Mar ch to Ma y 202 5 Editor’ s Greeting R evd Adam E arle It’ s March already , and a great deal has happe ne d since our l ast edition of Conne ct. The “ten t” of the Ipswich and E ast P astor ate has spread wider and partner ships have developed. These are ex citing and cha lle ngi ng time s as the whole o f the United R ef ormed Church looks to the future with a sense of hone st realism a nd t he hope of where God is lea ding us a nd what God has in s t or e. Things change, as the Moder ator , R evd L ythan Nevard, reminded us at the W elcome Ser vice at Hadle igh U RC on Sunday 9 th February , “When someone joins the body we ar e all changed. ” Ther e is alwa ys room to embrace new communit ies, new people, and new opportunities for faith a nd mission. T ogether , as a pastor ate we ar e c ommit t ed to work, as f ar as we are able, to enable each of the churches to flourish. Y es, there has been change, and yes ther e will be further change to accommodate in v arious w a y s. As together we seek God’ s will and discern the ne xt steps that we mus t t ak e to r each out and bring God’ s love to each of the communitie s embraced by the Ipswich and E ast URC P astor ate, let’ s uphold each other in pr a yer as we shar e the good news.

Congr a t ul a ti on s Adam and Emily W oodhouse Man y f olk in the Ipswich and E as t pastor ate will remember Revd Adam W oodhouse who completed his “Living Ministry Place ment ” with us in 20 20 and 20 21 . Since his ordination in 2021, Adam serve d as minister in the Lancashire East Mission P artner ship. In t he Aut umn of 2024, Adam moved to Chesterfield and a new r ole as the Children and Y outh T eam Leader at St John’ s Church Owlerton, near Shef field. Adam con tinues as a Non-St ipe ndary Minister (NSM) of the URC whils t serving in this role f or the Church of Eng lan d . On Saturday 15 th F ebruary, at St John’ s Owlerton, Adam was married to his new wif e Emily . He also became the s tepf ather of Emily’ s wonderful children.

Huge congr atulations to Adam, Emily and their famil y as they e mbark of t his new a nd e x citing st age of the journey of lov e and f aith.

Ne w s fr om the Chur ches Although we are alr eady three months in to 2025, as our last Connect Mag azine (Winter Edition) was published in December , you will find some news about Chris tmas events. Things have been f ar fr om quiet and all sorts of in teresting activities and developmen ts ha ve tak en place since the last edition. Cas tle H ill UR C F es tiv al Na tivi ty Service Our annual Festiv al Nativity Service took place on Sunda y 15 th December . We were blessed to have children and adult member s of the Castle Hill Amateur Pla yer s (CHAPS) join us to present a magnificent r etelling of the Christmas Story , told fr om the perspective of the R oman Soldier s in charge of the Census in Bet h lehe m.

It was a brilliant time of celebration and well supported by church members and friends including many f amily members of the childr en and young people taking part. Thank you to every one who con tribute and ma de this s uch a joyous occas ion. Out door Car ol Si n g On T uesda y 17 th December we introduced a new f eature to our Christmas progr amme. F olk fr om the church and the wider community g ather ed outside the church to sing carols and r ec all the Christmas story .

Despite the c old, around 60 people came along and sa ng their hearts o ut . The musi c was led by R evd Adam, and R evd Da vid was MC. We shared readings for the Bible and noisily re -enacte d the scene of the shepherds’ encounter with the angels , with appr opriat e sound eff ects. We enjoy ed a variety of old f a vourites. The Girls’ Brig ade took charge of giving out and collecting the Car ol sheets and r equested quite a f ew of their f avourites along the wa y . Aft erw ar ds everyone was in vited to shar e mulled fruit juice, hot chocolate, mince pies and chocola t e logs. Ti n y T o ts Chris tm as P arty Our Tin y T ots group is a well es t ablished and much valued f eatur e of the activities, organised by member s of our church f amily . The gr oup meets weekly and regularly welcomes around twenty childr en and their adults f or pla y , ent ert ainment and socialising. Each year , at the end of the “ Autumn T erm” the leaders org anise a Christmas P arty .

This took place on Thursda y 19 th December . It was lovely to welcome twen ty-six childr en and their grown-ups to celebr a t e. They enjoyed delicious f ood, pla yed, sang and listened to the story of the birth of Jesus. I’m sure the childr en would tell you though that the highlight of the party for t hem was a visit fr om F ather Chris tmas, who chat ted to them and g ave each child a pr esent and chocola t e lolly . Car e and S har e Bef or e the Covid lock-down a r egular event at the church was “C are and Share” with young f olk, supported by adults, preparing simple, tasty f ood to shar e with every one after the Sunda y service. In January we wer e pleased to r estart this and a number of y oung f olk, associat ed with the church via CHAPS or Girls’ Briga de, ca me along to prepar e and pr esen t quite a spr ead of tasty tr ea ts f or f olk to share.

We held our fir st “reviv al” of the activity on Sunday 26 th January and our second on 16 th February . Pizza is one of the most popular cr eations but ther e was plenty to choose fr om. Our next “Care and Share” will be in Mar ch. Elder s @ Cas tl e Hi ll Elders pla y an important part in the lif e and or g anisation of the United R ef ormed Church and we very much appr eciate the har d work that they undert ak e on behalf of our local

churches . We are blessed, at Castle Hill, to ha ve had, and to ha ve at pr esen t, commit t ed and active serving elders.

On Sunday 5 th January , as part of our Epiphan y Communion Service, we were delig hted not only to induct some of our elders f or a second term and to pr a y f or those continuing to ser ve but also to welcome and ordain a new elder , Colleen. Colleen has bee n a membe r of the church f or man y year s. We ar e pleased to have her on boar d. In door Car Bo ot Sales

The mont hly indoor car boot sales, under the leadership of K atie (Colleen’ s daugh ter), continue. These are well attended and popular , with money raised from table subs and refr eshments contributing to the mission activities of the church. Dates f or the f orthcoming sales are as f ollows: Sa turda y 29th Mar ch Sa turda y 26th April Sa tur da y 31s t Ma y Sa turda y 28th June

Door s ar e open f or buyers fr om 14:00 to 16:00, with a wide v ariety of new and pre- loved items, collectables and gifts a v ailable. All are welcome to come along and e xplore. Frien ds of N orth K ig e zi Di o cese (FNKD) U g anda Rachel, one of our church member s, has been in volved in the work of FNKD f or man y year s and mak es r egular visit to Uga nda to support the project locally . She is commit ted to a r ange of activities in helping to raise funds for t he or g anisation. E ach year the church selects thr ee charities to support thr oughout the year . This year , FNKD has been chose n as o ne of the se. After E ast er we will be r epeating our “Spend-A-Penn y” collections to help raise money to improve the toilet f acilities at the pr oject centr e. On Su nday 16 th March, Rachel will be leading our morning worship and sharing mor e about the work of FNKD . On Saturda y 22 nd March at 19:00 there will be a Q uiz Nigh t at the church r aising funds f or the FNKD Bucence Children’ s Centr e, org anised by Fiona and Mark. T eams of six per table ar e welcome. Please do come and support the even t. E ast er “Mess y” Chur ch Saturda y 12 th April 2025 12 :30 to 1 4:00 in the Chur ch For many year s the chur ch has held a “Holida y Club” f or young folk during the

E as t er Holidays. This w as in terrupt ed by the Covi d pa ndemic. Since that time we ha ve f ocussed on off ering a one “ day” even t. This year we ar e or g anising something a bit diff erent in the f orm of an E aster (P alm Sunda y) themed Mess y Church. This even t is f or childr en, young people and their families. Full details will be made a vailable very shortly , including sign-up sheets. The session will i nclude a variety of pr actical and cr eative activities, g ames, a short “r eflection”, and a meal f or everyone to shar e. If you ar e in ter ested in joining us or ar e willing to volunteer in support of the eve nt then please speak to Revd Adam, e mail him on rev  aje@outlook.com or call him on 01473 411316 (Please do leave a mes sage on the a nswerphone if he is not available.) Or g an Co ncer t A r eminder , as men tioned in the las t editio n o f Conne ct, the fir s t of the Ipswich Theatr e Or g an Club concerts f or 2025, f eaturing the Chris tie theatre or g an housed in the Church, will tak e place at 14:30 on Sunda y 16 th March. Come and hear this magnificent “ creature” in full voice. At the console will be Robert W olf e who is the r esident or g anist f or the W urlitz er organ in F ak enham, Norf olk. It promises to be an e xcellent perf ormance. St John’ s UR C Br o nz e E c o Chur c h Aw a r d We are pleased to shar e the news that St John’ s have joined the echel on

of churches to ha ve fulfilled the v arious criteria to achieve the Bronz e Eco Church Aw ar d. The awar d criteria help churches to recognise what has been achieved so f ar in contributing to our Christia n calling to be good stewar ds in c aring f or cr eation and to identify objectives for further development. The surveys poin t to diff eren t f oci f or action and good pr actice which c over: W orship & T eaching Buildings & Energ y Land & Natur e Communit y & Glo bal Lif es ty le We will now be working , in partnership wit h the other chur ches in the P as tor at e, tow ards our Silver award. E ach of us can mak e a diff er ence in v arious wa ys. Eco Church is not just about our church building and activity together but embraces our individual lif estyle. Adv en t Lunch On Sunday 8 th December , f ollowing our morning worship (T oy Service) over thirty f olk g ather ed to enjoy a tasty Adven t Lunch. The meal was org anised and f ood prepared by Alex, Jackie and Andrew . A huge thank you to them for such a splendid meal and opportunity to share a time of celebration and f ellow ship t ogether .

R evd Da vid attended the meal which became part of , for him, a bit of a “Vicar of Dibley” multi-mea l Christmas experience. During the same week, he also at tended two other Christ ma s meals. Tha nkfully these were not all on the s ame day a nd he di d not requir e a JCB to carry him back to the ma nse. Long Se rvice f or t he Br o wnies & Rain b o w s

G w en is shown in the phot o doing the honour s of welco ming some new recruits to t he guidi ng f amily at St Johns. Gw en has had an amazi ng jour ney of s er vice spa nni ng 58 year s during which she has been Brown Owl of the 23rd Ipswich Brownies, T awn y Owl of the 40 th Ipswich Brownies and Unit helpe r of the 2 nd Hamilton Rai nbows. It is hard to imagine how man y Brownies and Rainbows hav e been thr ough Gw en’ s care. She has nurtured each of them giving encour agement, helping to build their char acter s and providing them with opportunities they ma y not otherwise have had. All this done through he r conscie ntious commitment and c alm, quiet approach. On behalf of St John’ s URC, we thank Gwen for her unstinting act of ser vice and wish her well as she con tinues her Guiding journey with the Gippeswic T ref oil Guild (Guiding for Adults ) . Ne w Membe r s On Sunda y 2 nd F ebruary , we wer e delighted to welcome R evds Catherine and P eter Ball in to membership at St John’ s. Catherine and P et er ha v e now re tir ed t o

Saxmundham, and are enjoying the various opportunities aff orded by the gr eater space in thei r dia ries .

Catherine, in recent years, has been serving the St Ives Gr oup of Churches, incorpor ating St Ives Fr ee Chur ch and F enst an ton UR C. She has als o bee n supporti ng the work of W es tmins t er College as Associate T utor in Congr ega tional Ministry . P eter f ormerly served St John’ s as interim minister . Mos t r ecently he served as Dir ector of Chur ch R esource Dev elopment , based at W estmins t er College, Cambridge, supporting churches thr oughout the URC. We ar e delighted to welcome them aboard and look forward to sharing in our f aith lif e and mi ssi on with t he m as part of o ur c hurch f ami ly . Leis t on & Sa xmundham Unit ed Chu r ch W o rking As On e From the be ginning of 2025, the former Saxmundham UR C and Leis ton United Chur ch have c ome together in a wider , f ormal ecumenical partnership as Leiston and Saxmundham Unit ed Church (LSUC) – one chur ch in two places. We r et ain both buildings, wit h a ser vice pattern which include s ser vices together or in the two

locations but oper ate as one or g anisation with one set of officer s.

Sue has tak en on the role of LSUC Secretary and Marion LSUC T r easurer . They are supported, as necessary , by Gillian as admin assistant. The current elder ship is f ormed of the serving el ders from the two joining chur ches. On Sunda y 5 th January we had our first official service as LSUC, led by R evd David Rees. It was good to mark this moment of transition into a new year and a new united church. This is an ex citing and challenging ti m e. There ar e still a number of things to r esolve to ensur e we can work as efficiently as possible . We will be reviewing our M ission Acti on Pla n, produci ng a new LSUC pla n embra cing the opportunities for mi ssion and outrea ch within the t wo communities of Leis ton and Saxmundham. We also hope t hat, in due course, the Chur ches and Chris tians T ogether groups of Leiston and Saxmundham will join f orces to support and encourage one anothe r in our mis sion .

Our existing shar ed websit e has been updated to r eflect the change in our r elationship. The Leiston building is r ef err ed, in publicity , as LSUC @ Leiston Church and the Saxmundha m buildi ng as LSUC @ Saxmundha m Cha pel. We have a new web address www  .lsuc.org.uk - the old addr ess is set up to f orward to the new during the initial pe riod of transiti on. Chris tmas Di nne r P arty Our first Christmas Dinner P arty , w as held at Saxmundham Chapel (Hall) on Satur day 7 th December . We welcomed 20 f olk to share in a tasty Chris tmas roast with a selection of desse rts. The oven in the Saxmundham hall kitchen, was a little overwhelmed by the de mands placed upon it, having only previously bee n used f or warming and a little light baking. Howev er , our cook s R evd Adam and his wonderful wife, Gillian, manage d to get everything ready on t ime . It was good to welcome some new f olk fr om the town – we ho pe to see the m again someti me s oon.

This year , 2025, we are planning to ha ve the LSUC Chris tmas Dinner at Leiston Church and will aim to alternate ov er the coming y ear s. We alr eady have a date in the diary so if you are one for planning ahea d and would like to join us, it will be taking place at 12:30 on Saturda y 13 th December in the hall of LSUC @ Leis ton Chur ch.

Car ol s & Cak e Carols & Cak e, held in the hall at Leiston Chur ch on 15 th December , was very well at tended with bar ely an empty seat. We r aised the roof with a selection of well known, tr aditional carols. Gillian and R evd Adam shared some songs f or us to listen to , ther e wer e Bible readings, pr a yers and thr ee amusing , thought provoking monologue s pr esen ted by R evd Adam t aking on the roles of an Innkeeper , a shepherd and one of the wise men. The “ cak e” which f ollowed was also thoroughly enjoy able and we wer e more than full when we left.

Fil m Aft er noons LSU C @ Saxmu ndha m Chape l The first of our popular Film aft ernoons, f or 2025, at Saxmundha m, took place on Saturda y 1 st F ebruary . We began our time toget her with Soup and Bacon R olls f ollowed by Fruit and Cookies . We then settled to enjoy t he fil m “W hat We Did on our Holiday” staring R osamund Pik e, David T ennant and Billy Connolly . It is a surprising, intriguing a nd heart warming film. Our next Film Afternoon is sche duled for Satur da y 5 th April fr om 13:00 to 15:00 in the hall at LSUC @ Saxm undham Ch ape l. We will begin wit h a light lunch and the n enjoy a vin tage film, r eleased in 1955, cr eated by Alfr ed Hitchcoc k – one of his f ew true come dies. It is des cribed as a light comedy- drama with a touch of romance . It has a r ather unusual theme as the char acters strugg le to solve a problem, wit h amusing conse quences . As usual we are not able to advert ise the fil m in print or onl ine but we are happy to tell you, so do please ask if you want to know mor e. All are welcome to join us . Sprin g Mi ni Concert & T e a Following t he success of our two mi ni concerts in Saxmundham and Leiston las t year , we ha ve our next even t – Spring Mini Concert & T ea – “Love is in the Air” scheduled to tak e place at LSUC @ Leiston Church on Saturda y 10 th Ma y. The Concert will begin at 14:00 and will last for about 45 minute s. It will, as the title sug gests, include a variety of love themed songs, or gan music

(provided the org an behaves itself) and some (we hope) amusing ele me nts. Afterwards we adjourn to the hall f or afternoon tea with sandwiches, cak es and scones. Ther e is no char ge f or the event but we welcome donations to cov er the cos t of the f ood and to contribute tow ar ds the mission a nd work of Leiston and Saxmundham Unit ed Chur ch. There will be another mini-conce rt and tea in the A ut umn, to be hel d at Saxmundham, so k eep an ear and eye out f or further de t ails. F e l ix s t o w e U R C Cr ea tiv e Chris tma s Fu n @ Monda y Club The Monda y Club meets regularly on the second Monday of each month fr om 2:30pm. We enjoy a range of activ ities over the year . Our December meeting is usually our Christmas Celebr ation. On Monda y 9 th December we g athered to sing carols and wer e pleased to welcome R evd Adam to share with us some of his creative Chris tmas cr aft cr eations. We learne d about the origins of C hrist ma s cr ack ers and each made a traditional wrapped bonbon (the origins of the Christmas Cr ack er). Adam demonstr ated a tr aditional method f or making crack ers using cardboard tubes and crepe paper . We found out about the Scandinavian tr adition of T omtes or Christmas Gnomes and Adam demonstr at ed a fun wa y of making gnomes, as gifts, incorpor ating the much- lov ed Choc olat e Or ange.

Ada m share d some of his other creations and we had a r af fle to distribute these in a fun w a y . Adam’ s demonstr ation concluded with the first outing of his Racing R eindeer game which, we unde rsta nd, al so put i n an appear ance at the Saxmundham Christmas Dinner P arty .

Our meeting concluded wit h tea and a selection of tasty Christmas tr eats. We ar e pleased to report that R evd Adam’ s “ official” tasting of the v arious items on off er led to his approval! We suspect he ma y ha ve t asted some of the it ems mor e than once. Chris tmas Car o l s & Orw ell Co nnecti on On Sunday 22 nd December , at 15:00, we hel d our annual carol ser vice . This year we wer e deligh ted to welcome the Orwell Connecti o n choir to lead us in si ngi ng as well as bringing some choral items to enrich our celebration. The choir sung some bea uti ful pieces by John Rutter including “ All Bells in Paradise” , “The Candlelight Carol” and “The St ar Car ol” .

R evd Da vid led the service, with readers fr om the congregation sharing tr aditional Bible passages. R evd Adam play ed the organ and presented (as at LSUC’ s Carol & Cak e) three amusing but thought-provoking monologues as “The Inkeeper” , “A Shepherd” and “A Wise Man” . After the service we enjoyed refreshments (including mince pies) in the large hall. W eek of Pr a y er f o r Chris tia n U nity Unit ed Service On Sunday 26 th January , at the end of the W eek of Pr a yer f or Christian Unity , F elixstowe URC hos ted this year’ s United Ser vice. The ser vice drew from the published material by Churches T ogether in Britain and Ir eland, pr epared by the ecumeni cal communi ty at Bose in Nort her n It aly . The theme was “Do y ou believe this?” and also mark ed 1700 years since the Council of Nicaea took place, from which t he Nicene Cr eed emanated. Our preacher was R evd W endy Smith from St Phillips (Felixs towe) who shar ed something of her faith and journey . R evd Da vid led the service with readers from various churches and R evd Adam pr ovided the musi c. It was a joy ful occa sion during which each member of the large congr eg ation was given an LED nightlight candle. Those presen t were in vited, as a s ymbol of unity , to bring f orw ard their candle s and place them on a s t anding cr oss, designed to hold the m. The r esult was both beaut if ul and m oving.

F elixs t owe UR C con tinues to support the work of Ukr aine 2 F elixs tow e, providing meeti ng and learning s pa ces w ithi n the building , wit hout cha rge. The se include regular Engl ish lang uage sessi ons (held in the Hub – f ormer Choir ves try), support ed by some members of the church family and a monthly Sunda y evening g athering f or social, creative activities, helped by volun teer s from the wider community and some of our church family . F or these evenings a specific childr en and young people’ s activity is also provided. U2F supports around 60 Ukr ainian guest in the F elixs towe c ommunity . The anniver sary of the present in vasion of Ukr aine, by Russia, was 24 th F ebruary . Please continue to pr ay for the people of Ukr aine as the fut ure remains uncertain and some of the r ecen t news we hav e hear d about set tlement talks and err oneously apportioning blame, have bee n very disturbing. Pr a y f or a jus t and las ting peace which seeks to uphold the dignity , integrity and sover eignty of Ukr aine. Had leigh UR C Ne w P artner s hip Ne w Opport unitie s Ne w Vi sio n As the newest member of the Ipswich and E as t URC P as tor at e we would lik e to sa y a very big thank you to all of you f or y our warm and encour aging welcome. We are very much looking f orward, and commit t ed to , working together with all the churches to enable each of them to flourish a nd rea lise its missional potential f or God’ s Kingdom.

The “ official” welcome service took place on the afternoon of Sunda y 9 th F ebruary . It was a real thrill to welcome so many f olk fr om the pas tor a t e chur ches, friends fr om the churches i n Hadleig h and other frie nds to share in this time of celebr ation. W or ship was led by the Moder ator of E ast ern Synod, R evd L ythan Nev ar d and included a celebr ation of the Lord’ s Supper . L ythan’ s message pointed us to future hope and active, enthusiastic eng agemen t in mission inspired by her recent visit to Rome and an opportunity to meet wit h Pope Fr ancis. She encour aged us to “Be More Shepherd!” both delighting in our e ncounter with Chris t and telling other s of what we ha ve seen and heard, just lik e the shepherds who visited the manger and left praising God and telling ev eryone they met.

Aft er the official words of welc ome to the pastor ate , we shar ed a statemen t of c ommitment: As members, elder s and minister s of the Ipswich and E as t P as tor ate do y ou c ommit your selves in partnership to support each

other in mission, encourage each othe r in disciples hi p and share with eac h ot her in ministry and leade rship in obe dience to Jesus, our Lord and Sa viour? All With God’ s help, we do. May we grow tog ether in unity and be built up into the bo dy of Christ in love to the g lory of God, F ather , Son and Holy Spirit, now and f or ev er . Amen. During the service we also thank ed Revd John Cook for hi s support and encour agement of the church, as In t erim Moder ator , during the period of vacancy .

After our warming and encouraging ti me of wor ship we mov ed to the Ansell Centr e f or tea and r efr eshments. Ther e w as a wonderful v ariety of t asty tr eats Do n’t F or g e t Mon k s Eleigh

Although we do not hold regular worship services at Monks Eleigh, here’ s a reminder that Hadleigh URC continue s to support and maintain the chapel hall of Monks Eleigh as

a wonderful resour ce f or g atherings and retr eat opportunities.

Known as H OME – “Heart of Monks Eleig h” R etr eat Centr e, the old chapel hall is beautifully ke pt with space and equipment, including a kitchen area and adjace nt toilets (wit h accessible facilities).

It’ s a place to find space: time to reflect, to meet, to talk, to be quiet, to r echar ge batteries, to just ‘be’ . It’ s a v ailable to every one, of an y f aith or none. Groups or individuals can use it f or meetings, retreats, or simply as a ba se to explore the surr ounding area. A short walk fr om the chapel is a five acre area of water meadow , preserved as a ha ven f or wildlif e by one of the centre’ s manage ment tea m. In line with the vision and etho s of H OME, The Quiet Place is al s o a vailable to individuals and gr oups on da y retr eat. Y ou can f ollow a special tr ail with reflections or jus t stroll and sit and ponder . The distinctive wet meadow ecos ystem is a natural home to special spe cies of but terflies, birds and dr agonflies. If you would like to find out more about this wonderful resour ce, please visit the web

page (fr om which some of this text is d r awn) : www .hadleighurc.org.uk /home-da y-r etr eat-centr e Y ou can also contact R onnie via email: r onnie@ronann.com or call 01473 310169. Hadlei gh UR C W e bsit e To discover mor e about the work and vision of Hadleigh URC (with Monks Eleig h) you can visit our websit e: www  .hadleighurc.org.uk from which y ou can also download our weekl y news sheet and mon thly newslet t er s. P as t o r a t e N e w s

Last y ear (2024) a number of f olk from acr oss the pas tor at e t ook part in the cour se “Fruitfulness on the Fr ont Line” fro m the Lo ndon Institute of Con tempor ary Christianity , base d on the book of the same na me by Mark Greene. The cour se encour ages us to think about our day to da y lives, the contexts in w hi ch we live and the pe ople we encounter , as being the fr ontline of our mis sion as the church. During February this year R evd Da vid and R evd Adam ha ve led times of wor ship in each of the churches, cen tr ed on introducing and r eviewing the k ey message of the book and course. After the c ourse

w as completed las t year (and a br eak f or the Summer), a number of folk who had tak en part in the cour se g ather ed to discuss wa ys of extending eng agement with the material and helping us all to view our day to day living in the light of God’ s call and mission. As part of that con ver sation the F ebruary 2025 services were consider ed as a useful opportunity to sprea d the me ssage . The simple, encourag ing and challeng ing ideas off ered by the course mak e it an ideal source of inspir ation as we continue to look f orward, in f aith, to the future work and mission of our pas tor at e churches. We will be holding a se cond “round” of Fruitfulnes s Sunda ys in the Autumn and would lik e to off er more f olk the opportunity to tak e part in the course, off ering in-per son sessions locally if people f eel this would be useful. Ther e is a f ollow-on cour se, Gr owing on the Fron tline which we would lik e to off er in due course so please watch this space and listen out f or futur e details. The Bible Cour se

Our mos t r ecent opportunity for lear ning and dis ci ple shi p in the pastor at e (in partner ship with the local Methodist Circuit) has been the Bible Society’ s Bible Course. This provides an engaging ove rview of the Bible as a con tinual story with v arious s tages , and themes which carry t hroug hout. It goes at quite a pace, cov ering the entir e Bible in jus t 8 sessions. Those who partici pated online (via Zoom) or in per son at F elixs t owe UR C f elt that ther e was plenty of inspir ation and opportunity for further explor ation and

discussion of some of the que stions that ar ose during the course. A small gr oup of folk, who took part in the c our se, met at F elixs t ow e Methodis t Chur ch (FMC) @ T rinity , on Monday 23 rd February to consider how we might go f orward. There were a numbe r of useful suggestions including pursuing the “R omans” course off ered by the Bible Society at some point in the not-too-distan t futur e. We ha ve also planned to meet, from time to time, for “Matters Arising ” discussions and reflection opportunities, f ocused on diff erent questions r aised. The first of these sessions will tak e place at FMC @ T rinity (F elixstowe) at 10:30 on Monday 28 th April. T he focus of t he session will be “In the beginning!” a nd we will e xplor e, in gr eater det ail, the fir s t f our chapters of the book of Genesis. All are welcome to join us, even if y ou wer e not able to parti cipate in the Bible Course this time r ound. We would also lik e to off er an opportunity for folk to join in similar discussions online, via Zoom. R evd Adam would be willing to off er such an opportunity if people would lik e to tak e part. The first session could also be on M onday 28 th April at 19:00. Please do let Adam know if you would be in ter ested in participating. Furthe r details will be circula t ed near er the time. Len t W o r ship “Pi lgrimag e” The seas on on Lent begins on Ash W ednesday which, this year , f alls on W ednesda y 5 th March. This signifies a cha nge in f ocus and mood as we enter a r eflectiv e period in the build up to E ast er . The f orty da ys of Len t (ex cluding Sunda ys which r emain f eas t days

throughout ) bring to mind t he peri od of f as ting and prepar ation that Jesus under we nt in the wilder ness. This year , we will be f ollowing the “tr adition”, established over the past c ouple of year s, of holding r eflective services on Sunda y afternoons during Lent. We visit each church in the pastor ate and in vit e f olk from the other churches to join us. W orship is f ollowed by refr eshmen ts and f ellowship. 16:00 Sunda y 9 th March Cas tle Hill United R ef ormed Church (Dryde n Road, Ipswich IP1 6QF) Led by R evd Adam Earle 16:00 Sunda y 16 th March Hadleigh Unit ed R ef ormed Church (Mark et Place, Hadleigh IP7 5DL) Led by R evd David R ees 16:00 Sunda y 23 rd Mar ch F elixs towe Unit ed R ef ormed Chur ch T omline R oad, F elixs towe IP11 7P A Led by R evd Adam Earle 14:00 Sunday 30 th March (N.B. Ti me) LSUC @ Leis t on Chur ch High Street, Leiston IP16 4EL Led by R evd David R ees 18:30 Sunday 6 th April (N.B. Ti me ) St John’ s Unit ed R ef ormed Ch urch Cowper Str eet , I pswich IP4 5JD Led by R evd David R ees & R evd Adam Earle A t this fina l ser vice w e will als o be joi ne d b y friends from the other N E Ipswich Ch urche s t o share in united wor ship. Ash W ednes da y W or ship & Lunch A new thing f or Leiston and Saxmundham United Chur ch (LSUC) and f or the pas tor at e, we will be ho lding a t ime of r e flectiv e wor ship, f ollowed by a simple lunch of Soup, brea d, chee se

afternoon and an evening pr esen t ation on the da t es shown here: St John’ s URC – Cowper St, Ipswich IP4 5JD W ednesday Afternoons @ 14:00 12 th , 19 th & 26 th March, 2 nd & 9 th April Castle Hill URC – Dryden Rd, Ipswich IP1 6QF W ednesda y E venings @ 19:00 12 th , 19 th & 26 th March, 2 nd & 9 th April If you would lik e to tak e part, please do sign up on the sheets provided at Castle Hill, St John’ s or F elixs towe or email R evd Adam . The cour se booklets will be a vailable free of cha rge. We will be joine d by friends from Chris t Chur ch (Ips wich ). If you have an y questions please speak to or con t act R evd Adam on r  ev  aje@outlook.com Hadlei gh Chur c h e s T o g e ther Len t Co u r se Base d on t he book “ The  Thing s He Carri ed” by Stephen Cot tr ell T uesday E vening Sessions Starting at 19:30 as f ollows: 11 th March – Salv ation Arm y Hall Duk e St, Hadleigh IP7 5DP 18 th March – Hadlei gh U RC Mark et Place, Hadleigh IP7 5DL 25 th March – Salv ation Arm y Hall Duk e St, Hadleigh IP7 5DP 1 st April – Hadle igh URC Mark et Place, Hadleigh IP7 5DL 8 th April – Salvation Arm y Hall Duk e St, Hadleigh IP7 5DP

Thursda y Afternoon Sessions 14:00 @ St Mary’ s Church Chur ch St, Hadleigh IP7 5DT on the f ollowing dat es: 13 th , 20 th & 27 th March, 3 r d & 10 th April All are welcome to join us and e xplor e what the book has to offer and the mea ning of Len t. Please cont act office@stmaryhadleigh.co.uk f or further details. CTF Len t Cour ses Ther e ar e two c ourses being off er ed in F elixs t owe this y ear . Finding A V oice Base d on t he fil m “ The King’s Speech” The whol e film w ill be shown at the following ti me s and v enues: 14:00 Monda y 3 rd Mar ch St Mary’ s, High Street, Walton IP11 9DS 10:00 T uesda y 4 th March St John’ s, Orwell R oad, F elixstowe 1P11 7PW 19:00 T uesda y 4 th March (P ancak es too!) All Saints Church, K esgr a ve IP5 1AA 13:00 Thursda y 6 th Mar ch (Bring your lunch) Ranelagh R oad Fellowship IP11 7HA The study sessions (an yone welcome to join an y gr oup) will be held as f ollows: 16:00 FMC @ Seaton Rd IP11 9BT Sunday 9 th , 16 th , 23 rd , 30 th Mar & 6 th Apr 14:00 St Mary’ s, Walton IP11 9DS Monda y 10 th , 17 th , 24 th , 31 st Mar & 7 th Apr 10:00 St John’ s, Felixst owe IP11 7PW

LSUC @ Sa xmu ndham Chapel “Len t Link & Bacon But tie s!” During Lent, we are holding two thi nki ng , dis cussi ng and creating sessions. E ach session will last about an hour and will include readings and reflection on passages from t he Bible aide d by artwork, musi c and poetry an d ot her materia ls. There will also be a n opport unit y to join in some simple creative act ivities. As pa rt of each session, we wil l sha re ba con but ties (or vegetarian equiv alent), fruit and other refr eshments. The dates and times f or Lent links will be: 12:30 Monda y 17 th March 12:30 Monday 7 th April

Holy Week & Easter 2025 There are man y opportunities to g ather , remember and celebr ate the even ts and accomplishments of Holy W eek and Easter across the pas tor at e. Please do come and shar e the f estival with us. P a lm Sund a y Sunda y 1 3 t h April Cas tle Hill URC (Ipswich) 10:3 0 C af é Style W or ship Led b y R evd Adam Earle

St. Johns URC (Ipswi ch) 10:45 Sunday W or ship Led by Wil lia m Glas s e F elix s t ow e UR C 10:30 Sunday W or ship Led by Da vid Stone Hadlei gh URC 10:30 Sunday W or ship Led by R evd Jim Dalgleesh LSU C @ Saxmu ndha m Chape l 10:45 Sunday W or ship Led by R evd David R ees LSUC @ Leiston Chur ch 14:00 Afternoon W or ship Led by R evd David R ees Maundy T hur s da y Thur sda y 1 7 t h Apri l F elix s t ow e UR C 12:00 Lunch Comm u nio n United with FMC T rinity Led by R evd David R ees LSU C @ Saxmu ndha m Chape l 12:30 Last Suppe r L unch Led by R evd Adam E arle Cas tle Hill URC 19:00 Communion & R eflection Led by R evd Adam Earle Hadlei gh URC 19 :00  Iona  Comm u ni on Led by R evd Michael Tillet & R evd Da vid R ees

Go od Frida y Frida y 18 th April Cas tle Hill URC 10:30 R eflection at the Cross Led by R evd Adam Earle St John’ s UR C 10:30 United W or ship @ St John’ s CofE Caldwell Hall R oad F elix s t ow e UR C 14:00 R eflection at the Cr oss Led by R evd David R ees Hadlei gh URC 14:00 R eflection at the Cross Led by R evd Michael Tillett LSUC @ Leiston Chur ch 14:00 R eflection at the Cross Led by S ue Lid dell E as t er S unda y Sunda y 2 0 t h April Cas tle Hill URC 10:30 Celebr a tion W or ship with H oly Communi on Led by R evd David R ees St John’ s UR C 10:45 Celebr ation W or ship with H oly Communi on Led b y P et er Dawson F elix s t ow e UR C 10:30 Celebr ation W or ship with H oly Communi on Led by R evd John Cook

Hadlei gh URC 10:30 Celebr ation W or ship with H oly Communi on Led by R evd Michael Tillet t LSUC @ Leiston Chur ch 10:30 Celebr ation W or ship With Ho ly Co mm u nio n Led by R evd Adam Earle Caring f or Cr ea tion – E co Chur ch Caring f or Cr ea tion (C4C) Su nda y (s ) As pa rt of our ongoing commitme nt to Caring f or Creation and working within the Eco Church fr amework are our regular opportunitie s to consider and reflect on the theme within wor ship. Acr oss the pas tor at e we ha ve at least two C4C f ocused Sunda ys each y ear . In the Spring we have one Sunday whe n all the churches are in vited to f ocus on a particular theme with resources provided by the ministers. In the Autumn, following on fr om our Harvest celebr ations, the minister s will bring a part icular C4C theme, as they visit the diff erent chur ches in turn . Our next Caring f or Creation themed wor ship opportunity will be on Sunday 27 th April. The f ocus will be “Food f or Thought ” as we will reflect on what we re ad about f ood in Scripture and how we might mak e a diff er ence through the choices we mak e. Here ar e some thoughts and some information to whet our appetites and help us reflect on the theme. The fir st part is dr awn fr om the Ec o-Chur ch websit e.

Wh y? As God’ s r epr esent atives, we con tribute to the flour is hi ng of the whole eart h community , so will wan t to think car efully about what we consume. T his is not j ust about the nutritional value of food but also the ethics of production a nd t he carbon f ootprint in volved in its delivery . Jesus often shar ed meals with his f ollowers. As Christians we ar e encour aged to off er hospitality and to find joy in doing t hat. T his may be to our friends and f amily or as a demonstr ation of God’ s care f or the homeless or to host a community celebr ation. Food pr oduction and its pr epar ation are basic human activities since we all requir e daily nourishme nt. Thinki ng about how we pr oduce and prepare f ood to glorify God and nourish us, whilst leaving a sustaina bl e leg acy for future gener ations, is high on the agenda f or Christians who car e about the plane t. How ?

The or g anisation Green Christian devised a handy acron ym, L OAF , t o highlight some of the aspects o f f ood w e should consider:

L = Loc ally produced O = Or g anic A = Ani mal Frien dly F = F airly tr aded. Locally Pr oduced One of the mos t helpful wa ys to k eep us connected with our f ood and unders tand what goes in to its pr oduction is to buy f ood produced locally (Green Christian calls this ‘ The Proximity Pri nci ple’). By seeking to sup port and learn from those who produce our food locally , we reduce f ood miles and understand more about seasonal pr oduction pa t t erns of fruit, v eg et ables, fish and meat. We c an shar e some of the producer s’ joy s and challenges of producing food. It’ s harder to do this in urban envir onments but consider finding F armers’ Mark ets or locally pr oduced v eg bo x sch emes. Some churches now grow t heir own fruit and veget ables, partly to incr ease community in volvement, but also to provide local fr esh pr oduce f or hospitality . Or g anically Gr own Org anic f ood is the product of a f arming s ystem which a voids the use of man- made f ertiliser s, pesticides, gr owth r egulator s and lives tock f eed additives. Or g anic f armer s aim to pr oduce high quality food, using methods that be nefit our whole food s ystem, fr om people to planet, plant health to animal welf are. The Soil Association sets strict widely used st andards, to ensur e that farms sustain the health of soils, ecosyste ms, animals and peo ple .

The Soil Association a lso runs certi ficatio n schemes across f ood, farming, catering, health and beauty , textiles and for estry , so you can be confident in the cr edentials of pr oducts you buy which are accr edited by them . It can be challenging to balance ‘Organic’ with ‘Local’ . Gr een Christian recommends taking the ‘proximity’ r oute, f or ex ample, by choosing apples from the UK r ather than imported org anic apples. Do also tell the shop’ s cus t omer r epresent ativ e that y ou would lik e local or ganic f ood, to encour age them to stock it in futur e. Anim al Friendly Animals ar e sensate cr eatur es and are particular ly vulnerable to human actions. Seek out meat and fish that ha ve been humanely rear ed and slaugh ter ed. The Sustainable Food T rus t, sugge sts some questions to ask about the ethics of the meat you ar e buying: Wher e did it come from? Is it loc al? Is it fr ee r ange? Is the beef fr om gr ass f ed animals? Do you mak e your own sausages, bur ger s and ba con? In gener al, the UK has higher standards of animal welf are than man y countries around the worl d. Examples i nclude housing, allowing the anima l freedom of move ment, the r estricted use of gr owth pr omoter s and the tr eatment of live animals on long- dist ance tr ansport.

F airly & E thically T r aded Ther e will alw a ys be f ood that cannot be produce d, in quan tity , in the part of the world in which we live such as ba nana s, citr us fruits, tea, and coff ee. Some developing countries need currency to purchase pharma ceutical pr oducts, medical equipmen t, alt ernative energy technologies, and labor atory equipme nt. And we need food which only they c an supply . F ollowing the pro ximity principle, source only sustainably gr own imported f ood, wher e just wages are paid. The F airtr ade Foundation certifies food, and other pr oducts, to indicate that the pa y to work er s is fair , and enough power has been put into the hands of f armers. In return, these f armer s in ves t in climate-friendly f arming techniques, clean wat er f or their community , nurturing women leaders and making sur e childr en get an education. F o od Miles

How oft en do we che ck the source of the diff er ent f ood pr oducts that we purchase? It can be quite astounding just how f ar our f ood has tr a velled (and therefor e the impact it has had on the en vir onment due to fuel consumption for tr ansport). This can be especially relevant when we purchase f oods that our “ out of season” e.g. strawberries in the middle of winter . The websit e www  .  f  oodmiles.com off ers a f ood miles calculator . P erhaps y ou could try it out f or some of the items you regularly

purchase or see how f ar the ingredients f or a particular meal ha ve tr a velled. Of course the place of manuf acture may not be the sa me as the source of the ing redie nts so man y products will have additional f ood miles. The estimat ed tot al f ood miles f or a number o f po pula r items i nclude: A Mars Snick er s bar – 50,791 miles. A jar of Nutell a Sprea d – 28,731 miles. A can of Classic Coc a Cola – 17,195 miles. A bot tle of Heinz K et chup – 18,804 miles A McDonald’ s Big Mac – 8,050 miles. A cup of Starbucks Cof f ee – 5,427 miles This is certainly f ood f or though t. Mak e Time to P r a y er Inspir ation f or Pr a ying “Never stop pr a ying, especially f or others. Alw ays pr a y by the power of the Spirit. Sta y alert and k eep pra ying f or God's people.” Ephe sia ns 6:18 There is so much goi ng on in the world toda y and so much news which might c ause us to f ear and lose hope. God invites us to trust and to pr a y . Here ar e some useful places to visit f or information and f ocus f or our pr a yer s. www  .urc.or  g.uk/your- church/  chur  ch-loc  al-and- global/  commitment-f  or-lif  e/ This the URC’ s global justice programme. It of f er s r esour ces to f acilitate pr ayer , advoc acy , and eff ective action f or the most vulner able people in the world. The project particularly focuses on Isr ael and occupied Palestinian T erritory , Bangladesh and Zimba bwe.

Chur ches f or Middle E as t P eace www .cmep.org Base d in the U SA, CM EP seeks to encour age Chris tians to advoc a t e f or equality , human rights, security , and justice f or Isr aelis, P alestinians, and all people of the Middle E ast. They off er a regularly updated pr a y er blog, a br oad r ange of information and by visiting this page: www  .cmep.org/resources/bulletins/ you can access their weekly Bulletins and, if you would lik e, sign up to have it sen t by email . www .opendoor s.org Open door s international originated in 1955 with the ma n who came to be know n as Brother Andrew (God’ s Smuggler). If you want to find out about specific nee d and pr a y f or our f ellow Christians throughout the world, f acing persecution then you can find out more about how you can mak e a diff er ent her e. www  .christiansinpolitics.org.uk In t hese challe ngi ng t imes se r ving in politics with Christian in tegrity is a challenge. There are man y Christian f olk in volved in politics in our nation. CiP of f er s a r ange of inf ormation, w a ys to get in volved, articles and updates to guide us in pr a ying f or Christians engaged in politics toda y . Y ou can sign up f or a regular newslet t er and even find mor e loc al groups and proje cts to support. If you mak e use of a particular internet resource, newslet ter or support a particular mission org anisation that would help guide others in their pr a y er s, please do let R evd Ada m know and he will ai m to i nclude details in future editions of Conne ct.