Dear St Mary’s, 

On 20th April – Easter Sunday – Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and preside as part of a 6.30am Sunrise Service in St Mary’s Courtyard, a service which will include an Easter fire. Afterwards, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am and again at 10.30am with Revd Jacintha Danaswamy leading, Revd Tim Scott presiding, Revd Vanessa Conant preaching. 

Easter Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week, a week which begins with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey and ends with his betrayal, arrest, crucifixion, death and resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection changed world history and was an event attested to by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others with them (Luke 24:10); by two travellers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35); and by Jesus’ disciples (Luke 24:36). 

St Paul even tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that the resurrected Jesus ‘appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time’. 

Easter Sunday marks the beginning of a period of fifty days celebrating Jesus’ resurrection – a season in the Church calendar called ‘Eastertide’. The final ten days of Eastertide begin on Ascension Day (29th May), where we remember Jesus’ ascension into heaven, and the season ends with the great feast of Pentecost (8th June) which commemorates the gift of the Holy Spirit and birth of the Church. Join us this Easter Sunday as we gather to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and once again proclaim, ‘He is risen! He is risen, indeed!’  

Good Friday Services 
On 18th April, Good Friday, we will begin the day at St Mary’s with a said Holy Communion at 8.30am; hold a ‘Messy Good Friday’ service for children and families at 10.30am; a ‘Quiet Easter’ service for neuro-diverse children at 3.30pm (Booking Required); and a Good Friday service at 7.30pm. There will also be a ‘Watch at the Cross’ at St Gabriel’s Church (Havant Road) from 12-3pm. Do join us for one or more Good Friday services if you can. 

No Morning Prayer the Week After Easter 
Please be aware that there will be no Morning Prayer the week after Easter. We normally say Morning Prayer Monday-Thursday at 8.30am in the side chapel at St Mary’s and we also livestream it to our Facebook page. Morning Prayer will resume on Monday 28th April. 

First Sunday After Easter at St Mary’s 
On 27th April, the First Sunday After Easter, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am with an Intergenerational Service at 10.30am. At 9am, Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and preside, while at 10.30am, Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will lead and give a short reflection for all ages. For those unable to join us in person, we’ll livestream the 9am service to Facebook. 

No Newsletter on 24th April: Next St Mary’s Newsletter on 1st May 
To give our team a rest, we will not be sending out our newsletter on Thursday 24th April. Our next St Mary’s newsletter will go out on Thursday 1st May. 

St Mary’s Ruttle & Rowe Cafe Closed Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Monday
Our cafe partners Ruttle & Rowe will close their St Mary’s location on Good Friday and will also take a well-deserved break on Holy Saturday and Easter Monday. St Mary’s Ruttle & Rowe cafe will open again as normal, 8.30am-4pm, on Tuesday 22nd April. 

Vestry Sessions Music Series Returns on Thursday 24th April 
The next Vestry Sessions gig will be on 24th April in St Mary’s and will celebrate nature in all its glory. From the quiet countryside to the bustling city, this thematic, hour-long concert will unfold in two parts, with a classical trio playing music by Piazzolla and Beethoven followed by an intermission (and bar). The second half of the concert will feature prolific Venezuelan singer/songwriter Luzmira Zerpa. Tickets are available here or at www.wegottickets.com (search ‘Vestry Sessions’) and are £10 in advance or £12.50 on the door. 

Knitting and Crochet Group to Return on 3rd May 
Our popular drop-in knitting and crochet group, which meets in St Mary’s Exhibition Space on Saturdays from 10am-12pm, will take a break for the rest of April and will resume on Saturday 3rd May. Beginners are welcome – or just stop in for a coffee and a chat! For more information, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Final Chance to Join the Parish Roll: 225 Have Joined, Help Us Reach 300 
Every six years, dioceses from around the Church of England ask parish churches to start from scratch and create an entirely new Parish Roll, which is a listing of everyone who considers a particular church to be their church home. If St Mary’s is your church, will you fill out a short form during or after this Sunday’s service (or online, if you’re unable to join us in person)? Our deadline is 20th April and so far we have 225 people who’ve signed up, though we estimate 300+ people regularly or occasionally attend services at St Mary’s. If you would prefer to fill out the forms online, it takes less than three minutes, but please note that we would like you to fill out both the Electoral Roll form (link here) and GDPR form (link here) if possible. You can also find the forms at stmaryswalthamstow.org/ElectoralRoll2025. 

New to Faith or Considering Baptism? Register for ‘Discovering Christianity’ in May
We’re offering a four-week course starting 8th May and running for four consecutive Thursdays, 7.30pm-9pm, for people who are looking to explore faith or who are considering getting baptised. We will be discussing the new book, ‘Discovering Christianity: A Guide For The Curious’ by Rowan Williams. Email . 

Newcomers’ Breakfast on Saturday 10th May in the Welcome Centre 
Are you new (or relatively new) to St Mary’s and looking to get more connected? If so, join us for our Newcomers’ Breakfast in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre (our church hall, located just across the churchyard from the church) on Saturday 10th May, 9.30am-11am. Clergy and lay leaders will be in attendance to share more about St Mary’s and answer your questions. We’ll have free tea, coffee, juice, fruit and pastries, and children are very welcome. RSVP by emailing Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Parish of Walthamstow Annual Meeting on Sunday 11th May at St Gabriel’s Church
Every year, the churches which make up the Parish of Walthamstow (St Gabriel’s, St Luke’s and St Mary’s) gather to give thanks for the year that has passed and for the service of others, to elect or confirm members of our congregation to roles in the church, and to pray for the future. This year, we’ll meet on Sunday 11th May at 3pm at St Gabriel’s Church (near the corner of Wood Street and Havant Road). The Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to connect with others from across the parish and to get a sense of the bigger picture. It is also an opportunity to stand for our Parochial Church Council (PCC), which is the Board of Trustees for our church and parish. If you’re interested in joining the PCC, please contact a member of the clergy team, or email .

‘Ground Level’ Gardening Event at St Mary’s on 20th May  
Be inspired by some of the UK’s foremost wildlife gardeners at ‘Ground Level’ – a ticketed 20th May event at St Mary’s featuring talks by TV presenters Kate Bradbury and Errol Reuben Fernandes, with everything you need to know to garden better for wildlife. Wherever your plot is – balcony, ground or pot – you can help biodiversity. The 6.30pm talks will be followed by a panel discussion with gardener and writer Susanna Grant and Wild City Studio’s Jon Davis and Steve Williams, all chaired by our head gardener Tim Hewitt with a Q&A to follow. There will also be a paid bar and a chance to tour St Mary’s Churchyard. Tickets are £13.70 and available here or by searching ‘Ground Level’ at eventbrite.co.uk. 

EcoTip: Laudato Si’ Webinar + Protesting Oil and Gas Expansion 
There are two upcoming environmental events to consider participating in; the first is a webinar on Wednesday 23rd April at 7.30pm celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’, and encouraging participants to act for climate justice. Speakers include Lorna Gold, Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Movement, and Revd Patrick Gerard, Diocesan Environmental Officer, Birmingham. Register here. 

And on Thursday 24th April, 8am-10am, the Stop Rosebank campaign will protest US officials and oil CEOs attending the ‘Summit on the Future of Energy Security’ co-hosted by the UK government and International Energy Agency. The protest will take place outside Lancaster House in Central London near Green Park and all are welcome to join. Donald Trump has made it clear the US is keen to increase fossil fuel production while fossil fuel companies are continuing to explore for new oil and gas despite dire warnings. Register.

Please pray this week for:

• Churches and Christian communities around the world celebrating Easter 
• Christ to be near the brokenhearted and to all who mourn this Easter 
• For renewed peacemaking efforts in Sudan and for the UK to play its part  
• International Dark Sky Week (21-28 April) – for the protection of wild spaces and greater awareness of the impacts of light pollution on people and animals 
• Healing and comfort for all who are unwell in body, mind or spirit 
• Campaigners standing up for human rights and marginalised communities  
• Global trade tensions and the potential impact of tariffs on those already struggling 
• Ukraine, Gaza, Syria, Sudan and other parts of the world impacted by war/ violence
• More people in Walthamstow to experience the love of God this Easter season 
• Those who are vulnerable in our community 
• Our church and parish, that we might grow in love of God and neighbour 
• Children and young people in Waltham Forest as a new school term begins 

Reflection: ‘The God We Did Not Expect’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, vicar of St Gabriel’s Church, writes: 

In The Truman Show (1998), Jim Carrey plays a man living inside a vast illusion. His whole world is a TV set – safe, controlled, and scripted to keep him from ever facing real danger. The show’s creator, Christof, watches from above in a sterile dome, convinced that it’s better to keep Truman sealed in an idealised fantasy than to let him experience the world ‘out there’.

Christof’s manufactured reality may include the appearance of death and loss – Truman’s father ‘dies’ in a boating accident – yet it’s not real. It’s a staged tragedy, designed to keep Truman afraid of the sea; a performance, carefully choreographed to preserve the illusion.

We often want a god like that. For many, it’s the god of the philosophers: remote, unmoved, sealed off from any actual engagement with the mess of the world. A pure being who cannot suffer, bleed, or die. Others settle for a god who is all too much like us: safe, indulgent, and conveniently aligned with our desires. We want a comfortable deity of our own design projected into the sky – one who reassures but never redeems; who sympathises, but cannot save.

Good Friday dismantles both illusions.

On the Cross, the living God enters death. This is not mere theatre, a performative gesture. It is not divine disaster tourism – a passing glimpse of suffering from a protected distance. This is real involvement, real suffering, real abandonment. Acts 20:28 says something astonishing: God purchased the Church ‘with his own blood’. That phrase has sent centuries of theologians scrambling. God’s own blood? But God doesn’t have blood! God is immortal. Untouchable. Unkillable. Unless … unless the one nailed to the wood really is the immortal God, who has somehow found a way to die.

For those who prefer to imagine a God sealed off from suffering, Good Friday confronts us with the crucified God. Jesus of Nazareth – mocked, beaten, and killed – is the fullness of deity. The staggering reality of Good Friday is this: no less than the living God is hanging on the gallows. The blood that runs down the Cross is God’s own blood.

This is not God standing at a distance. Nor is it God shrugging off sin as if it didn’t matter. If we could have healed ourselves, this would not have been necessary. If human goodness were enough, this would be divine overreaction. But we know better. We feel it in our bones. The things we’ve done. The wounds we’ve inflicted. The cycles of greed, envy, cruelty, cowardice. The addiction to self. It goes too deep. No performance can fix it. No philosophical idea can reach it. No indulgent deity can transform it. It takes death – and resurrection.

This is what it took to save us – the death of the immortal God. The Cross is not God brushing sin under the carpet. It is God lifting the whole rotting mess onto his shoulders and carrying it to the grave. He doesn’t excuse it. He kills it. He doesn’t wink at us. He weeps for us. And he acts.

This is the God we did not expect – but the only God who can save. Not sealed off in heaven, nor nodding along with our illusions – that would be to minimise him, to cheapen us, and ignore the gravity of our situation. The Crucified God treats us with deadly seriousness, honouring us far more than our self-deceptions allow.

On Good Friday, we see the end of all false gods and the unveiling of the true one: the God whose love bleeds, whose mercy costs, whose holiness embraces a Cross – all so that, when Easter morning breaks, we awaken to a new world more real and more wonderful than we could ever imagine.