New to Wantage Downs?

If you're new to the area, or our churches, we hope that the churches in our benefice can be places of worship and community to continue your journey in Christ. Each of our churches has its own personality and you are welcome to attend services across the benefice to find out which is a good fit for you:

9am West Hendred (every Sunday)
10am East Hendred (every Sunday)
11:15am Ardington (2nd, 4th, 5th Sunday of the month)
6pm Lockinge (1st, 3rd Sunday of the month)

We have tea and coffee after our services at East Hendred and Ardington, which can be a great way to meet others.

Visitors

If you're looking to visit our churches, you can normally find East Hendred, West Hendred and Ardington open during the day.

Some of our churches will have information on the history of the churches available for you to view on your visit. You can also find some information on the history of the churches here:

• St Augustine's, East Hendred

• Holy Trinity, West Hendred

• Holy Trinity, Ardington

• All Saints, Lockinge

New to Church?

We understand that attending church for the first time can feel a bit daunting, especially if you haven't grown up with it.

We warmly welcome newcomers, even if you just want to come along and see what's going on.

We hope the following information will help answer some of the questions you might have about our services and what to expect. If you have any questions do get in touch!

When and where?

We have a range of services across our churches each week which you're welcome to attend:
9am West Hendred (every Sunday)
10am East Hendred (every Sunday)
11:15am Ardington (2nd, 4th, 5th Sunday of the month)
6pm Lockinge (1st, 3rd Sunday of the month)
To check what's coming up next, you can also take a look at our church calendar.

What will happen?

Our worship is friendly and mixes traditional and contemporary elements, usually consisting of readings, hymns and a sermon (a short talk) from the clergy. If you are curious about what you might hear if you came to a service, you can listen to past recordings on our sermon podcast.

We celebrate Holy Communion in many of our services. If you are new to church and have not taken part in communion before, you're welcome to join in by going to the front of church along with everyone else, to receive a blessing. If you have been confirmed or admitted to communion, or if you are a baptised member of another church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Trinity, and you usually receive communion in your own church, then you are welcome to receive communion here.

We also have various other services like Evensong or Family Service. Our services usually last for no more than an hour, and you are welcome to join in as much as you like - or just listen quietly if you prefer.

What should I wear?

You will find people in t-shirts and jeans and others in suits and dresses. Come in whatever you find most comfortable.

Are the services suitable for children?

We welcome children at all our services and we encourage them to participate in our worship. We have a policy of admitting baptised children to communion after a period of preparation. Please feel free to speak to our clergy about baptism, admission to communion, and confirmation. The 10am service at St Augustine's, East Hendred is designed to be particularly welcoming to all ages, with a Family Service on the last Sunday of the month and Children's Church on other Sundays. For more information on our work with children and young people click here.

Will there be tea and coffee?

You are welcome to stay for tea and coffee after our services at St Augustine's, East Hendred and Holy Trinity, Ardington.