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
16/10/2025
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...
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)
No wonder our church has two kitchens, in addition to all the meals served in the main hall kitchen, the Sycamore Tree centre serves up great food every Tuesday for the Muffins group.
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...
16/10/25
Dear friends,
Thank you to the jumble sale team!
Many thanks to Monica and the fantastic team of volunteers behind last Saturday's jumble sale, which raised a whopping £476.91 and was a great opportunity to connect with folks in the local community who might not normally come along to church. Here are the 'before' and 'during' photos! Please speak to Monica if you could help taking leftover items to the tip or the charity shop.
Blessing of the cross at Wouldham Primary School
Eileen and I were pleased to be invited to attend the blessing of the cross from the Church in Burham, which has now been installed at Wouldham Primary School. Here's a photo of Eileen and Rev Nicky with the cross which, I think you'll agree, looks very fitting in its new home. It was good to speak to children and teachers from the school, who were delighted to receive the cross. We were also served some very tasty cakes by the children!
Alpha
As many of you will know, this Sunday will be the last in our series of six lunchtime Alpha sessions. I'm so very grateful to the team of around 30 fabulous volunteers who have made this possible. You can read all about what we've been up to in this week's online prayers - and please do keep the guests and hosts in your prayers ahead of this Sunday's session.
Placement
From Monday, I'll be joined for a couple of weeks by someone named Lynne, who is currently training for ordination in the United Reformed Church. Lynne is joining me on placement, and particularly wants to build on her experience of pastoral care and work with children and young people. She already has a wealth of experience of ministry in the Church of England and the URC, and I'm sure will be a great blessing while she's with us. I know you'll make her very welcome!
Annual leave next week
As next week is half term, I'll be taking a few days' leave, from Thursday 23 October - Sunday 26 October inclusive.
3Generate video
Have you heard of 3Generate? It's the annual gathering for children and young people from across the Methodist Church in Britain (the latest incarnation of what some of you might have experienced as MAYC, Youth Conference, or Youth Assembly). This year, over 1700 young people plus hundreds of volunteers gathered at the NEC in Birmingham for an amazing weekend. Why not take a look at the video, here?
Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter - Project Worker job available
MCWS are currently advertising for a part-time Project Worker. All the details can be found on the attached advert; please do share this with anyone who might like to apply. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 9 November, although applications might close earlier if a suitable candidate is found.
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
Every blessing,
Naomi
Diary Notices
To find all upcoming events, please visit our new look Notices page, which includes the following:
Other Notices
Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter - Project Worker job available
MCWS are currently advertising for a part-time Project Worker. All the details can be found on the attached advert; please do share this with anyone who might like to apply. The deadline is midnight on Sunday 9 November, although applications might close earlier if a suitable candidate is found.
Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter - Volunteers needed
MCWS will be returning to Tonbridge Road on Sunday evenings this winter. Applications are welcome from anyone wishing to volunteer (at Tonbridge Road or in other venues). You can find the form at maidstoneshelter.org.uk/volunteer - click on the 'Volunteer here' button. If you prefer a paper form, you can contact the office on 01622 296 450 or mcwsoffice@maidstoneshelter.org.uk. The deadline for applications is Sunday 30 November, and further details can be found in the attached.
MCWS is also holding its annual fundraising dinner, with support from Frédéric bistro, on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 7pm. Frédéric’s is an independent French restaurant in the heart of Maidstone. The dinner will cost £30 per person, which includes a donation to the winter shelter. If you would like to book your place, please do so by Thursday 16 October by emailing Mandy on mcwsoffice@maidstoneshelter.org.uk.
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.
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:
-
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.
-
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.
-
Support our fundraising efforts.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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.