202
4
St
John’s
United
Reformed
Church
1 Cowper
Street, Ipswich IP4 5JD
Web
Address:
www.stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk
dvanc
e
December
Photo by Adrian C
Blessings
David
A
note from Va
l
Minister’s Letter
2
Christmas:
Celebrating Jesus,
the Light of the World
As
the
days
grow
shorter
and
the
nights
seem
longer,
Christmas
arrives
to
fi
ll
our
world
with
light.
This
season
is
a
time
when
we
put
up
twinkling
lights
on
trees,
electric
candles
in
windows,
and
decorations
that
brighten
even
the
coldest,
darkest
evenings.
But
for
Christians,
the
real
light
of
Christmas
doesn’t
come
from
decorations—it
comes
from
Jesus.
In
John
8:12,
Jesus
says,
“I
a
m
the
light
of
the
world.
Whoever
follows
me
will
never
walk
in
darkness,
but
will
have
the
light
of
life.”
This
statement,
so
bold
and
simple,
carries
the
true
meaning
of
Christmas.
In
Jesus,
we
fi
nd
a
light
that
guides,
comforts,
and
sustain
s
us.
Christmas
is
the
celebration
of
God
stepping
into
our
lives,
bringing
a
light
that
darkness
can’t overcome.
If
you
think
about
it,
the
world
into
which
Jesus
was
born
wasn’t
all
that
di
ff
erent
from
ours.
It
was
a
t
ime
of
division,
hardship,
and
uncertainty.
People
long
ed
for
hope,
for
a
sense
of
peace
and
justice.
And
in
the
quiet
village
of
Bet
hlehem,
God
gave
us
that
hope—not
as
a
king
on
a
throne,
but
as
a
baby,
born
into
humility.
This
baby
would
grow
up
to
be
someon
e
who
lifted
up
the
poor,
who
welcomed
the
outsider,
and
who
stood
up
for
justice.
Jesus’
ligh
t
wasn’t
just
a
comforting
glow
like
my
Christmas
tree;
it
was
a transformative force.
For
us
today,
Christmas
is
a
reminder
t
hat
we’re
invited
to
carry
this
light
into
the
world
.
Jesus’
light
doesn’t
ask
us
to
deny
t
he
darkness
or
pretend
everything
is
perfect.
Instead,
it
calls
us
to
be
people
who
o
ff
er
compassion,
kindn
ess,
and
hope
to
others.
Just
as
light
spreads
and
dispels
darkness,
our
actions,
however
small,
can
bring
warmth
and
brightness to those around us.
So
as
we
gathe
r
this
Christmas
season
in
numerous
church
services,
concerts
an
d
in
our homes, let’s think about the ways we can
share
the
light
of
Christ.
Maybe
it’s
by
reaching
out
to
someone
who’s
struggling,
standing
up
for
so
meone
who’s
overlooked,
or
simply
being
present with those we love.
This
Christmas,
may
we
let
Jesus’
light
fi
l
l
us
and
inspire
us.
And
may
we
remember
that
ev
en
in
the
lo
ngest,
darkest
night
,
the
light
shines,
reminding us that God is with us—Emmanuel.
Last
month
we
heard
from
the
Brownies
and,
in
this
issue,
you
can
catch
up
on
news
from
Pre-
school
and
Rainbows.
How
gratifying
it
is
to
know
th
ese
youngsters
are
enjoying
new
learning
experiences
here
at
St
John’s.
Pre-
school
are
havin
g
a
short
Nativity
in
the
church
on
Tuesday
morning,
3
rd
December
at
9.30
am
followed
by
refreshments
and
a
fe
w
fund-raising
stalls.
I
know
they
would
love
to
see
you there.
Eco-church
-
Many
initiatives
have
been
introduced
and
gradually
we
are
becoming
more
Eco
friendly,
so
much
so
that
I’m
delighted
to
inform
you,
St
John’s
has
achieved
the
Bronze
award.
Part
of
our
challenge
is
to
provide
Fairtrade
tea
and
co
ff
ee.
If
our
current
supplier
isn’t
to
your
taste,
please
let
us
know
so
that
we
can
research
di
ff
erent brands.
Should
you
wish
to
cut
down
on
the
number
of
Christmas
cards
you
send,
we
ar
e
reintroducing
the
Church
family
Christma
s
Card
.
Please
see
John
B
t
o
add
your
name
and
give
a
contribution
towards church funds.
At
our
Extra-ordinary
Church
meeting
held
on
the
3
rd
November,
members
voted
unanimously
in
favou
r
of
Hadleigh
URC
joining
the
Ipswich
and
East
pastorate.
Please
look
out
for
furth
er
news on this matt
er.
Our
thanks
go
to
Sara
Pells
and
Andrew
Walker
who
have
both
agreed
to
stand
for
another
term
V
a
l
V
3
as
Elders.
Sadly
no
other
no
minations
were
received to fill two vacancies.
Community
Coffee
morning
–
Saturday
14
t
h
December
–
Jill
L
has
kindly
offered
to
raffle
a
Christmas
Hamper
and
would
be
grateful
for
contributions
towards
this.
Proceeds
to
Church funds.
Later
in
this
issue
you
will
fi
nd
details
of
our
Advent
services,
but
ma
y
I
draw
your
attention
to
SUNDAY,
8
th
December
and
our
annual
Toy
Service.
Once
again,
we
will
support
LIGHTHOUSE
and,
in
Room
1,
you
can
fi
nd
posters
of
item
s
they
most
need.
Gift
cards
in
£10
deno
minations
are
extremely
useful;
these
can
be
from
any
local
store
such
as
Primark,
The
Works,
Argos,
B
&
M,
Sports
Direct and any supermarket.
Following
t
he
Toy
service,
we
are
having
an
ADVENT
LUNCH.
Please
look
out
for
the
sign-
up
sheet,
available
fro
m
the
beginning
of
December.
I
look
forward
to
s
eeing
as
many
o
f
you
as
possible
at
our
Advent
events.
I
need
an
abundance
of
Readers
and
Advent
candle
lighters
so
PLEASE,
PLEASE
SEE
ME
if
you
can
help out.
A happy and
peaceful Chris
tmas
to you a
ll.
ST JOHN'S PLAYTIME PRE-
SCHOOL UPDATE FOR JUNIOR
CHURCH COUNCIL ANNUA
L
MEETING: Thursday 10 October 2024
As
you
are
all
prob
a
bly
aware,
we
unfortunat
e
ly
had
an
'inadequate'
Ofsted
rang
in
No
v
emb
er
2023
.
While
we
believ
e
much
of
the
rang
was
unjus
fi
ed,
we
nevertheless
imp
lemented
an
urgent
acon
plan
and
tha
nkfully
ac
hieved
a
'
good'
rang
in
April.
Sadly,
this
has
h
ad
a
huge
impact
on
fi
nances
as
w
e
were
forbidden
t
o
take
on
new
funded
children
unl
o
ur
'
g
ood
'
s
ta
tu
s
had
b
e
en
reinstated.
This
inevitab
ly
has
had
a
knock on e
ff
ect on our inc
o
me a
nd at the
moment
we
are
u
nsure
if
th
e
pre-school
w
i
ll
be
ab
l
e
to
recover
fro
m
this.
On
a
more
posive
note, the
r
e have been no sta
ff
changes over the
l
ast
year
and
we
are
working
together
closely
as
a
team to work through the
se difficult times.
As
it
stands,
we
have
25
children
enrolled
with
us
currently
and
we
are
continui
n
g
to
advertise
in
the
local
commun
i
ty
.
We
are
hoping
that
more
children
wi
l
l
join
us
dur
i
ng
th
i
s
te
r
m
and
we
have
four
childre
n
on
the
waiting
list
for
Ja
nuary
.
W
e
continue
to
pla
n
our
termly
activities
and
provide
the
best
care
and
learning
opportunities
fo
r
the
children.
We
are
looking
forward
to
the
usua
l
autumn
activit
i
es
and
hope
to
raise
money
doing
our
yearly
'welly
walk
w
e
ek'
at
the
end
of
Octobe
r.
We
apolo
gise
that
we
are
not
att
ending
in
person
this
evening,
we
have
other
meetings
to
attend
at
the
mome
nt
and
fi
nding
that
our
time
is
being
stretched
and
oft
en
our
personal
childcare
is
an
issue.
Thank
you,
as
always
to
the
Church
members who continue to suppo
rt us.
2
nd
Hamilton Rainbows
The
last
y
ear
at
our
Ra
i
nbo
w
gr
oup
has
bee
n
challenging
with
Ka
y
le
i
gh
,
our
t
hen
l
eader
o
n
ly
being
a
b
l
e
to
attend
ever
y
other
week
and
us
hav
i
ng
to
get
other
L
eaders
t
o
c
o
v
e
r
the meet
i
ngs
.
Our
numbers
over
the
year
have
been
about
14
ranging from 4 to
7 years old.
The
girls
are
very
fond
of
craft
and
so
a
lot
of
our meetings are spent making
things.
We
spent
a
few
w
ee
k
s
learnin
g
ab
o
u
t
Hed
g
e
h
o
g
s
,
m
a
k
in
g
a
colla
ge,
de
c
o
rating
h
ed
g
e
h
o
g
b
is
cu
i
t
s
and
fi
nding
out
facts
ab
o
ut
the
m
.
The
n
ew
y
ear
sa
w
us
learnin
g
t
o
m
a
ke
u
p
a
danc
e
t
o
a
p
ie
ce
of
mu
s
ic
,
m
a
king
f
ru
i
t
keb
ab
s
and
going
back
to
hedgehogs
ma
ki
ng
a
hed
g
eho
g
ou
t
o
f
a
n
ol
d
book
b
y
f
olding
the
pages
.
In
February
we
joined
with
anoth
er
Rainbow
Unit
to
spend
an
exciting
evening
at
PLAYMAN,
4
a
soft
pla
y
v
e
n
ue
a
ve
ry
e
x
citing
evening
for
the
g
irls
.
A
s
this
w
a
s
t
o
ce
l
ebra
t
e
our
Thi
nki
ng
Da
y
we
had
an
e
v
en
i
n
g
learnin
g
abo
u
t
Rai
nb
o
w
s
i
n
di
ff
erent count
r
ies
.
For
Mothering
Sunda
y
th
e
girls
d
ecorate
d
a
ph
ot
o
fr
a
m
e
wit
h
bu
ttons
and
pictur
e
s
for
th
e
i
r
Mums
.
Easter
saw
u
s
doin
g
E
a
s
ter
car
d
s
an
d
an
E
as
t
e
r Egg
H
u
n
t.
D
urin
g
t
he
s
e
months
t
he
gi
rl
s
hav
e
obta
in
ed
s
e
v
eral
Badge
s
(
the
y
do
lo
v
e
a
badge
)
b
y
learn
i
ng
about
peop
l
e
w
ho
In
fl
uence
u
s,
an
d
a
r
e
thi
n
gs
really
fact
or
opinions
.
Learning
to
be
l
e
ad
ers
by
t
each
i
n
g
a
ll
o
f
u
s
somethi
ng
th
e
y
lik
e to do
.
For
t
he
su
mm
e
r
t
e
rm
w
e
l
earned
all
ab
o
ut
B
UG
S
We
made
spi
d
er
b
i
sc
uits,
dec
o
rated
a
ladybi
rd shape and
m
ade F
i
re
fl
ies.
Som
e
o
f
th
e
older
Ra
i
nbows
enjoyed
a
day
out
at
East
o
n
Farm
Park
with
R
ain
b
ows
from
a
ll
of
Ipsw
i
ch
Ea
s
t
area
.
Dur
in
g
t
he
Spr
ing
t
er
m
K
ayleigh
told
u
s
t
ha
t
she
w
ould
no
t
b
e
ret
urning
in
September
and
that
meant
t
hat
her
Mum
w
ho
been
help
ing
w
ou
l
d
a
ls
o
l
ea
v
e
.
We
a
l
s
o
knew
that
our
L
e
a
d
e
r
in
tr
a
i
n
i
n
g,
Na
tal
i
e
w
o
ul
d
al
s
o
be
le
a
ving
as
she
was
going
t
o
B
i
bl
e
Co
llege
.
W
e
were
c
o
ncerned
that
the
U
n
it
w
o
u
ld
have
t
o
cl
os
e
b
u
t
fortunately
a
new
leader
nam
e
d
D
illy
was
foun
d
an
d
s
he
join
e
d
u
s
in
June
to
ge
t
t
o
k
no
w
the
gir
ls
.
Our
l
a
s
t
m
ee
ting
b
e
fo
re
the
summer
was
sp
e
nt
on
Felixst
o
we
beach
c
o
ll
e
cting
o
bjects
and
having
a
paddle
.
Th
i
s
w
a
s
our
o
p
p
o
rtunit
y
t
o
sa
y
g
oo
dbye
to
t
h
e
gir
l
s
g
o
ing
up
t
o
B
rownies
and
t
o
the
L
eade
rs
who
w
o
uld
not
b
e
r
e
turning
.
An
d
so
a
new
Chapter
b
e
gins
in
our
Rainbow
Unit
with
D
illy
as
our
Lea
d
er
We
wish
he
r
well
a
nd than
k h
e
r
fo
r
com
ing t
o join
us
.
Gwen G
While
so
far,
my
time
le
ading
2nd
Hamilton
Rainbows
h
as
been
brief,
it
has
been
a
wonderful
start
with
a
lovely
warm
welcome
by
all,
including
those
o
f you from St John
s URC. Thank you.
Since
September
we
have
had
a
number
of
new
Rainbows
join
with
around
12
Rainbows
regularly
attending,
and
we
do
have
space
to
welcome
more
Rainbows.
This
week
we
have
a
potential
new
leader
com
i
ng
to
visit
us
which
would
be
a
wo
nderful
help
to
myself
in
having
anoth
er
quali
fi
ed
leade
r
able
to
ensure
the
sessions
still
run
with
the
support
of
our
fantastic
unit
helpe
r
s
on
any
weeks
that
I
might be unavailable
.
We
are
currently
en
joying
a
mix
of
n
ature
activities
,
noticing
the
chan
ging
seasons
and
Re
fl
ect
stage
one
in
which
we
explor
e
our
community,
cult
ure,
beliefs
and
values
-
while
deepening our understanding
o
f others
'
too
.
Our
last
week
before
half
term
24/10/2024
,
our
session
will
be
t
aking
place
at
Gainsborough
Community
Library
where
we
will
explore
the
library
while
comple
ting
the
st
oryteller
badge
a
nd
feeling
familiar
in
t
he
library
space
which
we
will
return
to
i
n
December
for
a
very
festive
sleepover
.
In
November
we
will
be
taking
part
i
n
Parliament
Week
wh
i
ch
will
include
having
discussions,
respecting
di
ff
erences
i
n
opinions
and
having
a
vote
on
a
topic
to
understand
that
voting
allows
people
to
have
a
say
though
we
might
not
all
agree
with the outcome.
We
will
end
the
term
,
and
2024
with
some
festive
crafts
and
activities
,
and
as
me
ntioned
brie
fl
y
above
,
we
will
b
e
celebrating
Christmas
togethe
r
,
i
ncluding
with
the
Brownies
b
y
ha
ving
a
festive
sleepover
at
Gainsborough
Community
Library
.
This
is
very
exciting
as
this
will
be
the
fi
rst
sleepover for all of our Rainbows
.
We
do
not
yet
have
plans
further
for
2025
,
though
we
will
be
taking
part
i
n
Anglia
'
s
great
big
Pyjama
Party
for
Thinking
Day
in
February
and
will
continue
supporting
t
h
e
Rainbows
towards
earning
their
Gold
Award
,
having
fantast
ic
adventures
and
grow
i
ng
in
skills
and
co
n
fi
dence
through our activities
.
Dilly
TREASURERS REPORT
You
are
t
hanked
for
Offerings
in
October
of
£1,837 and furthe
r donation in November to
the
Communion Fund of £46 to the Selig Suffolk
Charity suppor
ting the homele
ss.
The November Coffee Morning includi
ng the
fundraising raised £
237.95 - well done !
As always, we are extr
emely grateful for all your
financial support throughout the year.
Many thanks
Mary A and Richar
d W
A Note from Richard
Dear Friends
,
When
you
are
reading
this,
we
will
be
some
6000 miles away on
the beautiful African
island
of Mauritiu
s.
We
are
stayin
g
for
a
few
weeks
with
our
daughter
and
family,
who
have
been
living
here
now
for
7
years.
It
is
love
ly
being
able
to
spend
some
real
time
with
them,
especially
our
two
dear
grandchildren,
whom
we
have
n'
t
seen
physically for a ye
ar !!
Temperature
here,
around
the
30
degree
mark
every day at this
time of year.
Looks
like
we
have
just
got
the
call
for
a
barbecue
on
t
he
beach
-
just
10
minutes
down
the road - great !!!
Seasonal Greetings
an
d our
Best Wishes
to y
ou All
Lyn, Richard, Jacqui,
Maarten, Mona and Jef
.
Well
done
to
all
involved
in
e
nabling
St
John’s
to
b
e
awarded
this
recognition
of
our
efforts
to
be an eco - friendly church. John B Editor
Castle Hill URC
18:30 22 December
Carols by Candlelight
Our Seasonal Singers will again be leading
the singing for this service
with a mixture of
favourite carols, choir songs,
readings and reflections.
The service is led by
Rev David Rees,
with Rev Adam Earle providing the music.
5
5 Jan
Lesley and Brian
6
Ser
vice
s at St
John’
s
The
se are
at 10:
45 nor
mall
y
01 D
ec
Adve
nt Sunda
y Wors
hip
and C
ommunio
n
Led by Rev Da
vi
d R
ee
s
08
De
c
To
y Se
rvic
e
L
ed
by
Re
v C
an
on
Da
vi
d A
tk
ins
1
5
De
c
Ca
rol
Ser
vic
e wi
th C
hoi
r
22 D
ec
Su
nda
y Wo
rsh
ip
Led
by
Rev
Ada
m Ea
rle
24 Dec
23:30
Mi
dnight
Servi
ce
Led by P
et
er
Da
ws
o
n
To get in touch and send contributions to
Adv
ance
please use the email:
advan
ce@stjoh
nsurcips
wich.or
g.uk
Please
note the deadline for the
January Adva
nce is 21st Dece
mber
Pause
for Thought
“If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!” Dolly Parton (1946 - ), American singer and songwriter
F
lo
w
er
Ro
t
a
01
D
ec
08
Dec
Mary A and Pau
line
15
D
ec
Mollie and Richard
22
D
ec
Mauree
n and Jen
ny
29
Dec
Gwen and Jill L
Ji
ll B an
d Marg
aret B
After Service Coffee Rota
Date
Coffee Rota Names
Diary Dates
Thursday Forum at Christ
Church
Thursday Lunchtime 1:10-1:50
Rev
A
da
m E
ar
le
1
st
December 16:00
Advent Carol Service Castle Hill
3
rd
December at 9.30 am
St
John’s.
Pre-school
are
having
a
short
Nativity
followed
b
y
refreshments
and
a
few
fund-raising
stalls.
SUNDAY, 8
th
December annual Toy Service
Followed by ADVENT LUN
CH
Tuesday 17 December 6:30 PM
Community Carols outside Castle Hill Church
Dec
5th Living
Well
with
Dementia
Deb
Blunt
and Peter Berry
Dec
12th Ipswich
Town
Football
Club
–
What
it
does
for
the
Community
Leanne
Smith,
Heal
th
and Wellbeing O
ffi
cer, ITFC Foundation
Dec
19th Christmas
Celebrations
with
Carols
and Readings
Forum then takes a break for Chri
stmas
Jan
9th Ipswich
is
a
Heritage
Harbour
-
Ca
thy
Shelbourne, Ipswich Maritime Trust
01
Dec
Lesley C
08
Dec
Val V
15
Dec
Jill L
22
Dec
Pauline & Gwen
29
Dec
Molly M
05
Jan
Jean H
25
Dec
10:30
Christmas Day service
Led by Rev Adam Earle
29 Dec
Hybrid Service prepared by
Rev David Rees
and led by Sara Pells
05 Jan
Sunday Worship
Led by Peter Dawson
Bible C
ourse at Felixsto
we URC
2
n
d
Dece
mber
– 10.3
0 –
Exi
le & P
rophe
ts
Online via Zoom 19:30 to 21:00
Meeting ID
511 4914646
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