Christ Church Cambridge is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in central

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, UK. The church is within the

conservative evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian go ...

tradition and participates in the

Reform movement Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social system, social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more Radicalism (politics), radical social movements such as re ...

. In 2023 the vicar is Rev. David Todd. Christ Church was a '

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticulture, horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the roots ...

' scheme from

St Andrew the Great St Andrew the Great is a Church of England parish church in central Cambridge. Rebuilt in late Gothic style in 1843, it is a Grade II listed building. The church has a Conservative Evangelicalism in Britain, conservative evangelical tradition an ...

in 2004 when a group of around 100 adults and children moved with Rev. Steve Midgley.

Activities

The church is open for public services every Sunday at 9:30am, 11:15am and 5:00pm. Every other week there is a more traditional service at 3:00pm. There are several Sunday school groups for children in the morning services. Also, there are many group meetings during the week.

History

The Abbey Church

The little Abbey Church, formerly known as St Andrew the Less, on Newmarket Road, was once overshadowed by

Barnwell Priory Barnwell Priory was an Augustinians, Augustinian priory at Barnwell, Cambridgeshire, Barnwell in Cambridgeshire, founded as a house of Canons Regular. The only surviving parts are 13th-century claustral building, which is a Grade II* listed, and ...

, which stood behind it, by the river. The only Priory building remaining today is the Cellarer's Chequer at the corner of Beche Road and Priory Road. The Abbey Church was probably built by the Augustinian Canons of the Priory in the early thirteenth century for use by the inhabitants of Barnwell. Only the church and six of the hamlet's 50 houses escaped destruction in a fire on 30 September 1731.

Christ Church

Christ Church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

by Joseph Allen, Bishop of Ely, on 27 June 1839. It had been built at the cost of £3,800. This amount included a donation of £200 from Charles Perry, a keen evangelist: he was later appointed the first Archbishop of Melbourne. Christ Church stands in the parish of St Andrew the Less. St Andrew's Church, known today as the Abbey Church, was closed for public worship when Christ Church was built. For this reason, Christ Church was used as the parish church, and in January 1846, the arrangement was formalized legally. The interior of Christ Church is 58 feet wide, 87 feet long, and 44 feet high. Rather than the usual east-west orientation, Christ Church faces south. Stained glass was fitted in 1885. The Sunday school children gave the font cover. The church was renovated in 1973 and 2013.

Present day

The church is within the

Conservative Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian go ...

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

of the Church of England. It has passed resolutions to reject the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

and/or leadership of women. 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 w ...

from the

Bishop of Ebbsfleet The Bishop of Ebbsfleet is a suffragan bishop who fulfils the role of a provincial episcopal visitor in the Church of England. From its creation in 1994 to 2022, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet served traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes that reject t ...

(currently Rob Munro). The church is part of the Besom volunteer network in Cambridge as well as the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project.Christ Church Cambridge website
/ref>

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cambridge, Christ Church Christ Church, Cambridge 19th-century Church of England church buildings Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom