Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 2nd February, we will celebrate Candlemas – also known as the Feast of the Presentation – with services of Holy Communion at 9am and again at 10.30am. Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and preside, and Revd Tim Scott will preach. 

At Candlemas, which concludes the season of Epiphany, Jesus – who is both ‘a light to lighten the Gentiles’ and ‘the glory of God’s people Israel’ (Luke 2:32) – is presented by Mary and Joseph in the temple, according to the Law of Israel. It is in the temple that Jesus is recognised by Simeon and Anna as the Christ: the promised one who will save God’s people. But as the Church of England writes, ‘the redemption (Jesus) will bring must be won through suffering; the Incarnation is directed to the Passion; and Simeon’s final words move our attention away from the celebration of Christmas and towards the mysteries of Easter.’ 

At our 10.30am service, we will also have an interview with Revd Jacintha Danaswamy about our upcoming ‘Listen and Lead’ course as well as supervised children’s groups in the Welcome Centre, with a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both services. 

We hope you will join us for this Sunday’s special Candlemas celebration as we bless candles and recognise Jesus as the light of the world. For those unable to join us in person, we will live-stream the 9am service to our Facebook page (facebook.com/StMarysE17). 

There will also be evening prayer in the church led by St Luke’s at 6pm. 

Revd Vanessa Conant to Return as Team Rector this Sunday 2nd February 
Revd Vanessa Conant, who has been on parental leave for the past year, will resume her role as Team Rector of St Mary’s and the Parish this Sunday, 2nd February. We have been so thankful for Revd Tim Scott’s leadership in Vanessa’s absence and look forward to sharing more about Tim’s future ministry at St Mary’s and in the Parish soon. Vanessa will respond to emails from 3rd February; email her at . 

Vespers on Wednesday 5th February, 7.30pm 
Join us on Wednesday 5th February at 7.30pm for our monthly Vespers gathering, with Holy Communion celebrated afterwards in the side chapel. Vespers is held on the first Wednesday of every month – a beautiful candlelit space in our ancient church where many have gathered over eight years to practise contemplative prayer, explore faith or simply sit in silence. Whether you’re looking to deepen your prayer life or just need a quiet place to sit, do come along to Vespers – it would be wonderful to have you. 

Interested in Community Organising? ‘Listen and Lead’ Course Starts 20th February
‘Listen and Lead’ is a short course which begins on Thursday 20th February, running four consecutive Thursdays, 7.30-9pm in church, that will give you the opportunity to explore practical ways to live out your Christian calling at St Mary’s and in the wider community. We’ll explore how building relationships in our church and community can help us to discern personal and collective callings and form the bedrock for church leadership and working for the Common Good. For details or to book a place, email .  

David Dark to Preach at Sunday Services and Speak in the Evening on 16th March 
We are excited to announce that on Sunday 16th March, theologian, professor and cultural commentator David Dark will preach at St Mary’s Sunday Services and will also speak later that same day as part of an evening learning event. David is a Greenbelt Festival favourite and the author of The Gospel According to America, Everyday Apocalypse, Life’s Too Short to Pretend You’re Not Religious and We Become What We Normalize. We look forward to sharing more details about David’s Sunday evening talk in the weeks to come. 

New Date: St Mary’s Knitting and Crochet Group to Restart on Saturday 1st March
Last year we started a drop-in crochet and knitting group which met on Saturdays in our Exhibition Space and was extremely popular! The group has been on pause since Christmas and will now start back up again on Saturday 1st March, 10am-12pm. Bring wool, needles, crochet hooks and whatever you’re working on. Details: . 

Volunteering with Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter this February and March
The Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter (FCENS) needs volunteers to help welcome guests and serve food at the YMCA on Forest Road on Saturdays in February and March, 6.30-8.30pm. FCENS  – which St Mary’s and other local churches have supported for years – is an independent charity providing winter accommodation to local people sleeping rough; it also helps guests address long-term housing needs and other challenges. To volunteer or for more information, contact Corinna Creasy at  or 07957228019. 

Make Church Happen: Join a St Mary’s Rota in 2025 
Will you consider joining a rota in 2025 and commit to serving in church every 4-6 weeks? We need your help serving refreshments after Sunday services, leading children’s groups, welcoming people, reading scripture, running AV and more. Church happens because we make it happen! To volunteer or to learn more, email .

EcoTip: Engaging the Church and Wider Community in Environmental Action 
Melanie Nazareth who works and volunteers with Green Christian and Christian Climate Action has compiled two helpful lists: one for churches looking for ways to engage the wider community in environmental action, and one with ideas for integrating Creation Care into the life of a local church. Find both lists by clicking here or by visiting greenchristian.org.uk/blog.  

Please pray this week for:

• Our Walthamstow Welcomes Cafe, which offers free help with confusing paperwork 
• The ministry of the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter and those it serves
• Candidates from St Mary’s and St Gabriel’s being confirmed at Chingford Parish Church on 2nd February, including Elin, Daniel, Kingsley and Shade  
• Our PCC (parish and church trustees) meeting on 3rd February
• International cooperation on the climate and nature crises, and for UK climate action 
• Those persecuted for their faith, ethnicity, sexuality or gender 
• Churches around the world to be prophetic in the face of threats to human dignity 
• Those living in poverty in this country and globally – for opportunity and support 
• Those who are unwell in body, mind or spirit – for hope and healing 
• The Church of England to make needed safeguarding changes
• The wellbeing and safety of children and young people across Waltham Forest 
• Global peacemaking efforts, especially in Gaza/ Israel, and for lives to be rebuilt 

Next Week in the Welcome Centre (3rd-7th February) 

Monday 3rd February 
Daphne & Friends (baby and child loss community), 10-11am 
Waltham Forest Community Choir, 7.30pm 

Tuesday 4th February 
Hula Fit, 6.30pm 

Wednesday 5th February    
Walthamstow Welcomes Cafe (free help with confusing paperwork), 10am-Noon
Ninja School, 4-7pm 

Thursday 6th February  
Baby Massage, 10.30am
FoodCycle (free community meal), 6.30pm 
The Singing Room, 7.30pm 

Friday 7th February    
Sing and Sign, 10.15am & 11.15am 
Ninja School, 4-7pm 

Reflection: ‘Groundhog Day’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, vicar of St Gabriel’s, writes: 

I love that one of my favourite films is associated with Candlemas. This feast, situated between two symbolic periods of forty days (the forty days following Christmas, and the forty days preceding Easter), is usually celebrated on 2nd February. It also goes by the name ‘Groundhog Day’ in some American traditions – and there is, of course, the 1993 Harold Ramis film of the same name in which Bill Murray’s character finds himself doomed to relive that same day, longing to be delivered from the repetitive cycle in which he finds himself.

There’s also something Groundhog Day-esque about the waiting we encounter in Luke’s account of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22–39), which is the key event that Candlemas commemorates. As Mary carries the infant Jesus – the Light of the world – into the Temple, the wonderful saints who meet them there – Simeon and Anna – have been around for a long time. Anna, widowed after only seven years of marriage, has spent eighty-four years since then in the Temple, worshipping, fasting, and praying night and day. By the time of Jesus’ presentation, she is likely over 110 years old.

And Simeon – well, Church history tells us he is even older, which is probably the reason Luke explains why he hasn’t died yet! If so, think of all the purification rites and presentation ceremonies Simeon has witnessed as generations come and go, as he waits and waits for the Child promised in the ancient Scriptures to make an appearance.

When he does show up, Simeon and Anna’s waiting is finally rewarded, their longing fulfilled.

I’m particularly struck by the decision to mention Anna’s father’s name, Penuel, a derivative of Peniel, where Jacob declared, ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved!’ (Genesis 32:30). How fitting, then, that Anna herself beheld God face to face in the Christ-Child.

And then there is the fact that she is from the tribe of Asher, connecting her to the long history of faithful women from that tribe, including a fascinating character called Serah, who witnessed both Israel’s descent into Egypt (Genesis 46:17) and the exodus back to Canaan as promised (Numbers 26:44–46). Like Serah, Anna spans generations and stands as a bridge between God’s promises and their fulfillment, as she gazes upon the promised Messiah.

The tribe to which she belonged had a complicated history – distant from Jerusalem both geographically and spiritually, it struggled with idolatry and failed to claim its full inheritance. Yet from this compromised lineage comes Anna, wholly uncompromised in her devotion to Christ.

Anna’s life could have been defined by disappointment – her brief marriage, her long widowhood, and the relentless cycle of waiting. Yet she chose devotion over despair; even when her life didn’t unfold as she might have hoped, she continued to hold onto the hope held out in the promised Christ. Her perseverance, faith, and joy serve as a model for us all.

That’s part of the beauty of Candlemas, and the Church calendar in general. However long – or brief – our lifespan in this present age, these liturgical feasts and holy days are a gift to prevent each day from becoming a meaningless, repetitive, dreary cycle of the same old habits. Instead, these patterns infuse our lives with the light of Christ and the hope of redemption. May we, like Mary, Joseph, Anna, and Simeon, embrace and carry his light with us into every corner of our lives, bringing hope, joy, and meaning to the days that lie ahead.