex Trust, but a couple of local community groups continued to use the building. Following a rigorous process of advertising and shortlisting of bids, the building was sold in the early summer of 2018 to the Littlegate Trust who have been in discussions with St Ebbe’s Church in the city centre about starting a new congregation to serve the local community and share the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bishop of Oxford and Revd Canon Geoff Bayliss, the Team Rector, have given their warm support.
Enquiries about the history of the church should be directed to :
