On Easter Sunday, churches across England will celebrate because Jesus died for our sins and then rose again.

On the third day after being crucified, Jesus' tomb was found to be empty. He had risen from the dead. Life triumphs over death! The joy of resurrection is possible only because Christ endured death and conquered it. 

Easter Bonnet Parade 10.45am in Garden Hall, all ages welcome to enter, £2 donation with prizes for all

Services:

6am Vigil & Eucharist followed by breakfast in Garden Hall; 8am BCP Eucharist; 9.30am Sung Eucharist; 11.15am Celebrating Easter & Easter Egg Hunt; 12noon Midday Shorter Eucharist; 6.30pm Choral Evensong

Good Friday is the day when Christians remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It is a sombre day. Usually, churches meet, pray and reflect on the sacrifice Jesus willingly paid for all our sins.

We will have our usual children’s activities and gathering in the Garden Hall with Catherine Linsley followed by a Children’s Service in church at 12noon.

2pm Liturgy of the Cross

Maundy Thursday is the day when we remember Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his disciples before his death.

Maundy Thursday gets its name from the Latin word mandare meaning to command. We remember Jesus' command: 'Love one another as I have loved you'. 

At the Last Supper Jesus washed the disciples' feet. Some churches recreate this act of service at special services and events. This is not only an important reminder of the nature of Jesus, who we serve, but also the kind of service we are meant to demonstrate in our love for one another. 

8pm Preached Eucharist & Foot Washing

On Palm Sunday Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to crowds and cheers. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem has been celebrated on the Sunday before Easter since the first centuries of Christianity.

The crowds waved palm branches and covered his path with them. Churches remember this with crosses made from palm leaves and hold processions like the one that Jesus experienced - sometimes with a donkey, too!

Donkey will be at the 8am, 9.30am and 11.15am services.

St Mary’s welcomes all Mothers on Mothers’ Day with a gift of daffodils- services 8am. 9,30am, 11.15am and 6.30pm.

Please come and help prepare the daffodils on Saturday 9 March, all ages welcome catherine@stmaryswimbledon.org

Each year on the fourth Sunday of Lent, countries around the world celebrate Mothering Sunday. This typically involves lavishing Mums with gifts and attention and celebrating the women who have nurtured us throughout our lives.

This Sunday, churches around the country will be sharing their own traditions, celebrating and giving thanks to the huge impact mothers have on each of our lives. The main service on Mothering Sunday in churches across the country is central to the life of the church.

Garden Hall Lent Lunch in aid of Wimbledon Foodbank after communion in church at 12noon. All welcome to join us, cash donations please at the lunch.

ASH WEDNESDAY AND THE OBSERVANCE OF LENT

Ash Wednesday and the observance of Lent as we know it came into existence somewhere between the fifth and eighth centuries. Forty is the number of days our Lord fasted in the wilderness, like the forty-day fasts of Moses and Elijah which are recorded in the Old Testament. Thus Ash Wednesday is now forty-six days before Easter (forty weekdays). The tradition of fasting during Lent mirrors that of our Lord. In the Book of Common Prayer, Ash Wednesday is described as a ‘Greater Fast’, one of two, with Good Friday being the other. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are obtained by burning the palms of the previous year (now the palm crosses).
Lent is a season when we pray for God’s compassion, and we should also show compassion to others. In modern times we are equally encouraged to ‘take something on’ as ‘give something up’.

Please come and join us keep our community tidy. Meet outside church, everything provided. Contact Juliet Boyd julietboyd0740@gmail.com

Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Great Stink, Garden Hall 8pm 31st January

Bazelgette was a member of St Mary's and is commemorated by a plaque in the Sanctuary as well as being buried in the Church Yard (amusingly his tomb is reminiscent of a sewer chimney). Habitats and Heritage, one of the charities that was devolved from English Heritage, have taken over responsibility for the repair of the tomb from us and they are going to be giving a talk about Sir Joseph. Do come along and find out more about this notable member of our congregation.

Christingle celebrations are named after the Christingles that are lit during the ceremony. Christingles are oranges wrapped in red tape, decorated with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on the top.

Please come along to Garden Hall on Saturday 27th January at 9am to help make the Christingles for the Service @ 11.15 on Sunday 28th. There will be coffee and biscuits and it is definitely a case of the more the merrier. Please let Catherine know if you are able to come catherine@stmaryswimbledon.org

Christmas Day Services

8.00am BCP Eucharist

9.30am Parish Eucharist

11.15am The Service@ (all age service)

11.50am Shorter service of Holy Communion

Our hugely popular promenade service which follows the Journey to the Crib around the church and grounds. Booking is essential although tickets are free. Suitable for all of the family.

Tickets will be available via a booking link which will be emailed Monday 4 December via Churchsuite. If you have not registered for Churchsuite you can here:

(you will already be on Churchsuite if you are on St Mary’s electoral roll or have signed up to receive the weekly enewsletter)

BOOKINGS NOW CLOSED

Come and join our wreath making workshop in the Garden Hall and have a beautiful front door for the festive season. No expertise is necessary, all materials will be provided and you can enjoy the expert guidance of our church Flower Team.

Mulled wine & mince pies!

Bookings close on Friday 10th November.

£50 per person, all proceeds go to the church. Your place is only confirmed with payment; an invoice will be emailed to you. Cancellations accepted prior to 10th November only due to ordering of materials.

We really look forward to welcoming you to our lovely workshop!

Each year we ask our congregation to bring new toys to be donated to Christian Care Merton. The toys are distributed to children known by Christian Care who will not otherwise receive any gifts. Please bring new, unwrapped toys to church to the service that you attend on Sunday 10 December, we do not accept donations on any other day, please contact Christian Care directly at other times of the year.

A musical feast for everyone to celebrate the arrival of Advent.

Confirmation is a special church service in which a person confirms the promises that were made when they were baptised. If you were baptized at a christening when you were a child, your parents and godparents made these promises on your behalf. As a young person or adult, you may be ready to affirm these promises for yourself and commit your life to following Jesus Christ.

We hold our confirmation services as a Parish and use each church in turn each year. For adult confirmation please speak to The Rector and for younger people please speak to Catherine Linsley

Our usual Sunday Services will be taking place.

Wimbledon War Memorial, Wimbledon Village Starts: 10.40am

Attended by: Deputy Lieutenant, Chris Cotton, Mayor of Merton (Cllr Gill Manly), civic representatives, the Wimbledon branch of The Royal British Legion.

We welcome everyone who has lost a loved one at this service followed by tea in the Garden Hall.

Everyone welcome to join us at our Light Party. Event suitable for families with children 12 years and under. Children to be accompanied by an adult.

Please click below to book , please include adults and children over 2 years old.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO JOIN US 9.30am Sung Eucharist and 11.15am All Age Service Come and join us for our Harvest Festival followed by Bring & Share Lunch in Garden Lunch.

• The way the lunch works is that everyone who comes to the lunch brings a dish to share (about 6-8 portions)- either savoury or sweet PLEASE NO NUTS. Please bring your food covered and any dishes can be collected after the lunch from a table in the hallway of Garden Hall.

• Bring your food to share to the Garden Hall before the service starts (either 9.30am or 11.15am).

• We will provide drinks which will be laid out for you to help yourself including a place to make a donation.

A follow up event to our successful Come and Sing Evensong, we present Come and Sing Psalms.

Join us at 5.30pm for an hour before Evensong, Evensong at 6.30pm followed by drinks in Garden Hall.

JOIN US for our weekly termtime groups in the Garden Hall:

• Mondays- Church Playgroup 9.30-11am for preschoolers

• Wednesdays- Praise & Play 9.30-11am 0-5yrs

• Friday- Church Playgroup 9.30-11am

EVERYONE IS WELCOME to join us for the blessing of the backpacks (and work bags for the grown ups). Start your new year in September with a positive step.

This year we are combining our Patronal festival with our very popular summer rounders match. Everyone will be welcome to join us on this brilliant day.

Contact catherine@stmaryswimbledon.org for further details