Bethesda is a community of Christians who love God and serve Him, who embrace the evangelical Christian faith in the Baptist tradition, and who are keen to share the Good News of Jesus.

We are proud to be an active part of the wider evangelical Christian community in Ipswich, and whoever you are, and wherever you’re from, you will always be very welcome to join us at Bethesda. We believe that God draws people from all nations and backgrounds to be part of His family, and we love to welcome those who move to our town from different parts of the world, and who are looking for a new spiritual home within a growing Christian family.

You can find us in the centre of Ipswich right next to Christchurch Park, and on the corner of Fonnereau Road and St Margaret’s Plain. 

Access

Level access into the Church is provided at the back of the Church, off the Fonnereau Road entrance.

Car parking

There is car parking adjacent to ‘The Key’ which is a building we own nearby to the Church – just a little way along St Margaret’s Plain and into Soane Street. If the parking area there is full – and often is by the time the service starts on a Sunday morning – you can find on-road parking on Fonnereau Road, adjacent to the Church, and at a public car park in nearby Charles Street. Both of these parking places require payment.

What can I expect when visiting on a Sunday?

Bethesda is a Church family made up of all ages and backgrounds, and we enjoy meeting, worshipping and learning together. Our Sunday worship services start at 10:40am and 6:30pm, and the services usually last about 75 minutes. The Bible, and preaching, are a really important part of our lives, and at any one time we are usually preaching through a range of different Bible series and subjects to equip us to serve Christ in our world today. You can see the current preaching programme here. Music is a really important part of our worship together too, and we love to blend together a mix of older and more modern songs and hymns to help everyone in their worship.

There is no dress code for our worship services, we use the New International Version of the Bible, and copies of these are available in the pews. We also have large print Bibles and hymnbooks available, and a loop system.

During the service, we have an opportunity to give money into an offering for supporting the Church and its ministries (many will do this through standing orders or by other online means). There is no obligation to give when you visit.

What about communion?

We celebrate communion twice a month, and it is a really precious part of our worship and Christian life together. We are very happy that those who love Christ and who are walking in fellowship with Him join us in that family time.

What about my children on a Sunday?

We have a crèche for the youngest children, a Sunday school which is structured around different age groups, and activities for those in their teenage years. You can see more details of our children’s and young people’s activities in our family news. Each week the first part of the Sunday morning worship service is prepared to include the children before they leave for crèche or Sunday School so that everyone meets together as Church.

And afterwards?

After the morning service we use the ‘The Key’ for refreshments and a time to continue in our fellowship.