Churches

Saxmundham has the following church communities:

• Parish Church in Church Street,
• United Reformed Church in Rendham Road,
• Salvation Army Hall in the High Street (closed),but Woodbridge Salvation Army does run an outreach group each week in Saxmundham.
More details can be found via:

http://www.woodbridgesalvationarmy.org.uk/Saxmundham.html

• Elim Pentecostal Church which meets in the Gannon Rooms in Station Approach.

There are also churches in Kelsale and Carlton offering a different style of service.

The following websites contain pages with additional information about other churches and chapels in the area.

Baptist Chapels

Church of England

The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain & Ireland

Heart of Suffolk

Methodist Chapels (type "IP17" into 'search again' box for list of local chapels)

St John The Baptist, The Parish Church of Saxmundham

THE Parish Church is there for everyone in the community of Saxmundham and beyond, irrespective of age, colour, creed or background. Our role in the town is defined by our mission statement:

"To know and love God and make Him known."

We aim to achieve this through Worship, Teaching, Prayer, Contact and Participation.

Worshipping God lies at the centre of our church life and we try to make our worship relevant to the community that we are and that we serve through a range of services both traditional and informal, adult and child orientated. All of our services seek to encourage full and active participation by all those who attend, providing a point of contact with the Lord whom we worship.

The Parish Church in January 2003.

Teaching and learning about God is vitally important, if our understanding and therefore our relationship with Him is to grow. We find that this is best achieved in peer groups with children meeting in various groups on a Sunday morning (10.30am) and adults on midweek evenings in several homes in the town. Baptism preparation, confirmation preparation and marriage preparation are also seen as important opportunities to learn about God and his purpose for our lives.

Praying for the people of Saxmundham and the world in which we live is a priority. Also through the year teams of church members visit homes offering to pray for any needs or concerns or worries.

Contact is achieved through the church shop 'At the Cross Roads' which maintains a Christian presence in the High Street, providing books and cards and a place for anyone to meet and chat over a cup of tea or coffee. The church magazine 'Contact' which is posted into every household also provides an important link with the town.

Participation. We seek to be fully involved in the life of the town and its people by taking part in local events, helping, encouraging and supporting each person in their journey through life.

Services at 8.00am, 10.45am and 6.30pm. For further information contact:

Revd Richard Webb
The Rectory
Manor Gardens
Saxmundham
Suffolk IP17 1ET.
Tel: 01728 604234.

Click here for a history of the Parish Church.

Saxmundham United Reformed Church

The United Reformed Church in Rendham Road is one of more than thirty such fellowships in the Ipswich and Colchester District of the URC. The Chapel was founded in 1850 as a Congregational Church and so celebrated its 15Oth anniversary in 2000.

Saxmundham URC in Rendham Road.

In terms of churchmanship, this is very much a non-conformist Church in the best sense of the word. The worship that takes place each week centres on the preaching of the Word; it is believed that by so preaching the Gospel in an uncomplicated way the Church gives the opportunity for its congregation to find faith in God through Jesus Christ.

During the last five years of the twentieth century, partly as a result of careful stewardship over many years and partly with thanks for a generous legacy, extensive refurbishment of the premises has been carried out. The Sanctuary has retained its distinctive 'Chapel' style but is bright and welcoming while the hall behind is widely used by organisations and individuals who find that its facilities match their requirements.

The fellowship is not part of a pastorate having an ordained minister but it is hoped that this will be addressed in the future. As a United Reformed Church, the responsibility for running the Church rests with the Church Meeting which delegates many of the practical aspects of its affairs to a group of six Elders and the Treasurer. This Elders' Meeting decides the future direction of the Church in terms of its spiritual life and outreach.

All who feel drawn to do so are welcome to worship at the URC. Normally services are held at 11.00am on a Sunday morning with the Sacrament of Holy Communion being observed on the first Sunday of each month. Additional Services to mark the major Christian Festivals and other special occasions are advertised on the notice board outside the Church and in the monthly newsletter. About half of the services are conducted by a locally based, nationally accredited URC Lay Preacher and this provides for some continuity of style and content. The remaining services are led by Ministers and Lay Preachers from a wide geographical area and spread of theological background.

The congregation is concerned for people from all backgrounds who live in the town and surrounding community.

To book the URC hall ring Joyce Witham on 602467

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Hall in the High Street has now closed and been part demolished because of its unsafe condition.

Elim Pentecostal Church

We are a fellowship of Christians who believe that Jesus is able to change lives because he has changed ours. We meet to worship God and encourage one another. Elim is an international denomination with churches all over the world.

Where are we? Sundays 6:30pm at The Gannon Rooms, Station Approach. For all enquiries, Tel: 01728 604299 or 01728 833755.