The church’s story begins with two separate congregations—one in Tunstall and the other in Sudbourne.
(Actually, the Church’s story begins way before that, 2000 miles away and nearly 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, or we could go back to God’s promise to a guy called Abraham even longer ago……)
However, the world-wide, history-long Church, found local expression when Tunstall Baptist Church was founded in 1804 and soon built, and began meeting in, Tunstall Baptist Chapel. Sudbourne Baptist Church followed several decades later, forming in 1863 and building Sudbourne Baptist Chapel as its local home. Although based in these two villages, the churches drew hundreds of people from the surrounding communities, many of whom walked or rode on horseback each week to gather for worship.
The two churches were good friends, but not formally linked, until the Second World War, when the army closed the entire village of Sudbourne to create a tank training ground. With only a few weeks’ notice, residents were forced to relocate, and Sudbourne Baptist Church suddenly needed a new place to meet. They chose to join Tunstall Baptist Church—and soon discovered they enjoyed “doing church” together. After the war, even though Sudbourne Baptist Church was permitted to return to its village, the two congregations continued worshipping and serving side by side for the next 65 years.
In 2009, Dave Rushbrook became pastor of both Sudbourne and Tunstall Baptist Churches. Admitting he wasn’t the best at juggling two congregations, Dave helped lead the process that formally united them in 2011 as Sudbourne & Tunstall Baptist Church. Morning and evening services still alternated between the two chapels, and gradually more people from the surrounding villages—including Rendlesham—joined the growing fellowship.
By 2019 the chapels in Tunstall and Sudbourne could no longer accommodate the size of the congregation. The church began holding some Sunday morning gatherings in Rendlesham School—partly because it was the only suitably sized venue, and partly because most of the congregation now lived in Rendlesham. Morning services alternated between Rendlesham and Sudbourne for a time, but early in 2020 the decision was made to move all morning services to Rendlesham due to limited space in Sudbourne. Before the change could take effect, however, COVID-19 arrived and, like many churches, we moved temporarily to online services.
During lockdown we confirmed the decision to relocate all morning services to Rendlesham School once restrictions lifted—and to adopt a new name.
In September 2021, with great excitement, we returned to in-person worship at the school every Sunday, while mid-week activities such as youth work, coffee mornings, toddler groups, and prayer meetings continued in Tunstall Chapel.
Then, in 2022, we became Grace Church Rendlesham. Even with our new name and location, we have remained deeply connected to all the villages that have shaped our story for more than 200 years. Our congregation still includes people from many surrounding communities, and as the Bible reminds us, the Church is not the building—it is the people.
Grace Church Rendlesham is, in every way, a continuation of Sudbourne & Tunstall Baptist Church, and of the Tunstall and Sudbourne Baptist Churches before it.