Dear St Mary’s, 

On 19th April, the Third Sunday of Easter, we will share Holy Communion at 9am followed by Morning Worship with supervised children’s groups at 10.30am. Revd Vanessa Conant will preach and lead at both services. During the 10.30am service, we will also have an interview about the Kindwell foodshare project which has recently started operating out of our church hall, attempting to reduce food waste and address local food poverty. 

Our lectionary readings for the Third Sunday of Easter are Acts 2:14, 36-41, and Luke 24:13-35 – the appearance of the risen Christ on the Road to Emmaus. In this season of Eastertide, we are focusing on the resurrection of Jesus and on the community that forms as a result; we are also continuing to ask, ‘how are we to live in light of the resurrection?’ 

At 4.30pm this Sunday, there will also be a confirmation service at St Barnabas Church in Walthamstow; please pray for Craig from St Mary’s who is being confirmed by Bishop Lynne, as well as for the 15 other candidates from Waltham Forest who are also being confirmed. 

Introduction to the Bible Course Begins Tonight, 16th April 
Our Introduction to the Bible course starts this evening (Thursday 16th April) and will run for the following three Thursdays. If the Bible fascinates, challenges, delights, or troubles you, come along to this course which will aim to help you know a little more about how to read the Bible, the shape and structure of the Bible, its history and development, and how to approach difficult passages. Led by our lay minister Rob Duddridge, the course is a great opportunity to learn alongside others. Register your interest here, speak to Rob or email Vanessa at to find out more. 

Blood Donation at St Mary’s on Friday 17th April: Cafe Open, Play Area Closed 
The NHS will use St Mary’s Church as a blood donation point this Friday 17th April which means our Play Area will be closed. However, our Ruttle & Rowe cafe will remain open, with outdoor hatch service available and indoor seating moved to the Exhibition Space in the church extension. There will also be outdoor cafe seating available. 

Organ Fundraising Concert After Sunday 19th April Service 
We are delighted to welcome Forest Choir back to perform after our 10.30am service on Sunday 19th April. The choir is helping us fundraise for a new electric organ and installation costs. The concert is free and open to all but donations to our organ fund will be welcome! 

Save the Date: Waltham Forest Citizens’ Assembly at St Mary’s on 22nd April
For nearly 15 years, St Mary’s has been a member of the Waltham Forest Citizens’ Alliance. This is a group of local schools, colleges, community groups and faith communities working together on issues which promote the Common Good. Over the years, we have organised around affordable housing, climate and youth safety. On Wednesday 22nd April at 6.30pm, St Mary’s is hosting a borough-wide assembly in advance of the local council elections on 7th May, meeting with candidates for the election and bringing before them stories of local people and the issues which matter to us. This is positive politics where we demonstrate the power of local institutions and their members and show the possibilities for working together across difference. Assemblies are dynamic, fun and inspiring. Register your interest here.  

Next ‘Embers’ Sunday Evening Service on 26th April 
Join us for our next ‘Embers’ gathering on Sunday 26th April at 6pm. Embers is our semi-regular evening service of sung worship led by our team of musicians and singers. The hour-long service offers a beautiful space for prayer and worship and all are welcome. 

Youth Group Meeting on Sunday 26th April in the Welcome Centre
Our next youth group meeting will take place on Sunday 26th April from 5pm to 6.15pm. Our youth group is aimed at students in Years 7-11 and is a mixture of conversation, games, Bible study and snacks. In this term, those who are Year 6 are invited to join us as they prepare for the transition to secondary school. If your child would be interested in joining us for Youth Group, email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Join the Electoral Roll by Sunday 26th April 
If you consider St Mary’s to be your church home and would like to make a commitment to our community, you can join the electoral roll (different to the roll which allows you to vote in local elections). To join, you must be over 16 and baptised. Joining also means that you are eligible to serve on our parish trustee board (PCC) and vote at our annual meeting (APCM), but more importantly, it means that you feel a part of St Mary’s and want to affirm that sense of belonging. Sign up for the electoral roll here or by at stmaryswalthamstow.org/electoralroll. If you signed up last year, you do not need to sign up again as your name will remain on the roll until 2031 unless you ask to be removed. Also, anyone who signs up by Sunday 26th April will be eligible to vote at this year’s annual meeting on 10th May. Speak to Revd Vanessa Conant or email if you have any questions.

10th May Annual Meeting + Serving as a Parish Trustee 
Every year, our parish meets to review the year, give thanks and to pray. At our annual meeting, we also recognise the service and leadership of members of our churches, discuss our annual accounts, elect parishioners to serve, and talk about future plans. Our 2026 annual meeting is on Sunday 10th May, 3pm to 4.30pm in St Mary’s, during which time lay leaders, including members of our PCC (our parish trustee board), are elected. All are welcome, but you need to be a member of the Electoral Roll to vote. You might also like to consider becoming a member of the PCC, which helps to guide our strategy and oversee our governance and we are looking for new members. Email for details or for an informal conversation about serving on the PCC.  

New Foodshare in the Welcome Centre: Opportunities to Volunteer
Over the last few months, St Mary’s has partnered with Kindwell, a local charity, to offer a foodshare for local residents. Taking unwanted, surplus food from local suppliers, each Sunday evening at 7.15pm, local people can collect free, high quality food from the Welcome Centre, reducing food waste and ensuring as many people as possible have access to good food. After an initial trial, we are delighted to continue hosting the foodshare and Kindwell are now looking for volunteers to collect food (from Marks and Spencers in Woodford, Gail’s in Walthamstow Village, or Marks & Spencer’s in Leytonstone) or set up and serve (7-8pm). For more information or to volunteer, email Hilda Jackson at . 

Join St Mary’s Children’s Ministry Team
Children’s Ministry is one of the fastest growing parts of our church life, with occasionally as many as 60+ children at our 10.30am service. We celebrate this and recognise that in order to respond to this growth we need to build our team of Children’s Ministry leaders and helpers, as we currently have a small team. Leaders plan and host each session but there are also roles for helpers, who support and assist. Training and support is provided for anyone interested in serving in this way and we follow safer recruitment processes when appointing volunteers. If you’re interested in possibly joining the team, sign up via this form or email Revd Jacintha Danaswamy at . 

Zumba + Postpartum Fitness Class Classes to Start in Welcome Centre 
Two new fitness classes are starting in the Welcome Centre this month: from 18th April, there will be an all-age Zumba class for all fitness levels on Saturdays, 11am-12pm. The first session is free; after that, each class is £7 (cash) with no need to book – just drop in. And then starting 29th April, there will be a postpartum fitness class for ‘Mums and Bubs’ on Wednesdays at 12.30pm designed for mums and their babies, focussing on strength and mobility, all levels 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:

• Tension and violence in Iran and around the Middle East: for a peaceful resolution  
• Pope Leo and for all faith leaders speaking out for peace, and for an end to conflict 
• Democracy movements around the world advocating for the Common Good 
• Upcoming local elections around the UK and for our 22nd April Citizens’ Assembly 
• Candidates from Waltham Forest being confirmed by Bishop Lynne on 19th April 
• Community cohesion in the UK and for an end to scapegoating of vulnerable groups 
• All churches around the world, especially those ministering in conflict zones 
• All who are unwell in any way or are worried about their health: for hope and healing 
• Those who are worried about their finances and finding it hard to make ends meet 
• The climate and nature crises: for a prioritisation of the natural world and for an end to the polluting, conflict-prone, volatile fossil fuel era 
• Children, young people, teachers and school staff as schools return around the UK 
• Our Walthamstow Welcomes ministry and our partnership with Kindwell foodshare: for volunteers and for all who are being supported by both of these initiatives 

Reflection: ‘Encountering Jesus’ 
Revd Andrew Stewart, vicar of St Gabriel’s, Walthamstow, writes: 

Last Sunday’s Gospel gave us Thomas – wanting to see, to touch, to be sure. This Sunday, we’re on the Emmaus road (Luke 24), where two disciples do see Jesus … and still don’t recognise him.

Put those together and something emerges. Jesus isn’t against being seen or touched – he invites Thomas to do just that. At the same time, he indicates an even better approach: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

Emmaus shows us what that looks like. The risen Jesus walks alongside these two disciples, but in disguise – hidden from them, somehow. Instead of unveiling himself in a grand, dramatic flourish – ‘Ta-dah!’ – he puts on a different kind of show and opens the Scriptures. He takes them through Moses and the Prophets and shows how they were writing about him.

Only after that – as he breaks bread with them – do they recognise him. That order matters. Without the Scriptures, even a direct encounter with Jesus would be confusing. If someone meets a ‘divine figure’ but has no understanding of who he is or what he’s done, what does it mean? What are the frames of reference?

So Jesus begins by teaching. He interprets those ancient Scriptures, showing how they point to him – handing them the key that unlocks the whole story. And when he moves to the next moment – staying with them and sharing a meal that echoes Holy Communion – everything falls into place.

That experience isn’t just their story – it’s ours too. We might imagine it would have been easier to know Jesus if we’d been there in person. But the biographies of Jesus suggest otherwise. Many saw him and still misunderstood. Seeing alone isn’t enough. What we’re given instead is something remarkable: the apostles’ testimony – first-hand written accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – and the promise that he’s still present with his people.

Christians believe that when we read the Bible, we’re not simply looking back at an ancient text – we’re listening for the voice of the living Christ. As Jesus says in John 5, the Scriptures ‘testify’ about him. And in John 14, he promises that those who love him and put his words into practice will know his presence.

But there’s a warning in that, too. It’s possible to read the Bible closely, seriously – even passionately – and still miss the point entirely by missing Jesus. Jesus says to those who knew the Scriptures best that they refused to come to him for life. You can love the Bible, study it, argue about it – and yet not come to the one that it’s all about.

As C.S. Lewis once put it, ‘It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true Word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers, will bring us to Jesus.’ The Bible isn’t just information – it’s a place of encounter, a kind of rendezvous point.

That’s what the Emmaus disciples discover: as the Scriptures are opened, they’re already meeting Jesus – even before they realise it. That’s often how faith grows – not always in dramatic moments, but in the steady rhythm of listening, reflecting, and gradually coming to see.

There’s an invitation here – read the Bible! Do so expecting that Jesus himself might meet you there. Make space for it in your day – even when you don’t feel like it. Read it, or have it read to you – there are apps that do this – on a walk, on the way to work, in whatever quiet moments you may already have. Better still, read it with others.

There’s also an opportunity to explore this further in the upcoming ‘Introduction to the Bible’ course at St Mary’s.

As you read, ask Jesus to speak. Ask him to show you wonderful things from his word, to make himself known to you. Because who knows? As you open the Scriptures, Jesus himself – no less – might just draw near, speak to you, and open your eyes … and you may find that the one you’ve been searching for has been with you all along.