The religious face of Suffolk is in a constant process of change and it is not possible to give a coherent picture

Suffolk 2007 – a Faith Profile

The religious face of Suffolk is in a constant process of change and it is not possible to give an accurate or coherent picture. The census for 2001 lists 494,608 Christians but there are numerous Christian denominations including *Anglican, *Baptist, Christadelphian, Christian Scientist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Congregational, German Lutheran, Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Independent Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witnesses, "Methodist, *Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, *Salvation Army, *Society of Friends (Quakers), *Seventh-day Adventist, Unitarian, United Reformed Church, several "black-led" Churches both Trinitarian and Unitarian, and House Churches.

There are sub-divisions within some denominations; for example, there are separate strands within the Baptist Churches, some of which do not belong to Churches Together. Of the churches (asterisked) which belong to "Churches Together in England and Wales", most have declining numbers except for the Roman Catholics, whose numbers have been greatly enlarged and their resources stretched by the arrival of migrant workers from Poland and Portugal. There are also likely to be small numbers of members of eastern Churches like Syrian Orthodox, Copts and Armenians through the presence of asylum seekers and refugees in Suffolk.

Alongside these diverse Christian groups there are Baha'is (perhaps 40), Buddhists (1,155), Hindus (923), Humanists, Jains, Jews (658), Muslims (2,672), Pagans (600), Sikhs (415), Taoists and Zoroastrians. These figures are not accurate, they overlook the statistics of some faiths and they do not show the different paths within faiths. There are certainly far more Muslims than are listed, and Muslims in Suffolk, once mostly from Bangladesh, now come from all around the world and include significant numbers of Kurds, Iraqis and Afghanis. There are now various strands of Buddhism represented in Suffolk - FWBO Buddhists, Tibetan Buddhists, SGI Buddhists and various others, who may or may not meet regularly.

The greatest diversity of faiths is, of course, found in Ipswich, and there are many religious buildings including, alongside Churches, 2 Mosques, a Sikh Gurdwara and a Buddhist centre. A group of Liberal Jews has recently formed and a Hindu Samaj has just obtained charitable status. There is an Ipswich Pagan Council representing the many paths of Paganism found in the county, which remind us of the complexity of our religious and cultural roots.

Lowestoft has a significant number of refugees, migrant workers and maritime students who are changing its religious profile and Bury St. Edmunds, where the new cathedral tower has been described as a spiritual beacon for the new millennium, is also slowly becoming more diverse. In fact, people from minority faiths can be found throughout the county – the 2001 census recorded 104 Buddhists, 97 Muslims, 57 Jews and 7 Sikhs in Mid-Suffolk. Small Mosques may be found above shops, and it is to be noted that there are several Mosques within the stables at Newmarket. Other faith groups may hire rooms when needed or meet in members’ homes. Hindus, Buddhist and Sikhs may well have family shrines or prayer rooms within their houses.

A wide representation of faiths is also to be found in our prisons, where there are separate congregations of Muslims and others, sometimes with their own Chaplains, in our hospitals where the backgrounds of the staff are very diverse, in BT which frequently receives personnel on short contracts from overseas, and in our chicken factories to which refugees are bussed in daily to fill the gaps in the workforce. It is easy to overlook these groups and their spiritual, social and educational needs often go unmet.

Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource (SIFRE) was launched in 1991. It is a charitable company which has developed an extensive teaching and training programme about faith and diversity issues. It has published a range of resources including its nationally acclaimed Diversity game and a Handbook of Faiths. It has established a team of tutors from the faiths of Suffolk and its staff are regularly consulted by statutory and other bodies. It offers advice and support in the development of multi-faith chaplaincies. It has a Centre on the Suffolk College/UCS site and is involved on a daily basis in building bridges and raising awareness throughout the county.

Cynthia Capey EEFA C.I.C.