St Mary's Church, Walthamstow

St Mary's Church Walthamstow is a parish Church, part of the Church of England. At St Mary's we believe Church is a group of people learning to love and serve like Jesus Christ, and at St Mary’s, we do that through worship and prayer, through arts and music, and by working to bring hope and transformation to Walthamstow.

St Mary’s is a founding member of Waltham Forest Citizens, and through our diverse alliance of nearly 15,000 people, we have shown that real change is possible: we’ve won promises from local councillors on affordable housing and youth provision, have signed up local businesses to pay the real London Living Wage, helped create a local Youth Safety Commission and are campaigning for a Just Transition to a greener London.

Our partnership with the Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter gives those living on the streets a meal and a safe place to sleep during the winter, and we are constantly looking to see how we might meet the needs of the wider community as we seek to be a Christian presence in Walthamstow.

Our arts projects bring people together. Through the St Mary’s Music Hall, we’ve welcomed thousands of new people to St Mary’s, some of whom have started joining us on Sundays. Many others have become friends, and have enquired about helping at the Night Shelter or joining us in our community organising work.

St Mary’s is part of the Church of England and the Diocese of Chelmsford, and as Anglican Christians, we value diversity in worship, background, age and viewpoint. St Mary’s is a broad church in the truest sense – our worship runs the gamut from gently liturgical to gently charismatic – but we all share a commitment to loving God and loving our neighbours here in Walthamstow.

We are an inclusive congregation where all are welcome – from babies to children, young people to older people; a community where relationship status or sexuality is no barrier to who can serve and lead as God calls them. Jesus was known for ‘eating and drinking with all’, for his affirmation of women, his mission to preach good news to the poor and for his love for people who were marginalised by wider society or considered ‘unclean’. We warmly welcome those who feel marginalised or lonely. 

St Mary’s is the ancient parish church of Walthamstow and we have a history of innovation, from the establishment of Monoux Almshouses in the 16th century to the opening of the first purpose-built Church of England infants’ school in the 19th.

We are pioneering what churches can do once again with our Creative Church project, which will see our building transformed with a café, gallery space and more. Our regenerated church building will be known for art and music, and as a peaceful, creative place where people can connect with others and with God throughout the week.

More than anything, we believe that Jesus Christ changes lives and communities. In other words, it is not St Mary’s that calls you, but God himself! We don’t have all the answers, and we never will, but we want to be formed and shaped by our patterns of prayer, service and worship, always being led by the Holy Spirit.

Do come and join us as we make St Mary’s Walthamstow a Centre of Arts, Prayer and Transformation in Walthamstow. There is a place for you at St Mary’s, whatever your background, gifts or interests.