We are an active and inclusive Christian community-based in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre. At AUC, we celebrate the Christian Story, welcome and affirm people of all races, genders, sexualities, ages, faiths and abilities and work to promote justice and well-being locally and globally. We come together to worship and to make a difference.
We are a congregation of the United Reformed Church. We are an Aligned Organisation with the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) and work in partnership with MCC to offer our joint LGBTQI+ ministry called ‘Our Tribe’. We share in an ecumenical covenant with Greyfriars Kirk and St Columba’s-by-the-Castle SEC.
Sunday Worship
Our Sunday Worship Service takes place at 11 am every Sunday, both online and in-person, and everyone is welcome to participate. Our team of Worship Leaders work hard to ensure our worship is expansive in language, inclusive in nature and is held in a culture of welcome where there is clear permission to join in or not as is worshipful for each person. On the second Sunday of the month in term time, we offer Interactive Worship which invites interaction and activity as expressions of worship. Communion is offered on the first and third Sundays of each month, which everyone is welcome to share in, in the building or online. For more information about our services and how to access them online, please visit the Sunday Worship page.
Trans-affirming congregation
AUC is a Trans-affirming and celebrating community. We believe all genders are made in the image of God and that our many members who are Transgender are a gift from God to be celebrated. As one body we share hurt and joy, and in our current climate reaffirm that all our congregational events and groups welcome people of all genders (including trans, non-binary, intersex and all others) and seek to enact Resolution 21 of the URC General Assembly 2023: The General Assembly of the URC, affirms the human dignity of transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people and asserts their right, within and beyond the URC, to live without threat of violence and hatred.
Give the Our Tribe and AUC Facebook pages a like.
Support the mission of AUC
AUC is a charity that depends on donations from our members and supporters. Regular or one-off donations can be made to support the ministry & mission of AUC online with PayPal or by Bank Transfer. If you would like the bank details of the church to set up a standing order, please contact Rachel on centre.manager@augustine.org.uk
If you haven’t already done so and are a UK taxpayer, please complete our Gift Aid Declaration so that Augustine United Church can claim an additional 25p for every £1 you donate. Alternatively, you can download our Gift Aid Form if you prefer not to fill it out online.
AUC Virtual Tour
We present a short video tour of the building. Walk inside from George IV Bridge to our sanctuary and right down to the exit on Merchant Street. Discover how the building reflects our roots in the ‘Radical’ Scottish Reformation and our evolving values over almost 160 years. Click the image below to view the video on our Facebook Page:
Keep informed @ AUC
If you would like to be kept informed about what is going on at AUC, you can:
- e-mail centre.manager@augustine.org.uk to be added to the mailing list for our weekly Friday Notices
- like our Facebook Page – more info here
How is it the second weekend of August already?
Here at AUC, that means one thing: it's time for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
We're delighted to have Paradise Green back with us, transforming our city centre church into 5 (yes, 5!) venues.
You can explore the shows on offer using these links:
Paradise In Augustine's - George IV Bridge
Spaces: The Sanctuary, The Studio, The Snug
tickets.edfringe.com/venues/paradise-in-augustines
Paradise In The Vault - Merchant Street*
Spaces: The Vault, The Annexe
tickets.edfringe.com/venues/paradise-in-the-vault
*To access Paradise in the Vault from the main entrance of AUC: cross over George IV Bridge, walk past Greyfriars Bobby and down Candlemaker Row and go under George IV Bridge (Merchant Street). This will take you to the Pend where you can access Paradise in the Vault spaces.
You can see what the 5 venues look like on the Paradise Green website: www.paradise-green.co.uk/perform/venues/ or the Paradise at AUC page on our website (www.augustine.org.uk/2025/08/03/paradise-at-auc/)
SERVICES DURING THE FRINGE
We also have one alteration to our usual worship pattern this month:
Sunday 16th - we're off on our annual pilgrimage with our TLC Partners Greyfriars Kirk and St Columba's by the Castle. There will be NO worship in the building on this day or online.
All other Sunday services will run as planned during the Fringe.
Please note: the Sanctuary has now been transformed into a theatre, so if you've not been to church in-person or joined us online either through Zoom or YouTube during Fringe before, prepare yourself for it to look quite different! And do bear with us if there are any teething problems or snags.
Our logo is a Dandelion, and we often describe ourselves as the dandelion church. But what does that mean for us?🪴
The Dandelion is a flower of hope, spreading nurturance and joy even in hard places. Often perceived by adults as a weed and children as a bouquet, the Dandelion has small determined seeds. These are very like the mustard seeds with which Jesus compared the Commonwealth of God (Matthew 13: 31 & 32). We hope the life and work of our community will be like Dandelion seeds: carried in the breath of the Spirit to grow justice and joy in our lives and world.💛🌼
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
📷Photo by the wonderful Aubrey, @_aworkofarch_ on instagram.
Excited for Pride? Us too! Join us for Pride activities Saturday 20th June and for our Pride service on Sunday 21st. All are welcome and we'd love to see you there! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️❤️
Our Tribe - AUC
Latest News
- Everyday Normal – Sarah Jones tour
- Making our wishes clear
- When the world trembles
- Perspectives on LGBTQ+ History
- Being One
What’s On
Click the image for the full AUC Calendar
Seeds – Latest Issue
