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About Us


GET TO KNOW US

 

EXPLORE

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About Us


GET TO KNOW US

 

EXPLORE

About Us

Oak Grove is a community church in the fullest sense of the word. We value God and people above all things. We look to serve each other and our neighbours both in Norwich and around the world.

We have a wide range of different groups and community activities which take place across the week that are gradually restarting – many of these take place at Oak Grove Chapel. Check out our What’s On page for details of activities taking place.

Oak Grove Community Church originally started meeting in Catton in a stable in 1935 and then built Oak Grove Chapel in the late sixties. Since 2007, after outgrowing the Chapel for our Sunday worship, we now meet at Catton Grove Primary School. 

People describe us as welcoming and friendly, wanting to make a difference and recognise us as being family orientated in the sense we are part of one big family. We are informal but committed to following God.

Why not come along on a Sunday to find out more about us?

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Sundays


SUNDAYS

Sundays


SUNDAYS

SUNDAYS, 10am

We meet in-person each Sunday at The Hub and we also record our gatherings, which are available on our YouTube channel. If you join us in person there is a large carpark if you come by car and follow the signs to where members of our friendly Welcome Team will be on hand to guide you as you come through the doors. Feel free to say you are new! We generally dress informally and so feel free to come as you are.

We are a family friendly church and never discourage noise from our youngest members, so please don’t worry about that! During August we don’t have any children’s or youth work but have activity bags for children to do whilst with us.

Refreshments are provided at the end of each gathering.

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Location


FIND US

THE HUB // THE CHAPEL

Location


FIND US

THE HUB // THE CHAPEL

Locations

THE HUB

Catton Grove Primary School
Weston Rd,
Norwich,
NR3 3TP

Join us at The Hub for our weekly Sunday Gathering.

You can check out what’s happening this week here and our Sundays page will tell you what to expect if it’s your first time with us.

 

Oak Grove Chapel

70 Catton Grove Road
Norwich,
NR3 3NT

Our main site is based at Oak Grove Chapel, where you will not only find the Chapel itself but also our church office and our great charity shop.

We use this site during the week as the location for most of our community activities and events. There is sure to be something to suit everyone!

Find out more about the different activities you can get involved in.

Our office is open Tuesdays-Thursdays.

 
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Life Groups


 

 

LIFE GROUPS

 

 

 

 

Life Groups


 

 

LIFE GROUPS

 

 

 

 

We want new people to feel at home in our community and what better way to do that than to meet in each other’s homes, to share food, enjoy life together and to reach out to others. We believe that the church is a family where everyone can find a place of belonging. In our Life Groups, we seek to explore how we can love Jesus, love people and also work out how to do this in our daily lives.  Each group has a different feel and focus. Life Groups often take place in people’s homes but they can include a walk in the country, helping in the community, going to a cafe and much more! 

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The Team


 

LEADERSHIP TEAM

 

 

 

The Team


 

LEADERSHIP TEAM

 

 

 

Everyone can have an important part to play in our community but our Leadership Team has overall responsibility for the church. 
They pray and meet regularly to discern and work out our next steps as a church. Feel free to chat to them on a Sunday!

Darren Woodward

Norwich born and bred, Lynette & I have been part of the family of Oak Grove since 1989. We have 2 grown-up children, Sophie, (married to Daniel) and Ryan, and a grand-daughter Ava. I’m a keen cyclist, runner and triathlete and am an erstwhile follower of Liverpool FC.

I took on the Senior Leader role in Oct 2013 after being the church’s community worker for about 10 years.  As Senior Leader I believe that our aim as God’s family is to learn to live, love and lead like Jesus, and as we grow in our relationship with him, we will be able to do the things that Jesus did, and see transformation in our communities today.

Jo Ford

I came to Norwich in 1983 as a student at UEA, and visited Oak Grove several times in my first year, however I started to attend regularly once I had settled in Norwich in 1987 and have been a member ever since. Over the years I have been involved in various activities of the church - the worship group, Toddlers, Junior Church and the Food Bank. I was also employed for several years as the Church's administrator. After leaving employment at Oak Grove I worked as an administrator for a local charity called TimeNorfolk ( I am now a Trustee) and currently work as an office manager at a local company of financial advisers. Colin and I have two grown up daughters - Steph who now lives locally, and Izzi who lives in Redhill. I hope and pray that the skills I have will be useful in helping the church develop in whatever God has for us next.

Lynette Woodward

Darren and I have been part of the Oak Grove family for more than 30 years. We have two grown up children and a beautiful granddaughter (our children are beautiful too!). Since having our children I have worked with families for most of my career and I am a family support worker for Oak Grove. My heart breaks to see families struggle and my hearts desire is to bring about generational change by helping families break negative patterns and make positive changes. I love gardening, walking and sunshine!

 

Steve Appleby

I moved to Norwich in 1998 with my wife, Debs, raising our two (now adult) children. We have been part of the Catton Grove community since 2007. I currently work as a test and validation supervisor for a local engineering consultancy. I am honoured to lead Oak Grove’s worship team and am passionate about helping people encounter God in all aspects of their life, particularly through sung worship and in the releasing of their gifting. I am convinced that no matter what your stage of life is, or where you are in your walk with Jesus, you have a valuable contribution to make to the lives of people and loved one’s around you. After all church is not about the building, it’s the community of people you belong to. You will most likely find me behind a guitar or dealing with some kind of tech.

Carole Ogilvie

Hello All,   You probably know me already but just in case , here's a quick potted history.

I have been a member of Oak Grove for 25yrs plus. I am a mother of 5, grandmother of 10....soon to be 11 and great grandmother of three. You can imagine Christmas and birthday present lists!! I have lived both in Libya and Holland  for a total of 10yrs which gave me varied experiences. My whole working life has been as a Radiographer both at the N&N and Spire hospitals. The last 10 yrs  specialising in Mammography. I am trusting God that my very full life gives me the skills to communicate compassionately and enable me to be an effective member of the leadership team, serving you and our wonderful God and all the plans He has in place for us.

Daniel Starling

I love Jesus, I love my family and I love my church. I've been at Oak Grove community church since my teenage years and it's been a privilege to serve in different capacities. I am married to the beautiful Sophie and we have a beautiful daughter. I am a youth worker by day at North Breckland Youth For Christ and in my spare time I love playing board games, video games and making digital artwork.

 

Megan Saunders

Hi I’m Megan, a twenty-something apprentice of Jesus. I moved to Norwich in 2021 when I was placed here for my DNA discipleship year, and have stayed ever since! I currently have the privilege of working as a Chaplain for YMCA Norfolk. I’m passionate about cats, encountering Jesus through sung worship, intentional spiritual formation and hot chocolate!

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Vision / Values


VISION & VALUES

Vision / Values


VISION & VALUES

Vision

Building Community

Church is not an event I attend, but a community that I belong to

As Christians, we are clearly called to do life together. Following Jesus is a contact sport! We believe that the best analogy for the church is one of community or family. We want to build strong relationships with God and each other in the context of community.

Growing in Discipleship

In the words of Dallas Willard, Discipleship is “learning from Jesus to live my life as he would live my life, if he were me”

Having decided to follow Jesus in faith, we need to develop obedience to what Jesus taught, and then live that out in word and deed in our daily lives. We believe that this learning and application is best worked out together.

Multiplying through Mission

As 21st Century followers of Jesus, we are included in the command recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 to “Go and make disciples”

We are called to go and tell others about the Jesus and the good news that he personified through his life, death and resurrection. To teach others what he commanded and then to train and equip them to do the same


Values

Knowing God

We are known by God, the creator of the universe. He wants to be in relationship with his people, his family. Our desire is to know him more

 

 

Worship

We believe that God deserves to be glorified, honoured, praised and exalted by his people.

It is a command in his word, but we believe it is also a natural response to the grace gift of salvation that God has shown us

 

Spirit

We believe in a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended to heaven, as promised God sent his Holy Spirit to live amongst his people. We believe that the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts detailed in the New Testament are still available to us today

 

PRAYER

We believe in the power of prayer, that when we pray God hears and something happens as a result. As Jesus taught us we pray that “his will be done”

WORD

We believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, that it is true, without error and is the authority on which we base our faith, conduct and doctrine.

COMMUNITY

Church is not about buildings, but people. We believe that the best context to do life and learn is together through community.

Mission

We believe that we are given a mandate to go and spread the good news, as God’s community we want to be part of God’s great mission here on earth

Social Justice

Jesus demonstrated a clear heart for the poor and marginalised of society, we believe that we are likewise called to serve and to stand in the gap for the poor and marginalised of today.

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What's Next


 

 

WHAT'S NEXT?

 

 

 

What's Next


 

 

WHAT'S NEXT?

 

 

 

Have you been attending Oak Grove for a while? Then please visit the Information Desk or speak to one of the leaders about how you can become more involved.   

Or you can contact the church office using the button below with any questions you have and we'd be glad to help you.