Dear St Mary’s, 

On the fortieth day after Easter there has, from the fourth century, been a celebration of Christ’s ascension. As the Church of England writes on its website, Jesus ‘commissions his disciples to continue his work, he promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then he is no longer among them in the flesh. The ascension is therefore closely connected with the theme of mission. The arrival of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost completes and crowns the Easter Festival.’ 

Today is Ascension Day and moves us closer to Pentecost and the birth of the Church, which we will celebrate next Sunday (19th May). During the days leading up to Pentecost, we are invited to pray for the Church’s witness, for lives to be changed, and for a hurting world to experience the love and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

This Sunday (12th May), we will continue in the short season of Ascensiontide with a 9am service of Holy Communion and a 10.30am service of Morning Worship. Revd Alan Moss will lead at both services, and Jess Hall – Campaigns Officer at Christian Aid and a member of our congregation – will preach as part of Christian Aid week. 

There will be evening prayer in the church at 6pm. 

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

We’re encouraging everyone 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

St Mary’s 20th July Summer Festival: Save the Date and Sign up to Volunteer 

On Saturday 20th July, St Mary’s will host an all-day Summer Festival with activities, talks, food, tours and performances across all of our sites, including the Welcome Centre, Welcome Garden, courtyard, churchyard and in the church itself. Our activity programme has not yet been finalised, but we’re looking for dozens of volunteers to sign up now to help us greet people, clean and offer support on the day. This will be a wonderful way to engage with each other and with the wider community as we bring our version of a church fête to Walthamstow! You can sign up to volunteer here or email Dan Copperwheat, Operations Manager, at . 

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 

The environmental charities Operation Noah and Green Christian have released a General Election pack which includes ways for churches to engage with the climate and nature crises in advance of the pending General Election. The pack includes written prayers and readings for church services, ways to get involved in campaigning and suggested ways for churches to call on politicians to show environmental leadership. Download the free General Election pack here or via Operation Noah’s website at www.operationnoah.org. 

Please pray this week for: 

• Christian Aid’s global advocacy and its work with vulnerable communities 
• Victims of war and violence in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel and around the world 
• Christians living in countries where it is dangerous to worship
• People working for peace and reconciliation in divided communities 
• Recently elected officials around the country and across London 
• The work of our Walthamstow Welcomes cafe and other ministries 
• Those working to protect the natural world and stop its destruction 
• Medical professionals and those working in caring professions 
• Those who are lonely and longing for connection 
• That more people would experience God’s presence and love this Pentecost 

Reflection 

Revd Jacintha Danaswamy writes: 

There is a joy in movement, in moving our bodies, wriggling our fingers, and stretching our limbs. There is a joy as we take steps or swing our arms. Often, we can move through our day at a rapid pace, dashing from one destination to another, in the busyness of our routine. We can move without thinking of what it is our body is doing. Our mind and body in automatic mode, thinking of our destination and our to-do list, but there is something incredibly special about listening to our bodies and paying attention to how we move through a space – how our body connects in the moment with the environment it navigates and inhabits. There is a joy in being fully present in our bodies as we weave through city streets, stroll through forests, or ramble through the countryside. In London, we now have the recently launched Green Link Walk, which links over forty green spaces and waterways to other Walk London routes, encouraging us to move, walk and wheel around the city.  

As we move, we are reminded of what our body is, how we hold it, and how light or weary it might feel – as we move, we are reminded of its abilities and limitations, and how our body is connecting us to who we are as humans in this place.

Today is Ascension Day, when the Church celebrates Jesus’ ascension to heaven, to sit at the right hand of the Father. It is an important day in the Church calendar, but sitting between Easter and Pentecost, it is a day that sometimes can be overlooked. 

When we celebrate the Ascension, we remember that Jesus came to live among us, to be like us – was born to be fully human and fully divine. It was in his body that he felt all that it is to be human: pain, suffering, joy and love. 

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams reminds us: 

‘Jesus ascends to heaven. The human life in which God has made himself most visible, most tangible, disappears from the human world in its former shape and is somehow absorbed into the endless life of God. And our humanity, all of it, goes with Jesus.’ 

‘Jesus takes our human nature – yours and mine – to the heart of God and he speaks to God his father in a human voice. In heaven the language they speak is human (not just angelic). Our words (human words) are heard at the very centre of the burning heart of reality.’ 

As Jesus was incarnate in human form, in a body like yours and mine, a body that moved and carried him through city streets, dusty roads and paths in the wilderness, I pray this Ascension Day, we will draw comfort and strength knowing that Jesus, in living a human life, brings all of our humanity with him – he is our Advocate, and as he promised the disciples, we are reminded that we too are not alone. 

For we will be: 

‘Baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ –Acts 1:5

Love,

Jacintha