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Suffolk Churches Charity Cycle Ride Debrief with Daniel, Sam, and Will.

Join Daniel, Sam, and Will as they pedal across Suffolk in this engaging debrief from their Suffolk Churches Charity Cycle Ride — a spirited fundraising adventure in support of historic churches. From picturesque rural lanes to the welcoming doors of centuries-old parish buildings, this video captures the team’s journey visiting as many Suffolk churches as they could, raising much-needed funds for the Suffolk Historic Churches Trust. Watch as they reflect on the experience, the people they met along the way, and the shared passion for preserving architectural and cultural heritage through community-powered cycling and sponsorship.

Their podcast was in filmed in Rushbrooke Church.

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Reflection on the events in the Middle East over the weekend

Revd. Julia Lall – 1st March 2026

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’ Matthew 5.9

Today we are faced with a defining moment in world history.

A war has erupted, and people are struggling to find their moral footing.

There is fear, anger and confusion

In the last 48 hours we’ve been bombarded with the words of war :

– epic fury, revenge, evil, oppression, force, death, violence, crushing, destroying………

But Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers.

  • Not the peacekeepers.
  • Not the warmakers.
  • Not the people who stay quiet to keep the powerful comfortable.

Peacemaking is active, courageous, and brings about justice.

The American historian and WW2 veteran, Howard Zinn wrote this:

 “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people. You cannot justify the mass killing of people by simply calling them the enemy. They are human beings… When governments wage war, they turn living, breathing human beings into abstractions on a map. And once they are abstractions, it becomes easier to destroy them.”

We might find his words powerful or controversial, but perhaps they help us to re-centre ourselves on our basic humanity, made in the image of God, and our basic human rights of dignity, safety, protection and shelter.

Perhaps they helps us to reframe the narrative of war and to think about the impact on ordinary, peaceful, righteous /right-living people:

  • Families in Iran waking to explosions.
  • Soldiers being sent into danger without a clear justification.
  • Children whose futures will be impacted by decisions beyond their control.
  • Ordinary people like us, going about their everyday lives.

Warmaking uses fear to justify violence.

Fear is a tool of warmakers.

Fear escalates, and threatens to overwhelm.

But Jesus calls us to choose peace. He calls us to be peacemakers.

Peacemaking means telling the truth and protecting the vulnerable.

The tool of peacemakers is love, and we know that love overcomes.

We may feel utterly overwhelmed and helpless this morning,

so together we turn to Jesus the Prince of Peace.

We fix our eyes on him,

We bring this situation to him,

And we lay our fears, our doubts and our uncertainty at the foot of the cross.

Today let us reclaim our core Christian values of compassion, justice and care for our neighbour;

Let us refuse to use or accept dehumanizing language.

Let us advocate for diplomacy, for peace talks, for integrity of leadership, and for deep listening.

We reject the idea that violence is the only way and we commit to speaking the truth of the gospel even when it feels risky.

Peacemaking begins with us.

It begins in our own communities, homes and workplaces.

How we care for each other is how we resist the narrative of violence.

Let us not be the ones who stay quiet or who choose violence.

Let us be the ones who choose compassion, justice, and courage in a world that is bruised and broken.

Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers.

Today, let it begin with us. Amen

A  Prayer for Peace (Mothers Union)

Almighty God,
we pray for Your mercy in the midst of strife and war.
Where nations face violence and retaliation, grant wisdom to leaders,
comfort to the fearful, relief to the suffering, and protection to the innocent.
Strengthen and uphold families living in fear and uncertainty.
Turn the hearts of all peoples from violence to reconciliation,
that Your peace may prevail in the Middle East and throughout the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

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Introducing the Gospel of Matthew for the New Church Year

As we begin a new Church year this Advent (2025), our Sunday readings turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Each lectionary cycle gives us the opportunity to journey with one of the four evangelists, and this year Matthew is our guide.

Matthew offers a wonderfully rich portrait of Jesus: a teacher like Moses, a fulfilment of ancient promises, and the herald of God’s upside-down Kingdom of Heaven. His Gospel is full of memorable teaching, striking parables, and a steady insistence that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who brings God’s purposes to completion.

To mark the start of this Matthew-focused year—and to highlight some of the Gospel’s distinctive features—we’ve included a light-hearted poem below. It’s a playful way of noticing Matthew’s favourite themes: fulfilment quotations, carefully crafted structure, royal overtones, and those famous five teaching discourses.

We hope it brings a smile as we step into another year of worship, reflection, and discovery together.

A Very Matthewish Gospel (A Poem of Distinctive Features)

Of all the Gospel writers,
Matthew’s got a flair—
He loves a good Old Testament quote,
He pops them everywhere.

He’ll say, “This happened to fulfil…”
(You’ve heard that line before.)
By chapter two you realise
He’s got a prophecy store.

He starts with a genealogy—
A family tree so neat—
Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen folk,
A rhythmic Jewish beat.
(With Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba—
Surprise guests in the list!)
It’s Matthew’s way of hinting:
“God’s grace is hard to miss.”

The Magi wander east to west—
(No shepherds in this tale!)
A star, a king, some frankincense,
And Herod turning pale.
Joseph dreams in stereo,
An angel every night…
While Matthew whispers, “Isaiah said…
See? Told you I was right.”

He loves the word “Kingdom”—
But “of Heaven,” if you please.
(Mark says “God,” Luke mixes both,
But Matthew sticks with these.)
And if you fancy sermons,
Five grand ones fill the page—
Like Moses on the mountain,
But updated for this age.

From Beatitudes to parables,
From wise men to the end,
Matthew’s Gospel quietly says:
“See? Jesus is the send—
The King, the Christ, the promised one,
The teacher on the hill.”
And if you doubt his references,
Don’t worry—he’s got skill.

So raise a smile for Matthew,
With his structure crisp and tight—
A Gospel full of wisdom,
And a narrator who just might
Lean over your shoulder softly
And give your sleeve a tug:
“Check the prophets… check the prophets.
See? Fits perfectly. Hug.”

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Crowds gather at Suffolk church to cheer on star on first stop of ultramarathon

Big crowds braved the rain at St Mary’s Church in Rougham to cheer on Kevin Sinfield on the first stop of his gruelling ultramarathon challenge.

The former rugby league player is taking on seven ultramarathons in seven days, known as the 7 in 7: Together challenge, to raise money in aid of motor neurone disease (MND) research. He completed his first ultramarathon in Suffolk on December 1 in tribute to former Ipswich Town striker Marcus Stewart, who lives with the condition, crossing the finishing line at Portman Road.

For full story see https://www.cofesuffolk.org/news/crowds-gather-at-suffolk-church-to-cheer-on-star-on-first-stop-of-ultramarathon.php