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
27/2/2026
On this page:
Welcome Hub now has its own dedicated Welcome Hub page available from the main menu above.
Also check out the new, extended Notices page which now includes diary events and more...
Church Family Weekend
Family weekend
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...
26/2/26
Greetings in this Lenten season. Some news and updates for you for the coming weeks...
Congratulations to Jacob
Many congratulations to Jacob, who was baptised on Sunday at our church. Jacob and his Mum Lynn have been attending for the past nine months, and recently joined us on the church weekend away, where Jacob expressed a wish to be baptised. They are hoping soon to move to Dover, and we will miss them greatly! It was a privilege to share this special day with Jacob and his family; Valerie joined us in order to make the promises on behalf of the church family.
Could you help?
Alison Hornsby has, at long last, been given a date for her operation, for which we are very thankful. She will need to get to the hospital in London on Friday 6 March, and would be most grateful if someone could give her a lift, as she will have luggage to bring with her. If you could offer a lift on Friday 6 March, please contact Alison on knittynoo52@gmail.com
Roger Barton's funeral
For those wishing to attend Roger Barton's funeral, here are the details from Shirley: 'The Committal Service for Roger will be held on Thursday 26th March at Vinters Park Crematorium at 1pm for family only. This will be live streamed and further details will be shared later. You are welcome to join the family at 2pm for a Thanksgiving Service at Holy Cross Church. The service will be led by Revd Robert Zachar. The wake afterwards will be held at Tudor Park Hotel and all are welcome. Donations in Roger’s memory will support the work of Action for Children.'
Burham's window
I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the beautiful stained-glass window from the Church in Burham has now been removed, replaced with clear glass, and stored safely ready to be installed in the redeveloped Union Street Methodist Church, as part of the Church in Burham's ongoing presence in the circuit.
Calling all craftivists!
Are you a keen knitter or crotcheter (is that a word)? Have you wondered if your crafts could change the world?
You might be interested to join the Methodist Church's monthly 'Wholehearted' online gathering on 10 March, to listen to Sarah Corbett, an award-winning activist and author, Ashoka Fellow and founder of the global Craftivist Collective. Her unique 'Gentle Protest' approach to activism and craftivism (craft + activism) engages people in slow, quiet, humble and kind activism and has directly helped change hearts, minds, policies and laws around the world combining campaign strategy, neuroscience, psychology and rooted in her Christian faith. Click here to book.
Exploring vocation
The Methodist Church offers an 'Explore' programme for anyone wishing to explore church leadership, whether lay or ordained. The next cohort begins in May 2026. If you might like to join them, you can book here to join a taster session on 14 April 2026 at 7pm.
Another slice of history from Jim!
Jim Bryant from Union Street has unearthed another slice of history relating to East Malling Methodist Chapel:
The East Malling Chapel
'The Society probably existed at a very early date. In 1823 there were 11 members, in 1845, 31, and in 1864, 17. Mr. Edward Plater who joined the Society in 1858, writes respecting the beginning of our cause in East Malling: “I have some memory of the first Mr. Casse, and of his ideas of its origin. The Rev. Mr. Holmes, Vicar of Billing, built and endowed the free school there. He was friendly with Wesley at the time, and Wesley is said to have preached in the school. Half of the Trustees were Wesleyans and half Churchmen, but the former were gradually replaced. When this was completed, preaching was prohibited and the Society hired a Hop Oast nearby.” After great difficulty the site of the present Chapel was secured in 1844.
When the jubilee of the Chapel was celebrated in 1894 the Rev. William Day, of the Methodist Episcopal Church wrote from Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.: “The little brick Chapel is, to me, the dearest building in all England, for it was in that my new life in Christ and for Christ began, on the tenth day of November, 1844, my seventeenth birthday. It was the holy Sabbath day. Well do I remember that day of days, and how its sacred hours were spent."'
Lent course
It was great to see some of you for the first two instalments of our online Lent course, focusing on 'Fruitfulness on the Frontline'. Your frontline is anywhere you spend a significant amount of time with people who aren't Christians - and we realised what a wide range of frontlines we had between us, from the gym to care homes, the school gates, golf courses, foodbanks, hospital appointments and our family and friends.
If you weren't able to join us, you'd still be so welcome to come along for session 3 on Wednesday 11 March at 7.45pm.
Here's a reminder of the Zoom details:
https://zoom.us/j/92097680710?pwd=6j4IImobHdCOSN4a52LIwjfMx7Aksw.1
Meeting ID: 920 9768 0710
Passcode: 479237
Church WhatsApp group
Did you know that the church has an informal WhatsApp group, so we can share news and prayer requests? If you'd like to join, please send me your phone number.
Every blessing,
Naomi
Diary Notices
To find all upcoming events, please visit our Notices page, which includes the following:
Other Notices
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.
Could you help look after the church website?
As many of you will know, Martin and Irene are planning to move in the not-too-distant future. We're delighted for them (although we'll miss them terribly!). Martin does an excellent job of looking after our church website and keeping it up-to-date. Is this something you might be able to help with in the future? If so, please take the opportunity to have a chat to Martin and find out what the role entails. The website is an excellent tool for outreach - I know we've had folks come to join us because they've found our website to be attractive and interesting. So we'd love to keep it going! Larkfield Methodist Church | North Kent Methodist Circuit | Kent
On the subject of the website...
Greetings fellow Larks, this is Martin reporting from the Shropshire town of Cleobury Mortimer. Today, for the first time, I am editing the website from the old Methodist Church, now used as a community hub. It is a vibrant space full of love and energy. It is well used, with the grey-haired running group popping in after their run, youngsters gaining self-confidence through using the climbing wall and several people just meeting up over a cup of coffee. A young lady, toddler in arms, is wearing a jacket quoting Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me". So although the Methodist church is here no more, the Spirit goes from strength to strength.
Booking Church Facilities
We have a variety of rooms to suit your requirements, each with its own kitchen. The Church Hall and the Sycamore Tree rooms are available for booking at competitive rates. More details on our bookings page.
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
November Traffic
In November there were 143 new visitors to the site, 130 from directly entering the site, 84 via Google, 14 from facebook and 12 from Bing! Together with returning visitors, that was a total of 167 unique visitors and 257 site sessions.
Obviously, most visits were from within the UK but we had 18 hits from Germany and 11 from Singapore! Even the Russians (4) are watching us, so I had better be careful what I write!
Popular pages visited were:
Services
Notices
Welcome Hub
The most busy time is 3pm 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.