Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 7th June – the First Sunday After Trinity – we will celebrate Holy Communion at 9am and again at 10.30am. Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and preside at both services and Revd Tim Scott will preach. At 10.30am, there will be supervised children’s groups. 

Our readings for this week are Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. 

For those who are unable to join us this Sunday, we will livestream the 9am service to our Facebook page. Later in the day, at 5pm, our Youth Group – Year 6 through Secondary School – will meet in the Welcome Centre. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Sponsor a Bible for School Leavers 
Every year we give a Bible to Year 6 leavers of St Mary’s Primary School. This is a gift from the church that we hope will bless them throughout their lives, and for many children, it will be the only Bible they have ever received. If you would like to sponsor a Bible for £10, you can give via stmaryswalthamstow.org/donate (write in the notes section that your donation is for a St Mary’s School Leavers’ Bible). You can also make a bank transfer, noting the reason for your donation. Our bank details are: Co-operative Bank, St Mary’s Church, Parish of Walthamstow; Account Number: 65579372, Sort Code: 08-92-99. If you would give cash or to donate via a cheque, contact our Parish Office (). 

Children’s Parties at the Welcome Centre: Last Minute Openings in June  
We have openings in June 2026 for Children’s Birthday Parties in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre. With outdoor patio space as part of our Welcome Centre Lounge, as well as our larger Welcome Centre Hall which can accommodate up to 100 people, St Mary’s Welcome Centre is an all-weather space in Walthamstow Village for late spring and early summer birthday parties. Packages are sold in four-hour weekend blocks (1-5pm) which include set-up and clean-up time and start for as little as £175. For details, click here or visit www.welcomecentreE17.org and click on ‘learn more about children’s birthday parties’. 

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 are 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 .  

Crochet and Knitting Group to Meet on Saturday 6th June 
Our drop-in Crochet and Knitting Group will meet again this Saturday 6th June in the church from 10am-12pm. The free group is open to everyone, including beginners. For details, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy 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 main church space. 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 on 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. 

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. 

House Meeting 5th July after the 10.30am Service
St Mary’s has been invited to work with other local community groups to campaign for a safer, slower Wood Street and we would love to hear your thoughts. If you regularly travel across or along Wood Street and would like to share your hopes and concerns and any ideas for making it safer, we are holding a 45-minute house meeting in church after the 10.30am service on the 5th July. A house meeting uses a simple community organising approach to enable attendees to share their stories and workshop solutions. Register your interest here or email .

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 Tube strike this week, with more planned disruption planned for Thursday 4th June – for workers, commuters and those who are negotiating: for a fair deal for all 
• The ongoing Henry Maynard strike – for teachers, school staff, parents, and all those affected, as well as for the complex issues which need to be addressed and resolved 
• The ongoing invasion of Ukraine and all those impacted by and killed in this week’s Russian attack on Ukrainian cities: for an end to the fighting and for a just peace
• Faith leaders, community leaders and politicians to counter the divisive rhetoric around the murder of Henry Nowak and subsequent police reaction: for a just outcome, and changes where necessary, but bringing people together in the process  
• All those in our Parish who are unwell in any way: for help, hope and healing 
• More people to encounter the love of Christ in our community, and for St Mary’s to be a church for the whole community, where all feel welcome and able to explore faith 
• Political leaders in our community and country – for wisdom, courage, empathy and the willingness to work with and alongside the people they were elected to serve 
• Our upcoming climate films at St Mary’s – that many would come to see the films and ultimately be encouraged to take positive action in some way as a result 
• Our St Mary’s clergy – Vanessa, Jacintha and Tim – as well as for Andrew, vicar of St Gabriel’s, along with our bishops Lynne and Guli, our archdeacon Mike, and our archbishops Sarah and Stephen: for their health, wellbeing, wisdom and leadership 
• All who are struggling financially in our parish, including those now looking for work 
• The work of our Walthamstow Welcomes cafe in building relationships and helping people to access crucial public services or help 
• A more serious engagement on the part of the public and our politicians as to the negative impacts of tech and the role that regulation can and should play 

Reflection: ‘His Song is With Me’ 
Revd Jacintha Danaswamy, Curate, St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow, writes: 

This week, I had the joy and privilege of spending time with two couples choosing music and hymns for their upcoming wedding services at St Mary’s – it was such a delight! 

Music often impacts and moves us profoundly, but it also intimately represents who we are: our identities, experiences, and relationships. Deciding on which pieces of music are the most meaningful to us can be challenging. Music can be significant in different ways, at different times, connecting us with the world around us, and to narrow the list down to a few select pieces for a wedding can require much thought and discernment.  

At St Mary’s, we are familiar with how music can enrich our lives and deepen our faith, from the well-known hymns and songs we love, to the beautiful sound of our voices joining together in the Peruvian Gloria – not to mention our joyful intergenerational action songs that we sing every Sunday at our 10.30am service, the worship choruses sung at our Embers service, and the beautiful choral pieces we often hear at our Vespers gatherings. Music is deeply embedded in our community and it continually invites us into the mystery of God. 

As Paul writes to in his letter to the Colossians: 

‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.’ (Col 3:16)

In Paul’s words, I am reminded of Psalm 42:8: 

‘By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

And at night his song is with me,

A prayer to the God of my life.’ 

In our music and songs, we share life’s challenges, as well as lament, seek God’s help, praise, give thanks, and celebrate. 

To that end, our Youth Worship Band will meet to rehearse for the first time this Friday. As they rehearse, I pray they will be encouraged and grow in their faith, and that they will know that in their worship they carry God’s steadfast love, and his song is ever with them. I pray this for all of us too this week, that we may be enriched by the music in our lives, and that we may encounter the love and hope of the living God in all that we hear and sing.

Love, 

Jacintha