WELCOME
With joy in our hearts we hope to bring our Sunday, 8am BCP Holy Communion Service back into Church in October.
The 9.30am Sunday service will continue on Zoom for a little while longer.
Further details will be given nearer the time when we are able to confirm our plans.
Saturday morning opening and Saturday All-Age Service – these will continue until the end of September.
The Church is now open for private prayer on Saturday mornings, 10:00am to Noon, from 11 July 2020 - see further details below, in the SIGN-POSTING article.
Our Saturday All-Age Service in Church is held on Saturdays, at 11:00am; continuing throughout September (service sheet). Please do come and join us if you can. You will need to wear masks and follow the guidance. A full risk assessment has been undertaken (link), and full safety measures put in place.
Welcome to the website of St. Mary's Church, Riverhead and Dunton Green. Whether you are a first-time visitor or enquirer, or a member of our Church community, we hope the information provided will be helpful.
For all enquiries about our Church Hall, please follow this link.
COPING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
As the country continues in lock-down, albeit more relaxed, our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by the virus or are struggling with the implications of isolation. We have moved from late winter through spring during the early stages of lock-down and early tender, fragile shoots of new growth are now flourishing. They are a very tangible reminder that God is everywhere, not just in a church building, and is with us always [Matthew 28:20: "And remember I (Jesus) am with you always, to the end of the age."]
Likewise, we have taken to 'Zoom' to hold our services - and from small, tentative beginnings we have gone from strength to strength and now hold an interactive service each Sunday at 9.30am and a Compline service each Wednesday at 8pm. Sunday Club continues to be active with it's own Zoom "get together" each Sunday and joins the rest of the congregation towards the end of the main service. Our bible study and prayer group meet on a Monday morning again via Zoom and has added to it's members. For those without the technology to access our services we offer befriending and ministry by telephone and we continue to look for other ways to make ourselves visible and available. We would love you to join us - further information can be found below.
Alison Bull and Rachel Wigley, Churchwardens
SIGN-POSTING
Here is a summary of ongoing activities, along with links to people who can be contacted for further information:
- Our new Team Rector, Revd Mark Bridgen, is now in post: Revd Mark is based at St Mary's Kippington, but is available for all in the West Sevenoaks Team Ministry (contact);
- Message from the Team Rector - Recruitment of Team Vicars begins: "This month sees advertising beginning for the recruitment of our two Team Vicars. I would like to thank all those from St Mary the Virgin and St Luke's who have worked tirelessly and faithfully to prepare parish profiles. Shortlisting takes place in October and interviews at the beginning of November. A prayer is below for your personal use throughout this time:
- Gracious God, we thank you for your guidance thus far in the birth of our new Team Ministry. We pray now that you will guide us as we come to the recruitment of our new Team Vicars. Come alongside all those who will make applications and all those who will discern, that your will be done and your kingdom come. Amen.
- Links to advertisements and parish profiles for Team Vicars: St Mary's, Riverhead with Dunton Green and St Luke's, Sevenoaks (applications closing date: Friday, 2 October 2020);
- Church Open for Private Prayer: The Church is now open, for private prayer, on Saturday mornings, from 10:00am to Noon, starting from Saturday, 11 July 2020. Entrance is via the main west door. People with mobility issues are asked to contact one of the Churchwardens, Rachel Wigley or Alison Bull, for access arrangements. Everyone will be asked to use the hand sanitizer which is available at the entrance - gloves and masks are also available - and follow the guidance laid out, including social distancing. Everyone will be made most welcome;
- Our first Saturday Family Service back in Church was held on Saturday, 5 September 2020 at 11:00am; continuing on Saturdays throughout September (service sheet). Please do come and join us if you can. You will need to wear masks and follow the guidance. A full risk assessment has been undertaken (link), and full safety measures put in place.
- Live Services are also taking place at our two sister churches; please see their websites for further details.
- Our Online Sunday and Compline services: Daphne Harrison LLM (contact) and see 'Zoom' article below for further details;
- Sunday Club: Ali Wakefield and Sarah Way (contact) and see separate webpage;
- Weekly Newsletter: Contains details of Services, Readings, Hymns and community notices (link);
- Bible Study and Prayer Group: Ronnie Todd (contact) and separate webpage;
- Befriending and Ministry by telephone: Daphne Harrison LLM (contact)
- Funerals, Baptisms and Weddings: (contact);
- Fledgling Facebook page: (link)
- Online Services provided by others: by radio, livestreaming or telephone (link);
- Church of England - Coronavirus (Covid-19) - Guidance for Churches: (link).
ONLINE SERVICES USING 'ZOOM'
We continue to offer a weekly, online, 9:30am Sunday Worship Service, using a system called Zoom. The latter requires the downloading of an App (free) onto your device (smartphone, iphone, tablet, laptop or PC). It provides a remote conferencing service that supports online meetings.
If you might like to participate, please e-mail Margaret Nicholas:
to be included on our e-mail distribution list. In advance of each Service, we will e-mail you to provide: the link address, the MeetingID and the Password.
The online Services, to be led by Daphne Harrison LLM, are as follows:
Tuesday, 22 September 2020 at 6:45pm for 7:00pm start - Joint Benefice Prayer Meeting (fortnightly, 2nd and 4th Tuesdays)
Wednesday, 23 September 2020 at 7:45pm for 8:00pm - Evening Service (Service Sheet)
Sunday, 27 September 2020 at 9:30am - Parish Eucharist
Sunday, 4 October 2020 at 9:30am - Family Service
Sunday, 11 October 2020 at 9:30am - Parish Eucharist
Sunday, 18 October 2020 at 9:30am - Morning Prayer
etc
WEST SEVENOAKS TEAM MINISTRY - NEW TEAM RECTOR INSTALLED
Our new Team Rector, Revd Mark Bridgen (pictured here with Bishop Simon), was installed on Saturday, 8 August 2020, at St Mary's Kippington, by the Archdeacon of Tonbridge. Further details of Revd Mark's background, and family, are given in an introductory article that he wrote for St Mary Kippington's Church Magazine (July 2020), pages 3 to 6, available on their website (link). The theme was: 'Journey's end and Journey's beginning'. Everyone prays for Revd Mark's new ministry, and that he and his family will quickly settle in the area.
RIDE & STRIDE
This sponsored bike ride, around and in aid of Friends of Kent Churches, took place on Saturday, 12 September 2020. There is still time to donate:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?pageId=1199212#stickyAnchor . Thank you.
POVERTY & HOPE APPEAL 2020
The Diocese of Rochester Poverty and Hope Appeal is an annual fundraising opportunity to express our Christian belief in justice for the poor. Through the appeal, we show our commitment to tackling the causes and effects of poverty in different parts of the world. This year's appeal has been launched by Bishop James, and full details of the individual projects, and various ways of donating, can be found by following this link.
REPORTS FOR THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING (APCM)
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was originally scheduled to take place on 19 April 2020; but was one of the many things that had to be postponed, due to the lock-down. In the meantime, the PCC Secretary has made available copies of the various reports, and these can be accessed via the 'Downloads' area. Main Menu: Other Information/Downloads/Annual Meeting Papers/2020
Please don't forget donations of non-perishable food are urgently required every week, as part of our support for the Community Food Bank. Contributions can be left in the basket at the back of the Church, or via Margaret Holman.