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It
begins with me……
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God
has given us many gifts. The most wonderful being the gift
of his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. As we, Christ’s
body, reflect upon God’s love for us we are all called
as one to share this love and to take it to a wider world.
The
Church in Suffolk aims to be a vessel of God’s love,
a means by which God’s love, made known to us through
Jesus Christ, can be expressed. |
In
2001 our parish priests conducted 1,910 baptisms, 1,030
marriages and blessings, and 3,290 funerals. On average
over 22,000 people attend church each week. In 2001 over
31,000 men, women and children worshipped God in our churches
at Easter and over 53,000 at Christmas.
All
this is made possible because of God’s generosity
to us and what we are a
ble
to give back to him. It is your giving which enables this
to happen, which provides the funding which enables the
Church to carry on day after day, week after week, year
after year. Of course, the Church – being you and
I - is an imperfect tool and needs to constantly change
and adapt but it is worth supporting: and it is your generosity
that makes this possible. There is no one else – hence
the title of the video….. It begins with me. |
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The
Church in Suffolk
It
would be easy to underestimate the significance of the Church
in the life of Suffolk. The Church is as an expression of
God’s love for us: a couple take their wedding vows,
a child is christened, and a loved one is buried. Countless
generations have worshipped God in our beautiful churches.
His word is spoken and taught. We receive the sacrament
of the Holy Communion. |
The
Church in Suffolk is blessed with many people who have been
called to ministry.
- At
present there are 158 men and women in full time ministry.
- We
have 252 readers, 64 people in ordained local ministry
and 25 clergy who do not receive a stipend.
- We
have chaplaincies in schools, hospitals, prisons, ports,
football clubs and even supermarkets.
- We
have over 26,000 church members, many of whom witness
to Christ and uphold the life of the Church in their
communities.
- There
are 479 churches – 233 of which are Grade 1 listed,
some of which have been places of worship for over 1000
years.
- We
have 93 church schools.
So
many blessings, we could go on for ever…..
There
are over 607,000 people in this diocese, 495,000 (81.5%)
of whom in the recent census proclaimed a Christian faith.
With the guidance of the Holy Spirit let us reach out to
these people. Those who come to Christ find a new life and
lasting joy in their lives. We are all called as one, disciples
of the living word – Jesus Christ:
Just
as every generation face their own challenges, so we too
must face ours.
We
the people of God need to pray for our Church, to consider
our vocations, and to offer ourselves to God All that we
have and all that we are. |
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