Dear St Mary’s, 

On Sunday 28th September, we’ll celebrate Holy Communion at 9am with Revd Jacintha Danaswamy leading and preaching, followed by an Intergenerational Service at 10.30am, also led by Revd Jacintha Danaswamy. Our lectionary readings this week are 1 Timothy 6:6-19 – a passage which encourages us ‘to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share’ – and Luke 16:19-end, which is Jesus’ parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. 

There will be no children’s groups at 10.30am, as all ages will be together in the service, but we will have a Baby Lounge in the South Vestry at both 9am and 10.30am. For those unable to join us in person, we’ll livestream the 9am service to facebook.com/StMarysE17. 

Later on Sunday, our youth group (secondary school students) will return after taking a summer break, meeting in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre from 5pm to 6.15pm (email for details). We hope to see you on Sunday at St Mary’s! 

Vestry Sessions Returns on Thursday 25th September with ‘Flamenco Maqam’
Our Vestry Sessions music partners will hold their first gig of the Autumn 2025 season – ‘Flamenco Maqam’ – this evening, Thursday 25th September, with musicians exploring the roots of flamenco. Expect an evening of traditional Spanish dance mixed with Arabic and Indian influences. Doors are at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. For tickets, click here, or visit wegottickets.com/TheVestrySessions. 

Stories & Supper Presents ‘Expressions of Belonging’ at St Mary’s on 27th September
‘Expressions of Belonging’ – which will be held at St Mary’s this Saturday 27th September at 6.30pm – will feature powerful performances, conversation, poetry and delicious food, all exploring the importance of belonging and home. Stories & Supper is a Waltham Forest-based charity that works to create spaces of welcome and encounter where refugees and asylum-seekers can connect with local residents over food and stories. Tickets for ‘Expressions of Belonging’ are £15 and available here or at storiesandsupper.co.uk/events. 

Vespers Returns on Wednesday 1st October 
Join us on Wednesday 1st October at 7.30pm for our monthly Vespers gathering – 40 minutes of stillness with Holy Communion celebrated afterwards in the side chapel. Vespers is held on the first Wednesday of every month – a beautiful candlelit space in our ancient building where many have gathered over eight years to practise contemplative prayer, explore faith or simply sit in silence. Whether you’re looking to deepen your prayer life or just need a quiet place to sit, please come along to Vespers – it would be wonderful to have you. 

Opportunity to Give Blood at St Mary’s on 2nd October 
The next opportunity to give blood at St Mary’s will be on Thursday 2nd October. For those who would like to donate blood, the best way to do this is to book through the Give Blood app or via www.blood.co.uk. If there is a slot available at St Mary’s, that will be noted when you book. Please note the booking process is not managed by us but by the NHS. 

Community Salsa Night at St Mary’s Next Friday 3rd October, 7.30pm 
The group Salsatecha will teach everyone from beginners to experienced salsa dancers the steps at St Mary’s next Friday 3rd October, 7.30pm-10.30pm. Tickets are available for £10 (+ a processing fee) and can be purchased via our eventbrite page or from our website. To purchase tickets, click here, or visit our website: stmaryswalthamstow.org/calendar. 

Free Vestry Junior Children’s Event on Saturday 4th October, 10.30am
Join our music partners on Saturday, 4th October, for a free hour of movement, story-time and music at St Mary’s. Perfect for young children, the music will start at 10.30am and end at 11.30am. While the event is free, donations will be gratefully accepted by the performers. Our cafe will be open during the event selling hot drinks, juice, pastries and sandwiches. 

Waltham Forest ‘Listen and Lead’ Daytime Course to Begin Thursday 9th October 
In association with the Centre for Theology and Community, ‘Listen and Lead’ is a free course which begins on Thursday 9th October, 12-2pm, and includes lunch. The six-week course begins at Holy Trinity, Leytonstone (9th and 16th October, Holloway Rd E11 4LD) before moving to St Barnabas, Walthamstow (23rd October and 6th November, St Barnabas Rd, E17 8JY), and ending at our church, St Mary’s (13th and 20th November). The course will allow you to explore practical ways to live out your faith in the wider community. For details or to register, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at or email Revd Vanessa Conant at .

Making Cakes for 12th October Confirmation Service in Chingford 
There will be a Deanery Confirmation service at St Edmund’s, Chingford, on Sunday 12th October at 3pm led by Bishop Guli. Confirmation is a special service in which a person confirms promises that were made for them at baptism, and we have eight candidates being confirmed on 12th October and are being asked to provide cake. If you would be able to make a cake, please email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Harvest Festival and Homelessness Sunday on 12th October 
We will celebrate Harvest and also mark Homelessness Sunday on 12th October, with an opportunity to hear about the work of Christian Kitchen as well as to learn more about the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter. As part of our Harvest Festival, we are asking you to bring canned and other non-perishable food items to church on 12th October, with food going to Mill Grove Children’s Home in South Woodford and to other local projects. 

Join our Christmas Festival Volunteer Team: Meeting After 19th October Service
St Mary’s will hold a Christmas Festival on Saturday 29th November which will include a craft market, Santa’s grotto, games, food, mulled wine, and opportunities for people to donate to the ministry of St Mary’s. We are looking for volunteers to help us on the day and will hold a short meeting in the South Vestry at 12pm after our Sunday 19th October 10.30am service. Join us then to learn more about volunteering and how you can help!

Admission to Communion Preparation on 9th November, Service on 30th November 
Communion preparation for children who are over the age of 8 years old and 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. 

Petite Performers Children’s Dance Class: Saturdays in the Welcome Centre 
One of our new Welcome Centre hires is Petite Performers. The group runs dance classes – everything from ballet to hip hop – for young children up to five years old. Classes are held in the St Mary’s Welcome Centre (our church hall, located across the churchyard from the church) on Saturday mornings. You can find times and other details, as well as how to book a place for your child, by visiting their website: www.thepetiteperformers.com/walthamstow. 

New Babies at St Mary’s 
Many congratulations to Will Wright and Catherine Russell on the recent birth of their son Joey (brother to Teddy) and to Vanessa Chance on the birth of her daughter Lottie (sister to Sophie). We look forward to welcoming Joey and Lottie to the St Mary’s Church community! 

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. 

EcoTip: ‘Where Your Treasure Is’ Environmental Course to Start Tuesday 14th October 
St Mary’s will run a five-week Bible study from the charity Operation Noah exploring how we can use our money to tackle the climate crisis. ‘Where Your Treasure Is’ will start on 14th October and run for five Tuesdays – with no meeting on 28th October, which is half term – in the church. To register, email Revd Vanessa Conant at . 

Please pray this week for:

• Honesty and integrity in our politics, and for moral movements around the world that prioritise the most vulnerable, our shared planet and the wellbeing of one another 
• Christian leaders to exhibit courage in standing against division, against racism and against the co-opting of Christian symbols/ language for divisive political purposes  
• All efforts to build community and friendships across difference in Walthamstow 
• An end to the killing and violence in Gaza and for the freeing of hostages, for a just peace in Ukraine and for other places of conflict around the world 
• The safety of children and young people at St Mary’s and throughout our Parish 
• The family and friends of Sue Peacham – a much loved member of St Mary’s who died on Sunday – particularly praying for Sue’s husband Tony and for Sue and Tony’s children, as well as for Sue, that she may rest in peace and rise in glory 
• All who are struggling with the high cost of housing, food and utilities, and for efforts to increase pay and support for people on lower incomes 
• The ministry of St Mary’s and the Parish – for our staff, clergy and ministry leaders as we work to welcome all in the name of Christ  
• Efforts to stop Rosebank, a proposed North Sea oil development which will neither lower energy bills nor increase energy security but will contribute to global heating 
• All who are unwell in body, mind and spirit, and for all who care for them
• The work of our Walthamstow Welcomes cafe, which offers free help with confusing paperwork to the whole community every Wednesday, 10am-12pm, in the Welcome Centre and on alternate Saturdays – for its volunteers and for all those it helps 
• As the weather gets cooler, all in need of housing, as well as for organisations that support people into housing, including the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter 

Reflection: ‘I Will Sing Unto The Lord’ 
Revd Tim Scott writes:

‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will make music to my God while I have my being.’

These words from Psalm 104, sometimes used at evening prayer, leapt out at me the other evening.  

It is well known that music and singing is an important part of giving hope and also expressing protest. There are some remarkable stories of people who have been able to sing and make music even in the harshest of trials and difficulties.

I was particularly struck by those words because we are surrounded by so much that seems to deny hope or which lays heavy on our hearts and minds. And yet, as I prayed and reflected I kept being drawn to those words which somehow offered a moment to see things differently. 

I’ve also been fascinated over the past few days by reflections and interviews about this season of Autumn. It is the time of the Autumn equinox when the sun is directly over the Earth’s equator, resulting in almost equal lengths of day and night across the world. In this country the changing colours of nature combine both beauty and a sense of the rhythm of nature, together with indications of the effect of climate change.  I also discovered that in this country, this is being described as a ‘mast year’ which occurs every three to five years when there is a bumper crop of nuts and fruit on the trees. As I looked out of the window I was fortunate to see a pear tree full of fruit and as I noticed the abundance of God‘s creation my heart began to sing.

It is too easy to get despondent, and whilst it is right that we allow images to influence and provoke us to action – and whilst we must continue to strive for and imagine a better world – I also want to suggest that those words, ‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will make music to my God while I have my being’ may enable us to see things in a new and hopeful perspective. As we look at God’s creation at this time of year, the fruitfulness we are fortunate to experience seems as though it is ‘singing’, and for that we praise God. 

May this be true for us now and as we approach services with themes around creation and harvest in the coming weeks. 

With my love and prayers, 

Tim