Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 10th May – the Sixth Sunday of Easter – Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and Rob Duddridge will preach, with Holy Communion at 9am and Morning Worship at 10.30am. 

Our lectionary readings are Acts 17:22-31 – St Paul’s famous sermon to the people of Athens – and John 14:15-21, a passage in which Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, saying, ‘If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.’ 

For those who are unable to join us this Sunday morning, we will livestream our 9am service to Facebook. At 3pm, we will hold our Annual Meeting in the church, and all are invited to attend. And then later on Sunday afternoon, at 5pm, our Youth Group will meet in the Welcome Centre. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Announcement to Parents Regarding 10.30am Service 
We are absolutely thrilled by the number of children and families joining us for worship each Sunday. As the church grows, we need to keep in mind the health and safety and safeguarding needs of our children. It is really helpful to our welcome teams if parents and carers are able to stay with their children and to supervise them when in the main worshipping space. We would also ask that the South Vestry (our Baby Lounge) is reserved for children under 2 only, and that any child in the Vestry is accompanied by an adult. 

Voting at St Mary’s Today, 7th May; Cafe Open for Hatch Service, No Play Area  
St Mary’s Church will be used as a polling station for the local elections today (Thursday 7th May), which means our Play Area will be closed; however, our Ruttle & Rowe cafe will be open, with outdoor seating-only and service through the outdoor hatch. 

Play Area and Ruttle & Rowe Cafe Closed on Friday 8th May 
Please be aware that St Mary’s Play Area and Ruttle & Rowe Cafe will be closed all day on Friday 8th May due to a wedding in the church. 

Crochet Group on Saturday 
Our drop-in crochet and knitting group will meet this Saturday 9th May from 10am-Noon in the church Exhibition Space, which is in our church extension. All are welcome to join the group, including beginners. For more details, email . 

Annual Report Released in Advance of Sunday’s Annual Meeting 
In advance of our Sunday 10th May Annual Meeting, we have released our Annual Report which is a summary of (nearly) everything that happened in our church and parish over the past year. You can read it here or by visiting stmaryswalthamstow.org/annualreport2026. 

Annual Meeting This Sunday 10th May at 3pm 
Our parish meets annually to review the year, give thanks and to pray. At our annual meeting, we also recognise the service and leadership of members of our churches, discuss our annual accounts, elect parishioners to serve, and talk about future plans. Our 2026 annual meeting is this Sunday 10th May, 3pm to 4.30pm in St Mary’s, during which time lay leaders, including members of our PCC (our parish trustee board), are elected. All are welcome to attend however you need to be a member of the Electoral Roll in order to vote. 

Youth Group This Sunday 10th May 
Our Youth Group (those in secondary school and children in Year 6) will meet in the Welcome Centre this Sunday 10th May at 5pm. For details – including registering your child if they haven’t attended before – please email . 

Ascension Day Holy Communion at St Mary’s on 14th May 
On Ascension Day – Thursday 14th May – we will share Holy Communion at 7.30am, with free coffee and pastries to follow. The service on 14th May will take the place of our 8.30am service of Morning Prayer, which we usually say Monday-Thursday in St Mary’s side chapel. 

Vestry Sessions Returns on Friday 22nd May
Our music partners, Vestry Sessions, return to St Mary’s on Friday 22nd May with a performance inspired by Russian composer Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ – a 19th Century piano suite inspired by an exhibition put on at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. As one of the most famous examples of visual art inspiring music, Mussorgsky’s seminal piece serves as the backbone for an evening of classical, jazz, pop, and folk. Performed by a mix of familiar friends and new faces, expect a musical tasting menu including works by Kate Bush, Don McLean and Debussy. The evening also features an exhibition by a local Walthamstow artist. Doors are at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Tickets are £12.50 and available here or by visiting wegottickets.com and searching ‘Vestry Sessions’. 

‘Rooted in Community’ Gardening Day on 30th May 
Join us for the 2026 ‘Rooted in Community’ gardening event on Saturday 30th May, 11am to 2pm, held in and around St Mary’s Churchyard, with our Ruttle & Rowe cafe open as well. The day will include plant stalls, churchyard tours, a history tour, art workshops and more. Head gardener Tim Hewitt will lead two free tours of the churchyard, bookable on the day, at 11.15am and 12.30pm. For more details, including how to book either of the paid nature-inspired art workshops, visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/rootedincommunity. 

Communion Preparation on 21st June After 10.30am Service
Communion preparation for children over the age of 8 who are already baptised will be on Sunday 21st June after the 10.30am service with lunch provided. Admission to Communion will take place on 5th July. To reserve a place for the Communion preparation session, or for more details, contact Revd Vanessa Conant at . If your child is keen to receive Holy Communion but hasn’t been baptised, do also contact Vanessa. 

Climate Films at St Mary’s in June 
In late June, join us at St Mary’s for a thought-provoking weekend of climate films. We’ll start with the People’s Emergency Briefing on Thursday 25th June at 7pm – a film featuring contributions from Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden and leading scientific, energy and national security experts. Tickets are available by making a donation of your choice. And then on Saturday 27th June at 7pm, join us for Power Station by Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn, with tickets available for £6 each. This documentary follows the attempts by Hilary and Dan to turn their Walthamstow street into an energy-generating collection of solar-powered Power Stations. The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. To book tickets to either film, visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/climatefilms. 

Join St Mary’s Sacristan Team 
Our Sacristan team is crucial to Sunday worship. The Sacristan prepares the table for communion and helps set up and set down the space after each service. This is a beautiful way to serve and an ideal team if you enjoy behind-the-scenes work to make something happen. We are looking to build the Sacristan team and if you would like to know more or to join, please email Vanessa at .

Giving Monthly to St Mary’s 
Your financial support is crucial as we work to keep St Mary’s ancient building open to the whole community throughout the week, to support Walthamstow and to share the love of Christ with all. Your donations make this possible as we receive no direct, ongoing support for the day-to-day running of St Mary’s from the Church of England or from the government. Monthly giving is particularly transformative as it allows us to plan, budget, and even expand our work in the community. If you would like to become a monthly giver, we would encourage you to sign up via the Parish Giving Scheme which you can find here or by going to stmaryswalthamstow.org/donate and clicking on the Parish Giving Scheme link.

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. 

Please pray this week for:

• All who are impacted by war and violence around the world, including in Gaza, Iran, Sudan, Mali, Lebanon, Israel and Ukraine 
• Ongoing tensions between Iran, Israel and the US – for a peaceful resolution 
• The elections being held across Britain on Thursday 7th May  
• The health and wellbeing of passengers aboard the virus-hit ship travelling across the Atlantic from Argentina 
• All school children and secondary school pupils in Waltham Forest, including those preparing for Year 6 SATs exams 
• The health and wellbeing of everyone in our Parish, praying especially for those who are unwell and are undergoing tests or treatment – for total healing and for peace
• Those working to prevent radicalisation and to create healthy communities 
• Campaigners and activist investors working to bring positive environmental change 
• All in low-paid work, are in need of work, or are looking for another job – for help, support, and for the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution through work 
• Churches in the UK and elsewhere, that we would resist all attempts to co-opt faith for divisive political ends, and would instead extend the welcome of Christ to all 
• Ongoing legislative efforts and campaigns to prevent the harms and potential harms caused by social media and AI, specifically the impacts on young people and jobs 
• The leaders of our church, parish, diocese and beyond, including our Rector Vanessa, our bishops Lynne and Guli, our Archdeacon Mike, our Archbishops Sarah and Stephen, and for all the ordained and lay leaders across our parish 

Reflection: ‘Growing Community’
Revd Jacintha Danaswamy, Curate at St Mary’s, writes: 

Yesterday I had the joy and privilege of attending a community organising workshop led by the brilliant Pamela Twiss. Pamela has over 40 years of community organising experience working with faith groups and grassroots organisations in the United States. 

She spoke with such honesty and depth as she shared her experiences with a room full of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders. It was a powerful and deeply moving morning: I learnt so much and left with so many things to think about, especially this: 

‘People need a community that continually reflects on itself’. 

And I thought, what does it mean to be part of a community that reflects on itself, that takes time to think about why being part of a community is important for us as humans? And how do we make space to think about the shape of our community, its growth and flourishing?

During this season of Easter, we have been following the Book of Acts, often considered a second part to the Gospel of Luke. Acts shares experiences of the early church – an exciting time in which some of the first followers of Jesus were trying to understand what it meant to be a community in Christ and to understand how to follow God and to care for one another amidst the joys and challenges life brings. All of this was made even more challenging living in the Roman Empire. Acts 2 carries a beautiful image of living in community: 

‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…All the believers were together and had everything in common.’

The early church, powered by the Holy Spirit, created a rhythm of life that connected profoundly in relationship with God and with each other. This community was not without its challenges and disagreements, but what we see as we journey through the Book of Acts is a Christian community growing in faith, reflecting on what this means, trying to work across differences, and seeking to understand how to live out the love of God.  

I have been part of St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow for many years and I am always so grateful for our wonderful community. I have seen it grow and change, and I continue to be greatly enriched by all who come to worship and deepen their faith at St Mary’s. It has been a place of friendship, mutual care, learning, joy and flourishing. 

I pray that we will continue to be a community that reflects on itself, even when it is difficult or challenging – a community that seeks human flourishing and seeks to reflect the love of God, that acts on issues of mercy and justice, that offers radical welcome to all, and is a community that continues to be transformed afresh by the resurrected Christ.

With love,

Jacintha