Faith in the Future
In the context of our church’s aims to create opportunities for all to share God’s love, to be a welcoming church at the heart of our community, to allow space for the gifts of all people to develop, and to reach out to all people at their point of need, we plan to carry out a thorough renovation of our premises. We urgently need to upgrade our facilities, make them more accessible, and improve our energy efficiency.
Our Community
Our church serves a wide variety of needs in the local area. We support two other worshipping communities. Our foodbank, Community Cupboard, provides food and a weekly hot meal for 30-40 families, and our Community Drop In Café offers a warm space, hot drinks, and company for 20-30 friends each week. Our premises also provide a base for a range of local societies to meet.
In order to continue our work effectively, and make our building and activities available to all who need them, we need to:
• install a fire alarm system and upgrade fire safety
• create a fully accessible toilet
• replace the kitchen to meet modern catering standards and be more energy efficient.
Our Environment
Our stewardship of God’s creation makes it imperative that we act urgently and responsibly in the face of the climate emergency and the loss of biodiversity. The Methodist Church has committed to achieving zero emissions by 2030. We have already become a bronze Eco Church. We have installed solar panels and a storage battery, are actively implementing our decision to end our use of fossil fuels, and are managing our beautiful graveyard and its trees for biodiversity. To respond further to this challenge and also reduce our running costs we additionally need to:
• improve the insulation of our buildings
• upgrade lighting to LEDs
• install energy-efficient electric heating
Our Heritage
There has been a Methodist Church on Rose Hill for nearly 200 years. Since it was built in 1835, there have been many changes both in our church and in society, but the constant theme is that like our predecessors we continue to worship God here and seek to share his love with our local community. Our lovely church is showing its age, and in order to continue our witness and service in this place we need to:
• redecorate the church
• replace worn out fittings and furniture
• ensure that the whole building is sound and weatherproof
• improve our car park and boundaries.
Renovation progress
We have already completed upgrading our fire safety system, and have installed solar panels and a solar storage battery.
We have now taken a decision to move away from fossil fuels, and have disconnected our gas supply. We will be installing electric systems for both heating and hot water over the next few months.
Work on refurbishing our kitchen and toilets, and creating a fully accessible toilet, began on 20 July 2026.
The remaining phases of the work are estimated at c. £300,000. This is a huge challenge for our small church, but we go forward in faith.
How you can help
We are very grateful for all donations, of any size, and also for your fundraising ideas and efforts. If you would like to make a donation to Rose Hill Methodist Church’s renovation project, you can donate in any of the following ways:
Cash or cheque: please make payable to ‘Rose Hill Methodist Church – General’.
Bank transfer: Rose Hill Methodist Church – General
Sort code: 30-12-51 Account no.: 00714858
If you are eligible for Gift Aid, please complete a Gift Aid declaration, which can be downloaded here.
If you would like to discuss our project or your donation, or have a fundraising idea, please contact our treasurer, Jeremy Burgess on 07854 322717 or jeremy.b@ntlworld.com
Gift Aid forms and cheques can be given to Jeremy or posted to him at: 8 Links Rd Kennington, Oxford OX1 5RX
