Herts and Essex Border Ecumenical Area

Minister with Pastoral Charge

Reverend Ernie Bosse
Email: ernestbosse250@gmail.com
Tel: 01920 461466

Covid Safety

Please consider wearing a face covering as a courtesy to those around you especially when moving around the building. Please do not come to church if you are unwell. Let's continue to keep each other safe.

Sunday Worship at 9.45 am

The worship style varies as a wide variety of lay and ordained personnel from different Christian traditions lead services, but it tends towards the 'traditional' usually using the URC hymnbook 'Rejoice and Sing'.
Holy Communion takes place approximately once a month and Parade services are also held monthly when the Brownies are present.
Worshippers come from many Christian backgrounds. This is the only free church in the village and all who love the Lord Jesus Christ or who are seeking to know more about the Christian faith are warmly encouraged to join us.
Roydon United Reformed Church is a welcoming village church. We share our minister with Leaside LEP.

Weekly, monthly and occasional events and activities

Events and activities are now resuming with Covid-19 safety measures in place to keep everyone safe. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.

'Busy Bee's Playgroup is back in session! As well as fun activities and play for toddlers it also provided a space for parents with young children to get together, share experiences, and have a cup of tea/coffee.
Monthly Saturday Coffee Mornings in the Palmer Room run by a team of dedicated church members.
'Spring' and 'Autumn' Fairs — our main fundraising events run by church members.
A lunch club was set up by members of the church in 2009. They meet monthly at the local pub and currently have 25 members from the village and both churches.
The church has also been hired out as warm and welcoming venue for a pop-up 'Vintage Tea Room'
For more than forty years the church has supported the local Brownie pack which prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic met in the church every week during term-time. It is hoped meetings of the group will restart in 2021.

News & Links

Church history and buildings

Roydon United Reformed Church originated in 1798. Built in 1851 the current church was altered and enlarged in 1933. The pews were removed some years ago which has enabled the church sanctuary to be multi-purpose.

In 2012 a substantial side extension was built providing a new entrance, welcoming area, toilets, and meeting room with kitchen known as the 'Palmer Room'.

In the summer of 2020 extensive building works were undertaken to remedy subsidence issues and repair the resultant cracks and defects in the walls and large window on the front façade of the church. The interior was also decorated, and the Church is now safe and watertight.

The church stands in a well-kept churchyard that is well visited and there is a large carpark.

The United Reformed Church

Who is the United Reformed Church? We are a family of Christians, worshipping in the name of Jesus in about 1500 local churches from Orkney to Cornwall.

'Reformed' means that we delight in the Bible, we do not fear change, and we try to run our churches in ways that take everyone's insight and contribution seriously.
'United' is an important part of our story. We started when English Presbyterians merged with English and Welsh Congregationalists in 1972. Churches of Christ joined in 1981 and Scottish Congregationalists in 2000. We still work as closely as we can with Christians of all traditions and styles.
And we are one 'Church'. We aim to grow through supporting one another and taking decisions together.

All our tasks and posts are open to women as fully as to men. We are an intercultural church, where people with varied ethnic roots enrich each other's Christian living. Our people hold a range of opinions about theology and church life. In the words of the denominations Statement of Nature, Faith and Order (1990) together we are firmly committed to 'God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The living God, the only God, ever to be praised.'

Find out more, by exploring the URC website, or (even better) by coming to meet us and worshipping with us.