Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 26th October, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am followed by a 10.30am Intergenerational Service. Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will lead and Revd Vanessa Conant will preach, with a baptism at 10.30am and a Baby Lounge available at both services. 

Our lectionary readings for this week are 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 – which includes St Paul’s reflection that he has fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith – and Luke 18:9-14, which is Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. 

For those who are unable to join us in person this week, we’ll livestream our 9am service to Facebook. Later in the day, at 6.30pm, join us for a Sunday evening ‘Embers’ gathering led by a team of musicians and singers. We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow Seek Schools’ Worker 
St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow are looking to appoint a Schools’ Worker on a one-year fixed contract – with the possibility of discussing a part-time contract, paid over two years, if preferable – in order to build on existing relationships and to develop outreach and connection with schools and youth networks in our Parish. Applications are due at 12pm on 11th November. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity. For more information, visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/schoolsworker. 

St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow Seek Operations and Maintenance Assistant 
St Mary’s and the Parish of Walthamstow are seeking a reliable part-time Operations and Maintenance Assistant to help keep our two churches and community halls safe, compliant and welcoming for worship, ministry, and community use. This role will work weekday mornings, carrying out daily checks, assisting with compliance logs, undertaking minor repairs, supporting contractors, and ensuring that our facilities are ready for hires and Parish events. If you know of anyone who might be interested in this crucial role which will work closely with our Operations Manager Dan Copperwheat, please let them know about this opportunity. Applications are due by 12pm on Thursday 13th November. For more information, visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/operationsassistant.   

Parish Office Closed During Half Term, Morning Prayer to Continue as Normal 
Please note that our Parish Office, located in the church extension, will be closed for the entire week of 27th October due to the school half-term. However, Morning Prayer will continue as normal, with prayers said at 8.30am in St Mary’s side chapel, Monday-Thursday. 

Announcement About Sunday Children’s Groups 
We are delighted that our Sunday children’s groups are growing and are so pleased to welcome all who have joined us recently. If you have not yet registered your child using our online form, please complete a form here (you can also find a link to the registration form by visiting stmaryswalthamstow.org/childrenandyouth). Our growing numbers mean that we must ask that only one parent or carer stays with a child during Sunday morning groups in order to ensure that there is space for activities. If your child is over 3, we also encourage you to feel comfortable leaving your child with our DBS-checked team of volunteers and leaders and to return to the service. If you have any questions, please email Revd Vanessa Conant at or Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at .

Night Shelter AGM at St Mary’s Tonight at 7pm
The Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter – a charity we have supported for many years – will hold its Annual General Meeting at 7pm tonight, 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 6.30pm 
Join us for an hour of sung worship on Sunday 26th October at 6.30pm. ‘Embers’ is our semi-regular Sunday evening gathering led by a team of musicians and singers.

‘Organising for Hope’ Event in Central London on Tuesday 28th October, 1-5pm 
The ‘Organising Hope’ conference – which will focus on defending democracy and reclaiming the Common Good – will happen on Tuesday 28th October, 1-5pm, at Christ Church, Southwark (27 Blackfriars Rd). Sponsored by the Centre for Theology and Community and in association with Citizens UK, the conference will feature talks from Rt Revd Sarah Mullally – the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury designate – and Revd Canon Professor Luke Bretherton. The event will be chaired by a team of London church leaders and is free. RSVP here, or email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy (), who will be attending the event and is happy to travel from Walthamstow with anyone from St Mary’s or the Parish who is also planning to go. 

Vestry Sessions Celebrating the Music of George and Ira Gershwin on 30th October 
Our music partners will celebrate the music of George and Ira Gershwin in a concert at St Mary’s on Thursday 30th October at 8pm (doors at 7.30pm). Expect a night of timeless classics, film fragments and a whole lot of jazz. Tickets are available here for £10 (+ a processing fee), or go to wegottickets.com and search ‘Vestry Sessions’.  

Eco Church Meeting on 2nd November at 7pm at St Mary’s 
Our Eco Church team will hold a meeting on 2nd November at 7pm in church, where they will discuss future plans. All are welcome, including those who had expressed interest in joining the Eco Church team at our recent Climate Sunday service. 

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 immediately after the service. The family will return to church at 3.15pm and you are welcome to return or join for refreshments at this point. Instead of flowers, the family is asking for donations to one of Sue’s memorial charities (suepeacham.muchloved.com). If you can make scones/cake for Afternoon Tea, 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. 

St Mary’s Advent Book Group: ‘Listening to the Music of the Soul’ 
Our 2025 Advent Book Group will discuss ‘Listening to the Music of the Soul’ by Rt Revd Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford. We will be reading and discussing Bishop Guli’s new book over four Thursdays, beginning on 27th November, 7.30pm. If you would like to join us, please email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

St Mary’s and Alex Spicer Win Stephen Lawrence Prize 2025
St Mary’s is delighted that our regenerated church with its modern extension has been recognised with the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2025, as announced at last week’s Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) awards. We are particularly proud of our architect Alex Spicer, who is the recipient of this prestigious award dedicated to the memory of Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect who was killed in a racist attack in 1993. The award focuses on encouraging and nurturing new talent, and recognises projects led by an early career project architect. Read more here, or visit RIBA.org and search ‘St Mary’s Walthamstow’. 

New Pilates Class on Wednesday Evenings in the Welcome Centre 
There is a new Pilates class which has started in the Welcome Centre on Wednesdays from 7-8pm. All abilities are welcome. Classes are £5 for the first session and £10 thereafter, all booked online. To book, click here. For details, email .  

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:

• All victims of abuse and for efforts to improve safeguarding and transparency 
• Those who are unwell in body, mind, and spirit – and for those who care for them 
• Anyone struggling to make ends meet – for support and relief 
• All who are lonely in our Parish, and for St Mary’s to be a place of connection 
• All Parish clergy – including Vanessa, Tim, Jacintha and Andrew – as well as for our bishops, Lynne and Guli, and the Archbishop Designate, Rt Revd Sarah Mullally 
• Those who work in the National Health Service: for encouragement and support 
• Children, young people, families and school staff as we approach half term 
• Efforts to create a lasting, just peace in the Holy Land, and for efforts to bring about a just peace in other places of conflict, including in Ukraine and Sudan 
• The UK government to stop the Rosebank oil field, which will not lower energy bills or provide energy security, but will contribute to global heating 
• The Inclusive Church network as it strives to welcome and include all 
• Citizens UK – the largest community organising alliance in the country – and for Citizens-member institutions working for a more democratic, equitable society 
• For more people in our Parish to experience the love of Christ this autumn 

Reflection: ‘Rooted in God’ 
Revd Tim Scott, Associate Priest at St Mary’s and Area Dean, Waltham Forest, writes:  

I recently found myself travelling by train from Somerset to Walthamstow via Hitchin, in Hertfordshire, where I was involved in the wedding rehearsal for my cousin‘s wedding, which I was conducting the following day. 

It was a somewhat circuitous route, made all the more so because of major train delays! And yet in some ways it was a bit of a parable for life, which can be busy, unpredictable, and at times takes us down different and unexpected routes. 

You may have heard me say on occasion, ‘I’m not quite sure where I am!’, particularly as Linda and I spend quite a bit of time on trains, shuttling between Somerset and Walthamstow. This leads me to sometimes ask myself, ‘Where am I rooted?’ 

I’ve become aware that a routine of prayer is particularly important to me as I ask this question, and I’m grateful for the opportunity – alongside Sunday worship – to be involved in Morning Prayer at St Mary’s for three days most weeks, and to join in online Morning Prayer with St Martin-in-the- Fields, another special place for me, on Thursdays when I’m often in Somerset. 

All this helps me discover deeper roots within God. I reflect with some amusement and embarrassment how, as a young curate, I found regular Morning Prayer very difficult; yet over the years, I have become ever more grateful to my training incumbent for encouraging me to see the way that regular prayer can offer a stable point in busy lives.

I have also rediscovered the short evening service of Compline, and I sometimes use prayers from this at the end of the day. I find words in one prayer, which asks God to be present with us, to be particularly helpful. The words are: ‘so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest in your eternal changelessness’.

St Paul, in Romans Chapter 12, encourages us to be constant in prayer. There are many resources that can help us to do that, and I sometimes find myself turning to images from Julian of Norwich, a mystic and great 14th century woman of prayer, who provides wonderful images of God’s love.

I also enjoy the story of a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsay, who is reputed to have been interviewed by a journalist who asked him how much time he spent in prayer each day. The Archbishop apparently replied, ‘about two minutes, but I take about two hours to get there!’

It takes time to become still and to open our hearts to God. Often our minds are racing with all sorts of different things. But for most of us two hours a day seems a pretty unrealistic ask! We need to find a pattern and length of time that works for our individual circumstances.

I was therefore hugely encouraged by words from a former Archbishop of York who wrote some years ago: ‘I would like to invite you to commit yourself to the “Ten Minute Pledge.” This involves doing your best to find 10 minutes on most days when you will withdraw from the business of your day-to-day life and consciously put yourself into the presence of God.’

I offer that as a thought – and maybe something you may wish to do. Indeed you may already be doing it! And I pray that it may help all of us to discover and deepen our rootedness in God. 

With my love and prayers, 

Tim