Dear St Mary’s,

It was wonderful to worship with you last week as our lay minister Rob Duddridge preached. This Sunday (28th April), we continue in the season of Eastertide with a 9am service of Holy Communion led by Revd Alan Moss with Jo Talbott preaching.

And then at 10.30am, it’s our monthly intergenerational service with Revd Jacintha Danaswamy leading alongside St Mary’s children and Jo Talbott giving a short talk. There will also be a baptism in the service, and Jacintha will be interviewing Jonnie and Isabel, who head up the Welcome Garden behind the Welcome Centre. 

There will be no evening prayers this Sunday, but do join us for our 3pm annual meeting, which will be held in the church. We hope to see you this Sunday!

Tickets Still Available for Tonight’s London Mayoral Assembly at 6pm

Tonight (Thursday 25th April) at 6pm, Citizens UK member institutions, including St Mary’s, will 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 solutions to the problems we face, including homelessness and housing, low pay and climate change. London Citizens will ask mayoral candidates to commit to our manifesto, and a group of us will travel to Central London together, meeting outside Costa at Walthamstow Central at 5pm. There are still a few tickets left; if you would like to join us at the assembly, email Jacintha at . 

St Mary’s 9am Service to be live-streamed on Facebook from this Sunday

For the last few years, we have been live-streaming one of our Sunday morning services to Facebook (www.facebook.com/StMarysE17). We’ve typically live-streamed the 10.30am service, but from this Sunday 28th April, we will instead live-stream the 9am service going forward in order to alleviate any concerns about children inadvertently appearing on screen (our 9am does not have children’s provision, whereas our 10.30am service does). If you would prefer to watch the live-stream at 10.30am this week or in the future, you will still be able to do so as Facebook catalogues our services, allowing you to watch them at any time. 

Sunday 28th April at 3pm: Parish of Walthamstow Annual Meeting

Join us this Sunday at 3pm at St Mary’s for our annual meeting as we elect church officers, review all that has happened in the past year and celebrate and reflect on the ministries and changes in our church and wider parish. The annual report is here.

Are you interested in how the church can connect with more of Walthamstow? 

A small group will be praying on Saturday 27th April at 20 Melville Rd, E17 6QT,  11am-1pm, about possible ministry opportunities in underserved parts of our parish. Drop in or stay for the whole time. A small group will also be meeting to pray and discern on Wednesdays in Rio’s Coffee Lounge, 296 Hoe St, E17 9QD, from 7:45-9:15pm. For more information, contact Donna at . 

Vespers Returns on Wednesday 1st May, 7.30pm 

Vespers is our Wednesday evening contemplative service – 40 minutes of poetry, stillness, prayer, reflection and music. It’s a beautiful candlelit space where many have gathered over eight years. With changes to our clergy team, Vespers has now moved to a monthly rhythm and meets on the first Wednesday of every month only, with communion after each gathering for those who would like it. Join us for our next Vespers gathering this coming Wednesday, 1st May, at 7.30pm in St Mary’s. 

St Mary’s Big Community Quiz Night: Saturday 18th May, 7.30-10.30pm

All are welcome to come along to our big quiz night on Saturday 18th May at 7.30pm. It promises to be a fun night for all, whatever your quizzing ability! Our Big Community Quiz is aiming to raise funds for St Mary’s, but it will also be a great opportunity to get together, have fun and meet new people – or get to know those you already know a bit better. We will be running a bar where you can purchase drinks and you can also bring your own nibbles. Get a team of six together and join us! Tickets are £10 per person and available here: https://tinyurl.com/smwqz

Worth Unlimited Quiz Night: Saturday 11th May, 7.30-9.30pm

Worth Unlimited is a local Christian youth charity with longstanding links to St Mary’s and our parish. The Worth Unlimited Quiz Night will be held in the Welcome Centre on Saturday 11th May, 7.30-9.30pm. Cheese and crackers provided but do bring your own drinks. There’s a prize for the winners, and a raffle on the night. Tickets are £10 per person and can be purchased here: www.worthunlimited.co.uk/quiznight

Spaces for Hire in St Mary’s Church and Welcome Centre 

In order to fund our ministries and cover our operating costs, we have been working hard to increase the number of hires in both the Welcome Centre and the church itself. We are currently in the process of renovating the Welcome Centre, and are encouraging anyone looking for a venue to run an after-school club, exercise class, baby group or other regular event to get in touch with our team. We are also taking bookings for Sunday afternoon children’s parties in the church (with access to the soft play and cafe space) as well as hiring out the vestries for away-days and meetings in the week. For details, email Louise at . 

EcoTip of the Week 

St Mary’s is a supporter of the Climate and Nature Bill (formerly known as the CEE bill) – proposed legislation written by scientists and campaigners which now has cross-party support from over 150 UK parliamentarians and would address the full extent of the climate and nature crises. In this election year, you can encourage all of the parliamentary candidates in our constituency to support the bill by signing and sending a letter via the Constituency Action Page at https://action.zerohour.uk/. 

Reflection

Revd Jacintha Danaswamy writes: 

Today, St Mary’s Church, as part of Waltham Forest Citizens – which is made up of local faith institutions, schools, colleges, and community groups – will travel to Central London to put our manifesto to the next Mayor of London. 

This manifesto has grown out of deep listening with people from our community organising alliance, which stretches across Greater London. Thousands of Londoners will gather to ask the top two mayoral candidates to commit to an agenda that will benefit our city, from housing, living wages and migrant and refugee support, to a just transition to net zero carbon emission city. 

Those who have been to a London Citizens Mayoral Assembly often talk about the energy and excitement in the room and the motivation and hope that comes from such a diverse range of London communities working together for the common good. It is profoundly moving and inspiring; I often find the well-known words of Micah 6:8 come to mind: ‘He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?’

There are times when I have been asked why social justice is important to me as a Christian. Over the past few days, as many of us have been preparing for the Mayoral Assembly, I’ve been reflecting on this question. 

As Christians, we are called to encounter Christ and to share in God’s love in the world, and at the heart of this encounter is the cross – the place of personal and social transformation. In John 13, Jesus says: ‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’

Through Jesus’ commandment to love on another, we are called, not only to acts of mercy and kindness, but in the cross, we are also invited into the transformative power of God’s love to challenge injustices and to work in community, in relationship with each other, as we seek a more loving and just world.

I pray this week, in this Easter season, we will be reminded of the cross, of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and will be encouraged by his words to love one another. 

Jacintha