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
9/5/2025
On this page:
Thanks to our team of volunteers who spent Easter Saturday morning in Martin Square chatting to shoppers, handing out chocolates and homemade gifts, and inviting folks to join us at one of the Larkfield churches tomorrow morning for worship. It was lovely to work together with friends from Holy Trinity Church, Larkfield and St James the Great Church - and to break out the blue t-shirts again!
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...
30/4/25
Dear friends,
Will you be heading to your local polling station today? (If so, don't forget your photo ID - a list of acceptable forms of ID can be found here: How to vote: Photo ID you'll need - GOV.UK)
It's true that many people don't find local elections as exciting as general ones. But your local representative plays a key part in important conversations around things that affect our day-to-day lives - schools, transport, care for the elderly, libraries, recycling, and so on. I am always struck by Jeremiah 29:7, which says: "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” If the Israelites were called to seek the peace and prosperity of the place where they had been taken as captives, how much more so should we use our vote to seek those things for the communities of which we have chosen to be a part? The Joint Public Issues Team (of which the Methodist Church is a part) has often encouraged us to 'love, pray, vote' - because voting is an important way in which we can show love for our neighbour by voting in the interests of others, and not just ourselves. So today, let's love, pray, vote - and not forget our ID!
Some news and updates for the coming weeks...
Save the date! Pentecost Praise Picnic on Sunday 8 June
On Sunday 8 June, Churches Together in Malling will be gathering at Manor Park for a Pentecost Praise Picnic, beginning at 3pm and finishing by 5pm. We'd love to see as many of you as possible - please bring your own picnic, and join us for worship (and perhaps a game of rounders!). Those who have been to CTiM Pentecost events in the past will testify that they are deeply joyful - after all, Pentecost is all about people from different backgrounds being united by the Spirit.
Sustaining Hope - Saturday 17 May
Are you involved in responding to the needs of Refugees, Migrants & Displaced Persons - or interested in becoming involved? Please find attached a flyer for the upcomingSustaining Hope Spring 2025 event which is taking place on Saturday 17 May from 10am – 1.30pm at Redhill Methodist Church. To register for this event, or for more information, please email Rev Hazel Forecast on hazel.forecast@methodist.org.uk.
Next week
I'll be on leave from Tuesday - Thursday next week, as I'll be heading to Cliff College in Derbyshire with my cohort from 'vicar school' for our annual retreat. Do give me a nudge if you need something from me before I go!
Every blessing,
Naomi
Some reminders...
Explore course - May 2025
Explore is open to any member of the Methodist Church in Britain and is a valuable opportunity to consider how you are being called to respond to God's calling (inside or outside the church). You can register at any time of year, although the course element has two cohorts a year and usually runs from September to May, and May to January. You will be offered support through working with an Accompanist; journalling your experiences; shadowing people; learning and development resources; and being part of a group working together over the course of nine months.
Who Cares? Training for those involved in pastoral care
Who Cares? is a series of four two-hour online training sessions for anyone involved in pastoral work in the life of the church. If you are a Pastoral Visitor, or involved in other ways in offering care and support, you might like to sign up here (sessions begin on 4 June and run from 7-9pm).
Embracing Differences - Thursday 5 June
On Thursday 5 June, an external speaker is coming to Larkfield & East Malling Methodist Church to lead a seminar on how churches can better understand and welcome those with special educational needs and disabilities, or who are neurodiverse. You can find all the details on the attached poster, and you can book your space here.
Picnic on the Rec
As you know, this year, the church will once again have a stall at the hugely popular Picnic on the Rec - a brilliant opportunity to meet people from the local community and to publicise our many services and activities. The event will be on Sunday 6 July (not 5 July, as I wrote in a previous email!) from 1pm - 5pm (with setup beforehand). If you could join us on the day, please let me know.
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.