1. All t ogether now Number 30
The Diocese of Oxford Reporter: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
March 1992
Oxford's new landmark
Oxford has a new landmark, now that work on the extension to Church House is complete. Not only is there a cross on the top of the building which is visible from all sides, there is also another cross (pictured) on the side of the tower, which can be seen only from the road. "The Bishop of Oxford pro-
staff who had been working in very cramped spaces, and to provide better facilities for disabled people. The extended building had also added a bigger conference hall, so that larger meetings such as the Bishop's Council could now be held in Church House. He said that other options had been carefully considered,
posed the introduction of a second cross as a symbol of the work going on at Church House which could be clearly seen by travellers along the ring road, and also by people on the other side of it," said Davd Rathbone, the architect of the scheme. Roger Harwood, the Diocesan Architect, explained that the addition of a three-storey wing and a third storey to the existing building had increased the size of Church House by about 25 per cent. it was made necessary, he said, because there was insuffucient space to house all the Diocesan staff on one site. This meant,for example, that the Schools Department's offices were in Forest Hill some eight miles away. Other considerations had been the need to improve office conditions for those
such as renting elsewhere, but extending the existing building had proved to be the most cost-effective solution . "I think it has put Church House on the map. The internal spaces are very appropriate for their function, and the outside enhances the character of the original old vicarage. Church House now has a clear identity and character of its own," Roger Harwood said. The centre of the Church's work in the Diocese, is situated in North Hinksey, between the ring road and the River Isis (Thames), where Saxon farmers first forded the water with their cattle to found the settlement which eventually became Oxford (Oxenforde). At the building's heart is the former North Hinksey Vicarage, designed by F.E. Street and built in 1869 at a cost of F-1,450.
In 1959, the vicarage was conveyed by the then incumbent, Mr Stratton, to the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance, who moved from the Bishop's Palace in St Aldate's. The general office and original conference room were added soon after the move, and other extensions were made in the early '70s, again in 1978, arid at the end of the 80s. The latest extension has given the full-time and part-time staff who now work at Church House a new sense of coming together as a community under God. That is why we decided to give you an insider's view of some of the people who work there (pages 10 and 11). Did you know for instance that the Revd Tony Williamson (pictured here with children from Botley School) the Diocesan Director of Education (Schools), drove a fork lift at Cowley motor works for 30 years, or that a secretary in the Social Responsibility Department has written a history of Blackbird Leys? Living in community is something that the Insight group know all about, and they talk on page 2 of this issue about the powerful way in which God has moved in their lives. • Sister Gillian Clare is also a member of a community, and we include her thoughtful reflections for Lent, 'Allowing for each other' is on page 8. • An Anglo-Catholic church that rose again out of a bomb site (page 19), books for Lent page 18), coping with a death in the family ( page 13) and how to run your own Children's day (page 15) are all inside this DOOR.
Strengthening our schools One of the greatest threats to village schools comes from parents who choose to drive their children by car to schools elsewhere, says Small Village Schools , a new paper from the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education. The paper emphasises the need for high quality education, whethr in large or small schools, and recognises the pressures facing head teachers with the introduction of the National Curriculum and many organisational changes. The problem is particularly acute in schools which may face a reduction in teachers, more mixed age classes and possible closure. The Diocesan Board of Education urges small
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schools to consider sharing their expertise and resources with neighbouring schools through 'clustering'. It also sees the value of some schools voluntarily amalgamating to create strong rural schools. Each school must be considered on its merits, in consultation with parents, the local community, the LEA and the Diocese, says the paper. But whatever organisational changes are made at LEA and national level, "the Diocese will continue to play its part and will offer professional, educational and, when possible, financial support to governors of Church schools".
Springtime launch for city church BBC Television's Easter Sunday Songs of Praise on April 19 will be broadcast live from Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes, to celebrate the opening of the new church. The church will be opened officially on March 13, when the Queen will take part in a special service attended by the four presidents of Churches Together in England - the first time that they have come together for other than .a national event. There will be details of - the service in the April DOOR, together with photographs of the new church and of some of these connected with it. Also in this special Milton Keynes edition will be interviews with Hugh Cross, the Ecumenical Moderator, and Professor Stannard, the distinguished Christian physicist.
Sharing the Good News in the Decade of Evangelism
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