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 at Easter

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 31st March 2024 - Easter Sunday.

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.
This Eastertide, 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 

Daily Morning Prayer 9.00am. Live Streamed.

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

04:00pm Lynsted, Cornerstone every fortnight

Next services on 7th April led by Robert Done and 21st April led by Mark Harlow.

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:

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]

Associate Priest: Reverend Jim Pye

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

01795 890726

[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.