Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 25th May – the Fifth Sunday After Easter in the Season of Eastertide – Revd Vanessa Conant will preside and Revd Tim Scott will preach at our 9am Holy Communion service, while at 10.30am, Vanessa will lead and give an all-age reflection as part of our monthly Intergenerational Service. We will also have a baptism at 10.30am. 

There will be no supervised children’s groups at 10.30am, as all ages will be together, but we will have a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both services. For anyone unable to join us in person, we will livestream the 9am service to Facebook (facebook.com/StMarysE17). 

Our lectionary readings for this week are Acts 16:9-15 – the conversion of Lydia in Philippi – and John 5:1-9, the story of Jesus healing a man on the Sabbath. 

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

Ascension Day Communion on 29th May at 7.30am 
St Mary’s will mark Ascension Day at 7.30am on Thursday 29th May – an early morning service which will also include Holy Communion. Join us as we celebrate this significant day in the Church calendar. Due to the service, there will be no Morning Prayer on 29th May. 

Vestry Sessions Returns on 29th May with Jazz Trio Playing Lerner & Loewe 
A jazz trio will play some of the biggest hits from Jay Lerner and Frederich Loewe – the duo behind the music of ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Brigadoon’ – on the evening of Thursday 29th May with doors at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Vestry Sessions are thematic, one-hour shows which are held regularly at St Mary’s with a short intermission and a card-only bar. For tickets, click here, or visit wegottickets.com and search ‘Vestry Sessions’. 

‘Embers’ Evening Worship on Sunday 1st June 
Join us for an hour of sung worship on Sunday 1st June at 6.30pm. ‘Embers’ is a regular Sunday evening gathering led by a St Mary’s team of musicians and singers. 

Blood Donation Returns to St Mary’s on 2nd June
We’re pleased that there will be another opportunity to give blood at St Mary’s, this time on Monday 2nd June. For those who would like to give blood on the day, our partners tell us that the best way to do this is to book in advance via the Give Blood app or via www.blood.co.uk. If there is a slot available at St Mary’s, that will be noted when you book. Please note the booking process is not managed by us but by the NHS. Our Ruttle & Rowe cafe will remain open, with indoor seating moved to the Exhibition Space. 

Vespers on Wednesday 4th June 
Join us on Wednesday 4th June 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 building 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. 

Free ‘Vestry Junior’ Children’s Music Event on Saturday 7th June 
Our Vestry Sessions music partners are running a free children’s music event on Saturday 7th June in St Mary’s, with our Ruttle & Rowe cafe open as normal. Ideal for younger children, there will be two performances of the same 15-20 minute show, which will be a children’s version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: one at 11am and a second performance at 12pm. While the event is free, donations for the performers will be gratefully accepted.

‘Gentle Craftivism’ Event on Saturday 7th June 
Our Eco Church team will host award-winning activist and maker Sarah Corbett in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre on Saturday 7th June. Sarah will give a free talk (recommended £3 donation) from 10am-11am about her ‘Gentle Protest’ methodology which combines neuroscience, positive psychology, campaign strategy and beautiful handicrafts. After her talk, Sarah will lead a two-hour ticketed workshop (£20 per person) from 11.30am-1.30pm inviting participants to practice gentle craftivism under her supervision. To book tickets to either event, click here, or visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/Craftivism.

Save the Date for St Mary’s Summer Event on Saturday 12th July 
On Saturday 12th July, we will be hosting a summer event at St Mary’s for the whole community and we would love to have you join us, and even volunteer to help! We are still developing our programme, but if you are interested in assisting on the day or helping to plan the event, please email Louise Wallis at . 

EcoTip: Tell the Prime Minister to Bring the Climate and Nature Bill Back to Parliament  
The campaign group behind the Climate and Nature Bill – which was brought before Parliament on 24 January only to have consideration of the bill suspended – is calling on the Prime Minister to bring the bill back to Parliament on 11 July. Written by scientists, it is the only piece of environmental legislation to address the full extent of the climate and nature crises with legally binding targets. You can sign the letter here or visit action.zerohour.uk. 

Please pray this week for:

• All who are unwell in body, mind or spirit: for hope and healing 
• The people of Gaza, who are under constant bombardment and in need of food
• Children, young people, parents/carers, teachers and school staff this half-term  
• A just peace for Ukraine, which continues to be attacked 
• Recent knife crime in Walthamstow: for victims, for healing and for restorative justice 
• Christian leaders, that they would be guided by love and compassion for all 
• A fair and fast transition away from fossil fuels and for a surge in green investment 
• Job opportunities for those in need of work 
• A more equitable society, where resources are shared more fairly 
• St Mary’s to be a place of hope, healing and help for all of Walthamstow 
• Our Walthamstow Welcomes paperwork cafe – its volunteers and for those it helps 
• Those who struggle to afford basic necessities in Walthamstow and around the world

Reflection: ‘Creative Joy’
Revd Tim Scott writes: 

I recently watched a YouTube video of a three-year-old conducting a recording of the fourth movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. It was made in 2010, and in her book, ‘In Good Hands: The Making of a Modern Conductor’, Alice Farnham comments about the sheer joy that the three year-old shows. And he clearly knows the music!

It is reported that when conducting the first performance of his groundbreaking 9th Symphony, Beethoven conducted it with great vigour, but because of deafness, didn’t realise when, at the end, it was greeted with rapturous applause. His deafness was for him both a tragedy but also something that spurred him on to produce some of his most moving music. His creativity enabled him to overcome deep hardship and produce music of extraordinary joy.

We are so fortunate at St Mary’s to have people who are creative in many different ways and we give thanks to God for them. I know that such creativity is an inspiration to many and has helped people discover joy and ways forward in situations that have been really difficult.

Music, whether in the services, or various other musical events, often enables people to lift their hearts, minds and voices.  At this time of year, the garden around the church is also ‘singing of the beauty of God‘s creation’. We are truly grateful for all those who work to keep and tend the garden and enable others to be part of that process through a range of activities, celebrating and wondering about nature, as well as broadening our knowledge. 

When wandering around the churchyard in the sunshine or hearing beautiful music, our spirits are lifted, and we may get a new insight into the beauty and gift of life. Those are treasured moments, for life has its ups and downs. I was struck by a quotation I saw the other day from LR Knost, an award winning author, feminist and social justice activist: 

‘Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. Then between the amazing and awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale through the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.’ 

We give thanks to God for all those who in their creativity enable us to see and experience the breathtaking beauty of life. 

With my love and prayers, 

Tim