Zion, Oughtibridge
Zion is the oldest church building in Oughtibridge. The foundation stone was laid on 11 March 1833 with a formal covenant ‘To make the New Testament our only rule of conduct’. As part of the Sheffield URC Group a member of the team usually takes our monthly communion service on the first Sunday of the month. Over the years most active members of the church have led worship. Our mission is still to be a caring church and to take the gospel, in word and action, to the people of Oughtibridge.
Oughtibridge is to the North West of Sheffield and has a population of about 4,000. There is a combination of older housing and several new estates, with a further 300 homes being built nearby, with a mixture of close-knit established families and new commuter residents (predominantly white, with a fair mix of age ranges).
We are a very small, mainly retired, congregation with 6 to 8 at the two services each month (1st and 3rd). These services are at 2.30 pm using Mission Praise, with no young people attending. The church building has traditional pews and a lovely pipe organ. We do not heat the church in winter, so we meet in the church hall with more comfortable chairs. We frequently consider closing the church and it would only take the loss of two or three key members to trigger this. However, we are always looking at new ways to engage with the community and we still value the loyal fellowship at the services and the support of the ministry team.
The church is a member of the Oughtibridge Christian Council, with the Parish Church in Oughtibridge (very active with a large young congregation, male led but theologically different from us) and a Methodist church & Independent Church in the adjacent villages. The only joint events are now: the Good Friday service, Carol singing round the tree on Christmas Eve with the Oughtibridge Band and the March World Day of Prayer service.
The hall is used by a Monday Zumba class, a twice monthly over 50s lunch club, weekly music practice and for occasional community meetings. We hold some Saturday coffee mornings to raise funds and have lunchtime socials for Harvest and the New Year.
Located in the centre of the village, our church is well placed to serve God and the community.
Sunday Worship: 2.30pm