Dear St Mary’s, 

On 8th June – Pentecost Sunday – Revd Vanessa Conant will lead and Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will preach at 9am (Holy Communion) and again at 10.30am (Morning Worship). We will also have baptisms at 10.30am, as well as supervised children’s groups. 

On Pentecost Sunday, we’ll celebrate the birth of the Church and remember how, fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended like tongues of flames, allowing the disciples to preach in other languages to a crowd which included people from ‘every nation under heaven’ (Acts 2:5). It was in this context the Church was born – a multicultural Church, and one in which, as St Paul would write, ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28). 

In a divided world, Pentecost is a powerful reminder of the unity that comes through Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the call for the Church to reflect God’s love for all.

‘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, now held in the church Exhibition Space, inviting participants to practice gentle craftivism under her supervision. To book tickets to either the talk (plenty of tickets still left) or the workshop (which is now nearly full), click here or visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/Craftivism. 

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.

Nicene Creed Course to Begin on Tuesday 1st July 
This year is the 1700th anniversary of the writing of the Nicene Creed, one of the great statements of the Christian faith, and we will explore its deep theology and significance over four Tuesdays in July, starting on 1st July and meeting in the church at 7.30pm. The Nicene Creed is the most widely-accepted creed in the Christian faith, used by many denominations including the Anglican Communion. If you are interested in joining us, you can sign up using the link here or by emailing Revd Jacintha Danaswamy () or Revd Vanessa Conant (). 

Open Mic Night on Thursday 17th July 
On 17th July at 7.30pm, St Mary’s is hosting its first ever Open Mic Worship Night. This will be an evening of open and reflective worship incorporating spoken word poetry, music and more. We are currently accepting submissions from anyone who would like to take part. Please complete the form here to tell us more about your piece or email Revd Vanessa Conant at . Save the date and join us on 17th July. 

Sponsor a Bible for St Mary’s Primary School Leavers
Every year, we give a Bible to Year 6 leavers of St Mary’s Primary School. This is a gift from the church that we hope will bless them throughout their lives, and for many children, it will be the only Bible they have ever received. If you would like to sponsor a Bible for £10, you can give via stmaryswalthamstow.org/donate (please write in the notes section that your donation is for a St Mary’s School Leavers’ Bible) or via the tap-and-go system at the back of church. You can also put a cheque or cash in a marked envelope and leave it in the white box at the back of church, or if you would prefer, you can make a direct bank transfer (please note the reason for your donation). Our bank details are: Co-operative Bank, St Mary’s Church, Parish of Walthamstow; Account Number: 65579372, Sort Code: 08-92-99.

EcoTip: Mitigating the Impacts of Extreme Heat – Join our Meeting on 12th June
On Thursday 12th June, we’ll meet in church at 8pm to discuss how we can help people in Walthamstow mitigate the impacts of extreme heat, something affecting increasing numbers of people due to human-caused climate change. It was brilliant to hear our very own Tom Greenhill speak about his Heatwave Toolkit project last Sunday, which aims to share information about low-cost, low-carbon ways to cool dangerously warm flats, homes and buildings. We hope to see you at our meeting in church on Thursday 12th June at 8pm. For more information, contact Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Please pray this week for:

• The people of Gaza who are in urgent need of food/aid, for an end to the violence, for the upholding of human rights, and for the release of hostages  
• The UK government’s multi-year spending review on 11th June – that decisions would be made in the best interest of climate/nature and the Common Good 
• All who are awaiting test results or seeking medical treatment: for healing and hope 
• Efforts to reduce UK child poverty and wider efforts to help those on low incomes
• For all who are being baptised this Sunday and those preparing for a later baptism or confirmation
• Churches around the world this Pentecost, and for more people to know Christ’s love
• People exploring faith at St Mary’s 
• The work of local charities, especially Worth Unlimited, Christian Kitchen and the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter 
• Clergy, staff, churchwardens and ministry leaders at St Mary’s and in the Parish 
• Community and political leaders in Waltham Forest: for wisdom and good leadership
• All victims of crime, and for offenders, for change and restoration 
• A just peace in Ukraine and in other places of conflict, and for all who suffer the impacts/ trauma of war: for healing, assistance and for efforts to end the violence

Next Week in St Mary’s Church and Welcome Centre (9th-14th June)

Monday 9th June
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am 
Daphne & Friends (baby and child loss community), Welcome Centre, 10-11am 
Waltham Forest Community Choir, Welcome Centre, 7.30-9.30pm 

Tuesday 10th June
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am 
HulaFit, Welcome Centre, 6.30pm 
Tai Chi, Welcome Centre, 7.30pm 

Wednesday 11th June 
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am 
Walthamstow Welcomes Cafe (free help with confusing paperwork), Welcome Centre, 10am-Noon (stmaryswalthamstow.org/WalthamstowWelcomes) 
Ninja School, Welcome Centre, 4-7pm 

Thursday 12th June
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am 
Baby Massage, Welcome Centre, 10.30am
FoodCycle (free community meal), Welcome Centre, 6.30pm 
Singing Room, Welcome Centre, 7.30pm 
Mitigating Extreme Heat Meeting, St Mary’s Church, 8pm 

Friday 13th June
Sing and Sign, Welcome Centre, 10am 
Ninja School, Welcome Centre, 6pm

Saturday 14th June
Crochet and Knitting Group, St Mary’s Church, 10am-12pm 

Reflection: ‘The Quiet Revival’ 
Revd Vanessa Conant writes: 

Sunday marks the Feast of Pentecost – the birthday of the Church and the day when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit. We will celebrate by baptising both adults and young people, rejoicing in their courage and joy at stepping out in faith. 

Those who are being baptised, together with others, have been spending the last weeks reading the book, ‘Discovering Christianity’ by Rowan Williams, a former Archbishop of Canterbury. At each gathering, we have shared our stories, experiences and questions about faith. It has been a remarkably beautiful, inspiring and exciting time. Very few things, I find, are as thrilling as people exploring and discovering faith in Jesus Christ. 

In the last months, I have noticed a significant increase in the number of people coming to church with no prior experience of Christianity, drawn by a curiosity that is sometimes mysterious to them but compelling nonetheless. It is always profoundly moving to hear someone say, ‘I don’t know why but I felt I needed to come today’. The number of those attending worship at our church is consistently growing. 

This increase in those exploring faith is not unique to St Mary’s. Churches across the country reported record congregations at Easter and the Bible Society recently published a report, ‘The Quiet Revival’, which revealed a significant increase in both church attendance and expression of belief. The report shows that the most dramatic church growth is among young adults, particularly young men. In 2018, just 4% of 18 to 24 year-olds said that they attended church at least monthly. Today, says The Quiet Revival, this has risen to 16%, with young men increasing from 4 per cent to 21%, and young women from 3 to 12%. There are, the report suggests, 2 million more people attending church than there were 6 years ago. 

The report has prompted great excitement but also bewilderment: is this real growth, and if so, what is causing it? Why now? Why here? Familiar as we are with stories of terminal church decline, perhaps we are struggling to make sense of unexpected and joyful growth. 

There was bewilderment at the beginning of the church’s life too. 

On the first Pentecost, the believers were gathered in one place and a sound like a violent wind was heard, tongues of fire were seen and each person and the diverse, multi-ethnic crowd heard and understood everything in their mother tongue. Some were amazed at what they saw but others presumed they were drunk. It took Peter to stand and preach – to explain what he thought was happening and to remind people that God had promised to pour out his spirit on young and old – for people to take seriously what was happening. On that day, over three thousand people joined the church.  

Church growth is often a little beyond our understanding and definitely beyond our control. Whilst God works in partnership with his people, any encounter with Jesus Christ – from the first twinge of curiosity to the slow work of God in our lives – is, above all, a gift of grace and a mysterious mercy. 

This is good news. We are liberated from thinking it all relies on us, reminded of our dependence on God and released into rejoicing as others come to know the love we seek to proclaim. As Peter reminds those experiencing the presence of the Spirit at Pentecost, God is faithful to his promises; all that is required of us is our faithfulness to Him. 

So may we be attentive to the Quiet Revival happening all around us and welcoming and generous to all who are exploring. May we gather with joy this Sunday, standing with those who are being baptised and celebrating the risk of faith they are taking. May we echo the Psalm which Peter quotes on that first Pentecost: ‘Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope.’ (Acts 2:26)

With love, 

Vanessa