Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 5th October, we’ll mark ‘Climate Sunday’ – a service in which we reflect on our responsibility as Christians to care for creation – at both 9am (Holy Communion) and again at 10.30am (Holy Communion). Both services will be led by Revd Jacintha Danaswamy and our Eco Church team, with a sermon from Revd Vanessa Conant. 

Climate Sunday comes at the end of the Season of Creation and a day after the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, who championed care for animals and the environment. Our readings for Climate Sunday are from Psalm 148 and Colossians 1:15-20. 

We will have supervised children’s groups at 10.30am with a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both services. And for those unable to join us in person, we will livestream the 9am service to our Facebook page. At 6pm, the St Luke’s Community will hold evening prayer. 

We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Community Salsa Night at St Mary’s Tomorrow 3rd October, 7.30pm The group Salsatecha will teach everyone from beginners to experienced salsa dancers the steps at St Mary’s tomorrow, Friday 3rd October, from 7.30pm-10.30pm. Tickets are still available for £10 (+ a processing fee) and can be purchased via our eventbrite page. Please note that while we will still run a bar at the event, we are unfortunately now unable to sell alcohol; however, we are happy for attendees to bring their own beer or wine (please no spirits) on the night. For tickets, click here or visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/calendar. 

Free Vestry Junior Children’s Event on Saturday 4th October, 10.30am
Join our music partners this Saturday, 4th October, for a free hour of movement, story-time and music at St Mary’s. Perfect for young children, the music will start at 10.30am and end at 11.30am. While the event is free, donations will be gratefully accepted by the performers. Our cafe will be open during the event selling hot drinks, juice, pastries and sandwiches. 

‘Listen and Lead’ Daytime Course to Begin Thursday 9th October 
In association with the Centre for Theology and Community, ‘Listen and Lead’ is a free course which begins on Thursday 9th October, 12-2pm, and includes lunch. The six-week course begins at Holy Trinity, Leytonstone (9th and 16th October, Holloway Rd E11 4LD) before moving to St Barnabas, Walthamstow (23rd October and 6th November, St Barnabas Rd, E17 8JY), and ending at our church, St Mary’s (13th and 20th November). The course will allow you to explore practical ways to live out your faith in the wider community. For details, email or . 

Making Cakes for 12th October Confirmation Service in Chingford 
There will be a Deanery Confirmation service at St Edmund’s, Chingford, on Sunday 12th October at 3pm led by Bishop Guli. We have nine candidates being confirmed on 12th October, and are being asked to provide cake! If you would be able to make a cake, please email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Harvest Festival and Homelessness Sunday on 12th October 
We will celebrate Harvest and also mark Homelessness Sunday on 12th October, with an opportunity to hear about the work of Christian Kitchen as well as to learn more about the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter. As part of our Harvest Festival, we are asking you to bring canned and other non-perishable food items to church on 12th October, with food going to Mill Grove Children’s Home in South Woodford and to other local projects. 

Big Community Quiz Night on Saturday 18th October 
Join us for our Big Community Quiz Night on Saturday 18th October 7.30pm (doors at 7pm) as we raise money for the life and work of St Mary’s. Test your knowledge on a variety of topics and enjoy a pub-style quiz with engaging questions, a talented local host, a bar and a prize for the winners! Tickets are £10 (+ a processing fee) for adults and £5 (+ a processing fee) for under 16s and can be purchased via eventbrite or stmaryswalthamstow.org/events. 

Join our Christmas Festival Volunteer Team: Meeting After 19th October Service
St Mary’s will hold a Christmas Festival on Saturday 29th November which will include a craft market, Santa’s grotto, games, food, mulled wine, and opportunities for people to donate to the ministry of St Mary’s. We are looking for volunteers to help us on the day and will hold a short meeting in the South Vestry at 12pm after our Sunday 19th October 10.30am service. Join us then to learn more about volunteering and how you can help!

Night Shelter AGM at St Mary’s on 23rd October 
The Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter – a charity we have supported for many years – will hold its Annual General Meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 23rd October at St Mary’s and all are welcome. Trustees will share updates on the charity’s work and discuss future plans. To learn more about the Night Shelter, visit www.forestnightshelter.org.uk. 

Admission to Communion Preparation on 9th November, Service on 30th November 
Communion preparation for children over the age of 8 who are already baptised will be on Sunday 9th November after the 10.30am service, with lunch provided. Admission to Communion will take place on the First Sunday of Advent, 30th November. To reserve a place for the Communion preparation session, or for more details, please contact Revd Vanessa Conant at . If your child is keen to receive Holy Communion but has not yet been baptised, please also contact Vanessa. 

Petite Performers Children’s Dance Class: Saturdays in the Welcome Centre 
One of our new Welcome Centre hires is Petite Performers. Petite Performers run dance classes – everything from ballet to hip hop – for children up to five years old. Classes are held in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre (our church hall, located across the churchyard from the church) on Saturday mornings. You can find times and details, as well as how to book a place for your child, by visiting their website: www.thepetiteperformers.com/walthamstow. 

‘Where Your Treasure Is’ Environmental Course to Start Tuesday 14th October 
St Mary’s will run a five-week Bible study from the charity Operation Noah exploring how we can use our money to tackle the climate crisis. ‘Where Your Treasure Is’ will start on 14th October and run for five Tuesdays – with no meeting on 28th October, which is half term – in the church. To register, email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Safeguarding 
St Mary’s takes safeguarding seriously and works hard to ensure that our church is a safe place for everyone. If you see anything that concerns you at St Mary’s, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Safeguarding Officer Emma Clements at . You can also contact the Diocese of Chelmsford at or Waltham Forest Council at 020 8496 2310. 

EcoTip: ‘Greening Our Finances’ Webinar on Tuesday 7th October, 12.30pm 
Join Operation Noah, Eco Church and JustMoney Movement for a free ‘Greening Our Finances: Practical Steps for Eco Churches’ webinar on Tuesday 7th October at 12.30pm. Coinciding with Good Money Week, the 75-minute webinar will explore greener bank accounts for churches, investing in climate solutions and getting congregations to campaign for a greener and fairer financial system. Register here or visit operationnoah.org/events. 

Please pray this week for:

• Efforts to address gang activity in Walthamstow and to provide positive alternatives
• The recent shooting in Walthamstow: for the victim and all who have been impacted
• The acid attack near the High Street: for the investigation and all who were harmed 
• All who are lonely, and for St Mary’s to be a community that offers hope/ connection
• Campaigners/ leaders around the world working for a healthier climate/ environment 
• Churches around the world, especially those ministering in conflict zones 
• Global conflicts, including the violence in Gaza and Ukraine – for a just peace 
• The Manchester synagogue attack – for all who have been impacted 
• For Christian leaders to stand up to all forms of racism and division in the UK 
• Attempts to bring people from different backgrounds and communities together 
• Politicians to work with local communities to bring positive change 
• All in our Parish who are unwell in body, mind or spirit – for hope and healing 

Reflection: ‘Do Not Worry About Tomorrow’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, vicar of St Gabriel’s Church, Walthamstow, writes: 

‘This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’

The theme of ‘living one day at a time’ has been coming up again and again recently. At our team meeting on Tuesday, as we felt the pressure of the challenges ahead, Louise, our Events Administrator, cut through the stress with a timely reminder of this truth. On Sunday at St Gabriel’s – when Vanessa preached with great clarity and compassion as part of our sermon series on Creation – the Gospel reading confronted us with this teaching of Jesus. I’ve been struck afresh that this is one of the great themes of the Bible: life is lived one day at a time.

When Jesus says, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own’ (Matthew 6:34), he is not simply offering a helpful life tip. He is revealing how we were designed to live. Our hearts and minds were never made to carry yesterday’s regrets or tomorrow’s fears. In Scripture, the basic building block of life is a day. We are only equipped to handle one day at a time.

We may imagine we can manage vast timescales, but when we live in the past we are trapped in regret, shame, or nostalgia. When we try to live in the future, we are filled with fear and dread – or we delay what matters most, saying, ‘I’ll get serious about Jesus once I’ve sorted out everything else.’ None of this works. Jesus instructs us to live here and now. The gift we have been given is today.

That is why Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘Give us today our daily bread.’ Not weekly bread, not lifelong bread – just enough for today. Our daily bread is not just food, but also Jesus himself, the Bread of Life. Just as the congregation in the wilderness gathered manna one day at a time, we too must come afresh to Christ each day, receiving help for today’s journey. Try to stockpile grace for tomorrow, and it goes stale. Every day we must begin again.

And perhaps that is the most freeing truth of all: we don’t need to make vast promises we cannot keep. We may be tempted to say, ‘Those harmful patterns – I’ll never go back to them.’ But we almost certainly will. A better way is the prayer given in Daily Prayer: ‘May I be today without sin.’ One day at a time. If that feels too big, break the day into smaller units of trust: ‘Give me strength until lunchtime, Lord!’ Then, ‘Until evening.’ Perhaps these timescales keep our focus on Christ and help us live for him in the present moment.

The business of each day is simple: to seek Jesus, our daily bread; to fix our hearts and minds on him; to turn again in repentance; to let his words shape us; and to trust him for what today will hold. Each day is a new opportunity to live differently in his world – whether in showing his love to those around us or in how we care for his creation, which he has entrusted to us.

Jesus himself lives this way. He spoke in advance of the suffering that lay ahead for him – yet he bore its weight only on the day itself. In Gethsemane he prayed, sweated blood, and entrusted himself to his Father in that hour.

Only Jesus can carry the weight of our past, present, and future – and of eternity, history, and the universe – on his shoulders. We are called simply to walk with him today – to receive him, rejoice in him, and rely on him. And when tomorrow comes, we get to do the same again.