Sunday Services, Jesus the Good Shepherd, Celebrating the Arts

As we continue in the liturgical season of Eastertide, this week our readings reflect on the courage of the early disciples as they follow Jesus, who is described in the gospel reading as the ‘Good Shepherd’. This Sunday (21st April), we share Holy Communion at both the 9am and 10.30am services. Revd Tim Scott will lead, and Rob Duddridge, our lay minister, will preach at both services. There will be children’s groups during the 10.30am service. Please note that our 10.30am service is live-streamed and you can watch it here.

At 6.30pm there will also be a worship evening called ’Embers’ – a time of extended worship led by our music team. You are welcome at any or all of the services!

Morning Prayer 

This is normally said in church at 8.30am each weekday morning and is also live-steamed via Facebook. Please note that there will be no Morning Prayer on Friday 19th April due to members of the clergy team being on holiday. 

Monthly Vespers 

Vespers is our Wednesday evening contemplative service – 40 minutes of poetry, stillness, reflection and music. It’s a beautiful space where many have gathered over 8 years. With the recent changes to our clergy team, Vespers is now held on the first Wednesday of the month only. We will also be offering Holy Communion after each gathering for those who would like it. We hope to see you at our next Vespers gathering, which will be held on Wednesday 1st May at 7.30pm.  

FINAL CALL: Could you join our Church AV Team? Training on 23rd and again on 24th April, 7-9pm

Considering volunteering? Interested in developing new technical skills? Why not join our AV team, with training on 23rd and 24th April from 7-9pm. Both sessions are identical so feel free to come to one or both! Learn how to operate our new system and become an essential part of our Sunday Services. Following the training, you will also have the chance to shadow experienced team members during Sunday Services from 12th-26th May. For more information, or if you have any questions, contact Dan Copperwheat, Operations Manager, at . 

Or….

There are lots of ways to be part of St Mary’s. As our church grows, we are looking for more people to lead and support our different ministries. Do consider joining one of these teams: 

  – Our youth and children’s ministry teams (once a month/once every two months) 

  – Our coffee and welcome teams 

  – Our intercessions team (the people who lead our prayers on a Sunday morning ) 

If you think you would like to be part of one of these teams, please email any member of the clergy (Tim, Alan or Jacintha) and we would love to talk to you about how you can be involved. You can also email Josie, our administrator, at . 

Save the Date: London Mayoral Assembly on Thursday 25th April at 6pm

You may know that St Mary’s is a founding member of Waltham Forest Citizens, which is our local Citizens UK alliance – a group of schools, faith institutions and community groups that listen to each other and the wider community and then act on the things we want to change, from youth violence and low-paid work to unaffordable housing and high energy bills. 

This spring, thousands will join in person and online to put our agenda to the next Mayor of London. We’ve created a manifesto that will benefit our city – one which has involved local people working to identify positive solutions to the problems we face; this includes homelessness and housing, migration and refugees, ensuring a Living Wage and tackling climate change. London Citizens will gather to ask the top two mayoral candidates to commit to our manifesto, and a group of us will travel together from St Mary’s on 25th April. Email to book a free ticket. Friends and family are welcome too! 

Parish of Walthamstow Annual Church Meeting on Sunday 28th April at 3pm at St Mary’s

The annual report and agenda will be circulated prior to the meeting via email to those on the St. Mary’s email list and as in previous years to St. Gabriel’s and St. Luke’s. A few copies will be available on the day.

Are you interested in how the church can reach the wider Walthamstow community?

Come and pray with us on Saturday 27th April at 20 Melville Rd, E17 6QT from 11am-1pm. Drop in or stay for the whole time. This will be led by Donna Gwilliams and supported by David and Janie Beales, who are experienced in helping churches discern new ministries. We would value your prayers, presence and feedback. We will also meet on Wednesdays in Rio’s Coffee Lounge, 296 Hoe St, from 7.45-9.15pm.

For more details contact Donna .

St Mary’s Big Community Quiz Night! Saturday 18th May 7:30pm-10:30pm

All are welcome to come along to our amazing quiz night on Saturday 18th May at 7:30pm in St. Mary’s Church. It promises to be a fun night for all, whatever your quizzing ability! It is to raise funds for the church and will be a great chance to get together, meet new people and feel clever! There will be a bar on the night and you can bring your own nibbles. We look forward to seeing you there! Get a team of 6 together, come along and join in! Tickets cost £10 per person and can be purchased here.

Worth Unlimited Quiz Night: Saturday 11th May 2024, 7:30-9:30pm.

The Worth Unlimited Quiz Night will be held at The Welcome Centre on Saturday 11th May from 7:30pm-9:30pm. Cheese and crackers provided, but bring your own drinks. There’s a prize for the winners, and a raffle on the night! Tickets are £10 per person. Tickets: www.worthunlimited.co.uk/quiznight

Concert to raise funds and awareness of Ukrainian Orphans

London Forest Choir and the Sylvan Ensemble Orchestra return to St Mary’s for an exciting and popular concert on Saturday 6th July at 7:30pm. For those of you who came to the opening concert to celebrate the church’s refurbishment, you may remember that our musical director Jonathan Rathbone had written a piece for St Mary’s and the occasion called ‘A Better World is Possible’. They will again perform this work. There will be a strong emphasis on peace and of course our concern for all those young innocent lives so badly afflicted by a war which is not of their making. Watch this space for tickets.

Every Thursday: St Mary’s parents’ meet up from 11.30am-1pm in church 

Come and join St Mary’s parents, carers and little ones every Thursday from 11.30am to 1pm in St Mary’s Church for coffee and a catch up. Vanessa Chance, a member of St Mary’s, will be there with her daughter to welcome you! Come and get to know other parents and carers in a friendly and relaxed setting. Our soft play area (recommended £3 donation) and cafe will be open. For more information, email . 

Eco tip of the week: 

This Monday, the 22nd April, is Earth day! 

Our tips this week take inspiration from Earth day and what it is trying to achieve, to help you reduce your environmental impact:

1. Plastic free cotton buds – Consider switching from plastic to biodegradable cotton buds. Plastic cotton buds are one of the top ten forms of beach litter and pollute the ocean as they are commonly incorrectly flushed down the toilet. Biodegradable alternatives help you further reduce your plastic waste and to protect marline wildlife.

2. Tree planting – Give back to the Earth by planting a tree. Trees are essential to protecting our environment, improving air quality, preserving soil and conserving water whilst taking up carbon. Whether by adding to your own garden (if you have the space) or through our tree planting programmes, this is a great way to help combat climate change, compensate for your own carbon footprint and support wildlife.

Please pray this week for:

• Peace in the world at a time of particular tension.
• The forthcoming Mayoral and London Assembly election.
• The Waltham Forest Deanery Synod meeting on 23rd. April and Bishop Guli, the Bishop of Chelmsford, as she addresses the synod.
• All who are discerning vocation: This Sunday is Vocations Sunday in the Church of England. 
• All who are suffering in body, mind or spirit

Reflection

Revd Tim Scott writes:

I find the services in Holy Week and Easter are always both demanding and moving.  I tend to find that as we are drawn more deeply into the passion narrative and focus more closely on the final events of Jesus’ life, there is an intensity and a poignancy that become the dominant focus of my mind. As I get to Easter morning somehow I raise my eyes and the horizon becomes brighter and wider. Looking up across a full church in St. Mary’s on Easter Day was a real  joy. My horizons were broadened still more as I looked up and saw the gallery was pretty full too!  And the post resurrection accounts in the gospels invite us to continue that broadening of our horizons as we draw new hope from the presence of the risen Christ.

Many years ago, I bought a book by Denis Healey, the Labour politician, called ‘My Secret Planet’. In it he describes some of the writings, poetry, art, theatre and music which has influenced his life. 

I’ve dipped into the book many times and I’ve now had the joy of picking it up again and trying to read it through. I did this because I felt that I needed things to make sure that my horizons were broadened and kept wide and I hope that literature, art, poetry, theatre and music will help me do this. I find it is a constant challenge to make time for these things, but the context of St. Mary’s has inspired me to keep discovering the joys of the arts. St. Mary’s is a wonderful place for artistic discovery and we are so fortunate to have many people in the congregation involved in the arts, music, theatre and television and we give thanks to God for them and celebrate them. 

In his classic book about spirituality ‘Yes to God’, Alan Eccleston reminds us of the importance of the arts in keeping our spirituality alive and growing. He hints that the arts enable us to stop, look and notice. They help us to begin again to perceive and wonder with the eyes of a child or a lover. They open our eyes to neglected things. We are often challenged and inspired by the arts and we are inspired to think differently and imagine a different world. Ecclestone points out that whilst art is no substitute for prayer, it is ‘sorely needed to withstand the impoverishment of prayer’.

During this season of Eastertide I pray that as our hearts and minds are lifted and broadened we may appreciate the gift of the arts, in all their forms, and those who have such creativity. May we  strive to ensure the arts are adequately funded so that they can flourish and be accessible to all. They are  such an important gift which enable us to broaden our horizons and to be inspired by the possibilities of a future yet to be imagined. And for many they truly are windows into God. 

And may you all know the joy and inspiration of the Risen Christ with you this Eastertide and always.