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
10/7/2025
On this page:
Unlocking their superpowers at Breakfast Church
How is the Holy Spirit like a radioactive spider?
Just one of the questions we were exploring at Sunday’s Breakfast Church! It was lovely to meet some new friends and to think about the gift of the Holy Spirit as we iced biscuits, explored the Bible, chatted over bacon butties, and made stained-glass windows.
Our next Breakfast Church is on Sunday 6 July at 9am at Larkfield & East Malling Methodist Church - why not give it a try?
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...
10/7/25
Dear friends,
Let me begin with an apology - although normally I'd share a short reflection at the beginning of this email, yesterday was rather taken up by Rachel having a sickness bug. So instead, here are some news and updates for the coming weeks (and a promise that normal service will resume next week - bugs allowing!).
A busy Sunday!
Thanks to all those who joined us last Sunday - we started with a teddy bears' picnic at Breakfast Church, with some very moving stories (and some bears who were over 90 years old!). Then, Sylvia and Valerie led us in a gentle, reflective service at 10.30am, before some of us headed off to Picnic on the Rec to spend the afternoon chatting to local residents and inviting them to add a heart to our 'thankfulness tree,' giving thanks for all we love about the local area. We are particularly grateful to Trena and Andrew Lee for the loan of their gazebo, which stopped us from getting too soaked in the thunderstorm!
Alpha - Could you help? Meeting on Tuesday 15 July
Work is happening behind the scenes to help us prepare for our Alpha course this autumn - a great opportunity for anyone to explore big questions about life and faith in a warm, friendly environment, over a delicious meal. We'll have separate streams for adults and youth (11-18s) and a creche for the under-11s. We've been delighted, in recent months, to have so many people come through our doors seeking faith and community. This feels like an exciting opportunity to reach out - and for all of us to go deeper in our faith.
To make this happen, we need lots of help! We need volunteers to pray, set up, cook, serve, look after the children, facilitate conversations, listen, wash up, and more. If you might be interested in joining the team, please join us at church at 7.45pm on Tuesday 15 July to find out more. There will be cake!
Country Lunch - Thursday 17 July
Join us for the monthly Country Lunch at the Old School Community Centre in Burham on Thursday 17 July at 12.45pm. Tasty homemade soup, crusty bread, delicious homemade crumble, and ice-cream - all for the bargain price of £3! Great company, too, and a valuable part of our continuing mission in Burham. We'd love to see you there.
Cafe Church in Burham - Sunday 20 July
We would love to welcome you to Cafe Church in Burham on Sunday 20 July, which will be held in the Old School Community Centre at 3pm. These very informal services are held in partnership with our friends from the Parish of Burham and Wouldham. As always, there will be music, conversation, and lashings of tea and cake - if you'd like to bring a cake or some biscuits, that would be lovely.
Messy Church - Wednesday 13 August
Messy Church is back for the summer holidays! We're planning on holding a Messy Church on Wednesday 13 August from 2.30pm - 4.30pm with crafts, stories, songs, and snacks. If you'd be able to join us as a volunteer, Monica and I would be delighted to hear from you.
Thank you!
Thank you again to our fantastic fundraisers - last week, we mentioned Diane and John's delightful garden party, and this week I'm very pleased to report that Monica and Rob's extremely popular 'Taste of China' evening raised a whopping £310. Thank you for all your hard work!
Sale of the Church in Burham
Many of us have been aware that progress to sell the Church in Burham, following its closure in September, has been rather slow. It has been agreed that it will be sold at auction; however, as many of you know, the circuit has been in a process of transition, with our previous Circuit Property Officer handing over her role to James Walker, our Circuit Operations Manager. James is doing a great job - in fact, he's been down to the church himself to clear weeds from the front garden - but the handover process has necessarily slowed things down, for which we are very sorry. However, things are gradually moving forward, and James hopes the building will be sold in the autumn. As you know, the circuit has agreed that £10,000 from the sale will be set aside to support continuing mission in Burham.
New President and Vice-President of the Conference
Following the recent Methodist Conference, there is a new President and Vice-President of the Methodist Church in Britain: the Revd Richard Andrew and Matthew Forsyth. Their theme for the year is 'Our Story, Our Song.' You can watch a short video introducing Richard and Matthew and their theme here:
'Our Story, Our Song' | Introducing the President and Vice President of Conference 2025/26
This weekend
Although it probably feels like I just got back from holiday, I wanted to let you know that I'll be away this weekend (camping with friends, including seven preschoolers, in the 30-degree heat!). I'll be back in time for the meeting at Larkfield on Tuesday evening, and back at my desk on Wednesday.
Every blessing,
Naomi
Some news and updates for the coming weeks...
Colin Wolfe's funeral
Colin Wolfe’s funeral will take place on Monday 21 July at 1pm at Vinters Park Crematorium. Thank you to all those who have held his family and friends in prayer at this sad time.
National Churches Survey
The National Churches Survey is being conducted to help politicians, the media and the wider public better understand the challenges churches face and to highlight the vital work that churches do. The deadline for responses is Sunday 13 July, and anyone working or volunteering in a church is encouraged to respond. You can find the questions here: The National Churches Survey: giving every church a voice | National Churches Trust
Emmaus UK Men's Walk
Emmaus UK is holding a Men's Walk (essentially a three-day Christian retreat) this autumn at Highgate House in Creaton near Kettering. The retreat runs from 4pm on Thursday 23 October to 5pm on Sunday 26 October and costs £300 for full board. Several people in our circuit have found their experiences of Emmaus UK's Walks to be life-changing: whether you are new to faith, or a lifelong Christian, these retreats can help to reignite or deepen your relationship with God.
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact John and Valerie Thornewell: j_thornewell@hotmail.com / valeriet_17@hotmail.com
Every blessing,
Naomi
Some reminders...
Painting party
Our lovely hall needs a bit of TLC! We are putting together a team of volunteers to repaint the hall on Saturdays 2 and 9 August. We already have a handful of volunteers, but we'd love some more. If you could take part, please contact myself, Mike or Alan Wood - we'd love to hear from you.
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.