Our Minister Rev David Rees,
who also looks after 3 other
Churches: Castle Hill,
Felixstowe and
Saxmundham. These
churches and another 17
churches and chapels are
part of the
South Suffolk Area
Partnership
Advance
This is the regular publication containing
news of events and our church life. The
February version can be downloaded or read
in PDF format by clicking here.
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This week’s Service on 16
th
February
Worship for All
is led
by Sara Pells
Link to Hope
Report Link
St John’s URC Ipswich Diary
Regular Events
Sunday 10.45am Worship for All. Communion first Sunday of each month. Monday Tuesday 6.15pm 23rd Ipswich Brownies 7.00pm Improvisations Craft Group (1st Tues each month) 8.00pm Ipswich Folk Dance Club (1st, 3rd and 5th Tues) Wednesday 12.30pm Monthly Church Lunch Club, except July and August. 7.30pm Local AA Group Meeting Thursday 5.00pm 2nd Hamilton Rainbows 6.15pm 40th Ipswich Brownies 7.30pm Elders Meeting (usually 2nd Thurs) 7.30pm Church Meeting (5 meetings per year) Friday Saturday 10.30am Community Coffee for All (2nd Sat in the month) 1.00pm Ramble Group (last Sat each month) Click here to view the Ramblers Page
Services
10.45 am on Sundays
Worship for All
at which you will find a warm welcome
Services last about an hour followed by coffee/tea and a chat. Our Worship Leaders include Ministers, such as our own Ipswich and East Minister Rev David Rees, and some excellent lay preachers, including our own two lay preachers, Sara Pells and Peter Dawson. Whenever possible we use a screen to project elements of the service including the hymns. There is also a printed Order of Service.
Minister’s Letter
Specification of the Organ
The
1916
two
manual
and
pedal
tubular
pneumatic
organ
by
Bishop
from
the
previous
building
was
rebuilt
with
electric
action
by
W
&
A
Boggis
of
Diss
in
the
new
church.
It
is
placed
in
an
elevated
position
in
the
Worship
Area
and
is
controlled
from
a
detached,
moveable console.
Certain
specifications
changes
were
made
to
take
account
of
the
new
acoustic
conditions
and a few ranks were added.
The Pedal reed pipes (which had been prepared for) were installed in 1993.
God’s call
I had spent the evening watching TV. As I turned out my bedside light, I reflected on the last
few hours. Apart from the 10 o’clock news, I really struggled to remember what programmes I
had been watching. Even when I did finally recall them, I also realised that, apart from a vague
overview of the programme I couldn’t really say what had happened. Even though I had been
awake the whole time, I had in effect slept through the evening. I had not engaged in the
content, which for the most part, I guess, had been ordinary. Just entertainment. Just filling in
the time between the evening meal and bed.
“Here I am,” says Samuel, awakened from sleep by a God who calls to him personally and
persistently. Samuel, in training with the temple priest, Eli, assumes it is Eli who keeps
arousing him from sleep. He continues to go to Eli saying, “Here I am”, to which Eli says, “Go
back to sleep”, assuming the boy has had a dream or heard some other noise in his sleep.
However, upon God’s third call to Samuel, Eli understands the possibility of God at work here,
and teaches Samuel how to respond, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Sometimes we may not recognize the persistent call of God to us in ordinary time and in the
midst of our ordinary lives, filled as they are with experiences, good, bad and indifferent.
Often it may be someone else - through something we read or a piece of music, a sermon,
discerning clarity through Communion, a dear friend’s keen listening ear or even a total
stranger - who first hears God’s continual knocking at the walls of our hearts, minds and
spirits.
Or is it that even though our eyes are open, we’ve been sleeping through our day, and not
willing or able to hear that persistent, but quiet, call. Like Samuel, may we be blessed with the
wisdom and grace to take note, to listen to the counsel we receive, and to say, “Speak, for
your servant is listening.” Today, may we be blessed to welcome the persistent presence of
the Lord more deeply into our lives. “
David
Welcome to St John’s URC Cowper Street Ipswich
February 23
rd
2020 10:45 am
Worship for All
Led By Liz Fox
Welcome and Notices
Call to worship – Psalm 2
Hymn R&S 34 Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty,
Prayer & Lord’s Prayer
Reading: Exodus 24:12-18
Hymn R&S 47 O Worship the King, all-glorious above;
Bible Readings:Matthew 17:1-7
2 Peter 1:16-21
Hymn R&S 489 Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart,
Sermon
Hymn MP 50 Be still for the Presence of the Lord
Prayers
Offering
Hymn R&S 262 Crown him with many crowns,
Blessing
Next Sunday
Worship for All
Led By
Rev Peter Ball
Room Hire
Below is an interactive guide to hiring a room
in St John’s.
The Main Hall
This is used for Pre-school every weekday during term-time. Also by Brownies and Rainbows on Tuesdays and Thursdays and by the Folk Dancing Group. Other than the Sanctuary, it is the largest space in the building and has kitchen facilities just off the hall.Room 1
This is a regulary used space, including use as a Polling Station! It is easy to make all sorts of furniture arrangements. It is also straight off the main lobby so makes for easy access.Rooms 4 and 5
A useful space, with a divider, so it can be made cosy or more open. It is used as a double room by the AA Group on a Wednesday evening regularly throughout the year. There is flexibility in the setting of the furniture .The Sanctuary
The sanctuary is also very flexible in layout, but as the chairs are more substantial, re-arrangements require much more work. There is a loop sound system and a projection screen. The organ console seen in the picture to the left is moveable. The organ pipes can be seen above the congregation seating area in the picture below.Last, but not least, are the supporting areas.
There are toilets on both floors including baby changing and disabled facilities on the ground floor. There is a small lift in the entrance lobby for people to get to and from the upper floor. Finally, each floor has kitchen facilities. The pictures are of the downstairs kithen. See the forms and conditions on the Forms Page
Please Turn off Ad Blockers if you wish to Book a Room as they prevent the forms appearing
Below is an interactive Booking Enquiry Form - the simplest way to make an enquiry.
This is secure entry and the information you add is encrypted; and this still applies if you are out and
about and not on a secure WiFi setting.
Otherwise you can download a PDF form here. Print it, complete it and mail to St John’s or email it to:
roombooking@stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk
Note: This form is fillable if you have an appropriate PDF reader.
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News
The Next Ten Years (TNTY) This positive exercise is to create a plan for the future. We recognise that we need to think about how we manage all the day-day things amongt us so that we can still be a vibrant church; and continue to help those around us. This is just the first step - illuminating what is done - but leaves open the ‘who’ - including the ‘who’ outside of St John’s currently - whoever that might be. The video below is to help us start thinking what part we could contribute to in what has to done week by week. It reminds us of all the many things that have to happen.Help further: here is a PDF of the activities described
in the video so that you can think about them quietly.
Just click here to download it.
Even being able to do part of some of them, or just
do them once in a while will be of help.
Lent Course 2020
Ramble Group
Introduction The St John's Rambling Group was formed in 1996 as an activity of the church. They walk on the last Saturday every month. The group welcomes friends from other churches and those simply interested in walking in enjoyable company. Walk Programme 2020/2021 is shown below. Ramblers meet in the church car park, ready to leave at 1.00pm unless indicated differently in the programme. For further information about the St John's United Reformed Church Ramblers, e-mail the leaders at Ramble LeadersWalk Programme 2020/21
Monthly Walks Meet at the church at Cowper St. on last Saturday of the month so we are ready to leave the church at 1.00 p.m. The mileages given above are approximate and might change once the walk has been tried out. Usually, it will be possible for a shorter walk to be taken.
Date
Location
Approx. Mileage
29 February
Capel St. Mary/Wenhams
5.5 miles
28 March
Shelland/Haughley
6 miles
25 April
Colchester/West Bergholt
7.5 miles
30 May
Tangham
6 miles
27 June
Kersey/Semer
5.5 miles
25 July
Debenham/Ashfield
6.2 miles
29 August
Coastal
5 miles
26 September
Hythe/Rowhedge
5 miles
31 October
Combs Ford/Badley
5.5 miles
28 November
Grundisburgh
4.25 miles
2 January
2021
Felixstowe
5 miles
30 January
Claydon
4.75 miles
Gallery
This is under
construction, so mainly
interest pictures for a
week or two. Just enjoy
them.
.
Contact Details
St John’s URC Ipswich
Our Postal Address is: St John’s United Reformed Church 1 Cowper Street Ipswich Suffolk IP4 5JD United Kingdom Office Telephone (Answer Machine) 01473 724961 Minister: Rev David Rees (Ipswich and East) email: minister@stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk Church Secretary:Mr Adrian Cubitt email: Secretary@stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk Webmaster webmaster@stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk Website which is https for security www.stjohnsurcipswich.org.uk