About Oasis In the shop Contact Oasis The Oasis Story Oasis in 1984 The Oasis Christian Centre is the retail outlet of the interdenominational Oasis Christian Trust; Registered Charity No. 295266. Early in 1984 a Christian couple in Romsey felt it would be right to set up a shop as a resource centre for Christian products and also to sell products from developing countries. Two other families joined them and between them they raised the money to buy the freehold of 25 Church Street, an old, rather uninspiring, dimly lit, property in the heart of Romsey, with deeds going back to 1642. The building was in a bad state of repair and much work was necessary before it could open for business. By the end of September 1984 sufficient progress had been made in the shop so that the doors could be opened to the public. Even after the shop opened repair work continued on the two upper floors and the roof. The last major improvement was the rebuilding of the barn at the back of the shop in 1990. Being in a conservation area the bricks from the old building had to saved and used for the new building. It may seem strange for a bookshop to sell Scout and Guide uniforms, but this came about because the previous owner of the shop was a Men’s Outfitter who sold the uniforms and we were asked by all concerned to continue. When the trust was registered in 1986 the vision of the founders was incorporated in the Trust Deed. In legal prose it reads: Acting as a focal point for Christians, for encouragement and the building up of God’s people in the Christian faith in Romsey and worldwide Promoting assisting supporting Christian outreach work and charitable organisations for the promotion of Christian missionary evangelistic and relief works After a number of years the initial loans, that were used to set up the shop, were repaid and since then, in keeping with the objectives of the Trust, all surplus funds are donated to missionary and relief causes. In addition to selling, Oasis is also a collecting focal point for the Operation Christmas Child (Shoebox Appeal), Book Aid (second-hand Christian books and Bibles), Christian Aid donations, the Food Bank and Scratch. We even collect used stamps which are passed on to the Leprosy Mission. Each year we have stalls at the New Forest Show; you will find us in the Church marquee. Oasis at the New Forest Show The shop is staffed by a qualified manageress, who is responsible to the Trustees for the running of the shop, together with volunteers from many of the churches in and around Romsey. Over the years the performance of the team has been recognised by merit awards, both by the local Chamber of Commerce and nationally by the Christian Booksellers Association. At the same time what we sell has changed; cassette tapes have been replaced by CD’s and DVD’s, the versions of the Bible have multiplied, the uniforms have changed and cheques are being replaced by credit cards. As a consequence the skills of our staff have had to change. The area served by the Shop has also changed; initially this was just Romsey but now we also serve Churches and customers in Salisbury, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton, the New Forest and further afield. All may change but the Gospel doesn’t change and neither does our Trust Deed. Latest News Christmas comes to Oasis! Today is Advent Sunday New in… Thankful It’s nearly here! Subscribe to our newsletter GO! WE ARE OPEN (AS FROM 12/4/21) Monday 9.30am - 4.30pm Tuesday 9.30am - 4.30pm Wednesday 9.30am - 2.00pm Thursday 9.30am - 4.30pm Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm Saturday 9.30am - 4.00pm Sunday Closed FIND US AT: Oasis Christian Centre 25 Church Street Romsey Hampshire SO51 8BT Map GET IN TOUCH… By phone: 01794 512194 By email: shop@oasisromsey.co.uk Oasis Christian Centre is a registered charity - number: 1171906 Privacy Policy © Oasis Christian Centre All rights reserved. Website by Jason.