A new season is beginning at St Augustine’s Church, Rodbourne, as we welcome a growing partnership with the Mission of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Swindon. From August, the two congregations will share the church building in a new rhythm of worship that reflects hospitality, creativity, and a shared desire to serve the community. 

 Under this new pattern: 

 • The St Augustine’s community will meet for Sunday morning worship on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. 

 • The Romanian Orthodox Church will gather on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays. 

  - Midweek services, Messy Church, and Saturday morning openings will continue as usual, ensuring that St Augustine’s remains a place of welcome, prayer, and community. 

 This six-month trial offers a creative and prayerful response to the needs of both communities - one seeking a sustainable pattern of worship, the other a spiritual home in Swindon. The successes of this partnership are already beginning to materialise. The Romanian Orthodox community, which previously had no Sunday morning base in Swindon, has quickly grown, drawing people who were travelling to Oxford or Bristol, or who had been out of church altogether. St Augustine’s has become a spiritual home for many, and a place of welcome and renewal. 

 This new chapter comes at a time of reflection and sadness for St Augustine’s. Like many churches across the country, it has experienced a gradual decline in attendance over recent decades. With limited clergy resources and a small but faithful congregation, the church has been discerning how best to continue its mission in Rodbourne. This partnership is a brave and hopeful step, rooted in faith and a shared desire to see the church building continue to serve as a place where people meet with God.