Jesus: bringing life and hope to our community
Arbury Community Church is one of a number of Evangelical churches in Cambridge. We are from all walks of life with a wide spread of ages and nationalities. Our relationships with God and with each other are of great importance and we aim to be a large family and value our friendships with each other. We consider everyone to be equal whatever their situation in this life
We don't claim to be perfect but we do try to serve God, not to be selfish and to put the needs of others before our own. We think that being a Christian is mainly about lifestyle rather than just attending church. We like our meetings to be lively, relevant and inclusive. We are quite informal and there is no need to dress up.
You can find out more about us and what we do by browsing this web site.
How we work
The church is led by two elders, Tony Males and Nathan Whitbread, who are supported by a wider eldership team. Many others in the church have delegated responsibility in children and young people's work, pastoral care, teaching, worship, prayer, hospitality and events.
New Fellowship CIO is a registered charity which provides funding for the church's expenses and activities. The Trustees are members of Arbury Community Church and are responsible for ensuring that the charity's objectives are achieved. The CIO employs a part time church administrator. Working in partnership with other churches through synergy www.synergysphere.org
www.synergysphere.org
Our Vision
Jesus: bringing hope and life to our Community
As part of this vision we want to deliver the following aims:
a) Grow and develop as a worshipping community
b) Use and grow our God given gifts for the glory of God.
c) Show others Jesus in our schools, colleges, workplaces, community and neighbourhoods.
d) Show Jesus’ love in practical ways to one another and to our communities.
e) Develop future leaders.
Our History
Our church was started by a small group of people who were led by the Holy Spirit to express worship and Christian fellowship in a way that reflected the pattern described in the New Testament. In 1981 a few families began meeting in the front room of John and Diane Robertshaw on Arbury Road. The new house church was called "New Fellowship" and after a year or so outgrew the lounge for Sunday meetings so began to meet in a classroom at Arbury Primary School.
At this time John was one of the church elders and worked as a secondary school science teacher. He was later called to full time ministry and became the leader, supported by Diane who continued to work as a physiotherapist.
The church continued to grow as people of Arbury and Kings Hedges heard the good news of Jesus and experienced the love of God through meeting people in this Christian community. It was renamed "Arbury Community Church". Sunday meetings moved from the classroom to the assembly hall and smaller midweek gatherings took place in people's homes.
John and Diane made hundreds of friendly connections with people in north Cambridge, opened their home to visitors and ran a mother and toddler group at Arbury Community Centre on Campkin Road. This venue became the meeting place for Sunday morning fellowship from 2000 and apart from a break during the 2020-21 pandemic, is still where you will find Arbury Community Church worshipping, learning and encouraging one another.
John and Diane stepped down from their leadership roles in 2017.
The current leadership team are very grateful for the example they set, the vision they imparted and the wisdom they shared.
