Stone Church, St Mary the Virgin
13th Century parish church of Stone-next-Dartford, Kent
A place of welcome, prayer, healing and peace.
Notices for the week beginning Sunday 21st May 2023
“Thy Kingdom Come”
The days between Ascension and Pentecost have always been special, and recently have been marked out as a particular period of prayer during which you are encouraged to: Deepen your own relationship with Jesus Christ;
Pray for five friends or family to come to faith in Jesus; Pray for empowerment by the Spirit to be effective in our witness.
Charity of the Month
Abigail’s Footsteps works regionally to support those bereaved by the loss of a baby before or after birth. Find out about this work via www.abigailsfootsteps.co.uk. The charity has three aims: to improve bereavement training for health care professionals;
to provide vital equipment in every maternity unit; to ensure that bereavement suites are located away from main maternity wards. This special collection continues throughout May.
Summer Fayre
It’s time to plan our next important fundraiser which will take place at the school on Saturday 10th June. Please sign your name and stall details on the sheet and make sure to keep the date free. Contributions for raffle prizes and the tombola are sought.
Dartford Deanery Synod
On Wednesday 21st June from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm, St Mary’s will host the newly elected deanery synod, and this will include a presentation from Canon Pamela Ive, the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and lead for encouraging vocations to ministry within the diocese. You may want to hear her and would be welcome to attend.
The Lads of the Village
With great sadness we learn that our local pub, the Lads of the Village, is to close later this year. Sean Holland, the licensee, is celebrating his eightieth birthday this weekend, having served refreshment to Stone for decades. Why not join us after today’s service at the Lads to wish him a ‘Happy Birthday’?
This Week at St Mary’s: -
Daily (except Tuesday)
8.30 am Mattins
5 pm Evensong
Monday 22nd – Friday 26th May
9.15 am – 2.30 pm Pentecost Journey
Wednesday 24th May
2.30 - 4 pm Open Church
Thursday 25th May
7.30 pm Bell-ringing practice
Next Sunday is Whitsunday (Pentecost)
9 am Mattins
10 am Holy Communion
12 noon Holy Baptism Noah Bradley
5 pm Evensong
Calendar & Dates
In accordance with the very practical Epiphany tradition of announcing the year’s moveable feasts, please note the following dates for 2023: 8th January – Baptism of Christ; 22nd February – Ash Wednesday; 9th April – Easter Day; 16th April - Annual Parochial Church Meeting; 6th May – Coronation of His Majesty the King; 18th May – Ascension Day; 28th May – Pentecost; 10th June – Summer Fair; 11th June – Corpus Christi (transferred); 24th September – Harvest Thanksgiving; 3rd December – Advent Sunday.
Hymns, Reflections & Prayers
Daily hope from the Church of England. Do share the following free phone number with anyone, especially those without access to the internet: 0800 804 8044
A Guide to getting on to Facebook
1.Type ‘Facebook’ into your computer or tablet or phone search box
2. Click the link ‘log into Facebook’ and you will arrive at a screen which will let you create your own account.
3. Enter your email address as directed and create a password that you will remember (e.g. an old address or phone number or a car registration number)
4. Enter a birth date
5. Click ‘sign up’ and an email will then be sent to you with a number code to enter into the box on the next screen.
6. Enter the code from the email into the box and click ‘continue’.
7. A message should appear to say your account is confirmed and that you will use your email address to log in. Click OK.
8. To find the St Mary’s page type st mary the virgin church stone-next-dartford into the search box at the top of the screen and then click the first post on the screen that appears next to see the most recent posts.
9. To make sure you see all new posts from St Mary’s as they appear, click the ‘Like’ button (the thumbs up symbol).
10. If you only want to follow St Mary’s this is all you have to do.
.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
You are invited to give consent that we may contact you from time to time. To continue hearing from us or to join our contact list for the first time please complete the online form on our website or the sheet available in church. Our privacy notices are on the noticeboard in church and our website here www.stmarystone.org/gdpr.