Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 14th June – the Second Sunday of Trinity – Revd Jacintha Danaswamy will lead and Natalie Burwell preach at both 9am (Holy Communion) and again at 10.30am (Morning Worship), with supervised children’s groups at 10.30am and a Baby Lounge at both services. 

Our readings this week are Romans 5:1-8 and Matthew 9:35-10:8. 

For those who are unable to join us in person, we will livestream this Sunday’s 9am service to Facebook. At 6pm, the St Luke’s Community will say Evening Prayer and all are welcome. 

Revd Vanessa Conant Recovering at Home  
Our Rector Revd Vanessa Conant underwent successful parathyroid surgery last week and is now resting at home. She is looking forward to returning to work in just over a week’s time and has been so thankful for the messages of support she has received. If you have any pastoral concerns during this time, please contact Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at or Revd Tim Scott at .  

Sponsor a Bible for 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 (write in the notes section that your donation is for a St Mary’s School Leavers’ Bible). You can also make a bank transfer, noting 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. If you would give cash or to donate via a cheque, contact our Parish Office (). 

Children’s Parties at the Welcome Centre: Last Minute Openings in June  
We have openings in June 2026 for Children’s Birthday Parties in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre. With outdoor patio space as part of our Welcome Centre Lounge, as well as our larger Welcome Centre Hall which can accommodate up to 100 people, St Mary’s Welcome Centre is an all-weather space in Walthamstow Village for late spring and early summer birthday parties. Packages are sold in four-hour weekend blocks (1-5pm) which include set-up and clean-up time and start for as little as £175. For details, click here or visit www.welcomecentreE17.org and click on ‘learn more about children’s birthday parties’. 

Next Youth Worship Band Rehearsal on 12th June at 6pm 
Open to all musicians in Year 7-Sixth Form (including the last term of year 6), our new youth worship band had a brilliant first rehearsal last week, with seven young musicians joining us! The youth worship band will rehearse again this Friday 12th June in St Mary’s, 6-7pm. For more information or to register interest, email Matt Begg at .  

Crochet and Knitting Group to Meet on Saturday 13th June 
Our drop-in Crochet and Knitting Group will meet again this Saturday 13th June in the church from 10am-12pm. The free group is open to everyone, including beginners. For details, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

St Gabriel’s to Display Work of Nine Contemporary Artists on Saturday 13th June
As part of the Walthamstow Art Trail, St Gabriel’s Church will host a group exhibition featuring nine contemporary artists – including artwork from parishioner Michael Coppelov – this Saturday 13th June, 11am-5pm. The show, called ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’, brings together artists whose practices use cardboard and paper, materials which are commonly associated with impermanence. All the works will be exhibited beneath a paper canopy made by the St Gabriel’s congregation. St Gabriel’s Church is located on Havant Road near the corner of Havant Road and Wood Street, a short walk from St Mary’s. 

St Mary’s Hosting Walthamstow Art Trail Finishes 14th June
The Walthamstow Art Trail concludes on 14th June and over the past week St Mary’s has been privileged to host the work of two artists, Nancy Willis and Jane Ralston. Nancy’s work has been displayed in the Exhibition Space (our church extension) whilst Jane’s work (which has been inspired by Psalm 23) has been attached to the balcony in the main space. Do take a look if you haven’t already before the displays are taken down next week. 

Special Joint-Church Evensong at St Barnabas on 14th June at 6.30pm 
In 1939, the Walthamstow and Chingford Choirs’ Association planned a special joint-churches’ Evensong service for 28th October at St Mary’s, however it was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Although the service never took place, our friends at St Barnabas recently discovered the original music and have now adapted the programme for a new performance scheduled for 14th June at 6.30pm at St Barnabas Church in Walthamstow. All are welcome to attend or to participate in the Evensong choir. Email for details on the rehearsal schedule. 

Funeral at St Mary’s on Wednesday 17th June: Cafe and Play Area Closed 
Due to a funeral in the church on Wednesday 17th June, St Mary’s Ruttle and Rowe cafe as well as our Play Area will both be closed. We apologise for any inconvenience. 

Communion Preparation on 21st June After 10.30am Service
Communion preparation for children over the age of 8 who are already baptised will be on Sunday 21st June after the 10.30am service with lunch provided. Admission to Communion will take place on 5th July. To reserve a place for the preparation session, or for more details, contact Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . If your child is keen to receive Holy Communion but hasn’t been baptised, do also contact Jacintha. 

Climate Films at St Mary’s on 25th and 27th June: Tickets Available 
In late June, join us at St Mary’s for a thought-provoking weekend of climate films. We’ll start with the People’s Emergency Briefing on Thursday 25th June at 7pm – a film featuring contributions from Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden and leading scientific, energy and national security experts, with a panel discussion to follow. Tickets are available for a donation of your choice. And then on Saturday 27th June at 7pm, join us for Power Station by Hilary Powell and Dan Edelstyn, with £6 tickets. This documentary follows the attempts by Hilary and Dan to turn their Walthamstow street into an energy-generating collection of solar-powered Power Stations. The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. To book tickets to either film, visit stmaryswalthamstow.org/climatefilms. 

House Meeting 5th July after the 10.30am Service
St Mary’s has been invited to work with other local community groups to campaign for a safer, slower Wood Street and we would love to hear your thoughts. If you regularly travel across or along Wood Street and would like to share your hopes and concerns and any ideas for making it safer, we are holding a 45-minute house meeting in church after the 10.30am service on the 5th July. A house meeting uses a simple community organising approach to enable attendees to share their stories and workshop solutions. Register your interest here or email . 

New Postpartum Fitness Class Class in Welcome Centre 
There is a new postpartum fitness class for ‘Mums and Bubs’ on Wednesdays at 12.30pm designed for mums and their babies, focussing on strength and mobility, with all levels and abilities welcome. For more on this class, visit @rubytutt_fitness on Instagram. 

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:

• An end to the rioting and violence in Northern Ireland: for police, faith, and community leaders to work together to restore peace, and for the wider community to reject hatred, misinformation and prejudice in the wake of the recent attack 
• Efforts to end global conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon and elsewhere
• Politicians to make policies with and alongside the communities they serve: policies which will make life better for all, especially for those who are struggling 
• Policy-makers to grapple with the environmental and social impacts of AI and to enact legislation which will mitigate against the negative impacts of the technology 
• St Mary’s and Parish clergy – Vanessa, Jacintha, Tim and Andrew – as well as for our archdeacon Mike, bishops Lynne and Guli, and archbishops Sarah and Stephen 
• All in our church and Parish who are unwell in any way: for hope, help and healing 
• All organisations that work with youth in Walthamstow, including Worth Unlimited, as well as for all of the schools in our Parish – for teachers, staff and students – and for our new Schools’ Worker, Matt, as he builds connections 
• All who work in the NHS, including at Whipps Cross, and for all receiving care 
• Global efforts to decarbonise and prevent the worst impacts of global heating 
• All in our Parish who are on low incomes and struggling to make ends meet 
• Efforts to close the wealth gap in the UK and for more funding for public services 
• All who are exploring faith at St Mary’s, that they might experience God’s love 

Reflection: ‘All Things New’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, Vicar of St Gabriel’s Walthamstow, writes: 

I’ve found myself pondering one small detail in this Sunday’s Gospel. It’s easy to read straight past it, but once you notice it, it’s hard to forget.

It often feels as though we live in an age of permanent polarisation. Politics is polarised. Social media is polarised. Sometimes it feels as though the only thing capable of bringing people together is finding someone else to dislike.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus offers a very different kind of unity. When he calls his twelve apostles, tucked away in the list of names is a pairing that would have raised eyebrows in the first century – Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot.

Matthew had worked within the Roman system and was widely regarded as a collaborator. Simon belonged to a movement passionately committed to throwing Roman rule off altogether. Under ordinary circumstances, they would have had little reason to trust one another and plenty of reason to despise one another.

Yet Jesus puts them on the same team.

Jesus has an extraordinary ability to gather people who would never naturally belong together. He’s not frightened by our differences or defeated by our sins. He knows exactly what he’s doing when he calls us, and he’s able to make strangers into brothers and sisters.

Before he sends the disciples out, we’re told that he looked on the crowds with compassion because they were ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’. He’s come to gather people in, not cast them aside. His heart is wide enough for tax collectors and zealots alike.

Yet the same Jesus who unites also divides. Later in this very chapter he warns his disciples that households themselves will be divided because of him. He hasn’t come to reassure us in our settled certainties or leave the old order untouched. He’s arrived to make all things new. That means unsettling our cherished loyalties and comfortable complacencies, and calling for our whole allegiance. Sooner or later, every one of us has to decide what to do with Jesus.

Intriguingly, elsewhere in the Gospels we find another unlikely partnership – Pharisees and Herodians. They had plenty of reasons to oppose one another, yet they could agree on one thing – they wanted Jesus out of the way. The old enemies found common cause because both found him too dangerous.

I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind either. Jesus unites people who would otherwise be enemies, drawing them into shared life as they follow him. And those who don’t want him as Lord can find themselves strangely united simply by their desire to keep him at a distance. The world, it seems, divides around him.

I’ve often thought that this is one of the signs that we’re dealing with someone impossible to reduce to a comforting religious mascot or a wise moral teacher. Jesus welcomes anybody who comes to him, yet never leaves anybody as they are. His mercy is boundless, and so is his determination to make all things new.

Perhaps that’s why nobody who really encounters him remains merely indifferent. The one who could make a tax collector and a zealot into brothers still has the power to remake us – and still refuses to leave the world, or any of us, as we are.

In every generation, Jesus still has that effect. He’s still gathering unlikely people into one family, still overturning settled certainties, and still proving far too compelling, too disruptive and too glorious to be ignored.