For me faith is a journey, and although it is ‘my journey’ I need the company of others. And so I need church, and a home group, but I also found myself longing for something more.

Who We Are

The St Thomas Pilgrim Community is an intentional Christian Community based in the Parish of St Thomas, the Apostle, Ipswich, inspired by the New Monastic Movement that is emerging in the UK. (link to New Monastic Movement).  As of January 2020, it has eleven non-residential members, who have developed a new ‘rule of life’ and held their first annual commitment service in January 2019.

At present, community members are men and women from varied walks of life, the youngest is 40, the oldest 83. Some are in full-time employment; most are retired, including a couple of clergy. All are on a journey with God and value being able to share it with others. The Community is open to anyone, of any age, background, church or circumstance in life, who wants to share their journey with God and with others, in community.

“I am a Companion of the Scargill community, in Yorkshire, and visit two to three times a year. But that is far away and infrequent. And so, in a moment of slight lostness I contacted Jutta, and found myself part of the STPC – it fills a hole!

I value the companionship on the journey, the trust, openness, and safe place that has developed over time, the informality of worship, the sharing of bread (and food!), and especially the dwelling on the Word. I love the fact we come from different places, with different insights and different gifts.

It has become a place of shared generosity, of prayer, and of real caring, ready to keep its doors open as it seeks to develop further its links with the church, community, and hopefully soon some residents in the house as well.”

– Jean, xx, retired doctor

Our Story

The Community was started by the Revd. Jutta Brueck, the priest-in-charge of St Thomas’, in February 2016, soon after her arrival at the parish. Her dream was to establish a praying presence in the parish and a centre for loving service for the local community, supporting the mission of St Thomas’ church and Inspiring Ipswich. (reference to Inspiring Ipswich website)

Our home is St Thomas Vicarage as Jutta lives in the clergy house that comes with her husband’s role in Ipswich. We are advertising for three residential community members to join us in January 2021. (Link to Residential Community section)

The Community has become rooted in a regular pattern of individual and corporate prayer. We have also developed a rhythm of eating together, hospitality, study and mutual support, as we are discerning  God’s call for us offering loving service in our daily lives – in North West Ipswich and wherever we are.  Some community members live in the Parish of St Thomas, others across and around Ipswich.

“As a long-standing member of St Thomas’ Church I give thanks to the Lord for calling me and allowing me to journey with the Pilgrim Community. It has helped me to explore my faith alongside my brothers and sisters.

The community, through prayer and meditation, has given me a fresh and prayerful  way to look at life and the world we live in, which can appear full of greed, jealousy and selfishness. The community has taught me that through all this there is hope; it has opened my eyes to angels in disguise that often come in unexpected situations, where people are doing kind things, helping others and putting the disadvantaged first and themselves last.“

– Malcolm, retired, now an Ipswich Town FC steward!