Dear St Mary’s,

On Sunday 31st May – Trinity Sunday – we will share Holy Communion at 9am and again at 10.30am, with Revd Tim Scott presiding and leading and Revd Vanessa Conant preaching. There will be no children’s groups at 10.30am, though we will have a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry for parents/ carers of babies and toddlers to use as needed. 

Our readings for Trinity Sunday are Isaiah 40:12-17, 27-end, and Matthew 28:16-end. 

On Trinity Sunday, we reflect on a doctrine and understanding of God which is unique to Christians: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – three persons in one substance, an eternal community of love. Observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday also marks the beginning of what the Church calls, ‘Ordinary Time’ – a period of time which occupies most of the Church year and which mirrors the ‘ordinariness’ of much of our daily lives where most of our spiritual growth, development and change happens. 

For those who are unable to join us in person, we will livestream the 9am service to our Facebook page. And then at 6pm, the St Luke’s Community will say Evening Prayer in the church and all are welcome to join them. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

‘Rooted in Community’ Gardening Event on Saturday 30th May 
Join us for the 2026 ‘Rooted in Community’ gardening event this 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. 

Blood Donation at St Mary’s on Friday 5th June: Cafe Open, Play Area Closed 
We will welcome the NHS back to St Mary’s Church for blood donations on Friday 5th June. The Play Area will be closed that day but our Ruttle & Rowe cafe will remain open, with indoor seating moved to the Exhibition Space and cafe service through the outdoor hatch. 

First Youth Worship Band Rehearsal on 5th June, 6pm 
We’re looking for young musicians who want to start serving in the worship team, with the team open to all musicians in Year 7-Sixth Form (and the last term of year 6). Our first rehearsal will be on Friday 5th June in St Mary’s Church, 6-7pm. For more information, or to register interest, email our Schools’ Worker Matt Begg at .  

St Mary’s to Host Walthamstow Art Trail Artists in June 
The Walthamstow Art Trail will run from 5th-14th June, during which time St Mary’s will host the work of two artists, Nancy Willis and Jane Ralston. From 6th June, Nancy’s work will be displayed in the Exhibition Space (our church extension) whilst Jane will exhibit work (which has been inspired by Psalm 23) in the nave of the church. For more information on Nancy’s work, visit nancywillis.co.uk. For more information on Jane’s work, visit janeralston.com.  

St Gabriel’s to Display Work of Nine Contemporary Artists During Art Trail 
As part of the Walthamstow Art Trail, St Gabriel’s Church will host a group exhibition featuring nine contemporary artists – including artwork from parishioner Michael Coppelov – on Saturday 6th June and Saturday 13th June, 11am-5pm. The show – called ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ – brings together artists whose practices use cardboard and paper, materials which are commonly associated with impermanence. All the works will be exhibited beneath a paper canopy made by the St Gabriel’s congregation. St Gabriel’s Church is located on Havant Road near the corner of Havant Road and Wood Street, a short walk from St Mary’s. 

Youth Group Returns on Sunday 7th June 
Our youth group (Year 6 through secondary school) will next meet on Sunday 7th June at 5pm in the Welcome Centre. If you haven’t yet registered your child for our youth group, you can do so here or by visiting stmaryswalthamstow.org/childrenandyouth. For details about our youth group, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Revd Vanessa Conant to Take Short Period of Medical Leave 
Our Rector Revd Vanessa Conant will undergo parathyroid surgery on 8th June followed by up to two weeks’ medical leave. If you have any pastoral concerns during this time, please contact Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at or Revd Tim Scott at .  

New Online Learning Community Course to Start on 9th June: Faith & Parenting  
Our next Learning Community course is aimed at parents or carers – a space to think through the opportunities and challenges of parenting for faith. The course is designed to be accessible for people who might not normally be able to attend an in-person meeting in the evening, which is why we’re meeting online from 8.30-9pm (cameras can be off if you are still wrangling children at bedtime) with an option to stay and chat until 9.15pm. Register interest here or email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Special Joint-Church Evensong at St Barnabas on 14th June at 6.30pm 
In 1939, the Walthamstow and Chingford Choirs’ Association planned a special joint-churches’ Evensong service for 28th October at St Mary’s, however, it was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Although the service never took place, our friends at St Barnabas recently discovered the original music and have now adapted the programme for a new performance scheduled for 14th June at 6.30pm at St Barnabas Church in Walthamstow. All are welcome to attend or to participate in the Evensong choir. Email for details of the rehearsal schedule. 

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 preparation session, or for more details, contact Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . If your child is keen to receive Holy Communion but hasn’t been baptised, do also contact Jacintha. 

New Class in the Welcome Centre: BollySoul Dance on Wednesdays at 7pm
BollySoul Dance & Movement – which is now meeting on Wednesday evenings in the Welcome Centre from 7-8pm – is a fun, uplifting women’s movement class combining Desi-inspired music, feel-good movement, stretching and breathwork to help you stay active and de-stress. No dance experience is needed — just come as you are and move at your own pace. To book, click here, or email . 

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, with a panel discussion to follow. Tickets are available for 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 £6 tickets. 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. 

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:

• The estimated one million young people in the UK not in work or education – for effective policies, resources and programmes that will address this growing problem 
• Pope Leo’s encyclical, released this week, which criticises the concentration of power and warns of the dangers of AI – that his words would be listened to 
• Inequality in the UK, and for those who are struggling with the costs of daily necessities, such as food and housing, when others possess extreme wealth 
• Those suffering in this recent heatwave, as well as for movements calling for a fair and fast transition away from fossil fuels, more robust taxes on polluters and pollution, and financial support for impacted communities in the UK and globally 
• Safety for those who are travelling this weekend 
• The missional work at St Mary’s, including the teaching and pastoral work of our clergy team – Vanessa, Jacintha and Tim – as well as the work Matt Begg is doing with local schools, the people being helped by our Walthamstow Welcomes paperwork cafe and all of its volunteers, Tim Hewitt’s churchyard work and more  
• All who serve in local or national government – for wisdom, discernment and the willingness to implement policies that are in the interest of all, not the wealthy few 
• The ongoing strike at Henry Maynard: for children, parents, teachers and school staff
• All in our parish who are unwell in any way: for help, hope and healing 
• Global turmoil and violence – including in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Ukraine, Sudan, and Mali – and also for efforts to contain the ebola outbreak in the DRC 
• Community cohesion around the UK, praying specifically for all efforts to address racism, homophobia and other divisions, and for all efforts to bring people together 
• The leaders of our Church – including our bishops Lynne and Guli, our Archdeacon Mike and Archbishops Sarah and Stephen – as well as for Pope Leo and for leaders of all Churches around the world, especially praying for churches in conflict zones

Reflection: ‘More Than We Can See’ 
Revd Tim Scott, Associate Priest at St Mary’s and Area Dean, Waltham Forest, writes: 

If you look at some paintings from a distance, you get a different experience from looking at them close up. Both can be equally rewarding, but together they provide a richness of experience. When talking about painting, I’m always mindful of the words of Rowan Williams, who said something like ‘there is always more to see in a painting than we actually see’. 

This made me reflect on the idea of seeing the local and the bigger picture – a dynamic that often runs through much of our personal lives and much of our public and political discourse. As we move from the season of Pentecost to the celebration of the feast of the Holy Trinity this coming Sunday, I wonder if there might be some insights that can help us. 

There is something very tangible, particularly in the account in the Acts of the Apostles, of the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit with wind, tongues of fire, and each hearing their own language spoken. Even when we hear the accounts in John’s gospel of the promise and the breathing of the Holy Spirit, we can picture these events.

When we come to Trinity Sunday, maybe we are dealing with a very different, less tangible idea that invites us into the heart of the mystery of God as we wrestle with what it might be to describe God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three persons in one. Early Greek theologians in the Eastern church apparently referred to the Trinity using the words ‘perichoresis’, which literally means, ‘to proceed about each other’, a sort of holy barn dance; at the heart of God is a community which draws us in and is more expansive than we can understand. 

It’s too simplistic to say that Pentecost is ‘local’ and the Trinity is ‘bigger picture’ because the experience of Pentecost gave people a wider experience of the global, with different languages and cultures being drawn into the experience. And whilst remaining a mystery, the doctrine of the Trinity was developed from peoples’ lived experience of the continuing presence of Christ in their lives through the Holy Spirit.

Maybe what we see in both Pentecost and the Trinity is an example of lived experience informing the bigger picture, and the bigger picture informing lived experience in a way which is life-giving and exciting. In a world in which global events affect our everyday lives, the events of Pentecost give a picture of the richness and energy that difference and diversity can bring, and the vibrancy of community which is possible. 

The Trinity offers us a picture of a community of love at the heart of God which is bigger and more transforming than we can ever imagine. 

As we move from Pentecost to Trinity Sunday, I pray that each of us may dwell in the gift of the Spirit and the transforming mystery of the Trinity as we realise there is always ‘more to see’, and to celebrate, in our beautiful, yet fragmented, world and lives. 

With my love and prayers,

Tim