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 4th May 2025
Strolling Stones Ramble
We are going to be walking the Samuel Palmer trail around Shoreham Village, tomorrow Monday 5th May leaving from church at 9.30 am, with a pub lunch at The Kings Arms. See Kathryn Swanston for details, if you want to join the group.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
The annual Easter Vestry and Parochial Church Meeting takes place after morning service next Sunday 11th May from 11.15 am at which representatives of the laity are elected to help lead the church as follows:
churchwardens, to serve for the year 2025/26;
PCC members, to serve for three years.
Nomination papers are available on the noticeboard. Please consider standing for these positions.
For information: PCC meets six times a year in alternate months on a Saturday morning at 10 am. Regular attendance at worship is assumed of those who represent the laity.
An annual report and accounts for 2024, together with agenda is available electronically or in hard copy.
Charity of the Month
Today there will be a special collection to support the work of Kent Wildlife Trust, the county’s leading conservation trust.
The Trust have an ambitious programme to defend and restore 30% of the county’s land and sea under “Wilder Kent 2030.” It involves not only land management to increase the return of missing species, but inspiring partners to work alongside and achieve this goal. With urban development in our part of the world such a feature we want to support this aim as a part of our commitment to environmental sustainability. Read more at www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk.
Throughout May you can make a donation in the Offerings box.
Ascension Day
On Thursday 29th May at 7 pm Holy Communion with the usual rocket finale.
Summer Fair
This essential fundraiser takes place at Stone St Mary’s school on Saturday 7th June between 11 am and 2 pm with all the usual attractions and any new ones you can suggest. Please consult the stalls list in the usual place and sign up to support.
To aid the bottle tombola, please bring a spare bottle to church each week and place it in box provided. Many thanks!
Farewell to Dennis and Val
Marking Dennis Moor’s retirement from St Mary’s please do join us on Sunday 8th June(Pentecost)
- for Holy Communion at 10 am,
- a bring-and-share meal in the rectory garden afterwards,
- and Evensong at 3 pm.
Inaugurating the Deanery of Swanscombe
The Bishop of Rochester comes to St Peter and St Paul, Swanscombe also on Sunday 8th June at 4.30 pm. If you have any energy left (!) please come and join the celebration for our new deanery.
Please note that exceptionally the Family Communion service in June will be on Trinity Sunday 15th June.
Calendar & Dates
Please note the following moveable dates for 2025: 5th March – Ash Wednesday; 20th April – Easter Day; 11th May - Annual Parochial Church Meeting; 29th May – Ascension Day; 7th June - Summer Fair; 8th June – Pentecost; 19th June – Corpus Christi; 28th September – Harvest Thanksgiving; 5th October – Dedication Festival; 30th November – Advent Sunday.
This Week at St Mary’s: -
Daily (except Tuesday)
9 am Mattins (not Monday)
5 pm Evensong
Wednesday 7th May
7 pm Mothers’ Union (at the Rectory)
Thursday 8th May
2-4 pm Church open for prayer
7.30 pm Bell-ringing practice
Friday 9th May
7pm Choir practice
Next Sunday is Easter 4
9 am Mattins
10am Family Communion
11.30 am Annual Parochial Church Meeting
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
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.
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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.