Larkfield and East Malling
Methodist Church
Called to Love and Praise
Minister: Rev. Naomi Oates naomi.oates@methodist.org.uk
Larkfield and East Malling
Methodist Church
Larkfield and East Malling
Methodist Church
Called to Love and Praise
25/4/2025
On this page:
Thanks to our team of volunteers who spent Easter Saturday morning in Martin Square chatting to shoppers, handing out chocolates and homemade gifts, and inviting folks to join us at one of the Larkfield churches tomorrow morning for worship. It was lovely to work together with friends from Holy Trinity Church, Larkfield and St James the Great Church - and to break out the blue t-shirts again!
Welcome
We are a friendly, welcoming Church, of all ages with a membership of around 64, and many more in our wider Church family.
Our Church family comes mainly from the villages of Larkfield, East and West Malling, Kings Hill, Addington, Leybourne, Ditton and Aylesford, all of which are just west of the County town of Maidstone in Kent.
We enjoy worship in a variety of styles from traditional to modern, and our congregations usually include a wide variety of ages, from toddlers to octogenarians.
See our Services page for full details of in-person and on-line services and opportunities for worship.
There are a large number of regular groups and activities (see activities and Children and Family pages).
Girls Brigade, Boys Brigade and Messy Church are term-time only.
Are you interested in becoming a member of the Methodist Church?
We have a small number of people currently exploring becoming members of their local Methodist church. I'll soon be running some sessions for anyone exploring membership (thinking together about what it means to be a Christian, a Methodist, and a member of the Methodist Church), after which attendees will be invited to be received into membership, if they wish. These sessions usually take place over lunch, or tea and cake, and are a great chance to explore faith in a small group. If you'd like to be involved (or know someone who might), please let me know. You can find some FAQs about Methodist membership here.
News from the hot seat...
24/4/25
Dear friends,
I know that many of you were deeply saddened to hear of the death on Monday of Pope Francis, who fulfilled his role to the end with the utmost humility, empathy, and compassion. I'm sure that many of you were struck, too, by the words of Pope Francis' final sermon (which you can read here), delivered on his behalf to the crowds on Easter Day. They stood in stark contrast to the Easter greetings posted on social media by President Donald Trump on the same day. The latter wished his readers 'Happy Easter' but, in the same sentence, went on to attack 'Radical Left Lunatics,' immigrants, judges, and political opponents. There was no mention of Jesus, or the resurrection. Pope Francis, on the other hand, in one of his final acts, called for peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Congo. He called for disarmament, and compassion towards immigrants. He said this:
Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.
There is, sadly, so much hatred and division in the world - and powerful figures who will deepen these wounds if it works in their favour. There is much work to be done to bring about peace and promote compassion - but we work in the knowledge that evil no longer has the upper hand. Love has triumphed over hatred, as the empty tomb reminds us. Alleluia!
We hold our brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church in prayer as they mourn Pope Francis' death, and as proceedings begin to elect a new Pope.
Some news and updates for the coming weeks...
Thank you!
I'm deeply grateful to all of you who worked hard to make Lent and Easter a truly special season in our churches. To all those who led worship, prepared meals, made edible Easter gardens at Messy Churches, supported baptism families, played music, led Lent groups, gave out goodies in Martin Square, offered hospitality, kept the churches clean and tidy, wrangled with technology, and so much more - thank you! Your time and talents are greatly appreciated.
Cafe Church in Burham - This Sunday at 3pm
The next Cafe Church service in Burham will take place this Sunday (27 April) at 3pm. Come along for the second of our monthly services in partnership with All Saints, Wouldham for informal worship with lashings of tea and cake! All are welcome - and if you would be able to provide a cake, please let me know.
The next Prayer & Praise session at St Mary's Old Church in Burham will take place on Thursday 1 May at 2pm. Join us for 45 minutes or so of sharing, acoustic worship music, readings, and quiet, in this stunning historic church.
Fijian Evening - Friday at 6.30pm
A last-minute reminder that there will be a Fijian evening at church tomorrow (Friday) evening at 6.30pm. John and Diane Dann will be sharing memories and videos from their time in Fiji over a delicious two-course supper for only £10. If you haven't yet booked a place, and would like to come along, please contact Monica (letting her know whether you would prefer the Fijian chicken curry, an English-style dish (probably cottage pie) or a vegetarian meal). Monica's email address is monicawilding@outlook.com
Visit from Lunsford Primary School
Later today, Year 5 children from Lunsford Primary School will be joining Chuckles to play some games, as part of the school's plans to become more involved in the local community. Thank you to all the regulars at Chuckles for making them welcome!
We have children from Brookfield Infant School coming to visit the church next week - it's great that the local schools have recently shown such interest in engaging with the church.
Every blessing,
Naomi
Some reminders...
Calling 'sticky theologians'!
If you love chatting about chunky topics like the meaning of life, heaven and hell, and suffering, and if you'd be willing to spend a day in Leeds in June, then perhaps you could be what the Methodist Church is looking for! The Methodist Church is seeking participants for a series of 12 videos to be released later this year designed to encourage confidence in holding theological conversations. You can find all the details here.
Explore course - May 2025
Explore is open to any member of the Methodist Church in Britain and is a valuable opportunity to consider how you are being called to respond to God's calling (inside or outside the church). You can register at any time of year, although the course element has two cohorts a year and usually runs from September to May, and May to January. You will be offered support through working with an Accompanist; journalling your experiences; shadowing people; learning and development resources; and being part of a group working together over the course of nine months.
Christ the Worker - Resources for those leading worship
As many of you know, I'm one of the Trustees of Kent Workplace Mission, an ecumenical charity supporting chaplaincy in the world of work. 1 May is International Workers' Day, and on the first Sunday in May, KWM marks 'Christ the Worker' Sunday, designed to help Christians to consider, connect and celebrate faith and work. This fits neatly with Vocations Sunday in the Methodist Church. You might like to take a look at the attached resources, especially if you are leading worship on Sunday 4 May.
Who Cares? Training for those involved in pastoral care
Who Cares? is a series of four two-hour online training sessions for anyone involved in pastoral work in the life of the church. If you are a Pastoral Visitor, or involved in other ways in offering care and support, you might like to sign up here (sessions begin on 4 June and run from 7-9pm).
Embracing Differences - Thursday 5 June
On Thursday 5 June, an external speaker is coming to Larkfield & East Malling Methodist Church to lead a seminar on how churches can better understand and welcome those with special educational needs and disabilities, or who are neurodiverse. You can find all the details on the attached poster, and you can book your space here.
Picnic on the Rec
As you know, this year, the church will once again have a stall at the hugely popular Picnic on the Rec - a brilliant opportunity to meet people from the local community and to publicise our many services and activities. The event will be on Sunday 6 July (not 5 July, as I wrote in a previous email!) from 1pm - 5pm (with setup beforehand). If you could join us on the day, please let me know.
Next Church Council meeting - Save the date
Our next Church Council meeting will take place on Thursday 16 October 2025 at 7.30pm. All are welcome, so please pop the date in your diary.
Could you be a BB Leader - or do you know someone who could?
Our fabulous Boys' Brigade team are still looking to recruit new Leaders and Helpers. I've reattached the advert - please have a think and a pray about whether you know someone who might be suited to the role (or whether you might be!). Please do pass the advert to anyone who might be interested.
Booking Church Facilities
The Church Hall and the Sycamore Tree rooms are available for booking at competitive rates. More details on our bookings page.
Welcome Hub celebrates 2 years
Welcome Hub
Happy birthday to the Welcome Hub!
It’s two years since we first opened our Warm Space, in partnership with other churches in Larkfield, seeking to serve those struggling to heat their homes during the cost-of-living crisis. We soon realised that most of those who came through our doors were seeking a ‘warm welcome’ more than a ‘warm space’ and so, over time, we became the Welcome Hub - a space where anyone can find a warm welcome, hot and cold drinks and snacks, delicious homemade cakes, and a friendly chat (all for free). We’ve had some amazing special events over the past two years, from Christmas dinners to wreath-making workshops, and we’ve received some incredible support from local shops, individuals, and schools. We couldn’t do it without our fantastic team of volunteers from the churches and the wider community. Thank you!
Pop along today for a piece of birthday cake and a cuppa. The Welcome Hub is open in the Sycamore Tree Centre at Larkfield & East Malling Methodist Church on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10am - 4pm.
If you’d like to support the Hub, you can donate here, with the reference ‘Welcome Hub’: https://www.larkfieldmethodist.org/about-4
To see pictures from our activities check out our gallery page
more pictures on our Gallery page
Messy Pumpkins
31/10/24
Wowee! Somehow, we squeezed 75 of us (including 41 very excited children!) into the hall for Messy Church, when we thought about ourselves as pumpkins (no, really) with God’s love shining in our hearts. We made pumpkin biscuits and lanterns, decorated autumn plates, hunted for glowsticks, made lots of noise with our musical instruments, went doughnut-bobbing, and enjoyed our snacks.
If you like worship that involves lots of food, activities for all ages, and a small amount of chaos, we’d love to see you again for Breakfast Church on the first Sunday of the month at 9am in the hall.
Plus, do pop the date for our ‘Messy Christingle’ in your diaries - Monday 23 December at 2.30pm, for children and their families.
Thanks to our brilliant team
Celebrating 60th Anniversary
Many thanks to Rob, our own Piano Guy
Some of us are planning to take part in sponsored '60 for 60' events to raise some money. Could you get involved? Ideas that have emerged already include knitting 60 squares for a blanket, walking 60 times around a lake (not all in one go), cycling 60 miles around churches in the circuit, and growing (and selling) 60 plants. Be as imaginative as you like!
I've attached the sponsor form - there are printed copies at church. Folks can pay by cash, cheque, electronic transfer, or using their smartphone and the QR code on the form. Please encourage UK taxpayers to complete all the columns, so we can claim Gift Aid on their donation. Rob and Monica are able to receive cash and cheques to be paid in, and Tricia will need the completed forms so we can claim Gift Aid.
Do let us know what you're planning - or sponsor someone else, if you can. Thank you
Church funds - We need your help!
It's not always easy to talk about money, but at a recent Church Council, we spent a long time doing just that. Unfortunately, due mainly to rising costs, our church is currently running at an annual deficit of up to £10k - which means we're in danger of running out of funds in just a couple of years. Larkfield is a brilliant church, with a huge amount of energy, creativity and a real desire to reach out and share God’s love. It would be such a shame if that work came under threat, due to a lack of funds. As Brian said: 'I don't want to be shopping at Morrisons in a couple of years and hear someone say - didn't there used to be a church over there?'
There's not much we can realistically do to reduce our expenditure, so the Church Council has agreed various ways to try and increase our income. We appointed three small groups, to look at finding new lettings, applying for grants, and organising church fundraising events.
There are things that all of us can do - whether or not we're in a position to give financially. Here are some ideas:
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If you donate to the church, and are eligible for Gift Aid, please ensure you're signed up - it's easy, and means we get an extra 25% at no extra cost to you. Please speak to Tricia for more details.
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If you’re in touch with any groups, organisations and classes locally, ask whether they might be interested in hiring our hall or the Sycamore Tree. Chat to Mike, our lettings officer, about availability.
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Support our fundraising efforts.
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If you generously buy resources that we use at church, and don't claim the cost - you could claim, and then donate the same amount to the church, so we can claim the Gift Aid (assuming you're eligible).
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Let me know if you'd like to join one of the groups looking at lettings, grants, and church fundraising events. We're looking especially for someone else to join Mike and Val on the 'lettings' group - making contact with local organisations and advertising our premises.
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Pray! For God to provide the resources we need to do his work in our community.
No Cash?
No Problem!
Donate to the church the cashless way
You can now donate to the church with your smart phone!
Scan the QR code on the Donate page of the website or any of the QR codes displayed in the church.
For more information or questions contact Martin White
You can also now make contactless donations direct to Martin White's phone using card or smartphone!
Spreading the Word - Our Website
In the last month there were 142 visits to the site, 60 from directly entering the site, 61 via Google, 14 from theplaymap.co.uk and 4 from Bing!
In 2023 there were 1648 visits to the site, up 27%. Visits from NKM were up 75%
In 2022 we had more than twice as many visits as 2021 - 721 people visited the website 1299 times for an average of 4minutes 59 seconds.
In 2024, visitors were from all parts of the UK, with multiple visits from US (44), France (7), India (6).
Popular pages visited were:
Home
Services (41% up on previous month)
The most busy time is 4pm on a Monday but you are always welcome.
We are a busy church with many activities. If you spot any omissions or errors please the webmaster will be delighted to hear from you - email quantum.martin@btinternet.com
Welcome everyone.