Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 14th September – Holy Cross Day – we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am with Morning Worship at 10.30am. Revd Vanessa Conant will preach and lead as we reflect on the cross of Christ, with our lectionary readings from Philippians 2:6-11 and John 3:13-17. 

There will be supervised children’s groups in the Welcome Centre at 10.30am with a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry. For those unable to join us in person this week, we will livestream the 9am service to Facebook. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

‘Discovering Christianity’ Course Starts Tonight, Thursday 11th September 
It’s not too late to explore faith via a four-week course starting this evening, 11th September, and running for four consecutive Thursdays from 7.30pm-9pm in the church. The course is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about the Christian faith or considering getting baptised or confirmed. We will be discussing the book, ‘Discovering Christianity: A Guide For The Curious’ by Rowan Williams. Sign up here or email .

St Mary’s Participating in Open House London on Saturday 13th September 
We’re working with the Walthamstow Village Residents’ Association (V17) to offer Tower Tours at St Mary’s on Saturday 13th September as part of Open House London, a week-long festival that opens up London’s most interesting spaces and buildings to the wider public. Unfortunately, Saturday’s Tower Tours were fully booked just hours after V17 began promoting them, but we hope to offer more tower tours at some point next year. 

Tickets Now Sold Out for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ at St Mary’s 
Apologies to those who wanted to purchase a ticket for the 3rd November recording of ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ at St Mary’s: tickets sold out in just over 24 hours! Keep an eye out for another BBC Radio 4 broadcast at St Mary’s in November: ‘Any Questions’ – the live political panel show – will be coming to St Mary’s on Friday 28th November, with details on how to claim your free ticket to be announced soon. 

Just Peace: Praying and Acting for Peace in Palestine + 19th September Film 
Many of us were deeply moved by the visit of Peter Nasir from YMCA in the West Bank earlier this year. His story, and the stories of others he shared, touched us profoundly and we have been eager to learn more and do more to support Palestinians living under occupation and oppression. On Friday 19th September at 7.30pm, we will gather to watch films made by Christian Aid partners and friends, talk together and pray for a just peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. To reserve a free space, please email . 

Don’t Miss Mrs H and the Sing-Along Band on Saturday 20th September at 10.30am 
Local favourites Mrs H and the Sing-Along Band are bringing their joyful family music and a full band to St Mary’s for a special Saturday performance on 20th September at 10.30am. Purchase tickets on our eventbrite page; you can also find a ticket link on our website.

Walthamstow Film Lounge Coming to St Mary’s on 20th September
On Saturday 20th September, Walthamstow Film Lounge will hold a screening of the 1927 futuristic science fiction film ‘Metropolis’ at St Mary’s with doors at 7pm for a 7.45pm start. Tickets to the screening – which will feature a live band – are £12.50 (concession) and £17.50 (full price) and are available here or by visiting www.stowfilmlounge.com. 

Worth Unlimited Quiz Evening at St Mary’s Welcome Centre on 20th September 
The Waltham Forest youth charity Worth Unlimited will be raising funds by holding a Quiz Evening in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre on Saturday 20th September at 7.30pm. You can purchase £10 tickets on the door, by clicking here, or visiting worthunlimited.co.uk/quiznight.

Vestry Sessions Returns on Thursday 25th September with ‘Flamenco Maqam’
Our Vestry Sessions music partners will hold their first gig of the Autumn 2025 season – ‘Flamenco Maqam’ – on Thursday 25th September as musicians explore the roots of flamenco. Expect an evening of traditional Spanish dance mixed with Arabic and Indian influences. Doors are at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. For tickets, click here, or visit wegottickets.com/TheVestrySessions. 

Stories & Supper Presents ‘Expressions of Belonging’ at St Mary’s on 27th September
‘Expressions of Belonging’ – which will be held at St Mary’s on Saturday 27th September at 6.30pm – will feature powerful performances, conversation, poetry and delicious food, all exploring the importance of belonging and home. Stories & Supper is a Waltham Forest-based charity that works to create spaces of welcome and encounter where refugees and asylum-seekers can connect with local residents over food and stories. Tickets for ‘Expressions of Belonging’ are £15 and available here or at storiesandsupper.co.uk/events. 

Opportunity to Give Blood at St Mary’s on 2nd October 
The next opportunity to give blood at St Mary’s will be on Thursday 2nd October. For those who would like to donate blood, the best way to do this is to book through 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. 

Waltham Forest ‘Listen and Lead’ Daytime Course to Begin Thursday 9th October 
In association with the Centre for Theology and Community, ‘Listen and Lead’ is a free course which begins on Thursday 9th October, 12-2pm, and includes lunch. The six-week course begins at Holy Trinity, Leytonstone (9th and 16th October, Holloway Rd E11 4LD) before moving to St Barnabas, Walthamstow (23rd October and 6th November, St Barnabas Rd, E17 8JY), and finally ending at our church, St Mary’s (13th and 20th November). The course will allow you to explore practical ways to live out your faith and in the wider community. For more information, or to register, email or get in touch with Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Save the Date: 12th October Confirmation Service, now with Bishop Guli at 3pm
There will be a Deanery Confirmation service at St Edmund’s, Chingford, on Sunday 12th October, though that service will now be at 3pm and led by Bishop Guli, Bishop of Chelmsford. Confirmation is a special service in which a person confirms the promises that were made for them at baptism (also known as ‘Christening’). If you were christened as a child, your parents and godparents made these promises on your behalf, however, as a young person or adult, you may now be ready to affirm these promises for yourself and publicly commit to following Jesus Christ. Your friends and family as well as the local Christian community are there to promise to support and pray for you. At the service,the bishop will also lay hands on candidates’ heads and ask God’s Holy Spirit to help them follow Christ. Register interest here, or speak to Revd Vanessa Conant to find out more.

Defibrillator Use in Parish Buildings 
Our Operations Manager Dan Copperwheat writes: ‘Did you know that two defibrillators are housed and maintained at our parish buildings? These life-saving devices are located at St Gabriel’s Church and St Mary’s Welcome Centre. Since their installation in early 2024, the units have been accessed more than 30 times! While not every instance of access has required their use, it highlights just how valuable these resources are to our community.’ 

EcoTip: Movement to Put Brooks Farm Back in Community Hands 
Brooks Farm – located in the heart of Leyton at Jack Cornwell Park, not far from Leyton Midland Station – was managed for a number of years by Capel Manor, the specialist environmental college, but owned by Waltham Forest Council. The college has since closed its Brooks Farm campus and the farm has lain dormant for several years, but local residents are now calling for the farm to be put back into community hands and are looking to explore how the land could be used for the benefit of people and the environment. There will be a free Brooks Farm Community Festival on Sunday 21st September, 12-3pm, exploring these ideas, and all who would like to see this land put to good use are invited to attend. You can reserve your free ticket here or book a place by searching, ‘Brooks Farm Festival Leyton’. 

Please pray this week for:

• Efforts to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in Walthamstow, as well as for those who are engaging in this behaviour, and for all victims of crime  
• All being ordained priest or deacon in our diocese and across the Church of England 
• Community cohesion in Walthamstow and around the UK
• Faith and community leaders to counter the divisive political rhetoric in the UK 
• All who long for safety and security and have fled their homes in search of it 
• Policies which address wealth inequality and improve the lives of those who are most in need while improving the wider wellbeing of communities 
• All who are unwell in body, mind or spirit: for support, healing and hope 
• Those exploring faith on our ‘Discovering Christianity’ course which begins this week 
• The National Day of Climate Prayer, being held outside many cathedrals this Sunday 
• Conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere – for an end to the violence  
• In this Season of Creation, efforts to end the fossil fuel era and to increase the adoption of low cost renewable energy, and for Christians/ Churches to lead the way 
• Children and young people, for their safety and learning as a new term begins 

Reflection: ‘Peace with Creation’ 
Revd Jacintha Danaswamy writes:  

On Tuesday morning, after Morning Prayer, I sat in our beautiful churchyard with a cup of coffee; it was profoundly comforting to sit in the stillness and be nourished by the changing season around me. I love this time of year, as we move from summer to autumn: the visual landscape is so rich with colour and texture – greens, browns, oranges –, a blend of rainy days and sunny mornings. After a dry and hot August, when the ground looked dehydrated and thirsty, the return of greener grass was a visible sign of welcome to autumn showers. As I sat on a churchyard bench, I was reminded of the exhibition Thirst: In Search of Freshwater at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road: a wonderful, immersive journey uncovering our relationship with water, and exploring how thirst is a universal human experience shared with most living beings, and which also deeply affects the land around us. The exhibition was a powerful reminder of our connection and relationship with the natural world, God’s creation.

In the Church calendar, we are now in the Season of Creation (1st September- 4th October), an ecumenical season dedicated to prayer and care for the environment. It’s a time when we are called to renew our relationship with God and our commitment to steward God’s creation well. The theme for this year’s Season of Creation is ‘Peace with Creation’, inspired by Isaiah 32:14-18, which says: 

‘… the palace will be forsaken,

the populous city deserted;

the hill and the watch-tower

will become dens for ever,

the joy of wild asses,

a pasture for flocks;

until a spirit from on high is poured out on us,

and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,

and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.’ (Isaiah 32:14-15)

The prophet Isaiah saw an image of the destruction of creation due to human behaviour and injustice, but holds out hope that creation will flourish when peace and justice are restored. This hope comes through prayer, action, seeking and working for the common good for all, and in caring for creation and fostering peace.

Pope Leo, in his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which took place on the first day of this Season of Creation, spoke of the extraordinary timing of Isaiah’s words; he said: ‘…given the evidence in various parts of the world that our earth is being ravaged…injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity.’

But Pope Leo reminds us of the image of the seed, and how in Christ, we too are seeds, ‘seeds of peace and hope’. He says, ‘By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope.’

As we continue to journey through this Season of Creation, I pray that we will be reminded that we are seeds of peace and hope, and I pray that we will have opportunities and moments to reflect on our relationship with God’s creation, whether it be sitting with a coffee in our beautiful churchyard, working together on our Just Transition campaign as it seeks to explore affordable ways to cool our homes and community buildings in extreme heat, or supporting our Eco Church Group and the upcoming Climate Sunday service. 

With love,

Jacintha