East Anglican. Monthly News from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. He is Risen: Happy Easter!

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1 April 2015 Issue East Anglican Monthly News from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich He is Risen: Happy Easter! In this issue: News from throughout our diocese, tips for running a flower festival and for entering our Suffolk Show Photography Competition, Growing the Rural Church, new courses in the Living Faith in Suffolk series and more.

2 EDITORIAL From the Editor By the time you read this edition of your East Anglican magazine, Easter will most likely be upon us, and with it the hope and joy of the resurrection. In this edition, there is plenty for us to look forward to. There is news of our next Bishop and the preparation that is ongoing for his arrival, we have top tips for churches considering running a flower festival and tips if you re thinking of entering our 2015 Suffolk Show Photography Competition. We have news on Growing the Rural Church from General Synod and an update on new courses available in our Living Faith in Suffolk series. One of my favourite films in recent years was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which contains a memorable line, which is actually a quote from John Lennon, It ll be alright in the end, and if it s not alright, it s not yet the end. As we reflect on what the Easter story means to each of us I pray we remember that after the crucifixion, comes the resurrection - a sure and certain hope that things will be alright in the end. Happy Easter. Tom Warmington, East Anglican Editor and Diocesan Communications Officer HAVE YOUR SAY KEEP IN TOUCH Please send your stories or items for inclusion to the Editor. Via to: eaeditor@cofesuffolk.org Via post to: Diocesan Office, St Nicholas Centre, 4 Cutler St, Ipswich, IP1 1UQ. Please send pictures as separate attachments, preferably saved as jpgs, rather than embedding them in your stories. facebook.com/ CofEsuffolk The inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of a product or service by either the Editor or the Diocese of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich. Copyright of the East Anglican belongs to The St Edmundsbury & Ipswich Diocesan Board of Finance. Articles and pictures in this magazine will also appear on the diocesan website and social media. twitter.com/ CofEsuffolk 2 East Anglican

3 A Drizzling Easter Morning And is he risen? Well, be it so And still the pensive lands complain, And dead men wait as long ago, As if, much doubting, they would know What they are ransomed from, before they pass again their sheltering door. FROM ARCHDEACON IAN The Venerable Ian Morgan, Archdeacon of Suffolk, reflects on the joy and truth of the resurrection. I stand amid them in the rain, While blusters vex the yew and vane; And on the road the weary wain plods forward, laden heavily; And toilers with their aches are fain for endless rest though risen is he. A Drizzling Easter Morning by, who else, Thomas Hardy. Ever since I read Tess of the d Urbervilles 30 or so years ago, I have resonated with much of Hardy s bucolic grumpiness and a sense that whilst God was busy elsewhere, it was that he was busy elsewhere. Arriving at a church in the middle of a field, in a grey drizzle, in deeply rural Suffolk it s easy to grasp Hardy s pictures without too much effort. As a parable of life it seems that it s possible to be standing rather mournfully in the drizzle whilst God is busy somewhere else. Of course, deep down we know that s not true, but, my word, it can feel like it at times. Easter, a General Election, the Enthronement of a bishop, amongst all sorts of other things there s much to be getting close to God about in prayer, and believing that he isn t busy elsewhere but focussed in his love for you, expressed in his risen son to save you from your own personal drizzle. So yes, sometimes faith can sometimes feel a bit like stomping grumpily around a field in the drizzle but, thrown into such relief, Easter gives a real sense of the warmest of all loves to be sheltered by and to come home to. Risen is he. Alleluia. 3

4 NEWS Around the Diocese 500 children attend LIFE Exhibition Money raised over a cuppa A monthly coffee morning, organised by St Andrew s Church in Great Finborough has proved a hit. Each month, on every second Tuesday, they meet at their local pub, The Chestnut Horse, for tea, coffee and cake. John Hamilton from St Helen s Church in Ipswich recently organised a weeklong LIFE exhibition for primary aged pupils all about the life of Jesus. The exhibition, which was attended by 500 children from nine schools aimed to: Help visitors understand what Christians believe about Jesus Enable questioning and exploration of the life of Jesus Encourage visitors to consider his impact in today s world Allow visitors to think for themselves about the teachings of Jesus Build on existing links between schools and local churches To find out more about the LIFE exhibition, visit Every month the money raised goes to help the local church or other charities. Already this year the coffee mornings have raised hundreds of pounds for Great Finborough s loo fund and Papworth Hospital s Cardiology Department. Don t forget......to order your copy of Generous God, Generous People, a booklet of Bible reflections produced by our Diocesan Giving Group. These are available for 1 each from the Parishes Resource Centre at the Diocesan Office in Ipswich. To discuss a discounted bulk order, please emma.middleditch@cofesuffolk.org. 4 East Anglican

5 NEWS Reydon Celebration A three-day festival attracted hundreds of visitors to St Margaret s Church, Reydon to celebrate the reordering of the church. The event included performances from six local organists, a sing-along of The Sound of Music, a music, drama and craft morning for the children, the Wrentham Band and an evening concert with organist Mike Webb and singer Joanne Knight. The celebrations concluded with a parish Eucharist and dedication with Bishop David and a performance from the North Suffolk Youth Choir. Eggcellent Competition One of the winners of a case of Real Easter Eggs in a recent diocesan enews competition has used them as raffle prizes (one of which was won by the Ipswich Mayoress, pictured below) which helped to raise 144 to provide farmers in Malawi with agricultural start-up kits after the worst rains in 40 years devastated the area and washed away homes, livestock and crops. There is more information at fairtrade.org.uk/donate. To sign up to our weekly diocesan enews, communications@cofesuffolk.org. In the footsteps of Jesus The Revd Jane Hall will be leading a relaxed pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine, from 12 to 20 October 2015, which all are very welcome to join. The cost will be 1695 and the itinerary includes Galilee and Bethlehem, Jerusalem. For further details contact Jane (allthealls@ tiscali.co.uk or ) or book through Lightline Pilgrimages ( or ). 5

6 TOP TIPS FEATURE Flower Festivals Churches throughout the diocese will be holding flower festivals this year. If you ve not held one before, our top tips will hopefully get you thinking. 2. Tell people in advance. You don t need to be a communications expert to call your local newspaper or your parish magazine editor. They just need to know what you re doing and when. If you have a church website or A Church Near You login, you can update those and don t forget to let the Diocesan Office know - see below. Flower festivals can be a fantastic way to engage your local community and encourage more people to visit your church and they need not take a team of thousands to organise. 1. If you re a small church and you have not held a flower festival before - start small. Appoint an overall leader who can work with a small team to make the festival happen. Maybe think of a theme and team up with a local florist who could provide a display in return for advertising. 3. What else can you offer? Tea, coffee, homemade cake? A tombola? A plant or book stall? Some churches do not charge an entry fee but rely on donations and the added extras to provide much needed funds. 4. Think about where in the church you will put the displays and maybe produce a programme so people have something to read on the way round. 5. A warm welcome is the most important of all. Online Events Diary This year, we will be listing flower festivals in our online events diary. You just need to send the details to communications@cofesuffolk.org. To view the events diary visit 6 East Anglican

7 TOP TIPS FEATURE Photographic Competition Our Suffolk Show Photographic Competition is now open for entries. Here the Revd Tim Crosbie from Ipswich gives his top tips for taking an award winning photograph. 1. For the choice of subject matter, give some thought to the criterion that are being asked for. It is usually better to shoot for a specific purpose rather than try and fit (fudge) a previously taken image to meet the requirements. Be as inventive and artistic as you like. 2. Focusing. Make sure that the prime object of the image is in focus. It matters less if the foreground or background are out of focus as it can often help to draw the eye to the parts of the photograph which are the true subject. 3. Rule of Thirds, photographers jargon for expressing that to place the main object right bang in the centre of an image is boring. Unless symmetry is required, experiment by trying to place the prime object away from the central position in the photograph. 4. Horizons. Try to keep horizons straight unless it is deliberate. Sloping floors, leaning houses, an unlevel sea horizon can all look very awkward. 5. Not all photographs need be taken at eye level. Try experimenting by placing the camera near to the ground and shooting slightly upwards, or gaining some height and shooting slightly downwards. 6. The Golden Rule, enjoy photographing, and remember that every other rule is there to be broken even those above! How to Enter Details are available at www. cofesuffolk.org/go/suffolkshow. We ve made it even easier to enter. The theme is Growth and the competition is open to amateur photographers of all ages and abilities. 7

8 NEWS The Next Steps for our Next Bishop The College of Canons at St Edmundsbury Cathedral have now concluded the necessary formal process of electing Canon Martin as our next Bishop. The next stage is for the Confirmation of Election to take place on Thursday 7 May at St Maryle-Bow in London. This is undertaken by the Provincial Registrar and the Archbishop of Canterbury; it is predominantly a legal ceremony but is the time from which Canon Martin assumes the legal responsibilities for our diocese. We now know that there are just 20 places available at this service for representatives from our diocese and those invited will be approached directly by the Dean. Following the Confirmation of Election, Canon Martin will be Ordained into Episcopal Orders (Consecrated) at Westminster Abbey on Ascension Day, Thursday 14 May. If you would like to attend this event, information about booking will be posted to the news pages of the diocesan website and in enews soon after Easter. Limited tickets will be available directly via the Abbey and you will be responsible for your own travel arrangements. On 2 June, Bishop Martin will pay Homage to Her Majesty The Queen in a private audience at Buckingham Palace. The formal start to his public ministry as our Bishop will be on his Enthronement at St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Saturday 20 June at 3.00pm. Once again, to ensure the best representation possible from throughout the diocese, attendance will be by invitation of The Dean and Chapter. Between leaving Westcott House at the end of March and the formal process starting, Canon Martin will take a post Easter break and retreat to spend time being open to God and preparing spiritually for the ministry God has called him to. Our prayers remain with him and his family as they prepare to move to Suffolk. The diocesan website is at To subscribe to enews, communications@cofesuffolk.org 8 East Anglican

9 Growing the Rural Church NEWS A General Synod report, which was distributed at the March Diocesan Synod, says urgent attention is needed to help liberate the rural church so its potential for growth can be realised. It fits very well with our plans to be Growing in God. The Church of England is defined by its commitment to be a church for everyone, living out its vocation to be a Christian presence in every community. 66% of Church of England parishes are in rural England, here in Suffolk we know only too well the challenges, and the joys, of serving in rural, multi-church groups. At the last General Synod, a report called Growing the Rural Church was released which sought to describe the reality of rural multi-church ministry as experienced by lay and ordained alike, and made recommendations to address blockages to mission and growth. The report identified five priorities: 1. Building a culture of discipleship appropriate to the rural context. 2. Envisioning, enabling and equipping the ministry of lay people. 3. Effective training, support and resourcing for clergy and lay people in rural multi-church groups. 4. The simplification of governance and legal structures, the requirement for officers and the need for administrative resourcing. 5. Facilitation of creative ecumenical partnerships. In our diocese, churches report that a great deal of this work is already ongoing and that mission and ministry can and are thriving and achievable in our multi-parish benefice model. The full report in full can be read via Type Growing the Rural Church in the search bar. 9

10 FEATURE Where is God? Dr Anne Spalding, Diocesan Spiritualty Advisor, is organising a day later this year for Exploring Prayer at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. It s a big question, but I hope you will join me in looking for some answers: where do I find signs of God s grace in my life; where do we draw closer to God in our church; where is the life of God in our community? The ways in which we pray, on our own and together, can make a difference to how easy (or not) we find it to recognise God s life among us. People are wonderfully different and, not surprisingly, we don t all find the same approach to prayer helpful. But there are lots of approaches in the Christian tradition; exploring prayer in other ways can give us fresh moments of God s grace and sometimes a bit of a challenge! A day for Exploring Prayer will be held at St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Saturday 18 July. Maybe your Where is God? question is answered only by sadness or darkness. It is a common experience. The Psalmist, for example, cries out Why? and How long? We hope the Prayer and Protest workshop at the Exploring Prayer day will be one occasion to pray with these experiences. Other Exploring Prayer workshops include those with music, with movement, and a way of silent prayer. We will pray together too. Individually, we can use the prayer spaces within the Cathedral (developed by children and young people) and we can walk the labyrinth. Full information will be available via enews, the diocesan website, and from the Cathedral and the Diocesan Office. If I can support you to Grow in God, exploring where God is in any way, please contact me on or anne.spalding@cofesuffolk.org. 10 East Anglican

11 Living Faith in Suffolk FEATURE Ruth Dennigan, Discipleship and Ministry Development Officer, writes that this April sees the launch of four new courses in the Living Faith in Suffolk series. On 13 April, four new courses will join those already available on the Living Faith in Suffolk pages of These are suitable for use by individuals, small groups, or as part of Sunday services. Living Confirmation provides teaching, activities and discussion opportunities around some of the basics of the Christian faith and is ideal for anyone wanting to gain a good grounding, including those seeking confirmation. Areas covered include God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Bible, prayer, Church, baptism, communion and putting faith into practice. Living Word 1 and 2 give a way in to understanding and studying the Bible. Living Word 1 contains sessions on the different types of biblical literature narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, letters and apocalyptic with a wide range of teaching related to each. Living Word 2 looks at one take on the Big Story of the Bible, focusing on the nature of God as the loving creator who desires a loving relationship with his precious creation, and the lengths he goes to in order to make this possible. Looking ahead, Living Advent 1 contains daily reflections for 1-25 December, each day looking at one from a collection of nativity scenes, with a reflection on some of the messages conveyed and some questions to stimulate personal thought. Resources for those wishing to meet weekly are also provided. 11

12 FEATURE Meeting the Needs of Everyone The Ipswich Deaf Church meets at the St Nicholas Centre on the second Sunday of each month. Twenty percent of the population of the United Kingdom have some form of disability. This means that there is a large number of people in the Church of England who are seeking to live out their Christian lives with the challenges presented by disability. Through the Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf and Disabled People (CMDDP) the Church of England seeks to support and encourage the ministries of Deaf people, people with disabilities and the ministries of all those who work with them. The work with Deaf people, who comprise a linguistic minority using British Sign Language, has been an important national ministry of the Church of England for almost 100 years. Here in Suffolk, The Ipswich Deaf Church meets at the St Nicholas Centre at 3.30pm on the second Sunday of each month. It is dedicated in the name of St John of Beverly (AD ), formerly Bishop of Hagulstad (Hexham, Northumberland), the first recorded teacher of the Deaf. The service is fully signed, with voice interpretation, full use is made of the loop system in the centre for those with hearing aids, and interpreters are provided. The service is non-eucharistic and is open to all whether Deaf, hard of hearing or hearing. Forthcoming Preachers: April 12: The Ven Dr David Jenkins, Archdeacon of Sudbury. May 10: The Revd Toby Tate, Asst Curate, St Matthew s, Ipswich. June 14: The Revd Ali Chesworth, Team Vicar, South West Ipswich Team Ministry. July 12: The Ven Ian Morgan, Archdeacon of Suffolk. If you are interested in preaching, alichesworth@sky.com. 12 East Anglican

13 On Rock or Sand? BOOK REVIEW The Revd Tim Jones, Diocesan Director of Ordinands, reviews a book edited by the Archbishop of York. It is available to purchase from the Parishes Resource Centre priced Call or dbf@cofesuffolk.org to order. The nature of modern politics is such that - especially in an election year - any perceived criticism has to be quickly and firmly squashed. No surprise, then, that on the publication a few weeks ago of On Rock or Sand?, a book edited by the Archbishop of York, the political denunciations were swift and severe. The Archbishops are wrong. proclaimed the Prime Minister. Mr Cameron almost had no choice. The media had immediately presented the book as a thinly veiled attack on the government, as the Church wading into party politics. Nothing can so make a man an imitator of Christ as caring for his neighbours. St John Chrysostom The book is actually a collection of lucid and elegant essays written by various acknowledged experts in their respective fields. Their collective purpose is to examine the nature of our common life together in modern Britain, and how our assumptions and public discourse should be shaped in a society which is both religious and secular, rich and poor, full of opportunity and obstacles to opportunity. There is both affirmation and constructive critique of policies and attitudes as they have been developed over the last few generations. Anyone who is interested in who we are, and how we all live together, will find On Rock or On Sand? engrossing, encouraging, and challenging. Unless, of course, your sole immediate objective is to win the next election. But if your hope is to participate meaningfully in British community life as an intellectually engaged Christian citizen, whatever your political outlook, then this well written collection of short, stimulating essays will be genuinely useful. The Church cannot be about God if it is not about the well being of all God's children. Archbishop Sentamu 13

14 PEOPLE AND PLACES Appointments The Revd Manette Crossman, Assistant Curate in the Benefice of Haverhill with Withersfield has moved to become Assistant Curate in the Benefice of Haughley with Stowupland and Wetherden. The Revd Liz Law (House for Duty), Associate Priest in the Benefice of Great Finborough with Onehouse, Harleston, Buxhall and Shelland and the Benefice of Combs and Little Finborough has moved to be Associate Priest in the Benefice of Bildeston with Wattisham and Lindsey, Whatfield with Semer, Nedging and Naughton. The Revd Sam Long, Priest in Charge in Badwell and Walsham Benefice is now Priest in Charge of Badwell Ash, Finningham, Langham, Walsham le Willows, Westhorpe and Wattisfield. The Revd David Messer, Rector of Stanton, Hopton, Market Weston, Barningham and Coney Weston is now additionally Priest in Charge of Hepworth, Hinderclay and Thelnetham. The Revd Canon Mark Sanders, Rector of Framlingham with Saxtead, has been appointed Rural Dean of Loes. He will replace the Revd Canon Deirdre Parmenter who will remain Canon Emeritus of the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund and continue to have Bishop s Permission to Officiate. The Revd Canon Sanders will be licensed by the Archdeacon of Suffolk at the Visitation Service at St Mary s Church, Debenham on 13 May at 7.30pm. The Revd Katherine Valentine, Priest in Charge of Pakenham with Norton and Tostock is now additionally Priest in Charge of Great Ashfield, Hunston and Stowlangtoft. Permission to Officiate The Revd Lucy Ashdown (Chaplain within Chelmsford Diocese), from Thorpe Morieux. The Revd Timothy Crosbie (retired), from Ipswich. The Revd Helen Davy (retired), from Felixstowe. The Revd James Longe (retired), from Bury St Edmunds. The Revd Pamela Robson (retired), from Bury St Edmunds. Retirements The Revd Douglas Neupert has retired as Assistant Priest in the Blackbourne Team Ministry. The Revd Tricia Shuler is due to retire on 31 May as Priest in Charge of the Benefice of Martlesham with Brightwell. 14 East Anglican

15 A Day in the Life: Jon Wright, BBC Radio Suffolk DAY IN THE LIFE Jon presents the Sunday Breakfast programme on BBC Radio Suffolk, a faithbased programme, reflecting faith and ethical aspects of mainstream news and stories from across Suffolk s diverse communities. What do you aim to do on the Sunday Breakfast programme? I want the programme to be a platform to explore personal faith, and how that motivates people across Suffolk into action. I enjoy sharing stories of people s journeys. How their faith or values drive them to act, to do, to change things in their community so more about how they believe, rather than just what. Do you have a particular interest in personal faith? I am fascinated by faith; the history of religions, the logistics of faith, the way values are used and, sadly, abused, in modern life. It s not something which you can really ignore or separate from the rest of the news or politics. Faith matters, and so everyone needs to be able to learn and talk about it in an open and honest way. Since you started presenting the programme in January, what have been your highlights? My favourite interview so far was a piece recorded with a young married couple who lead the worship at their church. Music had been at the heart of their relationship since it started, and was central to their day to day lives together. I went round one evening and recorded them singing together, and speaking about love, song and faith. I hope people found it as moving and inspiring as I did. Where is your favourite place in Suffolk? I grew up in Newmarket and returned to Suffolk in 2006, since then I have been busy exploring the county with my family. Last year I coordinated Radio Suffolk s Coast day, broadcasting live programmes from along the coast from dawn till dusk. I presented a show from Trimley Marshes nature reserve as the sun went down on a beautiful day. It doesn t get much better than that. 15

16 FEATURE In the footsteps of St Thomas... Richard Stainer, World Development Advisor for the diocese, reflects on a recent pilgrimage to India led by the Revd Mark Woodrow, Curate at Lavenham. I have always had a soft spot for St Thomas, whose doubt seems so human and is the foundation of belief, so I jumped at the chance to travel with 21 others to India. These were Thomas footsteps, starting in Chennai (Madras) where he died to Cochin where he began his missionary work; a reverse pilgrimage if you like! Nothing quite prepares you for the assault on the senses of an Indian city. Mark warned us that pedestrians were just fatalities waiting to happen, but the risks seemed small compared to the sights we saw. The 11 kilometres of golden sand which is Marina Beach, the 19th century grandeur and elegance of St George s Cathedral, the magnificence of the 37 metre high Gopuram at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, the noise and smells of the Pongal Festival, left us amazed and exhausted. We were just beginning to grapple with the intricacies of Hinduism with its 33 million Gods when we visited Mahabalipuram with its seventh century carvings and temples. We thought we could recognise Shiva, Vishnu and Parvati, but we discovered that they also appear in different manifestations and our brains started to fry along with our bodies! Tiruchirappalli on the banks of the river Cauvery came next, followed by the city of Madurai, and a chance to visit the beautiful Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple with its Hall of a Thousand Pillars. We spent a night in Munnar, in the mountains, where some of us tried an ayurvedic massage. Covered in oil, and in just a loin cloth, I am grateful that I will probably not have to meet my masseur socially in the future! We ended our pilgrimage with a Eucharist on a boat floating along the waterways of Kerala. A chance to share the Lord s Supper as we had shared so much over our 12 days together. Days in which we had seen and learnt so much, perhaps not so much about St Thomas, but about a culture and a way of life quite different from our own. 16 East Anglican