Dear friends,

In March Dave Cockle, who belongs to our congregation, received a lifetime achievement award from Enfield Council. The award recognised his work as Chair of the Enfield Society which promotes the conservation of the natural and civic environment of our borough. We congratulate him and give thanks for his achievement.

The Enfield Society website provides a handy guide to what is being promised by the different parties which are contesting the local elections on May the 7th to help inform your vote and your prayers: https://enfieldsociety.org.uk/

Enfield Council is now almost 1.5 billion in debt. There are proposals for a 21,000-home development project in Crews Hill and the widescale development of Green Belt land in the north-west of the borough. Six political parties look set to stand candidates across Enfield borough for the local election this year – an unprecedented number which shows just how fragmented politics is becoming.

As a church – regardless of party preference or none – we are called to pray that God guides our votes and puts the right people in positions of authority. Lord, please guide our minds and hearts as we prepare to vote on 7 May. May our ears hear the voices of those in poverty, may our hearts be open to the needs of our neighbours, and may our actions be part of bringing your kingdom to earth. May your will be done. Amen.


With love and my prayers,

James

Sunday and weekday Services

Our weekly service times are:
Sunday 10:00am Eucharist
Tuesday 10:00am Morning Prayer (BCP)
Thursday 10:30am Holy Communion (BCP)

Additional, Regular Services:
Choral Evensong: 1st Sunday of the month 5:00pm 
(Not during August and December)
Little Church: for 7’s and under 3rd Sunday of the month 9:00am
Evening Praise! An informal service 3rd Sunday of the month 5:00pm (NB NEW DAY AND NEW TIME!)


We also provide a livestream of our Sunday Morning Eucharist Service. The link for the livestream page is
https://stmarymagdalene.church/livestream-service/

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Alpha Course

Do you know someone who isn’t Christian but might be interested in exploring Christianity over a meal and some videos? If so, tell them about the Alpha course we’re running! Or just bring them along with you!

Alpha will take place at St Luke’s Clay Hill, Phipps Hatch Lane
Mondays 11th May – 20th July
Starts with supper at 6:30pm
Ends no later than 8:30pm

No pressure. No strings.
Just good food, interesting talks, and open conversations
web address: https://alpha.org.uk/try (you can type “st luke’s clay hill” into the location search).


Little Church

Little Church, is a family friendly service for babies, toddlers and children under 7. The service lasts 30 minutes and includes songs, Bible stories with puppets, and an activity. It is designed to be both fun and a time for families to worship together.

Do join us for a morning of fun, laughter, singing and joy for the family.


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This is a wonderful opportunity to meet friends and new people in a relaxed, informal setting for an afternoon of tea, coffee, biscuits and a chat. We also have a variety of table top games such as cribbage, dominos and cards.

If you are able to help, please see Alison Reeve or Michael.

Rekindling, Tuesdays from 3:30pm

An open Bible Study in the Vestry following on from the Community Café.

Here we look at a variety of topics through the lens of the Bible. This has included the study of a particulr book of the Bible – Mark’s Gospel, several Psalms, Paul’s letters and several other passages from the Old and New Testaments – or Biblical themes scattered throughout the whole Bible.

Prayer Garden

We now have a dedicated area in our garden for prayer and quiet reflection. Ribbons are provided should you wish to tie one to the netting on the tree and say a quiet prayer.

The Eleanor Pritchard Concert Series

Join us at 11:30am on Wednesday 8th April in the small hall for tea or coffee, cake, and a chat before going into the church for our 12:30pm lunchtime concert where Enfield in Song will be entertaining us with a varied set.

YouTube Video Playlist

‘He has done great things’, is the first song in our playlist on YouTube. We sang this when sharing Communion at the Agape meal on Tuesday of Holy Week.

Opening the Church on Saturdays

Our church is a valuable resource for people in our community to take some time out of their daily lives to reflect and connect with God. Not everyone is available on Sunday mornings and some just want a few minutes to pause and be still. We are hoping to make our church available for private prayer on Saturdays and are looking for volunteers who can give a couple of hours of their time. A minimum of two people will need to be always present. Names will be added to a rota, so the more people who are available to help us, the less often you will be called upon. If you are able to help with this, please see Alison Reeve.

Prayer…

What exactly is it? How do we pray? Why pray?

If these questions echo your thoughts in any way and you would like to find our more, there is a really good website to visit that will begin to answer these, and more questions. Born out of an event that went viral during Lent 1999 (over 25 years ago!), 24-7 Prayer has become an international organisation that has encouraged people to pray.

Their website https://www.24-7prayer.com/ has teaching and resources available to aid understanding and help in building a prayer life centred upon teaching handed down throughout the ages. There is even a free app that can be downloaded for the iPhone or for Android called Lectio 365. This provides a series of up to three daily prayer times, morning, midday, and evening (you don’t have to do all three) that last no more than 10 minutes each if you listen to the audio recordings.

I encourage you to have a look – and be encouraged to join in!

Donate

Would you like to donate towards the work of St Mary Magdalene? If so, this QR code will take you to our donations page where you can choose the amount you wish to donate.

Ladychapel Memorial book

Every week we remember the anniversaries of death for different people. Their names are taken from two Memorial Books we keep. One for those whose ashes are interred in the Memorial Garden and a second, in the Lady Chapel, for people we wish to be remembered on a certain date (usually their death).

If you would like the name of someone to be remembered in the Ladychapel Memorial Book please speak to Ken Cope, the cost is £25.

Website Treasures – Vicar’s Vlog

Have you looked at our website lately? Someone recently remarked that it was the most informative of all the Enfield church websites!

This month, we look at some of our ‘Vicar’s Vlogs’, a selection of reflections by both James and Michael on a variety of topics that are not covered in sermons. Most come with a video and are quite short, 3-5 minutes long. Michael’s reflection on St George is the latest. You will find them here:
https://stmarymagdalene.church/resources/vicars-blogs/

Dates for your diary

May 2026

Sun 3rd 5:00pm – Choral Evensong
Sat 9th 10:00am – Spring Fair
Weds 13th 11:30am – Eleanor Pritchard Concert Series
Thurs 14th 6:30pm – Ascension Day Service
Sun 17th 9:00am – Little Church
Sun 17th 11:15am – Sausage Sunday
Sun 17th 11:30am – Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Sun 17th 5:00pm – Evening Praise!

May 2026

Sun 3rd 5:00pm – Choral Evensong
Weds 10th 11:30am – Eleanor Pritchard Concert Series
Sun 21st 9:00am – Little Church
Sun 21st 11:30am – Summer Lunch
Sun 21st 5:00pm – Evening Praise!

This magazine appears online only, with only a few copies available for archival purposes.

This magazine appears online only, with only a few copies available for archival purposes.