Initially the church consisted of two separate churches one in Tunstall and the other in Sudbourne, Tunstall Chapel was built and founded in 1805 and Sudbourne Chapel in 1863. Both were run separately until World War 2 when the entire village of Sudbourne was closed down by the army for use as a tank training ground. The residents of Sudbourne had to find new places to live with only a few weeks notice, and Sudbourne Baptist Church had to find somewhere else to worship. They chose to join with Tunstall Baptist Church and found they liked "doing church" together. After the war, although Sudbourne Baptist Church was allowed to move back to Sudbourne, the two churches continued worshipping and working together for another 65 years.

In 2009 Dave Rushbrook became the Pastor of Sudbourne Baptist Church and Tunstall Baptist Church and in 2011 the churches were formally joined together to form Sudbourne & Tunstall Baptist Church with morning and evening services alternating between the two buildings.

In 2019, as the church had outgrown the Chapels in Tunstall and Sudbourne, we made the decision to start meeting in Rendlesham School, partly because it was the only suitable building in the area, but also because most of the congregation lived in Rendlesham. At that stage our morning services were alternating between Rendlesham and Sudbourne, but at the beginning of 2020 we decided, due to running out of space at Sudbourne, that we should move all of our morning services to Rendlesham School.
Then along came COVID19, and like many churches we moved to online services.

During Lockdown we decided that when we were allowed to, we would move back to Rendlesham School for all of our morning services and change our name.

In September 2021 with great excitement we started meeting in the school again, every Sunday - although our mid week activities like Youth Work, Coffee Mornings, Toddler Groups and Prayer Meetings still take place in Sudbourne and Tunstall Chapels.

And we are now Grace Church Rendlesham, but still very keen to welcome people from all of our surrounding villages. We have regulars in our congregation from most of the villages in the area and the Church is the People!

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Livewires (3-7 years)
Encounter (7-11 years)
Katalyst (11-15 years)
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Night Shelter
Foodbank

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)