Teddy Bear Blessing and Toy Service

for 1 hour
St Mary's Hadlow
Church Street Hadlow Tonbridge, TN11 0DB, United Kingdom
Bring your Teddy to be blessed and bring a new toy to donate to those who may not get anything this Christmas.

Jesus told his followers to learn from children: their simplicity and innocence, their ability to love with a pure mind and heart. Our service is an exploration of the nature of love. We will talk about love, the love that people have for one another and above all, the love that God feels for us.

St Mary's Hadlow

WELCOME

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, gay, filthy rich, dirt poor, yo no habla Ingles. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rail or could afford to lose a few pounds.

We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli or like our Vicar who can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’re more Catholic than the Pope, or those more in line with Billy Graham. You're very welcome if you haven’t been in church since the last Baptism.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome soccer mums, ballet dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like “organized religion,” we’ve been there too.

If you blew all your collection money on the lottery, you’re welcome here. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome you if you’ve learned about God in a tradition very different from the one we know best. We look forward to hearing about where you’ve come from and what you have learned because we’ve learned that there is always more to understand and more to know

We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts … and you!

gallery image gallery image gallery image gallery image gallery image

Get in touch

Janice Massy (Parish Administrator)

The Vicarage,
Maidstone Road,
Hadlow,
Kent.

TN11 0DJ
Parish Administrator
07570 941809

Our website

What's on

Teddy Bear Blessing and Toy Service

for 1 hour
St Mary's Hadlow
Church Street Hadlow Tonbridge, TN11 0DB, United Kingdom

Bring your Teddy to be blessed and bring a new toy to donate to those who may not get anything this Christmas.

Jesus told his followers to learn from children: their simplicity and innocence, their ability to love with a pure mind and heart. Our service is an exploration of the nature of love. We will talk about love, the love that people have for one another and above all, the love that God feels for us.

Safeguarding

Our parish of Hadlow is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Rochester’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO Cathy Brill on [email protected] or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team on 01634 560000.

If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services.

Read more

St Mary's Hadlow Charity No. 1170577