On Sunday 1st June, Trinity Church in Abingdon will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its opening in 1875. To mark this special occasion, there will be a thanksgiving service at 3pm, with former ministers Revd Malcolm Atherton, Revd Richard Bittleston, and Revd Ian Griffiths joining the current minister, Revd Georgina Bondzi-Simpson.
As part of the celebrations, there will be an exhibition in the church, looking back over Trinity’s 150-year history. A slideshow of images will be shown during the service, and from 2:30pm, a 20-minute extract from the 1980 BBC Songs of Praise broadcast from Trinity will be playing. The broadcast includes a performance by the Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers.

If you have any photos or memories of Trinity Church that could be included in the exhibition, please get in touch via: trinity.abingdon@gmail.com.

The service will be followed by tea in the Conduit Centre, and all are warmly invited. If you’d like to stay for tea, please RSVP by 25th May to: trinity.abingdon@gmail.com. This will help with catering numbers.

Thankyou.

In Abingdon today, congregations from the town’s different churches began Good Friday in their own buildings before coming together for a united walk of witness. The procession moved solemnly down Bury Street, led by a man carrying a cross.

The Market Place was already busy with a Farmers’ Market.

So instead of gathering in the Market Place, the crowd assembled in nearby Roysse Court, where the Salvation Army band played hymns.

There were prayers, hymns, and reflections shared by speakers from various churches.

The Salvation Army speaker emphasized that the cross represents a message of love and forgiveness, uniting the churches in their shared faith.

Following a Palm Sunday service at Trinity Church, sixteen people (some pictured here) processed around Albert Park, Abingdon. The group shared the spirit of Palm Sunday through song and by handing out palm crosses, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week.

Here are some pictures from the blog in previous years. Palm Sunday is the Sunday when churches go outdoors and hire donkeys.

On Sunday, 23rd March 2025, the Church of Our Lady & St Edmund hosted Abingdon-on-Thames’ Civic Service for the year 2024/25. Led by the Mayor, Councillor Gabby Barody, the service celebrated inclusivity and community groups.

The Civic Party entered to “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen. Father Jamie McGrath opened the proceedings with prayers, followed by a welcome from the Mayor. Reflections were shared by the Mayor’s multi-faith and humanist chaplains: Deacon Selina Nisbett, Dr Hamid Al Shejni, and Pat Winslow (read on her behalf by the Mayor). The church choir performed Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.

The Mayor introduced local groups making a difference, including Host Abingdon, Pranic Healing, Thames Valley Roller Skating Club, Abingdon Breastfeeding Café, and Open Doors.

Thank you to Martin Wackenier for the photographs.