St Mary Magdalene's, Woodstock
Charity and Community Involvement
The church aims to be involved in charities operating both locally and more widely, and we hold regular events and fundraising activities to support our chosen partners.
A Community Café takes the form of monthly coffee mornings, with the majority of the proceeds being donated to the North Oxfordshire Community Food Bank. Cakes for consumption and sale, as well as jams, marmalades and other produce are donated by members of the congregation, and tea, coffee and cakes are served. A collection point is also provided to allow members of the congregation and others to donate tinned food and packets of dry foodstuff for the charity, and this is emptied regularly by the charity. The church also acts, on occasion, as a collection point for other charitable donations for causes such as the Ukraine Crisis, with great success.
A Christmas lunch has also been provided, at nominal cost, for local residents who would normally be alone on Christmas Day. We are grateful to Blenheim Palace for providing the hot food element of the lunch from their kitchens, and the contributions from recipients are used towards providing wine and soft drinks. This event is eagerly anticipated and appreciated and around 20 people have attended in recent years.
A link with Oxford homeless charities is also provided. In particular we support the Living Room in nearby Oxford, and appeals are made to the congregation and their friends, for good quality clothing, and other useful items. We have also undertaken fundraising activities in aid of this cause, and recently held a “Talents and Treasures” auction which raised over £1,000, shared between our own roof appeal and the Living Room. Notices in the church give contact details for people in need of support, and some of our congregation are able to provide personal links with St. Mungo’s, the organisation which is key to obtaining assistance in this area.
The church is also made available for fundraising concerts for various charities. These are well attended, and additionally provide welcome revenue for the charity involved.
In conjunction with Wake up to Woodstock Local Information Woodstock | Visit Woodstock, Oxfordshire (wutw.co.uk), we host the annual Woodstock Festive Fayre. Stalls are available for charities alongside the commercial stalls at this annual event, held in advance of Christmas. Church members run the refreshment stall, offering mulled wine in the evening and coffee, tea and cakes throughout the day. The event is hugely popular and benefits the local community, the charities involved and also raises funds for the church.
St. Mary Magdalene hosts the monthly meetings of several local organisations including Woodstock Probus group and the Woodstock Society. The local Arts Festival, featuring the work of local artists, is also held in the church. The Woodstock Music Society uses the church for its regular concerts, which are always very well attended, and other societies make use of our facilities when they expect to welcome large numbers of attendees. St. Mary Magdalene also brings together members of the community for large civic occasions, always hosting the annual Remembrance Day commemorations. Our catering facilities, and screen projection opportunities, can be used for occasions like the recent Coronation of King Charles III, when the church was open for people to come to view this important occasion together as a community. (Some eagle-eyed viewers recognised a past Rector taking part in the Coronation proceedings!)
Alongside regular worship, the church is kept open daily for private prayer and also receives a number of visitors looking round the historic building. A short history of the church has been produced, and is available at the rear of the church.
A tree of life votive candle stand features towards the front of the nave, and visitors are invited to light a candle to accompany a prayer or to commemorate the life of a loved one. A Book of Remembrance is also kept at the rear of the church, and the pages are turned every day, so that anniversaries can be remembered in the quiet peace of the building.
Meeting space is provided for regular meetings of the local Alcoholics Anonymous group.