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 6th September
Charity of the Month
The Diocese of Rochester Poverty and Hope Appeal 2026, supporting a mixture of projects in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Palestine, Brazil, central America and the Caribbean, Myanmar connected to agriculture, prisons and earthquake relief. Special collection today or throughout the month in the Offerings box.
Area Dean Commissioning
The next Area Dean of Swanscombe is to be the Revd. Gordon MacBean, Rector of Northfleet. We are invited to pray for him at evensong at St Botolph’s, Northfleet this afternoon at 3.30pm when he will be commissioned.
MCK Donations at Harvest
Thank you to those who regularly donate to MCK’s foodbank in the trolley. At present toiletries aren’t needed, but tinned meat, pies, fish and other high-protein foods are always welcome.
FKC Ride & Stride
And if you want to get out in nature what better way than taking part in the Friends of Kent Churches’ Ride and Stride next Saturday 12th September? Fix up your bike, polish your boots, plan how many churches you can visit in a day.
27th September Harvest Thanksgiving & Lunch
Please signal your attendance for this year’s harvest with lunch in the church afterwards (for the last time, we pray).
Men’s Breakfast
Ian Packer is exploring a new initiative on the second Saturday morning of the month, beginning on Saturday 10th October. Let him know if this would be of interest to you.
Season of Creation 2026 – Living Water
Take a look at the Eco-Church board this morning because it has been refreshed to reflect this year’s theme ‘Living Water’; a powerful biblical vision of hope and ecological healing. Through living water comes healing; but in order to receive new life, we too must step into the water and also become part of God’s river of life, taking part in the healing of creation. With a focus on water, the Eco-Church Board suggests some ideas for how we can contribute to a more just and life-giving world. Thank you to the Eco-Church Steering Group for putting the board together.
‘Hope for All Creation – a theological response to the environmental crises’
This new resource has recently been published by the Church of England’s House of Bishops as a contribution to discerning how we exercise wise, responsible stewardship of the planet we share. You can order it as a book from the usual places or download it for free here:
https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/hope-for-all-creation-for-web-new.pdf
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)
9 am Mattins (not Friday)
5 pm Evensong
Wednesday 9th September
7 pm Mothers’ Union (at the rectory)
Thursday 10th September
11 am Service at Strawberry Hill
2-4 pm Open Church (ending with prayer at 3.45 pm)
7.30 pm Bell-ringing practice
Friday 11th September
7 pm Choir practice
Next Sunday is Trinity 15
9 am Mattins
10 am Family Communion and Parish Breakfast
12 noon Holy Baptism Louie Rouse
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.