News by email Donate

Suggestions

Top Stories

Most Read

Popular Videos

merton-college-oxford-chapel-main_article_image.jpg
Merton College, Oxford
UK News

Peace and curiosity sending more students to college chapels

by Tola Mbakwe

The study by the Church of England published on Wednesday surveyed 54 college chapels in Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, with 40 responding.

It found that student attendance across the campuses jumped from 3,000 in 2017 to 4,500 last year.

Rev Canon Dr Simon Jones has been the chaplain of Merton College in Oxford for 17 years.

He told Premier he has noticed a positive trend over the years.

"I think many students come now with a more open mind to the question of the possibility of God, whereas 17 years ago I think many students had encountered the church already and decided whether it was something for them or not," he said.

Canon Simon added that college chapels offer benefits that other church off campus don't.

"I think one of the things that a college chapel does is it has a very close intimate relationship with the community it's part of.

 "I think a chapel can provide a place of calm and peace right in the heart of what's often a very busy community."

In Oxbridge and Durham college chapels around 3 per cent of students attend Sunday services as opposed to 1 per cent of the English population.

Canon Simon said he believes the positive trend will continue as chapels offer much more than Sunday services.

"We offer discussion groups, opportunities to explore the Christian faith, there are opportunities to socialise with other people, often trips, pilgrimages and retreats.

"I think it's very encouraging and very encouraging for those of us who work in Oxford or Cambridge and Durham to see that that chapels fulfilling this this important role."

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate