Mass on campus takes place in L/036 at 11:00am. The location, a university classroom, means that music is very pleasantly provided by guitars, flutes, and even a saxophone. There’s plenty of opportunity to get involved, from preparing the room to reading, and you’ll find a warm welcome here. The homilies are often very thought-provoking, and there’s always a crowd to discuss them with over a pub lunch! Those more used to a ‘traditional’ church atmosphere won’t get that here, but you will find a friendly and relaxed community.

Tom Saddington (contact ths102@york.ac.uk)

Elim Pentecostal Church

Elim Pentecostal Church is located right in the city centre; on Swinegate street, next to a popular Chinese restaurant. You can stroll from campus in 40 minutes to the 6.30pm evening service (which is followed at 9pm by a youth event called the Trough) or have a 20 minute rush to the 10am morning service. Elim is a small church, but this means people are more likely to remember you and be generally friendly. It has a very lively style of worship which could be initially intimidating to anyone coming from a traditional, liturgy based church — however, don’t give up as it becomes much less confusing once one ceases to expect the services to follow any particular pattern.

Fiona Worthy (contact frw100@york.ac.uk)

Gateway Church

Gateway (formerly known as Acomb Christian Fellowship) is a church of about 150–200 people. The church is affiliated to NFI (New Frontiers International) and meets every Sunday at 10:30am in a school in Acomb, on the other side of York. The people are friendly and welcoming (Sunday lunch invitations are common!) and there is a good mix of families, young couples and older people. The services are very much centred around the worship which is open and lively; teaching is good and varied. The church is very outward looking and strong on reaching out into the community. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in home groups, childrens’ work and the worship band. There is only a small group of students who attend regularly; this can be a good or bad thing depending on how much you like students! The only disadvantage is transport to and from church which can sometimes be a problem since the church sold its minibus, but if you’re keen there’s always a way to get there.

Vicki Russell-Smith (contact vhrs100@york.ac.uk)

Heslington Church

Heslington church (or Hes as it’s commonly known) is a joint Anglican and Methodist church. It works hard to combine the two flavours without losing either’s authenticity. Services alternate between the two denominations. The preaching is mostly done by one of the chaplains or Nancy, the vicar there. As a Methodist I often miss the variety of preachers which you get a regular Methodist churches. The 10 o’clock services are fairly formal and traditional, but with a modern edge and there is a good group of students who regularly attend. The evening services are much more informal affairs, and they’re at the far more civilised time of 6.30pm!

Rachel Cavill (contact rc121@york.ac.uk)

Melbourne Terrace

Just 10 minutes walk away from campus there is a tiny little Methodist church called Melbourne Terrace. (Turn left at the Victoria on the way into town and it’s on your right.) It may not have heard of the latest choruses, it may not use the latest ‘trendy’ words in prayer, they may not have a worship band and youthful worship leaders, there may even be only you under the age of 60; but one thing you can be sure of is that they’ll all give you a good welcome and be pleased to see you there. The elderly and fairly small congregation, hold their services at 10.30am on Sunday mornings (The noticeboard claims they also have one at 6.30pm — but it lies!). So, if you are looking for a traditional Methodist hymn-sandwich type service, then this is a good place to go.

Rachel Cavill (contact rc121@york.ac.uk)

St George’s Methodist Church

St George’s is a small church about 15 minutes walk from campus. Services are at 10:45am every Sunday. The congregation are a mixture of young families and older people, all from the surrounding communities of Tang Hall and Osbaldwick. Student attendance is low, but the welcome is always very warm. Services are relaxed without being ‘happy-clappy’, with children encouraged to participate. The preaching may vary considerably in style, but there is always a focus on the life of Christ, and often an emphasis on mission and campaigning for social justice at both local and global levels. The minister, Phil Hoar, is also minister at Central Methodist Church.

Matt Campbell (contact Christis for more details)

St. George’s R.C. Church

Mass at St. George’s normally lasts about an hour, with around 150–200 people attending. Sunday morning Masses are also accompanied by a music group consisting of flute, guitar, clarinet and electrical organ. There is nothing preventing students getting involved especially in the choir or music group.

Masses for Sunday are at 6:30pm on Saturday evening and 10:00am and 6:30pm on Sunday. Confessions are at 10:00–10:30am and 5:00–6:00pm on Saturdays.

St. George’s is located just within the city walls near the Barbican centre.

Michael Puljic (contact mtp101@york.ac.uk)

St Laurence’s Church

St Laurence’s is the church with the spire between campus and town. This Anglican church, generally moderate but with some ‘high’ tendencies, attracts a smallish, friendly, mostly older congregation to its main Sunday services (10am and 6:30pm). These services (held in the Church Hall in winter) are mostly traditional in style, and last less than an hour; sermons tend to be likewise short. St Laurence’s is not one of the usual ‘student’ churches; however, it has the advantages of being quite close to campus, and having a strong sense of community, of which you will soon feel a part.

Peter Tyler (contact Christis for more details)

St. Michael-le-Belfrey Church

This is probably the most renowned of York’s evangelical churches. Its a large Anglican congregation situated in the centre of town next to the Minster made famous by being the church where David Watson preached and helped start revival in the 1970s. There are two morning services, a more traditional service at 9am and a family service at 11am. The evening service at 7pm is more charismatic but all the church events are imbibed with healthy biblical teaching and enthusiastic worship. Roger Simpson is the present vicar, and Ian Birkinshaw and Jim Roberts are the Associate pastor and curate respectively.

Dave Maclure (contact dsm101@york.ac.uk)

Tang Hall Community Church

Tang Hall is a lively evangelical church with good biblical preaching, lively music and has a very relaxed, family feel. The congregation is a pleasant size and students have been warmly accepted into the church and usually finish their Sundays well fed from the world famous Tang Hall Student Lunch! The church now meets in Archbishop Holgate School in the mornings (at 11am) and at St. George’s church hall in the evening (at 6pm).

Alan Pike (contact acp112@york.ac.uk)

York Baptist on Priory Street

There’s a 10:45am and a 6:30pm service, the former usually a family service. People from all ages attend, especially those with kids. About 10 students from York Uni go and it’s easy to get involved. The church is smaller than some others and the people are really friendly and welcoming. You also get to know the other students quite well, and those on campus can meet up to walk in the morning or get a lift in the evening. Every other week there’s also a Student Fellowship. Obviously it’s a Baptist Church but everyone’s welcome. Worship is good (i.e. not boring) but isn’t ‘happy clappy’. At the moment there’s no minister so you get a variety of sermons, but there’s still very much a church family.

Meg Lewis (contact megelator@btinternet.com)

The York Minster

Since the Minster is York’s most famous place of worship, it is probably worth attending at least one service during any long spell here. The style of the services is formal and ‘high’, as you would expect, and the cathedral choir is excellent. As with any such prestigious place, there are drawbacks. Don’t expect to be greeted by the clergy, or anyone else for that matter. There is very little sense of being part of a community. Connoisseurs of sermons will appreciate the contrasting perspectives of some of the preaching Canons though. Main Eucharist is at 10:00am on Sundays.

Ian Warren (contact ijw101@york.ac.uk)