Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 29th September, we’ll gather for a short Holy Communion service at 9am led by Revd Tim Scott followed by a 10.30am service in which Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will preside at Holy Communion for the first time. Instead of supervised children’s groups, all ages will be together at 10.30am as Jacintha presides and Revd Vanessa Conant preaches. 

And then after the 10.30am service, please join us for a bring-and-share lunch in the church as we celebrate Jacintha’s priesting – we’d love for you to bring your favourite dish to share! 

For those who are unable to join us in person, we’ll live-stream the 10.30am service to Facebook (www.facebook.com/StMarysE17). We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Register Your Child for Sunday Groups 
Our Children’s Ministry Leader Jo Talbott has told us that many St Mary’s parents and carers have yet to register their children for supervised children’s groups, which happen on the first three Sundays of the month in the Welcome Centre during our 10.30am service. If you have yet to register your child for Sunday groups, please take a moment to do so by filling out this online form. You can also find the form at www.stmaryswalthamstow.org/ChildrenAndYouth. 

No Morning Prayer on Friday 27th September  
There will be no Morning Prayer in St Mary’s this Friday 27th September. We usually say Morning Prayer in St Mary’s side chapel every weekday at 8.30am and all are welcome. We also livestream Morning Prayer to Facebook (www.facebook.com/StMarysE17). 

Vespers Returns on Wednesday 2nd October at 7.30pm 
Join us on Wednesday 2nd October as Charnelle Barclay leads a special 7.30pm Vespers inspired by Cole Arthur Riley’s beautiful book Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems and Meditations for Staying Human. Holy Communion will be celebrated after the gathering. Vespers is our Wednesday evening contemplative service – 40 minutes of poetry, stillness, prayer, reflection and music – and is held on the first Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm. 

St Mary’s Harvest Festival on Sunday 13th October
We’ll hold this year’s Harvest Festival on Sunday 13th October. As part of our Harvest Festival, we are also inviting you to bring canned and other non-perishable food items to church that Sunday. All food will go to Mill Grove Children’s Home in South Woodford. 

St Mary’s Ministry Opportunities: Prayers, AV Rota, Refreshments and More 
If you’ve been thinking about getting more involved in church, we have plenty of ways to serve, from joining our Prayers and Intercessions rota to being on our Welcome or AV Teams, serving teas and coffees after Sunday services, joining our Children’s Ministry team, reading from the Bible on Sundays, and more. Joining a team is a great way to meet people at St Mary’s, to feel more connected and to be a vital part of making church and ministry happen. To learn more or to sign up to serve, email Josie at . 

New Community Choir Starting Rehearsals in the Welcome Centre 
A new community choir is starting in Walthamstow and will be rehearsing in the Welcome Centre on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm, starting 29th October. The Walthamstow Singers is a no-audition, mixed voice choir for adults and costs £60 per term. For more information about an upcoming taster session, or to join the choir, visit www.walthamstowsingers.co.uk. 

Free Concert at St Gabriel’s on Tuesday 5th November at 1.30pm 
The Royal Albert Hall Singers will give a free hour-long concert at St Gabriel’s Church (Havant Road and Wood Street) on Tuesday 5th November at 1.30pm. All are welcome. 

Save the Date: St Mary’s Christmas Fair on Saturday 23rd November 
Don’t miss our Christmas Fair on Saturday 23rd November which will include a craft market, refreshments and family activities. The event will run from 11am-5pm in the church with our cafe open as normal. Watch this space for more details – we’d love to have you join us.

St Mary’s School Forms Needed by 1st December
St Mary’s Primary School forms which require a clergy signature must be handed in by 1st December. If you have a form, please let our administrator Josie Wilson know by emailing her at . You can also bring your form to the Parish Office during the week or at another pre-arranged time – just email Josie to coordinate. 

EcoTip: Reuse and Repair Fair in Highams Park this Sunday 29th September 
On Sunday 29th September, 12-4pm, Waltham Forest Council will host a Reuse and Repair Fair at Handsworth Primary School, Handsworth Avenue, Highams Park, E4 9PJ. Entry is free. The event will feature an electronics repair café, bike repairs, workshops, demos, panel discussions and more. Given that waste and overconsumption are significant contributors to climate change, Waltham Forest Council also has an online Reuse and Repair Directory where you can find local ways to borrow, buy second-hand or get something repaired. Visit the directory here or go to walthamforest.gov.uk and search ‘Reuse and Repair Directory’. 

Please pray this week for: 

• People struggling with their mental or physical health
• Those who are looking for work
• Children and other vulnerable people in war zones 
• International peacemaking efforts 
• Increased investment in local communities around the UK 
• Governments to accelerate the green transition and to stop funding fossil fuels
• Holy Trinity Church in Leytonstone, which has been burgled four times in two weeks 
• St Mary’s community engagement: that more people would come to know God’s love
• Our Bishops, Lynne and Guli, and our Archbishops, Justin and Stephen
• Victims of crime, including the man robbed at knifepoint near St Mary’s on Monday
• St Mary’s ability to fund ministry, which is so desperately needed in our community 
• Revd Jacintha Danaswamy as she is ordained priest on Saturday 28th September 

Next Week in the Welcome Centre (30th September to 4th October)

Monday 30th September 
Daphne & Friends (baby and child loss community), 10-11am 
Waltham Forest Community Choir, 7.30-9.30pm 

Tuesday 1st October 
Tai Chi, 7-9pm 

Wednesday 2nd October 
Walthamstow Welcomes Cafe (help with confusing paperwork), 10am-Noon
HulaFit, 6.30-7.30pm 

Thursday 3rd October  
Baby Massage, 10.45am-12.45pm 
FoodCycle (free community meal), 6.30pm 
The Singing Room, 7.30-9.30pm 

Friday 4th October 
Sing and Sign, 11am-12.15pm 

Reflection: ‘Priesthood’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, vicar of St Gabriel’s Walthamstow, writes: 

This Saturday marks a special occasion for our parish as our wonderful curate, Revd Jacintha Danaswamy, is ordained to the priesthood. It’s a moment of joy and reflection, as we witness God setting apart one of our own for the unique calling of priestly ministry.

In Exodus 28:1, we read that God chose priests from among the people to serve him. This is an important truth, one that can be easily missed: God doesn’t call angels or majestic creatures from another realm to take up this role. He calls regular human beings: people with domestic and family responsibilities, personal challenges and all the ups and downs of life.

It is good that regular people from everyday life are called and appointed as priests. After all, the Great High Priest of God Most High, is himself, ‘like us in every way’ (Hebrews 2:17).

Jesus is now and forever one of us. He is able to empathise with our weaknesses because he knows the depths of our struggles (Hebrews 4:15). This means that we can feel safe to go to him just as we are, knowing with confidence that he understands us completely.

And yet, there is one crucial way in which Jesus is different from us, as we see in Hebrews 4:15. Though He has faced the same struggles and temptations we face, he is ‘without sin’. This means that not only is he relatable, but he is also completely trustworthy. 

Jesus is always able to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He is God-with-us and us-with-God, representing both ‘parties’ and bringing them together. He is always utterly dedicated and perfectly equipped to bring us into the presence of God.

What is wonderful is that this perfect High Priest trusts regular human beings to represent him, even with all of our failures and shortcomings. Priests, like the rest of us, live with the messiness of regular life, but they are called and authorised to serve us by pointing us to Jesus, the one who joins God and humanity together.

This Saturday, as we celebrate with Jacintha and the others being ordained, let us give thanks for them, and for the grace that calls each of us into service for Christ as a priestly people (1 Peter 2:9). And may we be reminded of the faithfulness of the one who is our Great High Priest, who has experienced all the struggle and pain of human life, and is always able to help anyone who calls out to him.