Dear St Mary’s, 

This Sunday, 12th October, we’ll celebrate Harvest and will also mark Homelessness Sunday at 9am (Holy Communion) and again at 10.30am (Morning Worship), with an opportunity to hear about the work of the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter. As part of our Harvest Festival, we are asking you to bring canned and other non-perishable food items to church this Sunday, with food going to Mill Grove Children’s Home in South Woodford and to other local food projects. 

Revd Vanessa Conant will lead our services and Rob Duddridge will preach. This Sunday’s lectionary readings will be from 2 Timothy 2:8-15 and Luke 17:11-19, with supervised children’s groups at 10.30am and a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both services. 

At 3pm, there will be a Deanery Confirmation service at St Edmund’s, Chingford, where St Mary’s has eight candidates being confirmed, while at 6pm, the St Luke’s Community will hold evening prayer in the church. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s!  

Baby Loss Awareness Week, 9-15 October 
Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October) is being marked outside St Mary’s on the railings which run along the pavement. Poppy Walker, who runs a local bereavement group for parents who have lost babies, has put up the names of babies who have died. This is the 22nd year that the week has been marked in the UK. Organisers say the week is an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of baby loss, the importance of bereavement support, and of the vital work needed to improve pregnancy outcomes and save lives. As part of Morning Prayer, if you would like St Mary’s to remember the name of a baby who has died, please email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

14th October St Mary’s School Harvest Festival Celebrations at St Mary’s
Throughout the day on Tuesday 14th October, we will have Harvest Festival assemblies for St Mary’s School in church. Please note that this will mean our Play Area will be closed for much of the day, however, our Ruttle & Rowe cafe will remain open, with seating for the general public moved to the Exhibition Space and service through the outdoor hatch. 

‘Where Your Treasure Is’ Environmental Course to Start Tuesday 14th October 
St Mary’s will run a five-week Bible study from the charity Operation Noah exploring how we can use our money to tackle the climate crisis. ‘Where Your Treasure Is’ will start on 14th October and run for five Tuesdays – with no meeting on 28th October, which is half term – in the church. To register, email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

New Pilates Class Starts in the Welcome Centre on 15th October 
There is a new Pilates class starting in the Welcome Centre next Wednesday 15th October from 7-8pm. All abilities are welcome. Classes are £5 for the first class and £10 thereafter, all booked online. To book, click here. For details, email .  

Big Community Quiz Night on Saturday 18th October 
Join us for our Big Community Quiz Night on Saturday 18th October 7.30pm (doors at 7pm) as we raise money for the life and work of St Mary’s. Test your knowledge on a variety of topics and enjoy a pub-style quiz with engaging questions, a talented local host, a bar and a prize for the winners! Tickets are £10 (+ a processing fee) for adults and £5 (+ a processing fee) for under 16s and can be purchased via eventbrite or stmaryswalthamstow.org/events. 

Join our Christmas Festival Volunteer Team: Meeting After 19th October Service
St Mary’s will hold a Christmas Festival on Saturday 29th November which will include a craft market, Santa’s grotto, games, food, mulled wine, and opportunities for people to donate to the ministry of St Mary’s. We are looking for volunteers to help us on the day and will hold a short meeting in the South Vestry at 12pm after our Sunday 19th October 10.30am service. Join us then to learn more about volunteering and how you can help!

Night Shelter AGM at St Mary’s on 23rd October 
The Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter – a charity we have supported for many years – will hold its Annual General Meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 23rd October at St Mary’s and all are welcome. Trustees will share updates on the charity’s work and discuss future plans. To learn more about the Night Shelter, visit www.forestnightshelter.org.uk. 

Black History Month Celebration at St Gabriel’s Church on 25th October
St Gabriel’s Church will host a celebration of Black History Month with storytelling, music and a Caribbean meal (included with the price of admission) on Saturday 25th October, 6-9pm. Tickets – which are £12 for adults, £6 for under 16s – will be available on the door. St Gabriel’s is located on Havant Road near the corner of Havant Road and Wood Street. 

Evening Worship Service to be Held on 26th October at 6pm 
Join us for an hour of sung worship on Sunday 26th October at 6pm. ‘Embers’ is our semi-regular Sunday evening gathering led by a team of musicians and singers.

7th November Funeral for Sue Peacham at St Mary’s 
A service to remember and celebrate Sue Peacham – a beloved member of St Mary’s who died last month – will be held on Friday 7th November at 11:30am at St Mary’s. Following the service, there will be a private committal service for immediate family at City of London Crematorium; everyone else is invited to stay and share memories of Sue at an Afternoon Tea which will be served after the service. Instead of flowers, the family is asking for donations to one of Sue’s memorial charities, listed at suepeacham.muchloved.com. If you can make scones or cake for Afternoon Tea – or help set up or pack down the church on the day – click here, or speak to Revd Vanessa Conant. 

Admission to Communion Preparation on 9th November, Service on 30th November 
Communion preparation for children over the age of 8 who are already baptised will be on Sunday 9th November after the 10.30am service, with lunch provided. Admission to Communion will take place on the First Sunday of Advent, 30th November. To reserve a place for the Communion preparation session, or for more details, please contact Revd Vanessa Conant at . If your child is keen to receive Holy Communion but has not yet been baptised, please also contact Vanessa. 

Petite Performers Children’s Dance Class: Saturdays in the Welcome Centre 
One of our new Welcome Centre hires is Petite Performers. Petite Performers run dance classes – everything from ballet to hip hop – for children up to five years old. Classes are held in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre (our church hall, located across the churchyard from the church) on Saturday mornings. You can find times and details, as well as how to book a place for your child, by visiting their website: www.thepetiteperformers.com/walthamstow. 

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:

• Dyslexia Awareness Week – for greater understanding of dyslexia, as well as for more children with dyslexia to get the support they need in order to succeed in school
• Baby Loss Awareness Week, and for all families mourning the loss of a baby 
• Parish staff and clergy as they deal with the pressures and challenges of ministry  
• The release of all hostages held in Gaza; an end to the violence; Palestinian input into the reconstruction of Gaza; a just peace; and comfort for all who mourn 
• The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt Revd Sarah Mullally – that she may lead with love, compassion and wisdom as she prepares to take on this new role 
• Farmers and food producers in the UK and globally: for the work they do, and for farmers who are working to make their farms more environmentally sustainable 
• Britain’s Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as for other groups who feel threatened – including refugees – due to global tensions and extremist views 
• Faith and community leaders to challenge divisive rhetoric that puts others at risk
• Those in our parish struggling to make ends meet; this includes those who are homeless and the charities that help them, such as our local Night Shelter  
• All who are unwell in body, mind and spirit, including those struggling with addiction 
• Delegates preparing for next month’s UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil 
• Violence reduction efforts in Walthamstow and all efforts to keep people safe 

Reflection: ‘Love One Another’ 
Revd Jacintha Danaswamy, curate at St Mary’s, writes: 

This week, I’ve begun to notice the shift to darker, fresher mornings. It’s not quite cold yet, but the winter weather feels just around the corner. It’s the time of year when we may begin to think about winter coats or start to wonder in which drawer we left our woollen gloves!  

There is something wonderful about coming out of the cold, returning home on a dark winter’s day; indeed, being in a place of warmth and shelter is profoundly comforting. We feel it not only in our physical bodies, but in our mind and emotions: a warm home nourishes our sense of wellbeing and safety.

As I’ve reflected on this shift in darker mornings and on the colder weather to come, I was reminded that tomorrow, 10th October, is World Homelessness Day – a day which aims to raise awareness about the needs of people who experience homelessness or home insecurity; a day that encourages us to respond and to tackle the issues that contribute to homelessness. Many churches and worship communities across the country, including St Mary’s, will mark Homelessness Sunday this week. And the theme for 2025 is, ‘Love thy neighbour’ – a powerful reminder of who we are called to be as Christians, which is people who reflect God’s love in the world. For as Jesus said in John 13:34-35: 

‘A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

As followers of Christ, we are called to love first and foremost – and we are especially called to love the vulnerable and the marginalised, those who are most in need of our care. 

Although the exact number of people who rough sleep, live in temporary accommodation, or who are at risk of homelessness is often difficult to calculate, the figures are extremely high, and the multiple factors that contribute to homelessness are quite complex. But Homelessness Sunday encourages us to reflect on and to consider what we can do in our communities to alleviate and tackle homelessness. 

People who experience homelessness often experience other forms of exclusion, as well as increased physical and mental health challenges. The loss of shelter, warmth, and safety have extremely detrimental and destructive effects on a person’s wellbeing.  

St Mary’s has worked closely with Waltham Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter, Christian Kitchen, Food Cycle, with our own Walthamstow Welcomes Café – and has campaigned for affordable housing in our borough – and we continue to seek and develop ways that support those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 

This Homelessness Sunday, I encourage us to reflect on how we can further support people who experience homelessness in our community, and how we can continue to love all our neighbours as we are called to do.

With love,

Jacintha