Our Meeting House, or Chapel, is known
as the ‘bottom chapel’ because it is at the lower end
of Cemetery Hill, at Meeting Green (which was formerly Meeting House
Green). The United Reformed Church was formed by uniting the Congregational
and English Presbyterian Churches, later joined by The Churches of
Christ.
Our people meet for worship each Sunday at 10.30am, and usually we
have a second service : during the winter months this is held at 3.30pm.
These services are friendly and helpful, and everyone is welcome to
attend. |
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During the week we hold Fellowship Meetings - gatherings
of friends who enjoy a varied programme of activities including Talks,
videos on many different topics, Bible Study and informal worship.
Once again, all are welcome. From October to May we meet either on
Tuesday afternoons at 3pm or on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. Details
of these and other activities and special events are contained in
our monthly Newsletter : The Link, and also appear on the Notice Board
outside.
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals are conducted by our Minister, the
Revd David Dones, who is always willing to meet with enquirers.
Further details are available from the Secretary.
|
Secretary |
Derek Pope |
01440 820492 |
Minister |
|
01284 725634 |
Treasurer |
Peter Lister |
01440 820132 |
|
|
OCTOBER 2005
children always welcome
|
| Sunday 2nd October |
Both Services at the Methodist
Church for their Harvest Services (Normal transport arrangements) |
| 10.30 am |
The Revd Irene Ellis of
Mildenhall |
|
| 6.30 pm |
Mr Derek Crick |
|
| Sunday 9th October |
|
| 10.30 am |
The Revd David Dones |
|
| 5 pm |
We are invited to join in the
Methodist Together Service at Red Lodge followed by tea. |
|
| Sunday 16th October |
|
| 10.30 am |
Mr Peter Chaffey of Whepstead |
KW |
| 6.30 pm |
The Elders |
KW |
| Sunday 23rd October |
|
| 10.30 am |
Mr Anthony Wheeler, Christ Church, Sudbury |
PL |
| 6.30 pm |
Mr Derek Pope (with Holy Communion (HK =
KW) |
JP |
| Sunday 30th October |
|
| 10.30 am |
Mr Derek Pope |
JP |
| 3.30 pm |
Churches Together United Worship at All Saints
Parish Church, Wickhambrook |
|
| Sunday 6th November |
|
| 10.30 am |
Mr Ron Pyke, Bury St Edmunds |
DP |
| 5pm |
We unite for the Methodist Church Anniversary
|
|
| ALL ARE VERY
WELCOME |
|
HUNDON AND FLOWER ROTAS
Hundon : 2nd October = Ken ; 9th = Peter ; 16th = Janet
23rd = Ron ; 30th = Derek ; 6th Nov = Ken
Flowers : 2nd October at Meth Ch. ; 9th
=
16th = Derek (Anniversary) ; 23rd Mrs V Stagg
30th = Mr Michael Medcalf ;
Many thanks to those who take part in these acts of service
|
MONTHLY COFFEE
MORNING - FIRST SATURDAY EACH MONTH
10am to midday
FAIR TRADE GOODS are available
All Saints,
Wickhambrook, Church Room
|
Wickhambrook Fellowship
Meetings are held September - May
details will be shown here during those months |
We resume our Meetings with the Harvest
Supper evening on Thursday 29th September and then continue in our
normal pattern - alternate Tuesday afternoons at 3pm and Thursday
evenings at 6.30pm.
| Tuesday 4th October |
“Tea, Chat and a Video” led by Ken |
| Thursday 13th October |
The Revd David Dones |
| Tuesday 18th October |
Mrs Sylvia Chandler : “Hidden Suffolk” |
| Thursday 27th October |
Mr Derek Pope |
|
We normally collect £1 from each person towards the
weekly refreshments
Weekly offerings go to BASR
ALL ARE VERY WELCOME
3pm Tuesdays and 6.30pm Thursdays |
We shall be very pleased to welcome all friends - new and old - back
to our friendly meetings. Please invite your friends
During October our Eastern Synod meets. This is a meeting attended
by a representative of each of the Churches in the five Districts
: Ipswich & Colchester; Norwich; Cambridge ; Chelmsford and Southend;
plus the West Essex Group We are grateful to Janet King who is our
representative. This October there will be a vote on whether or not
to accept the proposed Synod Manse Policy. |
 The
Mothers and Toddlers
Group, and the Wickhambrook
Players, meet in our Hall - which is also available for
other activities |
|
| A Short History of the Wickhambrook
United Reformed Church |
The URC at Wickhambrook dates its Christian Witness back to 1670 when
Samuel Cradock came to live at Gesyns (then called ‘Geesings’).
Revd Samuel Cradock had distinguished himself as an academic. Entering
Emmanuel College, Cambridge aged 16 in 1637 he gained his B.A. in
1641; M.A. in 1644, was made a Fellow and Tutor 1645; incorporated
Oxford M.A. in 1649 and gained a B.D. (Divinity) in 1651. After teaching
for several years at Emmanuel he was appointed Rector of North Cadbury
in Somerset with what was then a high stipend of £300 a year
in 1654. However, in 1662 an Act of Uniformity was passed, requiring
all Ministers to ‘conform’ to certain beliefs and practices.
About 2000 of the Clergy refused so to conform, and were ejected from
their livings. Samuel Cradock was one of these. After 8 years of literary
work and preaching in the houses of friends, he came to Wickhambrook
– having had the good fortune to inherit the splendid Gesyns!
Straight away he made his house a centre for ‘non-conformist’
worship, preaching twice each Sunday to all who came from the local
villages. Even so, Samuel maintained good relations with the Vicar
of Wickhambrook, and this has continued to the present day.
During most of the 17th century Non-conformists were not allowed to
hold public Worship Services, or to study at Cambridge or Oxford.
To overcome this, Dissenters worshipped in houses, and Dissenting
academies were set up – including a most successful Academy
at Gesyns. Many prominent Churchmen were educated in Wickhambrook!
Cradock became friendly with Andrew Warner of Badmondisfield Hall
(known locally as Bansfield) and the Warner’s son Pagit, attended
the Academy. Many Dissenters suffered much persecution – fines
and imprisonment for their illegal worship, but Cradock and his flock
were not harmed. Then in 1689 an Act was passed allowing Dissenters
to worship publicly. Andrew Warner provided a barn at Bansfield which
was adapted and used for worship; this was licensed in 1695 by the
Archdeacon of Sudbury. We still have this Licence, and it was re-presented
300 years later, in 1995, by the present Archdeacon at a special service
held on the site of the Barn – which was burned down in the
1940s. In 1696 Cradock, now an old man, retired but his remains were
brought back to the village when he died in 1706 and buried in front
of the altar at All Saints Parish Church – a final friendly
gesture!
Meanwhile, Dissenting Worship flourished at the Barn. Few records
remain but we know that in 1718 a Mr Richmond was Minister and the
congregation numbered 150, coming from many of the surrounding villages.
In 1726 Thomas Priest came to be Minister, also from Emanuel College,
Cambridge. He kept a record of Baptisms (of which we have a copy,
written in about 1820) but until he was Ordained (in 1728) he notes
that baptisms were carried out ’by other hands’. These
include the ‘hands’ of the Vicar of Wickhambrook, Revd
Mr Grant, who baptised Elizabeth Partridge on 5th February 1728. Still
good friends! Thomas Priest had a private income and was generous
with it. He presented the ‘Dissenting Meeting’ with a
library of splendid leather-bound books. Two of these we have put
into the Library of Westminster College, Cambridge; A New Testament
in Greek and Latin with commentary by Beza, printed at Geneva 1589;
and a Greek Text on the Prophets, printed at Oxford 1720. We still
have several of the others.
Mr Priest (Whose portrait in crayon hangs in the present Chapel, was
a very successful preacher and people were glad to walk to Bansfield
Barn, but it was decided to build a new Chapel nearer to the village.
After ‘strenuous exertions’ to raise the cost: £405
5s 11d the present building was erected at Moore Green. Thomas Priest
contributed £133 of this. From the building of the Chapel (which
had a stable for the Minister’s horse!) the area around it became
Meeting House Green, now Meeting Green. Thomas Cradock married Samuel
Cradock’s grand-daughter and they lived at Gesyns, which he
had bought.
In 1815, when most of the country was occupied with the battle of
Waterloo, the Dissenters of Wickhambrook were busy building a Schoolroom
(or Meeting Room) on to the Chapel. By this time Revd Stephen Johnson
was a minister, and he was a good preacher that extra accommodation
was needed! The side galleries were also added at this time, and (probably)
the roof of the chapel was made higher. The only major alterations
since this time were in 1975 when a Children’s Room and Toilets
were added; and 1990 then a large porch was built across the front
to the Chapel.
The present membership of the URC is smaller than in the past –
when families often had 8 – 10 children and the Churches provided
most of the village activities. However, we remain apply and dedicated
fellowship, under the leadership of the Revd David Dones, who is also
Minister of Clare URC. We welcome children and adults of all ages. |
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