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We probably all fantasize, at some point or another, about sending a message to our younger selves. I think the moment when I needed such a message most was when I was new to Oxford: an optimistic, doe-eyed first-year full of (mostly incorrect) ideas about England and entirely ignorant of the resources around me. Where were the pharmacies when I got sick? What time was the Bodleian open? Where could I find help if I was feeling down? Beyond my cozy college chapel, what were the “grown-up” churches like on Sunday mornings, and where could I find worship that reminded me of home? And most importantly, where could I go to spend an hour contemplating Dutch still lifes for free?
I dreamed of having a sort of Magical Auntie or Older Sophisticated Friend who could tell me all of these things, but of course I had to figure it out for myself, slowly and, sometimes, painfully. There was no centralised encyclopedia of Oxford to help me navigate the city around me. This was a real problem when I was stuck here over the vacation. Flying home every holiday was expensive, and often I’d be in Oxford when everybody else had gone home and college had more or less shut down. Outside of that routine, I was adrift. I needed some kind of Guide to help me find my way around - and find help when I needed it.
Such a thing did not exist - until now, dear reader.
Tomorrow night we are having a party to launch a new website called the Oxford Vacation Guide, a University Church initiative designed to answer a very real need. The Oxford Vacation Guide contains lists of resources for wellbeing, learning, entertainment, family activities, eating out, and even a page about Christmas traditions. There are tips on how to get around by public transport, including to and from airports, and links to volunteering opportunities over the Christmas period and year-round. Over time, the website will expand to cover all three of the vacation periods: Christmas, Easter, and the summer.
Tomorrow night, come and help us celebrate the launch of this wonderful new resource with a glass of fizz and a mince pie at 5pm in the Adam de Brome Chapel. If you’re not able to make it, you can have a peek at www.oxfordvacationguide.com. I can’t wait to raise a glass with you to helping the next generation of students find what they need, when they need it most.
Esther Brazil Ministerial Assistant |
| | The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 2 December First Sunday of Advent
10:30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Canon Dr Judith Maltby
15:30 Evening Prayer (said)
18:00 International Advent Carol Service
with the German Lutheran Congregation
Next Week
Monday Francis Xavier, 1552 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
18.30. PCC Meeting - Old Library
Tuesday John of Damascus, c.749 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel 19.30 A Thousand Years of Christmas - Nave
Wednesday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Thursday Nicholas, c326
09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Friday Ambrose, 397 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Saturday Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary 12.00 Marriage Service - Nave
Next Sunday
Sunday 9 December Second Sunday of Advent
10:30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Dr William Lamb 15:30 Evening Prayer (said) |
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| | | International Advent Carols
Next Sunday at 18:00. we join with the German Lutheran Congregation for our annual Advent Carol service, with readings, hymns and prayers in English and German, and music from the University Church Choir. Traditional German winter refreshments will be served afterwards!
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| | Oxford Food Bank Christmas Presents for Children
The University Church has again been asked to contribute to the Oxford Christmas Lunch by filing rucksacks with presents for the children who attend this celebration. The distribution and collection of the rucksacks will take place between 25 November and 16 December. |
| | Oxford Winter Nigh Shelter
Oxford Winter Night Shelter run by the churches together in Oxford will be doubling its capacity this winter. They will be opening two churches each night of the week from 1 January to 31 March 2019. They still require volunteers for evening, night and early morning shifts. There are two more training sessions coming up. Details are:
7.00pm to 9.00pm, 14 November
St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket Street, OX1 3EY
9.30am to 11.30am, 17 November
New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square, OX1 1LQ
Please email project.manager@ownsoxford.org.uk to register your interest and book yourself on a training session.
Further information is available at www.ownsoxford.org.uk or speak to Victoria Mort or Paul Thompson.
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| | | Gatehouse Christmas Presents
Please take socks, gloves, scarves, hats, underpants, chocolate bars to the Gatehouse before Wednesday 19 December, when a wrapping party will be wrapping them up. Please bring your unwrapped offering to the Gatehouse, St Giles Hall, Woodstock Road on Sunday afternoon, between 3.30 and 6pm, or between 4.30 and 7 pm weekdays. Alternatively you can drop them at Wesley Memorial Church, preferably during the morning, which is kindly acting as a depot.
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