Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 27th September, we’ll share Holy Communion at 9am followed by an Intergenerational Service at 10.30am. At 9am, Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will preside and Revd Vanessa Conant will preach; at 10.30am, Jacintha will lead and give a short reflection. 

Our lectionary readings this week are Philippians 2:1-13 and Matthew 21:23-32. 

We hope to see you this Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Tickets Still Available for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ on Saturday 26th September 
Stow Film Lounge will screen ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at St Mary’s on Saturday 26th September at 7.45pm (doors at 7pm). Tickets for this classic 1973 film are £15 (£10 concession). St Mary’s will also run a bar on the night. Book here or at stowfilmlounge.com. 

‘Ground Level: Gardening for Climate Resilience’ on Tuesday 29th September  
Our Head Gardener Tim Hewitt will present his next ‘Ground Level’ event on Tuesday 29th September, 6.30-8.30pm, at St Mary’s, with a focus on gardening for climate resilience. This ticketed event which will raise funds for our churchyard work will feature expert speakers and panellists, including Dr Erica McAlister, Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum and a gifted science communicator; Toby Shuall of Zophian Plants, who has a reputation for doing things differently; and Steve Edney and Louise Dowle of The No Name Nursery. You can purchase tickets here or by going to eventbrite.co.uk and searching ‘Ground Level’. 

Collecting Non-Perishable Food for Harvest on 4th October
On Sunday 4th October we will have our annual Harvest Festival at our 9am and 10.30am services. As part of our Harvest Festival, we are asking you to bring canned and other non-perishable food items to church on Sunday 4th October, with food going to Mill Grove Children’s Home in South Woodford as well as to other local food projects. 

‘Wave of Light’ Service on 11th October at 5pm 
St Mary’s is hosting a ‘Wave of Light’ service on Sunday 11th October at 5pm – a gentle, reflective space for those who have experienced miscarriage and baby loss, as well as for those who are supporting family members or friends. Baby Loss Awareness Week is from 9th and 15th October, and in addition to the ‘Wave of Light’ service, our friends at Daphne and Friends have a week of activities planned (www.daphneandfriends.org). For more information about our 11th October service, email .  

Slowing Down Wood Street Campaign: Meeting on 12th October at St Gabriel’s 
As part of our commitment to listening to each other and to our wider community, we are organising around a safer Wood Street and will meet again on Monday 12th October, 7.30pm-9pm, at St Gabriel’s Church located near the corner of Havant Road and Wood Street. Join us as we work out next steps for our campaign, which aims to create a safer environment for children, families and others who walk, cycle or travel along Wood Street. 

Two New Home Groups at St Mary’s: Walthamstow Village and St James Street Area 
We are delighted to have two new home groups at St Mary’s and would love to invite you to think about joining one. In addition to our Sunday Services, weekday services of Morning Prayer and monthly Vespers gatherings, home groups are a great way to build community and to deepen your faith alongside others. On fortnightly Tuesdays, 8-9.30pm, join Caitlin and Jon as they explore different approaches to prayer at their home in Walthamstow Village. At their next meeting on 6th October, the group will look at praying with the Anglican Rosary. For details, email or WhatsApp her on 07805466385. 

If you live in the Markhouse/St James Street area, join Louise on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month, 7-9.30pm, with the next meeting on 14th October. This home group is a relaxed space where members eat a simple meal together, watch ‘The Chosen’ (a TV series retelling the life of Jesus and his disciples) and pray for each other. For more details on this group, email Vanessa at . 

Notice About School Forms: 1st December Deadline and Attendance Requirements 
If you have recently started attending services at St Mary’s with the intention of putting in a school form to St Mary’s CofE Primary – our church school – welcome! Please be aware that school forms must be handed into our Parish Office by 1st December 2026 if at all possible. 

School forms should not be handed to a member of the clergy on a Sunday morning but should instead be given or emailed to our administrator, Josie Wilson, during the week; Josie will then have your school form signed by a clergy member. Once your form has been signed, Josie will then contact you to come and pick up your signed form. Please note that selecting ‘at the heart of the church’ on your form reflects a longstanding commitment to our worshipping community and will need to be confirmed by a member of our clergy team. 

Vestry Meeting Rooms for Weekday Meetings: £75 for Half-Day, £150 for Full Day
We are keen to promote our North and South Vestry rooms as weekday meeting spaces in an effort to increase revenue to cover operating costs and help fund ministry – can you help? We have a new web page (stmaryswalthamstow.org/weekdaymeetings) dedicated to these spaces which can accommodate weekday meetings of 8-10 people (South Vestry) or 2-4 people (North Vestry). These are great meeting spaces for teams that want to get off-site, and both Vestry rooms are equipped with tea/ coffee-making facilities, TV screens for presentations and their own private toilets. Rates are £75 for a half-day or £150 for a full day. 

Giving Monthly to St Mary’s 
Your financial support is crucial as we work to keep St Mary’s ancient building open to the whole community throughout the week, to support Walthamstow and to share the love of Christ with all. Your donations make this possible as we receive no direct, ongoing support for the day-to-day running of St Mary’s from the Church of England or from the government. Monthly giving is particularly transformative as it allows us to plan, budget, and even expand our work in the community. If you would like to become a monthly giver, we would encourage you to sign up via the Parish Giving Scheme which you can find here or by going to stmaryswalthamstow.org/donate and clicking on the Parish Giving Scheme link. 

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 who are being ordained this weekend across the Diocese of Chelmsford 
• Churches marking the Season of Creation, and for all who are working to care for our world, tell the truth about fossil fuels, and speed up the transition to clean energy 
• People around the world who are in harm’s way due to war or conflict, including people in Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen and Sudan – for a just peace and for efforts to preserve life and to foster dialogue  
• Efforts to deradicalise people and reject extremism in the UK and around Europe, praying for more investment in communities and initiatives to bring people together 
• St Mary’s – for our ministries, finances, staff, clergy, churchwardens, lay leaders and our entire congregation, as well as for all efforts to serve those who live in our parish
• All who are unwell in our church and parish, praying for hope, help and healing 

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

I remember how many years ago whilst leading prayers in church my phone (which I thought was on silent), said, ‘your connection has been lost!’ Whether it was Siri or some other setting on my phone, I’m not sure, but it did seem somewhat ironic that it should come at a time in the service where there is a particular focus on connection with God!

I know that recently in one of these reflections I have referred to connection and creativity, but I was reminded again on Sunday about the need for connectivity and in-person contact while speaking with an Emeritus Professor of microbiology in Cambridge who was saying how integral the interaction between people was to his research. The ‘sparking of ideas’ was what was so important. He was also reflecting on a foodbank in which he was involved, and the way in which they had tea, coffee and cake that people could come to before they collected food – the social interaction being as important as the need for food.

As human beings we grow and find out who we are in relationship with others. In the periods of lockdown during Covid, for many people there was little or no in-person contact. It was a profoundly difficult time in many ways and it raised searching questions about how we flourish as humans. I remember one retired Bishop saying that, during that period of regular lockdowns, he and many others were asking what are the deepest spiritual truths that we can hold onto which give meaning, connection and strength. 

The questions many were asking then seem to me to be around again now. The use of social media has opened up many possibilities of feeling connected which did not previously exist. But over-dependence on social media at the expense of in-person contact has damaging consequences which we may only now be beginning to realise. There are also real concerns around the speed and nature of the development of AI, which both has potential for benefit and harm, as Vanessa reflected on a couple of weeks ago. 

In a new book called, ‘The future starts with us’ , Gordon Brown notes the collapse not only of the world order and the economic systems that many of us have always known, but also the loss of much community life and civil engagement at a local level. He notes the rise of nationalism but also observes that those who are engaged locally with community organisations and faith communities are more likely to be able and willing to stand up against nationalism and a politics that divides both at national and international levels. 

People often come to church longing for connection. The way we respond, the ongoing work to build community, welcome and connection has a transforming effect and can have an impact far deeper and wider than we may at first realise. Maybe the question as to how we all continue to do this is one of the major questions for a ‘time such as this’. I feel so privileged to be part of a community of faith in which we explore these things together and discover the transforming power of connecting with each other and God’s longing to connect with us. 

With my love, prayers and thanks,

Tim