July 2026

Sing to the Lord: A New Season of Song at St Gregory’s

Many of us can remember songs from childhood long after other details have faded. We may struggle to recall a lesson from school or a sermon from years ago, but a hymn, a chorus, or a tune once sung with others can remain with us for life. That is one of the remarkable gifts of music: it plants words deeply in the heart.

For Christians, singing is never merely entertainment. Scripture calls God’s people to “sing to the Lord” because he is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, we remember the truth of who God is: his steadfast love, his faithfulness, his mercy, his holiness, and his grace shown supremely in Jesus Christ. Good songs help us to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the faith once delivered to the saints.

This is why there is such excitement around the arrival of iSingPOP in our local schools. iSingPOP is a primary school project that brings schools, churches and communities together through music, helping children explore worship through lively, memorable songs. During June, children in our two Church of England primary schools have taken part in workshops; learning actions and words that give praise to God and bring joy to the whole school community.

These workshops have culminated in two concerts, giving families and friends the opportunity to hear what the children have learned. They will also help inspire a new service beginning in the autumn, shaped around the songs already familiar to the children. In this way, the connection between school, home and church can be strengthened, not by novelty for its own sake, but by joyful worship rooted in the Christian faith.

Singing has always had a powerful part to play in community life. We sing at weddings and baptisms; crowds sing together at sporting events; congregations sing in worship. A choir beautifully demonstrates that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Different voices, each with their own tone and strength, are gathered into one shared song.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” Worship turns our eyes from ourselves to the living God, and in doing so renews us. With this hope, in the autumn term, St Gregory’s will start an after-school choir on Friday afternoons, giving young people the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful church, its excellent acoustics, and a place of Christian song that has stood for some 1,300 years. We look forward to welcoming children and families in the months ahead. Happy singing!

Reverend Andrew Doarks.

June 2026.

Simon of Sudbury: Victim or Villain?

At St Gregory’s Church we are preparing to honour one of Sudbury’s most remarkable — and most controversial — sons: Simon Theobald, better known to history as Simon of Sudbury. Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor of England, pastor, scholar, diplomat, and ultimately a man whose life ended violently in the Tower of London during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Was Simon a victim of political fury, scapegoated for decisions far beyond any one man’s control? Or was he a villain, too closely tied to the machinery of power in a turbulent age?

On Friday 12th June, St Gregory’s will be transformed for a Medieval Buffet, complete with a menu crafted by Michelin‑trained chef Carl Shillingford. After dinner, we will hear from Alfred R. J. Hawkins, Curator of Historic Buildings at the Tower of London, who will guide us into the world of the White Tower in the tense days before the revolt — a world of prayer, politics, fear, and faith. And yes, Simon’s own preserved head, will be displayed with care and reverence, illuminated for those who wish to reflect on the cost of leadership in a broken world.

Tickets £43.36 (£40.00 + £3.36 booking fee) includes a glass of wine from www.stgregorychurchsudbury.co.uk/simon-of-sudbury-festival .

Across the weekend, we have free short talks at 2pm on Simon’s years in Avignon and his deep roots here in Sudbury, where the Theobald family rose from clothiers to national influence. Their insights help us see Simon not as a distant figure in a history book, but as a local boy shaped by the same streets, fields, and water meadows.

Our pop‑up coffee shop will serve freshly baked cakes and single origin coffee direct from the foothills of Mount Elgon, Uganda to help raise money for a flushing toilet for our link school there.

Banners, songs, and displays around the church tell Simon’s story in ways accessible to all ages. It is a chance not only to learn, but to belong — to gather, to wonder, and to ask the big questions together.

Should politics and religion mix? Simon’s life forces us to wrestle with that tension — a tension still alive today. As Christians, we are called to seek justice, peace, and the common good. Yet we are also called to humility, compassion, and truth. Simon’s legacy invites us into that conversation with honesty and grace.

Blessings

Revd Andrew Doarks.