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 8th November
Come and Sing Fauré
Come and sing Fauré's Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine with Dartford Choral Society next Saturday 7th November at St Michael and All Angels Church, Wilmington. Rehearsal 1.30-3pm, concert performance 4pm. Tickets £16 for singers, £5 for audience. Flyer on the noticeboard.
Safeguarding Training
An opportunity from 10.30 am on Saturday 14th November to complete “Awareness of Domestic Abuse” training in person at the church. Also “Basic” and “Foundation” should that be needed. Please sign up.
Evensong at Belvedere
At the invitation of the Revd. Ethlyn Roy-Johnson the choir go to All Saints, Belvedere (Nuxley Road, DA17 5JE) to sing evensong together with the local congregation on Sunday 22nd November (Christ the King) at 4 pm, which is also St Cecilia’s Day, the patron saint of music. All welcome.
Advent Reading Groups
An opportunity to join others reading and reflecting upon selected parts of ‘Women of the Nativity, an Advent and Christmas journey in nine stories’ by Paula Gooder. Most weeks, each session will run once on Zoom and once in person, you can choose whichever is most convenient. If you would like to order the book through church please add your name to the list at the back, the cost for the book is £10.50, but it is not essential to have the book to come to the sessions. Zooms: Sundays on Nov 29th, Dec 6th & 13th at 7.30 pm for 40 minutes.
In person: Wednesday Dec 2nd, then Mondays on Dec 7th, 14th, 21st at Church 10.30 am -11.30 am with coffee.
The Real Advent Calendar 2026
A fun way to share the Christmas story and the only one with Fairtrade chocolate and which supports charitable projects. The calendar comes with a free 24-page Christmas story activity book for children. £5 each. Limited stock, place your order on the list at the back of church.
Christmas Choir
In the run up to Advent, we are inviting anybody who fancies joining in with others with a view to a few public performances. No musical training is required, just a delight in singing together. Meet in the chancel for some practice after Sunday morning service beginning in November.
inging together. Meet in the chancel for some practice after Sunday morning service beginning in November.
Charity of the Month
RSPCA Kent North West
As we work with God to safeguard and renew Creation please consider supporting the local RSPCA during November. Find out more about work based locally in Dartford at:
www.rspca.org.uk/local/aboutus/contactus/-/rspca/kent-north-west-branch.
Special collection on Sunday 1st November.
Christmas Market – Friday 4th December
Please don’t hold back if you can help at this event at the school between 3 pm and 5 pm. We need all available volunteers. Ideally come early to set up and stay later to clear up, but personnel to run the stalls is vital while the public is in. If you simply cannot be there, why not support the effort by:
· bringing a bottle for the tombola each Sunday;
· selling the raffle tickets allotted to you, and then some more;
· coming up with a game, the simpler the better (the children really like them, and the adults often do too!)
Sponsor-a-Floorboard
Please encourage all your friends to sponsor a floorboard in the main hall of the new Lantern Centre. We have many floorboards to lay in the final phase of the building fit-out. Boards are about a metre in length and can be sponsored for a donation which you can then Gift Aid (we suggest £25 each but it’s up to you) and, when available, you will be able to sign the underside of them and be part of the new centre for ever.
This Week at St Mary’s
Daily (except Tuesday, Friday)
9 am Mattins
5 pm Evensong
Monday 9th November
9 am School Eucharist (at the school)
Wednesday 11th November
1 pm Mothers’ Union (at Dianne's house)
Thursday 12th November
2-4 pm Open Church (ending with prayer at 3.45 pm)
7.30 pm Bell-ringing practice
Friday 13th November
7 pm Choir practice
Saturday 14th November
9.30 am Men’s Breakfast
Next Sunday is the Second before Advent
9 am Mattins
10 am Holy Communion
5 pm Evensong
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
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.