Where are you situated? St Paul's is based on the busy Hills Road near the town centre, opposite Domino's Pizza and Maison Clement, CB2 1JP. We have a short but prominent tower and a small but busy church garden with picnic tables that are well used by locals.

What sort of Church are you? It is our desire, our hope, our prayer, our aspiration, that any and all who find themselves within the orbit of St. Paul’s might make deep and abiding connections through our services, our community involvement and our pastoral care – connections within ourselves, with other people, with the planet we share and with the God in whom all things hold together. Our aim is to support one another to live authentically as we seek to respond to the love of God in Christ Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.

Our building is a thriving community with an inviting foyer and garden, a green refuge on a busy road into the centre of Cambridge, is open to all. Although you may have noticed the scaffolding around our tower, which is slowly coming down - this has impacted on our garden space. Many people still use our picnic tables for lunch and socialising.

The building is used by many different organisations, local, national and international, for celebrations, classes, meeting, conferences and social and cultural events and of course church gatherings. Twice a week Foodbank is in our church and we serve three meals a week in our community kitchen.

Who is your Vicar? Rev'd Imogen Nay is our Vicar and she can be contacted on vicar@stpaulscambridge.org.uk

How do you get here? On a Sunday morning many will cycle to church (we have bike racks); there are also bus routes that stop very close by (13, 7, 3, C) and parking on some local streets for free is possible on Sundays (St Paul's Road, for instance). Cambridge train station is a 15 minute walk away. The main worship space is through the foyer (pass the toilets!) and directly ahead from the main doors. Parking is not easy around us, there is pay and display on the local streets, although it's free to park on Sundays and in the evenings. Do check signs carefully wherever you park locally.

Who comes here? People come to our church who live in the parish, but many come from further afield. You are welcome if you live close by or further away. Some people have been at the church for a long time, but many have joined recently. We love to see new people at our services!

What about children? Every week there is Sunday Club for 4-11 year olds and a space for toddlers in the church. Every other week there is a Youth Group (11-16). Find out more under Church/Children and Young People.

How do I find out more? If you'd like to find out more about us before coming to the building, you can watch the weekly service on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/stpaulscam

You can also email the Vicar to ask to start receiving the weekly news and service sheet (vicar@stpaulscambridge.org.uk). Or contact the office and speak to Dawn - you can call, email or drop by. Dawn is our Centre Manager and Parish Administrator and is usually around 9-5pm, Monday to Friday.

How long are your services? Our main worship service on a Sunday morning is about 1 hour and 15 minutes long. People are invited to say afterwards for refreshments but you don't have to. Feel free to stay for as long as you like.

What are your services like: We are an Anglican church. Our services are informal; we sit in the round with the altar in the middle. The first part of the service begins with songs (we have contemporary songs like Iona and Taize and an informal choir), with readings from the Bible and a sermon. People from the congregation read, lead prayers, give notices, sing in the choir and more. We have Holy Communion every week on a Sunday (where we share the bread and wine together and remember Jesus). There are other services during the week, have a look under Church/Services.

What more can you tell me? Our church is a busy community centre, but we also have a dedicated Chapel, entry via St Paul's Road. Imogen says Morning Prayer here Monday to Friday at 8.30am, you are welcome to join her. Coming from Hills Road, its the second church door on the right (just before the first house). If you'd like to visit the Chapel at other times, please do ask Dawn in the main church office, she'd be happy to take you there.

Anglican daily prayer here: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer

Anything else? Hospitality is very important to St Paul's. There are three meals in our community centre each week, cooked by volunteers. Monday Night Supper, Thursday and Friday Lunch. Find out more under Community/Hospitality.

As part of the Church of England in the diocese of Ely, we affirm the 5 marks of mission of the Anglican communion (www.anglicancommunion.org), to tell, teach, tend, transform and treasure by committing ourselves:

• To be ready to share our stories of faith with others.
• To be a loving community.
• To express love and compassion for our neighbours.
• To work together with others for just institutions both locally and across the globe.
• To care for creation.

Please click here to read our Annual Report 2021/22

As a church we are also members of two organisations. There is also an Inclusive Church Group and an Eco Group- new members are welcome.

Inclusive Church (www.inclusive-church.org) Is a network of churches, groups and individuals uniting together around a shared vision which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. It encourages the exploration of ways to be more inclusive, including matters of ethnicity, disability, mental health, gender, sexuality, and economic power. The Church has an Inclusive Church Group.

A Rocha UK Eco Church (www.arocha.org) Underlying the work or A Rocha is faith in the Creator God who made the world, loves it and who has given freely and abundantly. They run the popular Eco Church scheme which helps churches plan and make changes to their common life to help demonstrate their commitment to caring for and cherishing creation. A Rocha works cross-culturally in conservation and restoration and works in partnership with a variety of organisations and individuals who share concerns for a sustainable world. The Church has an Eco Group.

We are part of the Church of England in the Diocese of Ely and our Bishops are Bishop Stephen and Bishop Dagmar. You can find out more about the Anglican Church, what it believes and its structure here: https://www.churchofengland.org/. You can join in with

The site was sold by Caius College in 1839 to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and the church was built as a chapel of ease in 1841 at a cost of £5,766. It became an independent parish a few years later. It was designed by Ambrose Poynter (1796-1886), a pupi lof John Nash who had a long and wide-ranging career as a church architect. Designated a Grade II building, the interior of the church was converted in 1996 and then again in 20—to create a more flexible space for church gatherings and for community use.

Church of St. Paul, Cambridge 1349075 (www.historicengland.org.uk)

https://centrestpauls.wordpress.com/history/