St Peter's Church, Thurston

St Peter's Church, Thurston Parish Church of Thurston, Suffolk, Church of England. St. Peter's is the Church of England Parish Church for Thurston, Suffolk.

We offer both traditional and contemporary services of worship, with more in development. The Church is unlocked during daylight hours for private prayer and personal reflection. It is your Parish Church, so do come along:

Should you need to contact us, please message us on Facebook, email or ring us. Vicar of St Peter's, Thurston:

The Rev'd Fr Ben Edwards - [email protected]

Churchwardens:
Pat Sadler Tel 01359 230865

We live in a culture built entirely around the instantaneous. Everything from our morning coffee to our evening entertai...
07/09/2026

We live in a culture built entirely around the instantaneous. Everything from our morning coffee to our evening entertainment is engineered to eliminate the agony of waiting. If a web page takes more than three seconds to load, a quiet frustration begins to twitch at the edge of our minds, and we can already feel the ‘huff’ building. We want answers immediately, fixes straight away, and breakthroughs on demand. We have become a people of the quick fix, conditioned to believe that delay is always a malfunction and waiting is just wasted time.

This restlessness inevitably bleeds into our spiritual lives, too. We bring our panic, our petitions, and our grand plans to God, and when the answer doesn’t arrive like a WhatsApp message, we grow anxious. We wonder if we’ve missed a step, if God is silent, or if the delay means a flat-out refusal – where’s the two blue ticks?
Yet, when we look at the rhythm of creation or the centuries long narrative of the Bible, we find a completely different counter-cultural truth. God does not operate on the frantic clock of modern ‘efficiency’.

Growth takes time. Healing has its own seasons. The soil does not rush the seed, and the oak tree takes decades to anchor its roots deep into the earth. When we try to force God's hand or outpace Gods timing, we usually end up breaking things that need tender care to mature.

Trusting in God's timing doesn't mean sitting back as a passenger; it means an active, grounded surrender. It’s recognising that our nurturing Creator sees the whole landscape while we only see the rocky patch right in front of our feet.

So, whatever you are waiting on today—whether it's clarity when you’re at a crossroads, healing in a broken relationship, or simply peace in the middle of a daily trial—take a deep breath. Step back from the frantic rush of this impatient age. You are held in a timing far wiser and kinder than our own. Give grace to the waiting, and trust that God is working quietly beneath the surface long before the first green shoot breaks through the soil.

Thursday Philosophy: Are you happy?We ask it constantly, or we are asked it, as if happiness were some ultimate room you...
03/09/2026

Thursday Philosophy: Are you happy?

We ask it constantly, or we are asked it, as if happiness were some ultimate room you finally walk into and never have to leave. The great prize. The bottom line of every human effort. But take a moment and look at your life. We don’t expect to live in perpetual fury, or perpetual lust, or perpetual hysterics. The weather changes. The tide goes out. Feelings are meant to move, to rise and dissolve with the hours, yet we break our backs trying to force this one elusive mood into a permanent address—and then wonder why the frantic pursuit leaves us so terribly hungry and thirsty.

What if we are asking the wrong question altogether? What if what we are actually starving for is joy?
Joy is a different creature entirely. Happiness demands good circumstances; joy demands only reality. Joy can turn up right in the wreckage, in places where happiness wouldn't dare show its face.

It is a garden spider sitting motionless in the center of a dew-bejeweled web on a raw October morning—the very morning after your father died.

It is the lump in your throat where fear and pride and heartbreak collide as you watch your child’s tail-lights vanish down the lane.

It is the pale, quiet light through the car windscreen on the evening you drive home from work for the last time.

It is the sudden intake of breath when a long, brutal wrong is finally made right.

Listen to your life. Joy comes unbidden, entirely unearned, slipping into the room while our backs are turned. It does not demand that the sadness go away first. It takes up residence right in the thick of the grief, offering a stubborn, quiet warmth in the dark—a gift of God stitched directly into the fabric of creation.

You cannot hunt it down. You cannot build a system or an empire to secure it. Joy only catches you when you stop running, when you unclench your fists, drop the inept human schemes of attainment, and let yourself be found right where you are.

Perhaps it is simply the grace of opening the eyes, letting go, and trusting the holy mystery of being here.

-Fr Ben

If you're anything like me, modern life is making you feel increasingly isolated. We do so much of our communication lik...
23/08/2026

If you're anything like me, modern life is making you feel increasingly isolated. We do so much of our communication like this - online! Everything seems to need a device to access or a screen to press - contact with an actual human being seems to be less and less normal, and with the increasing use of AI, even something as simple as phoning customer services has been replaced with computer algorithm and an AI generated voice.

One space that still works through genuine Human contact, physical actions and genuine fellowship is the Church - people who come together to wonder about life and it's depth of meaning and expression within the framework of faith in Jesus Christ.

No passwords.
No algorithms.
No robotic voices.
No proving you're not a robot!

Just people who come together to sing, to pray, to learn, to wonder and to BE WITH each other.

Our community is waiting to welcome you just as you are. 🙏♥️

-Fr Ben

(Picture from Church Times)

To all our young people across Great Barton, Thurston, and our wider community opening GCSE results today: we are holdin...
20/08/2026

To all our young people across Great Barton, Thurston, and our wider community opening GCSE results today: we are holding you in our prayers.

​Whether this morning brings celebrations, relief, or a sense of disappointment and uncertainty, remember that the letters on a piece of paper do not define who you are, your worth, or the gifts you bring to the world.

​In Christ, our future is never limited to a single set of grades. God looks on each of you with deep delight and purpose, walking alongside you through every open door and every unexpected detour. When plans change, new paths open up, and grace meets us in the places we least expect.

​Take a deep breath today. Be gentle with yourselves, celebrate the effort you put in, and remember that our church family is always here cheering you on as you take your next steps.

​"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." — Jeremiah 29:11

​Whatever your next chapter looks like—further education, apprenticeships, or finding your feet—you are valued, supported, and held in love.

We’re excited to share that our vicar, Fr Ben, is standing for election to the Church of England’s General Synod, repres...
19/08/2026

We’re excited to share that our vicar, Fr Ben, is standing for election to the Church of England’s General Synod, representing our Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich!

​What is General Synod?

Think of General Synod as the Church of England’s national parliament. It meets to discuss, debate, and vote on national policy, church law, worship, and the big issues facing communities across the country. It’s where important decisions are made about how the wider Church supports its parishes and moves into the future.

​Why Fr Ben?

Fr Ben brings the heartbeat of our local Suffolk villages to the national table. He is passionate about building an open, welcoming Church that:

​Celebrates and welcomes everyone, exactly as they are.

​Truly embraces neurodiversity—making worship and church life accessible to minds of all kinds.

​Stands up for our local communities and ensures village life isn’t forgotten amid rapid housing growth.

​Cares deeply for our rural land, mental health wellbeing, and local schools.

​If you are a qualifying clergy elector in the diocese, you have a direct vote in this election. Fr Ben would be deeply grateful for your first-preference vote so he can champion our parishes with warmth, courage, and faithful action on the national stage.

​Take a read of his full election statement below to find out more about his vision for the Church of England, Suffolk! 👇

We are praying for rain! One of the most common comments I get as a priest is usually a request to pray for good weather...
17/08/2026

We are praying for rain!

One of the most common comments I get as a priest is usually a request to pray for good weather! Well, good weather right now would be for rain - for the plants and animals but also for crops to help our beleaguered farmers.

A deluge might mean flooding, so slow and steady bursts of rain is what we're praying for.

One of our congregation members brought this prayer to me from the Book of Common Prayer, and we prayed as below for life giving rain!🙏🌧️🌧️🌧️

"​O God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all them that seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech thee, in this our necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

We are so pleased to see Billy and his family celebrating as he received the good news of defeating cancer - a non Hodgk...
06/08/2026

We are so pleased to see Billy and his family celebrating as he received the good news of defeating cancer - a non Hodgkins lymphoma.

Our church community has been praying for Billy, and we continue to pray for him, his family and for all other people, young and old, who are fighting against cancer at this time.

While we rejoice in the deep joy of answered prayer, we are reminded that faith is not merely a collection of moments, but an ongoing vocation—a continual walking with God. May Billy and his family continue to walk with God all the days of their lives 🙏♥️🙏

We really want to see more teenagers at our churches, and we’re not going to be weird or quiet about it!If you’re trying...
09/07/2026

We really want to see more teenagers at our churches, and we’re not going to be weird or quiet about it!

If you’re trying to figure out your place in the world, your identity, or what you actually believe, you are so welcome here. Exactly as you are.

Whether you come to Holy Innocents or St Peter’s, you will find a space where you can just breathe, think, and look at the big questions without being judged. We are committed to being inclusive, safe, and completely open to everyone—no matter your background, your doubts, or your story.

We talk about a God who loves you entirely, and we look at the way of Jesus—not as a list of heavy rules to follow, but as a practical, life-giving way to live. It’s about figuring out how we can look after each other and join in with the good things God is already doing right here in our communities.

You don't need to have anything sorted out to come along. You don’t need to dress up or pretend to be someone else. Just bring yourself.

We'd love to see you. Next service at St Peter's Church, 1030am

Deconstructing? Or Restoring?For many of us, the term 'deconstruction' has become a familiar part of the modern faith jo...
08/07/2026

Deconstructing? Or Restoring?

For many of us, the term 'deconstruction' has become a familiar part of the modern faith journey. It is a completely understandable response to religious systems that have left people feeling bruised, boxed in or disillusioned. When the foundation cracks, the instinctive impulse can be to reach for the sledgehammer.

​But as Brad Jersak points out in A More Christlike Way, a sledgehammer can be a terribly violent tool to use on our own souls.
​Instead of total demolition, Jersak invites us into a gentler, deeper process: Restoration.

​Think of a priceless, vintage wedding dress that has been handed down through generations. Over the decades, it might have become badly stained, torn or caked in dust. If you find it in that state, you don't throw it into a bonfire. You don't rip it to shreds. Instead, you carefully clean it, mend the tears and restore it to its original beauty.

​Our faith can be like that dress. The toxic theology, political entanglements and heavy-handed 'rules' we inherit are the stains—not the fabric itself.

​Shifting from deconstruction to restoration changes the entire approach:

​It moves us from an aggressive focus on what needs to be torn down to a patient focus on what is worth preserving.

​It stops us from accidentally discarding the living Christ while we are trying to clear away the cultural baggage.

​It acknowledges our pain without letting the demolition process hollow out our sense of meaning.

​If you are currently sorting through what you used to believe, remember that you don't have to raze the whole plot to the ground.

The goal isn't an empty lot; it's a faith restored to the self-giving, radically forgiving and compassionate image of Jesus. The treasure is still in there, waiting to be uncovered.

Address

Church Road
Thurston
IP313RU

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+447814946841

Website

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