St Thomas with St Stephen

21/10/2026

📣 We’re recruiting! Children, Youth and Families Ministry Lead

Could you help children, young people and families grow in faith, discover their gifts and feel that they truly belong?

At St Thomas with St Stephen, Telford Park, we’re looking for a warm, experienced and collaborative Christian to help shape this ministry in our diverse and welcoming church.

You’ll work alongside clergy and volunteers, develop leaders, build relationships with local families and schools, and take an active part in our children’s and youth activities.

💷 Salary: £35,000–£40,000 per annum, based on full-time hours
🕒 Hours: 37.5 hours a week — we’re open to discussing part-time and flexible arrangements
📅 Applications close: 20 November 2026
📅 Interviews: 27 November 2026

Find the role description and application form at www.stwss.org.uk. For an application pack or an informal conversation, contact [email protected].

The role requires a practising Christian and an enhanced DBS check.

Could this be you — or someone you know? Please share and help us spread the word!

21/10/2026

👗✨ Clothes Swap with Common Ground!

Have clothes you’d love to give a new home? Come along, find something new-to-you and enjoy a festive afternoon with friends — while raising money for The Spires, supporting people experiencing homelessness in south London.

📅 Sunday 22 November, 4–7pm
📍 St Thomas with St Stephen Church, Telford Avenue, SW2 4XW

👚 Bring clothes to swap — your ticket includes swap tokens.
🍷 Enjoy mulled w**e, prosecco, hot drinks and festive treats.
💛 Suggested ticket donation: £5–£10. Please bring cash!

A chance to refresh your wardrobe, give clothes another life and support a local charity. Invite a friend and make an afternoon of it!

21/10/2026

🧠 Quiz Night is back!

Gather a team of six and join us for an evening of questions, laughter and a little friendly competition, hosted by our quizmaster PJ Kirby.

Invite your friends, neighbours or colleagues — it’s a great excuse for a night out together!

📅 Saturday 7 November 2026
🕖 7–9pm
📍 St Thomas with St Stephen, SW2 4XW

🍷 Bring a bottle and some snacks to share.
📲 Book your places using the QR code on the flyer.

Who’s going to be on your team? Tag them below! 👇

21/10/2026

🌺 Messy Church: Remembering and Making Peace 🌺

Join us on Sunday 15 November, 3–5pm at St Thomas’s Church for an afternoon of crafts, games, stories and songs, finishing with a shared party tea.

21/10/2026

Celebrating Black Christian Lives: David Oyelowo

You may recognise David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, or as the chess coach in Queen of Katwe.

Born in Oxford to Nigerian parents, David has built a career bringing remarkable stories to the screen. Alongside that work, he has spoken openly about the Christian faith that grounds his life.

In one interview, he described Jesus Christ as the rock on which he has built his life — a source of hope through uncertainty, setbacks and success.

That faith also finds practical expression in his commitment to others.

Working with the GEANCO Foundation, David helped create a scholarship programme for girls in Nigeria affected by violence and gender inequality. It provides education, healthcare and support, giving young women opportunities to develop their gifts and leadership.

His involvement goes beyond putting his name to a project. He actively helps raise the money and awareness needed to sustain it.

As we celebrate Black Christian lives, we give thanks for David’s contribution to the arts, and for the opportunities he is helping others to discover.

His story invites a question for all of us: how might the gifts and opportunities we have received help someone else to flourish?

21/10/2026

19/10/2026

🌻 A taste of Harvest at Messy Church!

Blessing jars, sunflowers, food to “taste and see”, and a scarecrow trail — there was plenty to explore together at our Harvest Messy Church!

We took time to notice the good things we receive, thank God for our food and the people who help produce it, and think about what it means to share. Our blessing jars helped us remember that there is much to be thankful for, including the people around us.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to all our helpers who made the afternoon possible. 💛

Our next Messy Church is on Sunday 15th November, 3–5pm at St Thomas’s. Join us for crafts, games and a shared party tea to round off the afternoon. We’d love to see you!

19/10/2026

Celebrating Black Christian lives: Revd Les Isaac

This Black History Month, we celebrate Revd Les Isaac and the depth his ministry has brought to the life of the Church.

Les helped establish Street Pastors in 2003, bringing Christians from different denominations together to offer practical care on our streets. The work grew out of listening — to young people, police, teachers and community leaders — and taking their experiences seriously.

His ministry has helped the Church understand more fully what it means to be a neighbour: to be present, to listen without rushing to judgement, and to respond to people’s needs with patience and respect. Les has brought churches together in shared service. His ministry has included Battersea, and his contribution has been recognised through his appointment as an Ecumenical Canon of Southwark Cathedral.

We give thanks for his faith, leadership and example, and for the way he has helped us see practical care for our communities as central to the Church’s calling.

14/10/2026

Messy Church is back at St Thomas's with St Stephen's this Sunday at 3-5pm. We are going to be getting crafty, creative and active as we reflect on gratitude and sharing! Why not come along and join in the fun!

14/10/2026

Celebrating Black Christian Lives: Revd Mina Smallman MBE

The Revd Mina Smallman has described herself as “a woman of faith, a mother and a fighter for justice.” Her life has certainly required all three.

Born in London, Mina worked as a teacher before being ordained in the Church of England. In 2013 she became the first Black woman to serve as an Archdeacon in the Church of England, serving as Archdeacon of Southend.

But many people came to know Mina's name through unimaginable tragedy. In June 2020, her daughters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry were murdered in a London park. Their deaths, and the deeply disturbing misconduct of police officers who subsequently photographed and shared images from the scene, led Mina to become a powerful voice calling for justice and change.

What is extraordinary is the way she has spoken about her Christian faith through it all.
Mina has been clear that forgiveness does not mean pretending that terrible things don't matter. She has continued to challenge injustice and demand accountability. But she has also refused to allow hatred to have the final word.

Speaking about the man who murdered her daughters, she said:
“I refuse to give him my energy.”

Her faith has not protected her from grief or given her easy answers. Instead, it has helped her to live through the unimaginable without surrendering her hope, humanity or determination to seek justice.

Mina's story reminds us that forgiveness and justice are not opposites.
And that sometimes faith is not about having all the answers. Sometimes faith is simply the courage to keep choosing love and hope, even in the darkest of places.