On Sunday August 24th, one of our church members, James Grote, was arrested outside the front of the church for protesting in support of the proscribed group ‘Palestine Action’. You can find an account of what happened here, published by the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg50lz33jy2o

James is a retired Baptist minister, and now regularly attends New Road Baptist Church. On Sunday, James independently sat on Bonn Square in peaceful protest, before being forcibly removed by the police, and taken into custody.

As a church community, we are rooted in the Baptist tradition of dissent and are supportive of the right to engage in non-violent protest. Like James, we too are appalled by the genocidal actions that we witness on a daily basis in Gaza. As such, we fully affirm the statement released by the Baptists Together in July 2025 concerning Gaza, Israel, The West Bank and East Jerusalem, which is available here: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/447734/Statement.aspx

Rev Jon Keyworth, Minister, New Road Baptist Church, Oxford

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

This church welcomes you!

Who are we?

All ages, different backgrounds
A mix; visitors, new church members, some with lifetime experience
An informal church, accepting people as they are

Coming to a 10.30am Sunday service

For directions please see the directions page
Aim to turn up around 10.25 a.m. (but sometimes we’re late too!)
You’ll be met at the door by a friendly face
We are a friendly bunch, if you’re unsure of something, please ask!
Feel free to be who you are, not someone you aren’t!

What to expect

Our aim: whether you’re looking at Christianity for the first time or have been a Christian for many years,
we want you to be encouraged and inspired by a morning with us.
We hope we will all draw closer to God as a result.

Here’s a quick summary:

We start at 10.30am with a few notices of coming events, followed by silent reflection
The service lasts until about 11.30am
Our worship blends Bible reading and prayer with traditional hymns and modern songs
Everyone can participate in the worship
The average size of our congregation on a Sunday morning is around 30 people
At 11am young people go to their own group. The church implements a strong Safeguarding policy
We have a talk from the bible that is relevant and meaningful to our lives
We share in communion together as part of the service (first and third Sundays); all are welcome to participate
After our service tea and coffee are served; some services are followed by a lunch

What we believe

We are a Christian church and believe all can have relationship with God.
We believe this can happen because of Jesus, who invites us to follow him.

Is it just Sundays?

Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives that show it. We’re not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we want to make a positive difference in everything we do.

For those with disabilities

We aim to be an all-inclusive church and to meet the needs of all who use our building.
Our premises are accessible for those with disabilities. We have a loop for the hearing impaired.
For disabled parking or for other specific needs please contact the church office

Celebrating Marriage

If you would like to be wedded through a Christian marriage service, please contact our minister for a conversation. The church is registered both for the marriage of a man and a woman, and for same-sex marriage.