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
26/4/2026
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...
Muffins bluebell walk in Trosley
Our annual Muffins outing to see the bluebells at Trosley CP. It was sunny and quite warm. The bluebells were prolific and a beautiful colour. Our reflection discussion and prayers were a great time of fellowship. (see Gallery page for more pictures)
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...
23/4/26
Dear friends,
I hope you had a joyful and blessed Easter. We are now in that season, between Easter Day and Ascension Day, when we remember the encounters that various people had with the risen Christ. According to the Bible, after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to his male and female disciples on numerous occasions, walking with them, talking with them, and even preparing meals for them. On one occasion, Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). A key theme in these post-resurrection appearances is that some people did not recognise Jesus until he did something that reminded them of previous experiences they'd shared together - like breaking bread, speaking their name, or showing them the nail marks in his hands and feet.
These post-resurrection encounters often cause us to wonder 'where might I have missed an opportunity this week to recognise Jesus?' I love the poem The Bright Field by R S Thomas, which draws on the story of Moses, and ponders the importance of 'turning aside' to notice where God is at work.
Outreach in Martin Square on Holy Saturday
Thank you to those who joined us on Holy Saturday in Martin Square, and to those who prayed, knitted beautiful items for us to distribute, or remained in the Sycamore Tree toasting hot cross buns for us to give away. We had a wonderful morning with our friends from Holy Trinity and St James the Great reaching out to our local community and offering Easter blessings. Lots of people, including the local businesses, were delighted with their hot cross buns, drinks, and giveaways. A number of people tried to give us money, and were very surprised that we simply wanted to bless them. We had lots of interesting chats, and were able to offer prayer to a number of people who had been through a tough time, or were in need of healing.
Sabbatical cover
As you know, I'll be on sabbatical from 8 June, returning on 16 September. The arrangements for my sabbatical cover have changed slightly, as Rev Alex Terrett will be having a knee replacement on Monday - please hold her in your prayers. These are now the arrangements for ministerial cover while I'm away:
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Rev Robert Zachar will provide ministerial cover for Larkfield and Eccles.
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Rev Bonni-Belle (who plans to return to work on Monday following her chemotherapy) will provide ministerial cover for Hextable and Tonbridge Road from 8 June until 19 July.
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Rev Alex will provide ministerial cover for Hextable and Tonbridge Road from 19 July until I return on 16 September.
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As you can imagine, ministerial resources will be stretched very thinly across the circuit over the summer, while I am on sabbatical, Alex is recovering from her operation, and Bonni-Belle is preparing to sit down. Robert, Bonni-Belle and Alex will sadly not be able to get involved as much as they would like in every area of the churches' life, but they will be there for you for funerals, pastoral emergencies, and situations where it would be helpful to have input from a minister. After two maternity leaves, I know you won't have any issues coping without me for three months!
Could you be an e-steward?
Six years after they began, our weekly circuit online services continue to be greatly appreciated. The circuit is seeking someone to act as 'e-steward' on the first Sunday of the month - monitoring the chat thread, greeting worshippers as they arrive, and posting information in the thread about the order of service. Training will be provided. If you might be able to help, please contact James Walker on operations.nkmc@gmail.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 part of the team at 1st Larkfield Girls' Brigade?
Are you free on Monday evenings? Do you enjoy spending time with young people? Could you be part of the team at 1st Larkfield Girls' Brigade?
As you know, this summer, a couple of our volunteers at 1st Larkfield Girls' Brigade are stepping down after many years of faithful service. We are looking for someone new to join our brilliant team of nine remaining volunteers, and particularly to take the lead on planning and supporting sessions for our older girls aged 11-18 who meet between 6.45pm and 8.30pm on Mondays during term time.
Sadly, without someone to take on this exciting role, we may not be able to accommodate our older girls from September (although we will still be able to cater for our younger sections, which meet earlier in the evening).
Full training and support will be provided. If you'd like to find out more, or if you might be interested in getting involved, please contact Val on larkfieldgb@gmail.com or me on naomi.oates@methodist.org.uk. If you're not able to get involved yourself, please do take the time to hold the GB team in prayer, and to think about whether anyone you know might like to join us. We've been in touch with the local schools, and with the other churches in the local area. We'd be delighted to hear from you if you have any suggestions, or if you'd like to be part of the team.
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
Latest Traffic
In February there were 118 new visitors to the site, 83 from directly entering the site, 55 via Google, 14 from theplaymap.co.uk (a site for parents/carers)! Together with returning visitors, that was a total of 124 unique visitors and 163 site sessions, viewing 288 pages.
Obviously, most visits were from within the UK but we had 10 hits from Germany and 7 from France! Even the Chinese (1) are watching us, so I had better be careful what I write!
Popular pages visited were:
Notices
Services
Kids
The 25th February was especially busy 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.