St Ebbe's is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

in central

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. The church is within the

conservative evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual expe ...

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

and participates in the Anglican Reform movement. It has members from many nations, many of whom are students at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. The

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Vaughan Roberts Vaughan Edward Roberts (born 17 March 1965) is a Church of England clergyman. Since 1998, he has been the rector of St Ebbe's, Oxford. In 2009, he became Director of the Proclamation Trust. Early life Roberts was born on 17 March 1965 in Winc ...

who is also an author and conference speaker.

History

The church stands on the site of one dedicated to St Æbbe before 1005. Most sources suggest that this was the

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

n St Æbbe of Coldingham, but it has been suggested that

Æbbe of Oxford Æbbe was a saint venerated in medieval Oxfordshire. St Ebbe's church in the southern English city of Oxford had been verifiably dedicated to the saint by 1091. It is believed that she represents a rare southern expression of the cult of the No ...

was a different saint. The name was first recorded in about 1005 when the church was granted to Eynsham Abbey by Ealdorman Æthelmær the Stout, when it was already recorded as the "ancient St Ebbe's". The present church was built in 1814–16. It was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

between 1862 and 1868, and again in 1904. A Norman doorway of the 12th century has been restored and placed at the west end. The church is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

for the parish of St Ebbes, a portion of which was demolished to make way for the nearby Westgate Shopping Centre in the 1970s. The church underwent further restoration in 2017 under the direction of Quinlan Terry. During this restoration some internal fittings were sold as architectural antiques. The organ was transferred to St Denys, York. In 1957, the church of Holy Trinity, Blackfriars Road, was demolished having been deemed unsafe. This was merged into the present parish. In 1961, the parish of St Peter-le-Bailey merged with St Ebbe upon the foundation of St Peter's College (formerly St Peter's Hall) and its use of the church as its college chapel.

Present day

St Ebbe's continues to be highly active, with three meetings each Sunday at 9:45, 4:30 and 6:30, with the additional of a fourth 11:45 service during the university term. There are also a range of mid-week groups and youth work. St Ebbe's is within the

Conservative Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual expe ...

of the Church of England, and it has passed resolutions to reject the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordin ...

and/or female leadership. It receives

alternative episcopal oversight A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of ...

from the

Bishop of Maidstone The Bishop of Maidstone is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the county town of Maidstone in Kent. Canterbury suf ...

(currently

Rod Thomas Rod Thomas (born 11 January 1947) is a Welsh former professional footballer who represented Wales at International level. During his career Thomas played for Gloucester City, Swindon Town, Derby County, Cardiff City, Gloucester for a sec ...

). The church has a ministry among the remaining part of the parish, although most of its members live outside the parish. The church is a partner church of St Ebbe's Primary School, a school within the parish.

Ministers

Rectors

* 15??-1550: Thomas Dobson * 1550-1553: Ralph Rudde; Principal of St Edmund Hall * 1553-1576: ''Vacant'' * 1576-1585: John Paule * 1589-1593: William Singleton * 1593-1604: John Hilliard * 1604-1631: Jacob Yate * 1631-1641: Edward Wyrley * 1643-1648: Hugh Boham; Chaplain of

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

* 1664-1666: Richard Tapping * 1690-1691: Thomas Shewring * 1695-1696: Josias Dockwray * 1696-1697: Henry Hellier * 1697-1707: William Baker; later the

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in t ...

* 1707-1714: John Knott * 1714-1719: Matthew Panting; Master of Pembroke College * 1719-1727: Bernard Peisley * 1727-1734: Thomas Hillman * 1736-1742: Nathaniel Bliss; later the fourth

Astronomer Royal Astronomer Royal is a senior post in the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. There are two officers, the senior being the Astronomer Royal dating from 22 June 1675; the junior is the Astronomer Royal for Scotland dating from 1834. The post ...

* 1742-1753: Thomas Camplin; Vice-Principal of St Edmund Hall and later the Archdeacon of Taunton * 1753-1771: Robert Ewings * 1771-1809: Henry Richards * 1808-1868: William Hambury; later Chaplain to

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

* 1868-1874: E.P. Hathaway * 1874-1877: Thomas Valpy French, later Bishop of Lahore * 1881: John Arkell * 1901-1909: P.W.G. Filleul * 1912-1926: John Stansfeld * 1947–1952: Maurice Wood, later Principal of Oak Hill College and

* 1952–1964: Basil Gough * 1964–1985: Keith Weston * 1986–1998: David Fletcher * 1998–present:

Curates

* 1816: John Penson * 1822-1824: William Wilson * 1825: Henry Bliss * 1826-1831: Henry Bulteel * 1831-1837:

William Champneys William Weldon Champneys (6 April 1807 – 4 February 1875) was an Anglican priest and author in the 19th century. He served as Dean of Lichfield from 1868 until his death. Early life and education Champneys was born in Camden Town, St Pancras ...

* 1837-1842: H.B. Whitaker Churton * 1847-1860: G.T. Cameron * 1860-18??: S.Y.N. Griffith * 1934-1936: Pat Gilliat * 1950-1952: Edward Saunders * 1952-1956: Michael Farrer * 1955-1958: David Pytches, later

Bishop of Chile, Bolivia and Peru The Anglican Bishop of Santiago is a bishop in the Anglican communion, the head of the Anglican Diocese of Santiago within the Anglican Church of Chile. Until 2018, the bishop and diocese were "of Chile", in the Anglican Church of South America. T ...

* 1957-1960: Peter Dawes * 1958-1960: Brian Ringrose * 1960-1963: Patrick Harris * 1961-1964: James Spence * 1963-1966: Anthony Baker * 1964-1968: Gilbert Gauntlett * 1966-1972: Simon Starkey * 1968-1971: John Wesson * 1971-1974: Robert Hope * 1973-1976: Anthony Burdon * 1974-1976: Peter Toon * 1976-1980: Robert Key * 1980-1983: David Banting * 1983-1986: Kevin Scott * 1988-1991: Timothy Hastie-Smith, later Director of Scripture Union (England & Wales).Passing the baton - Scripture Union
/ref> * 1991-1998:

, later Rector * 1995-2001: David Gibb * 1999-2003: Anthony Jones * 2002–present: Pete Wilkinson * 2003-2008: Julian Bidgood * 2008-2012: Phil Jack * 2009–present: David Reid * 2010-2014: Suresh Menon * 2013-2018: James Fletcher * 2013-2017: Alistair Gibbs * 2017–2019: Matt Pope * 2017–2021: Joel Knight * 2021-present: Glenn Nesbitt

Non-stipendiary ministers

* 2005-2008: Sam Allberry * 2012-2013: Phil Jack * 2015–present: James Poole * 2016–present: John Miller

Deacons

* 1979-1991: Jean Ritchie * 1991-1993: Patricia Whelan