St Mary Stalisfield

St Mary Norton

St Mary Norton is part of the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside and is known locally as 'The Church in the Orchard'

St Mary Teynham

St Mary's Teynham is part of the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside

St Mary, Eastling in the Parish of High Downs

A warm welcome awaits you at St. Mary's Church, Eastling, in the Parish of High Downs

St. Mary, Eastling, is part of the Parish of High Downs with the churches of St. Mary, Stalisfield with Otterden; St. Michael and All Angels, Throwley. We are also part of the Kingsdown and Creekside Benefice and the wider Christian community of the Ospringe Deanery. We have one PCC that is supported by members of each church in the parish. We meet and share regularly in worship, fellowship and joint parish events throughout the year. You and your family will receive a warm welcome should you wish to join our church; please contact us if you need further information. Please go to the ‘About Us’ page for those to contact.

A message from our Churchwarden Andrew Baxter

May we welcome you and your family to our beautiful church situated on the North Downs of Kent, in the pleasant village of Eastling. Please feel free to visit and spend some time looking around this historic building that has over time been our mainstay for worship, prayer and the occasional social function. You will find the church open between 9.00am and 5.00pm each day. May you experience a blessing from being in the presence and peacefulness of God.

We do hope you enjoy your visit and perhaps attending one of our Morning Services, and if you need to contact us, or need more information, there are numbers listed on the 'about us' page of the website.

Best wishes and please come and join us.

Andrew

A Prayer for this coming Week Sunday 29th December 2024.

Glorious God of all,
You are the giver of new life,
You are the one to whom we owe each breath,
You are the reason for our hope.
At this time of Epiphany, enliven us with your Holy Spirit, be present within us in your Son Jesus Christ as we come close You, and celebrate your rising to new life.

Seeking Your light to see what has been revealed
Seeking Your warmth to set hearts aglow with Your love
Seeking Your truth, that we might trust.
As we proclaim the gospel of your Son, that in Him is life which conquers death,
make us anew Your beloved children.

He is risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.

2024 Services of Worship within High Downs

Within this parish we have regular services of worship and they are listed below.

There is always a weekly service for you to attend.

Our regular 10.30am Sunday morning services are as follows:

1st Sunday Holy Communion at Eastling

2nd Sunday Morning Worship at Throwley

3rd Sunday Morning Worship at Eastling

4th Sunday Holy Communion at Throwley

THIS WEEK'S SERVICES

1st Sunday of Christmas

29th December

Sunday's readings:-

1 Samuel 2: 18 - 20 & 26

Luke 2: 41 - 52

29th DECEMBER SERVICE

Benefice Lay Led

10:30am Doddington, Morning Worship

Daily Morning Prayer 9.00am. Live Streamed.

WE ARE TAKING A BREAK BETWEEN 23RD DECEMBER 2024 AND THE 2ND JANUARY 2025

Please join the Live Facebook Broadcast led by a member of the ministry team. Please visit www.kingsdowncreekside.co.uk and click on the the facebook icon.

Follow our services at: www.kingsdowncreekside.co.uk

New Service at Lynsted Church

06:00pm Lynsted, Cornerstone every fortnight

on Sunday 5th January 2025 led by Jim Pye

Safeguarding in High Downs Parish

This Church and Parish is committed to safeguarding as an integral part of its ministry and mission, promoting a safer culture and the welfare of every child, young person and adult. As such, this Church and Parish has robust policies, procedures and guidelines in place, to ensure good practice throughout all of its activities and its environment.

This Church and Parish will:

Promote a safer environment and culture

Safely recruit and support all those with any responsibility related to children and vulnerable adults within the Church

Respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation

Care pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons

Care pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons

Respond to those that may pose a present risk to others

"We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs. The Diocese of Canterbury’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services."

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is Mark Harlow 07979864000

email: [email protected]

Private Prayer at St. Mary, Eastling

St. Mary, Eastling is open every day for private prayer 9.00am to 5.00pm.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Should you have any questions please contact our Benefice Administrator, Joyce Warren, whose contact details are given below:

A church official can be contacted by telephoning:

01795 521831 (we have a new telephone number for the Parish Office now cited at St. Peter and St. Paul, Lynsted Church. The office is manned two days each week and all calls left on the answering system, outside these hours, are monitored regularly and returned promptly.

or emailing:

Joyce Warren, the Benefice Administrator on:

[email protected]

Rector and Priest in Charge: Reverend Paula Jardine-Rose

Paula has overall responsibility for ministry within the Benefice of Kingsdown, Creekside and High Downs.

07516 411269

Email: [email protected]

Associate Priest: Reverend Jim Pye

The Rectory, Newnham Lane, Eastling, Faversham, Kent ME13 0AS.

01795 890726

Email: [email protected]

Weddings and Baptisms Please visit the Weddings and Baptisms page from the main menu. You can find more information or details and a form on how to apply.

Funerals Please visit the Funerals page from the main menu under Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals where you can find more information and how to contact us.

CHURCH LIFE AND MINISTRY and COVID

We know that whilst the regulations for COVID have been relaxed it has taught us to be mindful that COVID is still in our midst and we remain mindful of keeping ourselves as COVID-free as possible.

In High Downs Parish, we have three key aims:

Keeping people well

keeping people praying

Keeping people connected

DIOCESAN STAFF & PARISH SUPPORT

The Diocesan staff team remains committed to supporting you with any of your questions - and will continue to be available to you by phone and email. If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to call Diocesan House on 01227 459401.

WHERE CAN I GET FURTHER SUPPORT for my spiritual needs.

The Living Well, Canterbury Diocese Centre for Healing & Wholeness team, offer listening and prayer and individual retreats. To book and for more information, please email [email protected].

You can also email requests to their weekly prayer support team:
[email protected]

PRAYER

Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy.
Sustain and support the anxious,
be with those who care for the sick,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may find comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

St Margaret Wychling

St Margaret's Wychling is within the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside. It is situated in a beautiful woodland and services are held on the first Sunday of the month from May to October as well as on special occasions. It is also the home for Wild Church.

Teynham Primary School Worship Centre

Teynham Primary School is where Messy Church Meets on the first Saturday of each month at 3.30pm.

St John the Baptist, Doddington

St John the Baptist (or the Beheading of St John the Baptist to give the Church its full title) is part of the parish of Kingsdown and Creekside.

St Peter & St Paul, Newnham

St Peter & St Paul Newnham is part of the parish of Kingsdown and Creekside

St Peter & St Paul, Lynsted

St Peter & St Paul is part of the the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside and is the home of Breakthrough every Sunday evening at 6pm.

St Peter Oare

St Peter's Oare is part of the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside and is situated above Oare Creek

St Michael & All Angels

Welcome to St Michael and All Angels Parish Church, Throwley which is the only community building within our village and therefore a very important part of the life of the Community. We hold two services a month at 10.30 on the 2nd and 4th Sundays, as well as some special services from time to time, and you will receive a warm welcome if you come to join us.

The Church is generally open at weekends and also on Wednesdays from Easter to October.

A message from our Churchwarden

We welcome everyone to our beautiful church in Throwley, on the North Downs of Kent, which has been a place of worship for nearly a thousand years. Please feel free to visit and spend time looking around this historic building which is our focus of worship, prayer and together with some social events, inlcuding a recent art exhibition.

We do hope you enjoy your visit and encourage you to come to one of our services, and if you need to contact us, or need more information, there are numbers listed here and on the 'about us' page of the website.

Best wishes and please come and join us.

David

tel. 07973 837122

Email: [email protected]