A Thursday evening youth café in Ipswich is offering a snapshot of a wider story unfolding across Suffolk, as churches report encouraging growth in attendance, community engagement and outreach - particularly among children and young people.
At St Augustine’s Church in Ipswich, a simple weekly café has become a lively hub for teenagers from across the area.
Officially opened in September 2024, what began as a modest gathering has steadily grown into a space welcoming more than 30 young people each week, many of whom have no prior connection to church.
Running every Thursday evening, the café offers table board games, tennis, a Nintendo Switch, pool, and a tuck shop - but organisers say its real strength lies in the atmosphere it creates.
It is designed as a place where young people can drop in, feel known, and spend time with friends in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
Youth worker Andy Carson said the café has swiftly become one of the most anticipated moments of the week.
Attendance has climbed sharply in recent months, drawing a diverse mix of churchgoers and newcomers alike.
“The café acts as a chill out zone for the young people, somewhere they can come along to have fun and meet new friends,” he said.
“We want this to be a space people know is somewhere they can turn up for the whole two hours, a space they can walk in and where people will know their name.”
Regulars echo that sentiment. Dylan, who has been coming along for several weeks, described the café as having “chilled vibes” and praised the food and the friendly atmosphere.
His friend Austin, who has attended for a year, said it was a place where everyone is treated with respect.
Operations manager at the church, Joe Crisp-Hihn, believes the café’s growth reflects something simple but powerful.
“We hope other churches are inspired to set up something similar,” he said.
“It’s not groundbreaking stuff, you can start with a tub of pringles, some tea and a pack of cards.
"It’s about being an easy entry point to the church, a place where young people can come along and have some fun, and where we can show the church is interested in them as people and will care for them.”
That local story mirrors a broader trend across the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, where the latest available figures (2023/24) show church attendance rising at a faster rate than the national average.
Between 2023 and 2024 across Suffolk, adult average weekly attendance climbed by 6% - significantly outpacing the national growth rate of 1.8 per cent. Growth among children was even more striking, with a 10% increase locally, well above the 0.4% growth nationally.
Diocesan leaders say the figures reflect years of sustained investment in outreach and community-focused mission.
Diocesan Secretary Gary Peverley described the numbers as “encouraging,” particularly as churches continue to welcome new faces through regular worship and seasonal services, with especially strong growth among children.
That growth has been supported by two major initiatives funded through the Church of England’s Strategic Development Funding between 2019 to 2025: Inspiring Ipswich and Growing in God in the Countryside.
Inspiring Ipswich, backed by £2.7 million, surpassed its targets by making 36,376 new connections with people beyond the church through projects such as school activities, messy churches, prayer spaces, community shops and Christmas services.
In the years between 2019 and 2024, the worshipping community in Ipswich has grown by 20%.
Meanwhile, the Growing in God in the Countryside project has focused on rural Suffolk, supporting small, locally rooted groups - particularly through the Lightwave Community.
Since 2025, 41 of such groups have been active, 19% of them helping churches reach people in villages and rural settings in new and flexible ways.
Diocesan Director of Engagement Tim Holder said that the figures point to more than numerical growth.
“These growth figures are hugely encouraging because they show a commitment to faith in Suffolk,” he said.
“It is this commitment that leads to large number of church volunteers being engaged with supporting their communities with projects such as Top-up Shops, Parish pantries, well-being support groups, cafés, lunch clubs, youth groups, toddler groups, rural chaplaincy and more.”
