Magdalen Road Church had been seeking to love and serve our community for over 140 years from the chapel in Magdalen Road. Our vision to share the love of Jesus with the diverse people groups of East Oxford continues.

About 15 years ago we started searching for a larger building from which we could continue to serve our community for the future. In the context of the old Irving Building (formerly SS Mary & John Infant School) becoming available as a potential location for our church, and our desire to better serve the community of East Oxford, we undertook a survey in 2015 to hear from the wider community about their perceived needs. This helped us look to the future and see how we could best meet those needs. We had more than 130 responses from people who live or work in the area, representing a good range of age groups and ethnic and religious backgrounds. The results of the research are contained in this report.

It has been a long journey in finding and acquiring the old SS Mary & John Primary School site (renamed Old Schoolhouse) that will enable us, under God, to continue to grow in our service to one another and the local community. As well as providing a home for Magdalen Road Church, the Old Schoolhouse also accommodates many community activities, including counselling, the work of independent charities and a wide range of social activity community groups. Having gained planning permission in 2022 to refurbish the existing building and build a new community hall, the long-term focus is now on developing the building as a hub for mission and ministry, a home for the church that is shared with the local community. Here is a visualisation of our plans (painted by one of our young people).

Our church is made up of people not bricks and mortar.  But this new space, and the facilities that we hope to be able to create within it, will enable us to continue serving our diverse local community for generations to come.

If you have plans for a regular community activity or even for a private family party or event go to the Contact us Page to request a booking or ask for more details