ALTAR GUILD
Every week the linen cloths and silverware which are used on our altar are washed or cleaned by a team of dedicated helpers.
BELLS
St Mary’s currently has a loyal band of ten regular ringers, who are all members of the Suffolk Guild of Ringers. St Mary’s Woodbridge houses one of the heaviest and musical rings of eight bells in Suffolk. The largest bell in the tower weighs one and a quarter tonnes, and the total weight of all eight bells is nearly 5 tonnes.
CHOIR
The Choir is a group of committed people of all ages. We are often supplemented by ex-choristers, who have moved away but return from time to time. We enjoy singing together and lead the worship at regular services of the church. We particularly enjoy learning challenging music for special festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
CHURCH CLEANING
We have two teams - both dedicated to keeping our lovely church looking beautifully clean. One team dusts, the other keeps the floors clean, working independently to fit in with their own time and availability.
CONCERTS
We are delighted to provide the venue for a wide variety of concerts throughout the year. Many events are organised by the Friends of St Mary's
FELLOWSHIP OF CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
We meet monthly - on the second Wednesday - and using a selected bible quotation, use mind, heart and will, to pray
FLOWER GROUP
The flower group provide one or more pedestal floral arrangements each week and are also happy to do the flowers for weddings and funerals.
THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S
Worship is the primary activity at St Mary's but we also want people to visit the church and enjoy the building outside service times.
GIRLGUIDING AT ST MARY'S
We offer opportunities for girls from 5-18 in Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers and Young Leaders and for Adult Leaders and Helpers.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER GROUP
A small group meets every two weeks at the Rectory to pray through a confidential list of parishioners who are ill, troubled or bereaved, and members of the group take the list home to pray individually each day for those listed, and indeed any they know to be in need of healing, peace and comfort.
JUNIOR CHURCH
Each week of term time Junior Church activities are offered as part of the weekly worship within our church. Feedback from the children to the congregation at the end of the 10 o'clock service helps develop their sense of belonging. We have good links with Woodbridge guiding movement and St Mary's School pupils and parents.
MOTHERS' UNION
The Mothers' Union is a world-wide organisation founded by Mary Sumner in 1876. It is open to all who have been baptised and support the aims and objectives of the Mothers' Union. New members are always welcome at our meetings, to join us in Christian fellowship.
OUTLOOK MAGAZINE
Outlook is our parish magazine - we produce two issues a year, one just before Easter and one in time for Christmas. It contains both church news and more general articles and is delivered to nearly 3000 homes throughout the parish.
SERVERS OF THE SANCTUARY
We are a group of men, women, youngsters and children who assist at services. We make sure that everything is ready before the services, assist during them, and clear up afterwards.
SIDESMEN/WOMEN
The sidesmen/women are our "front of house" team who play a vital role in providing a warm welcome to everyone who comes to St Mary's. They distribute the hymnbooks/order of service and take the collection
SOCIAL EVENTS
We aim for a balance between events of a solely social nature and those which could perform a dual role to produce some much-needs money for the general 'housekeeping' fund. The range of events cater for a variety of interests; Quiz, Talk & Cake, Harvest Lunch, Garden Fete etc
STEWARDS
A small band of volunteers who, between Easter and the end of September, welcome tourist and visitors to our church and provide extra information about the building.
TIME TO HEAL
The Time to Heal gatherings take place once every three months, on Friday evenings.
TIME TO REFLECT
We set up and lead discussion groups that meet regularly to discuss a book aimed at helping us to deepen and challenge our faith.