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
6/2/2026
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...
5/2/26
Dear friends,
I'm deeply grateful to the planning team and the prayer team for all their hard work to prepare for Larkfield's church weekend away at Ashburnham Place last weekend, and to everyone who joined us - as one of the team said in our closing act of worship, it simply wouldn't have been the same without every single person who attended. Our theme, as you might remember, was taken from The Message translation of Philippians 1:3-11 - 'A love that will grow.'
Paul's letter to the Philippians feels different from his other letters, because it seems he counted the Philippians as his friends, and allowed them to support him in his ministry. Elsewhere, he prided himself on being able to support himself through his work as a tentmaker - see Acts 18:1-4. So I invite you to read Philippians 1:3-11 through as you think of and pray for your own church family, and to follow Paul's example of giving thanks ('Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God!') and of holding the church in prayer.
We had a fantastic time at Ashburnham Place over the weekend - in the end, 35 of us were able to gather together for fun, food, fellowship and worship. We were thrilled that almost every part of the life of the church was represented - there were folks there from our 10am services, Brigades, Breakfast Church, Messy Church, Chuckles, Muffins, the Welcome Hub, Expressions Dance, Knitting & Craft, and more. This meant that, at the start of the weekend, no-one knew everybody else - so we started by getting to know each other better through some 'human bingo' and by making spaghetti and marshmallow towers in teams (one of which was very successful!). By the end of the weekend, new friendships had formed, and we all knew each other much better. We went for muddy walks; thought about growing in the Holy Spirit, in confidence as we talk about faith, and into our purpose; and explored the Bible together. The children planted bulbs, made bread, and enjoyed playing together. Our communion service on Sunday morning was a joyous culmination of all that we'd done over the weekend, featuring a dance, a brand-new hymn, creative prayers and Bible-based reflections that we'd produced in workshops on Saturday night.
For those not on Facebook or the church WhatsApp group, there's a short video with photos of the weekend that will be shown before the service on Sunday.
I'm so grateful for the hard work of the planning team (Claire, Stefan, Monica and Valerie) and the prayer team (Alan C, Sylvia and Tracy) - we couldn't have done it without you.
Our next 'project' will be running the Bible Course, for anyone wishing to learn more about the book that's at the heart of our faith. Watch this space for dates!
Lent and Easter 2026
see Notices page for details
Sad news
I know that many of you will be deeply saddened to hear that Roger Barton died last weekend after several months of illness. A stalwart of Bearsted Church, he will also have been known to many for his service across the circuit in former years and as a local Headteacher. I will share the funeral arrangements when they are known.
God of mercy, from whom we come, by whose grace we live, in whose love we are held at the last: surround us with your presence, that in our grief and loss we may find assurance and hope in the One who died for us and rose again, even your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Methodist Worship Book, p. 437
Church Council - Thursday 12 February 7.30pm
Our next Church Council meeting will take place on Thursday 12 February at 7.30pm in the church. Everyone involved in the life of the church is welcome to attend, as we discuss important matters including plans for Lent and Easter, upcoming mission and outreach, finance, property, and Safeguarding. If you'd like a copy of the papers, please contact Margaret on margaretcox100@hotmail.com
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
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.