We asked Steve Thomas, Senior Pastor of Oxfordshire Community Churches, to tell us where OCC are going at the moment.

“OCC are on a journey. I want to tell the story of where we have come from and where we are going, because understanding this will help you understand what we are doing now."

Our roots

“The story of so-called ‘new churches’ like ours goes back to the 1970s. Our own story started in West Oxfordshire. God raised up a new and vibrant church in Witney, where there was a significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit, great worship and a real sense of being ‘family together’. In Cote there was a 300-year old Baptist Church that was transformed in similar ways.
“God began to show us that there was more that we could do together than either church could do on its own. Out of these growing relationships and deepening conviction that God wanted us to work together more across the county, a number of other churches were planted.

(Click here to download The Journey, a history of OCC published in 1996.)

Preparing for revival?

“In common with many other churches in the UK, in recent years we have again had an unusual experience of the Holy Spirit, rather like in the early days. God has been refreshing, renewing and
invigorating us.They have been times of great joy, closeness to God and significant change, for individuals and for churches.
“God is doing significant things in our nation. By the year 2002 it is estimated that 1 in 50 people have done an Alpha course. God is starting to move in our nation and there is an enormous expectation among many Christians that we are going to see revival: a time when God changes a whole nation for good, not just the churches.
“That’s why our churches come together for River of God meetings, to see the 'river’ of his Holy Spirit touch our lives.That’s why we are praying persistently and eagerly, to ask God to bring this revival.”

Looking outwards

“And, God is turning us outwards to look at our communities, towns and cities, to show his love to people. God is a father and he really does want to do good to people, and we are the channels he uses!
“That’s why, as a family of churches, we are seeking to find fresh and innovative ways of serving and blessing those around us: through community service, education, social action, asylum welcome, kidz klubs, work with pensioners and a myriad of other projects.
“And that’s why we are developing The King’s Centre, our new facility in the city of Oxford. It is not just for us, as a centre for our work together, to gather in expectation and to pray for revival, in apostolic and prophetic Celebrations; but also as a centre for the Community, to allow us to serve, bless and influence the county and nations, and to see God the Holy Spirit at work in our nation.”