Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 13th July, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am followed by a 10.30am Morning Worship service. Revd Vanessa Conant will preach and lead at both services with a baptism at 10.30am. We will also have supervised children’s groups at our 10.30am service. 

Our lectionary readings this week are Colossians 1:1-14 – St Paul’s encouragement to the church at Colossae – and Luke 10:25-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan: a story in which Jesus upends cultural assumptions about who is considered a neighbour. 

For those unable to join us in person this Sunday, we’ll livestream the 9am service to our Facebook page (facebook.com/StMarysE17). We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s – and please join us for our bring-and-share lunch after the 10.30am service!

Crochet & Knitting Group to Next Meet on Saturday 26th July
Our Saturday drop-in crochet and knitting group will not meet this week or next, but will next meet on Saturday 26th July – a final meeting before taking a summer break. Join us on 26th July from 10am in the church Exhibition Space for a relaxed time of conversation and crochet/knitting, with light refreshments to celebrate the end of term. The group will not meet in August but will meet again on Saturday 20th September, 10am-12pm.

10 Years at St Mary’s: Celebration Lunch for Revd Vanessa Conant on 13th July
This Sunday, 13th July, after the 10.30am service, we’ll have a bring-and-share lunch in the church to celebrate Revd Vanessa Conant’s ten-year anniversary as Rector of St Mary’s Walthamstow and the Parish of Walthamstow. Vanessa is the first female Rector in St Mary’s 900-year history and helped lead our church through a transformational building project which was completed in December 2022. Join us as we celebrate Vanessa, mark her 10-year anniversary and give thanks for her ongoing ministry at St Mary’s and in the Parish! 

Open Mic Night on Thursday 17th July: Free Tickets Now Available 
On 17th July at 7.30pm, St Mary’s will host 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 . Click here to reserve your free ticket, or visit stmaryswalthamstow.eventbrite.com which lists our upcoming ticketed events. 

St Mary’s at Waltham Forest Pride on Saturday 19th July
Waltham Forest Pride is on Saturday 19th July in Lloyd Park, an event which will be brought to life by the talent and contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community and will feature a range of stalls, with activities for children and families. St Mary’s, along with other inclusive churches, will host a space of Christian welcome, conversation, and prayer at Waltham Forest Pride, and if you are available to serve on the stall that day, we would love to hear from you. You may also simply wish to stop by and say hello! We’ll end the weekend with an Inclusive Eucharist at 6pm on Sunday evening in St Mary’s. As with previous years, Waltham Forest Pride is free but ticketed and you will need a ticket if you plan to attend and are not volunteering. You can book your ticket here – please note that you do not need to answer all of the questions on the form – or Google ‘Waltham Forest Pride Tickets’. 

Heatwave Toolkit Workshop on 28th July at 7.30pm  
As we enter our second heatwave this summer, you are invited to our first community workshop focused on low-cost ways to cool buildings down. This one-hour session will give simple, practical and affordable ideas for keeping your home cooler in hotter temperatures and is a great way to get to know others while learning useful skills. Spaces are limited for this trial workshop and we will be asking you for feedback at the end of the session in order to learn from your experience and to prepare for future workshops. Register your interest here or email Revd Vanessa Conant at .   

St Mary’s to Run Free Events for Children at the End of August: Can You Help? 
For a variety of reasons, we have decided not to go ahead with a Summer Festival this year but to instead focus on running a series of free events for local children in the final week of August – a time when many other free activities for children have stopped for the summer but the new school term has yet to start. From 26-29 August, we will aim to put on two free sessions per day for children – a two-hour session in the morning for younger children, and a two-hour session in the afternoon for older children. If you would like to help us develop our programme and/or volunteer, email Louise Wallis at . 

Marriage Preparation Course to Begin in September  
Are you considering getting married or are you currently planning a wedding? St Mary’s will run a free Marriage Preparation Course for couples on three consecutive Sunday afternoons beginning 7th September, 3pm-4.30pm. The course is a great opportunity for all couples to consider and discuss the building blocks of a lasting relationship. St Mary’s is an inclusive church and our course is open to all couples, including those getting married elsewhere. To register or to learn more, please email Josie Wilson at . 

Save the Date:12th October Evening Confirmation Service with Bishop Lynne 
We are delighted to share the date of our forthcoming Deanery Confirmation service at St Edmund’s Church, Chingford. Confirmation is a special service in which a person confirms the promises that were made for them at their baptism (also known as Christening). If you were baptized at a christening when you were a child, your parents and godparents made these promises on your behalf. As a young person or adult, you may be ready to affirm these promises for yourself and commit your life to following Jesus Christ, which happens at a confirmation service. Your friends and family as well as the local Christian community are there to promise to support and pray for you. At the service, Bishop Lynne will lay her hands on the candidates’ heads and ask God’s Holy Spirit to give them the strength and commitment to live God’s way for the rest of your life. In September, we will also be offering an Discovering Christianity course, using the book of the same name by Rowan Williams – which will be open to all, but may be of particular interest to those being confirmed – followed by a Confirmation Preparation session. Register your interest in being confirmed here, or speak to Vanessa or another member of the clergy team to find out more. 

Please pray this week for:

• The ongoing violence in Gaza and the danger faced by those trying to access aid 
• Ethical political leadership in the UK and around the world at a time of global turmoil 
• Common Good solutions to big social problems in the UK and around the world 
• The people of Ukraine, who continue to face routine attacks and violence 
• Safe and legal routes for those claiming asylum or fleeing danger at home 
• Churches and Christian communities in the UK and around the world, for a commitment to following in the way of Jesus 
• Local, national and global faith leaders, including our Rector Vanessa, our bishops Lynne and Guil, and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo 
• All who are unwell in body, mind or spirit – for hope and healing 
• A reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour in our community, for all victims of violence or crime, and for a joined-up approach to addressing these problems 
• Children, young people, school staff and parents as we near the end of term 
• A reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, a stop to new oil and gas developments, and a huge increase in investment in green energy 
• Many more people to encounter the love of Christ and deepen their faith at St Mary’s 

Next Week in St Mary’s Church and Welcome Centre (14th July –  19th July) 

Monday 14th July
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am
Ninja School, Welcome Centre, 6pm
Waltham Forest Community Choir, Welcome Centre, 7.30-9.30pm
*’Mini-Mondays’ Stay & Play Toddler Group to Begin in Welcome Centre on 21st July 

Tuesday 15th July
Morning Prayer, St Mary’s Church, 8.30am 
Nicene Creed Course, St Mary’s Church, 7.30pm 

Wednesday 16th July 
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 17th July 
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 

Friday 18th July 
Family Portrait Studios, Welcome Centre, 10.30am-6pm 
Ninja School, Welcome Centre, 6pm

Saturday 19th July
Walthamstow Welcomes Cafe (free help with confusing paperwork), Welcome Centre, 10am-Noon (stmaryswalthamstow.org/WalthamstowWelcomes) 
Family Portrait Studios, Welcome Centre, 10.30am-6pm 

Reflection: ‘Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly’ 
Revd Jacintha Danaswamy writes: 

‘But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”’ –Luke 18:16

Our growing youth group at St Mary’s is such a joy! Last week I had the privilege of accompanying some of our young people to the East London Citizens’ Youth Assembly. It was a wonderful day celebrating democracy, building relationships, and learning with other Citizens UK member institutions. Over 300 young people from across six east London boroughs engaged with MPs and decision makers, took part in skills building workshops, learnt about building relational power, and had the opportunity to connect with like-minded young people from a wide range of schools, colleges, and faith institutions. 

The Citizens’ Youth Assembly began – as all Citizens’ Assemblies do – with a roll call which included representatives from each institution processing in as their institution’s name was called out to clapping and cheering. It’s an encouraging celebration of everyone in the room, and their institutions. It was so lovely to see the energy and joy of our young people as they entered with our St Mary’s banner! During the day, they engaged with panels on youth employment, leadership development, Right to Work, housing and temporary accommodation, Travel and young people’s TFL Zip Cards, and discrimination – our young people were truly inspiring, always commenting and asking insightful and brilliant questions and even collecting East London Citizens’ Green Member of the Year Award for St Mary’s!

If you are familiar with St Mary’s, you will know that we have been involved with Community Organising for over 15 years. As a member of Waltham Forest Citizens, and Citizens UK, we partner with churches, schools, colleges, mosques, synagogues and community groups on Common Good projects and campaigns, including campaigning for a real living wage, youth safety, supporting refugees, and a Just Transition to a carbon-neutral London. At St Mary’s, Community Organising shapes our church life and helps us to live out our faith as Christians.  

As we live out our Christian faith, we are called ‘to act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8). This well-known verse from Micah is an encouragement for us to be present with God, to care and love the most vulnerable, to build relationships, and to act for justice. In faith-based organizing and community organizing, we draw mercy, justice, and God’s love together, and live out who we are called to be as Christians.

It has been extremely moving to see our wonderful young people draw closer to Jesus, grow and deepen in their faith, and live out their faith in the world around them. As we celebrate them this week, I invite you to join me in praying they will each grow in the light of Christ and continue to know they are cherished and deeply loved by God.

Much love,

Jacintha