St Edmundsbury & Ipswich
The Area
The Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich was founded in 1914
and includes the county of Suffolk, except for an area of North
East Suffolk around Lowestoft, and one parish in the county of
Essex. It serves over 631,000 people living in a geographical area
of over 1,400 square miles. Out of this population over 25,000
identify themselves with the Church of England by being members of
the church electoral roll and over 19,000 attend church services
every Sunday.
A wide range of communities exist in the diocese - from small
rural villages to urban centres such as Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds,
Stowmarket, Haverhill, Sudbury and Beccles. The region has many
sites of historic interest among which are Sutton Hoo, the Saxon
village at West Stow and the ruins of the old Abbey at Bury St
Edmunds - famously where, in 1214, the barons of England met and
swore to force King John to accept the Charter of Liberties, later
known as the Magna Carta. The whole county, together with its
Heritage coastline, is also a haven of delight for lovers of
natural history.
The A14 provides rapid access from Felixstowe, one of the
largest container ports in Europe, across the county to the A1 and
the Midlands. The A12 links London with the county at Lowestoft,
and the rail connection from Ipswich to London Liverpool Street
takes just over one hour.
The communities of the diocese are served by some 450 parishes
within 125 benefices and 19 deaneries. There are 478 church
buildings of which 457 are listed. There are around 150 stipendiary
clergy and 80 self-supporting ministers, some 130 Readers and 600
commissioned lay assistants in the parishes. There are 91 voluntary
aided and voluntary controlled schools in the diocese.
Mission and Pastoral Policy
The diocese seeks to live by the Five Marks of Mission of the
Anglican Communion:
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To seek to transform unjust structures of society
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and
renew the life of the earth
The Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee works to policies
approved by the Diocesan Synod which seek to encourage Church
growth and allocate resources across the diocese in order to
provide leadership in mission and ministry in all its communities.
The policies encourage collaboration and the Diocesan Ministry
Course provides training and support for local and accredited
ministries, ordained and lay.
Administration
The diocese works through the synodical structures and is served
by a small team of diocesan office staff led by the Diocesan
Secretary and Chief Executive Officer. Most are based in modern
offices in the centre of Ipswich. The diocese has a total annual
revenue budget in excess of £8 million and the Diocesan Board of
Finance manages a total balance sheet of £80 million. The office
staff provide administrative, financial, secretarial, property,
communication and general support to clergy and parishes, as well
as supporting the Church of England schools across the county.
Ministerial development
Regular support for ministerial development is given in a number
of ways. All clergy receive an annual training allowance, and
guidance in Continuing Ministerial Education is available.
Study leave for all clergy is available on a 10-year rolling
programme.
There's a few pictures from around the diocese available
here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39971507@N04/