Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir

A Gospel Choir with a Difference

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December 2007, Community Praise at the Tin Tabernacle

Bury St Edmunds was alive with gospel music and praises on Saturday evening 2 December, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fornham Road, for the final Community Praise Celebration of the year by the Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir (IAGC).  This is the third evening of celebration and praise that has taken place during 2007, the other two have been in Ipswich. They aim is to bring an evening of music that the congregation can sing or dance to, in a non judgemental way. No one will make anyone praise God in a particular way and the IAGC invites people to the Community Praise evenings from different backgrounds and beliefs with one purpose to praise in the way you want to. Watch this web site for future dates and make sure that you attend for an evening of pure praise!

March 2007 - Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir mark Abolition of Slave Trade

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir sang last Sunday 25 March during the church service at St Mary’s Church Playford to mark the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade and the part played by Thomas Clarkson.

Thomas Clarkson, who is buried in Playford churchyard near Ipswich, was one of the great British Reformers. He was born at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and lived for 30 years at Playford Hall devoting his whole adult life to ending the African slave trade and slavery. Thomas was awarded a bachelor’s degree from St John’s College, Cambridge and it was his Essay on Slavery that enlisted William Wilberforce MP to be the public voice that led to the abolition of the Slave trade.

The service address was presented by Rev Duncan Dormer, who is the Dean of Chapel at St John’s College in Cambridge and the reading of Colossians 3 was read by Rt Reverend John Waine, the retired Bishop of Chelmsford. The service was also attended by many of the family of Thomas Clarkson and Granville Sharp

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir sang the spiritual ’Ev’ry Time I Feel De Spirit’, which speaks of the joy found in freedom. They also joined the Playford Benefice Choir in singing the song Amazing Grace.

December 16, 2006 - Local Choir presents cheque to Hospice

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir (IAGC) last Saturday presented the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice with a cheque for £1,210.85, which was the proceeds of the recently held Gospel Extravaganza at Ipswich School.

IAGC, a well established local gospel choir from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rope Walk organised a Gospel Extravaganza at Ipswich School on 28 October 2006. The presentation was done during the worship service at the church, and Brian Beason received the cheque on behalf of the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice (EACH), from Paul King (one of the organisers of the concert). Receiving the cheque, Brian thanked the choir and the members of the church for their support of the Hospice.

October 30, 2006 - A Gospel Extravaganza for Charity!

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir and special guests thrilled a capacity audience at the Ipswich School on 28 October.  The event was entitled A Gospel Extravaganza: Why We Sing! and followed on from the previous concerts during the last two years.

The concert raised over £1,000 for a local charity, the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) which operates hospices in Ipswich, Cambridge and Quidenham in Norfolk.

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir consists of members from the Ipswich Church, singing Gospel Music at its best; which set out to show people Why We Sing. Other guest taking part were Sisters in Christ, Nicky Saunders and a newly formed drama group from Ipswich called Blessed. The choir performed many new songs as well as some well-loved gospel favourites, along with songs for audience participation. The concert received many positive comments and continued to enhance the profile of the choir within the Ipswich area.

September 17, 2006 - Gospel Choir sings at Parish Churches

The Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir, over the weekend of 15 to 17 September 2006, sang at two local parish churches in two villages just outside Ipswich.

On the Friday, 15 September, they sang during the Flower Festival weekend at St Peter’s Church in Copdock, this was raising funds for the local church building project. On Sunday afternoon the choir performed a concert at St Mary’s Church in Great Blakenham, which they included several audience participation songs.

December 1, 2005 - A NEW NAME AND A NEW WEB SITE

The Advent Singers have become the Ipswich Adventist Gospel Choir! Based at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rope Walk, Ipswich, the choir has been singing at community and church events under the name ‘The Advent Singers’ for the past twenty years. 

Following a fantastic year of performances throughout the county, where the choir has sung to a high standard, it was felt that the new name would better reflect the church, its mission and the make-up of the choir which sings a variety of Gospel music from Spirituals to Classical.

This year they have performed at many community events ranging from the Mayor’s Civic Celebration, concerts, weddings and school assemblies as well as church services. They also arranged a very successful concert at Ipswich School raising money for the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice. Choir Leader, Tricia Evelyn, is proud of the choir’s progress and hopes that the new name will better reflect everything the group represents and has some exciting plans for 2006 which will be announced in the near future.

A brand new web site for the choir at www.ipswichadventistgospelchoir.org.uk.has just been launched to enable people to keep in touch with upcoming events and provide further information about the choir.

November 7, 2005 - ADVENT SINGERS LAUNCH SCHOOL'S FAITH WEEK

The Advent Singers were recently privileged to be asked to sing during the assembly at a local primary school. It was the start of their "Focus on Faith Week", a week where each day they were to examine the various faiths in England today.

The faith week at Claydon Primary School, in a village just outside Ipswich, was launched with 'Christianity', on Monday 7 November. The Advent Singers were asked to sing three songs in the assembly, in front of the entire school, telling of God's love and the reason why they sing. The pupils sang enthusiastically with two of the songs and also participating in the actions that went along with the words.

The songs were interspersed with a talk by Ben Wales, a youth worker from the Ipswich based "Christian Youth Ministries", who shared with the children illustrations and stories about God as Creator.

After the assembly the choir was invited into one of the classrooms to answer questions about their faith and their church to the children in Year 6, where a further opportunity was given to sing songs for the children to join in with.

October 8, 2005 -IPSWICH GOSPEL EXTRAVAGANZA: "WHY WE SING"

On Saturday evening 8 October "The Advent Singers" along with other special guests thrilled a capacity audience with a Gospel Extravaganza in Ipswich. This event was entitled "Why We Sing!", and followed on from last year's outstanding concert in a packed-out church. This year the concert was held in the Grand Hall of the centrally located Ipswich School, where funds were raised for the local charity, East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), which operates hospices in Ipswich, Cambridge and Quidenham in Norfolk.

"The Advent Singers", under the leadership of Tricia Evelyn and Nicky Saunders, is made up of members of the Ipswich Seventh-day Adventist church, originally from many different countries. During the concert they performed many new songs as well as some well-loved gospel favourites interspersed with brief talks, telling the audience "why we sing". Also taking part in the Extravaganza were; a group of three ladies called "Sisters in Christ" from London and Ipswich; Nicky Saunders, a solo singer from Colchester, and a Christian dance group also from Colchester called "Sublime".

The concert received many positive comments, with many people asking about future performance dates for the choir.