Cambridge’s first ‘atheist church’ is set to launch in the city in October. The Sunday Assembly, which has been organised by stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans – lapsed Christians who missed the sense of community of churchgoing – is intended to capture the communal spirit of normal worship, but without any of the beliefs that are fundamental to normal churches.

The group believes that being an atheist does not stop somebody from being loving, or having a sense of wonder at the natural world. The Assembly’s motto is “live better, help often, wonder more”.

“We are born from nothing and go to nothing”, says the Assembly’s Public Charter. “Let’s enjoy it together.”

Sunday Assemblies already take place in London, Brighton, Bristol, Melbourne and New York. The London group has a regular congregation of between 400 and 600 people, who gather to sing, listen to speeches from secular figures, and share tea and cake. Members of the group are also encouraged to get involved in community activities such as litter-picking.

The Sunday Assembly is part of a new wave within atheism. Over the past ten years ‘New Atheists’ and ‘antitheists’, such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, have dominated the public eye. Recently, however, a new approach has developed, with people like the Cambridge alumnus Alain de Botton arguing that not having a God shouldn’t prevent someone from having a spirituality, or even a church. In his 2012 book, Religion for Atheists, de Botton encouraged non-believers to “steal” the best bits from religion to help them lead a better life.

A free launch event at The Junction on 27th October is planned to be the beginning of this new movement in Cambridge, a city already home to plenty of places of worship. Speaking to Cambridge News, the Rev Nick Moir, vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Chesterton, said: “My attitude would be ‘good luck to them’”.