Churchyard Working Party

Meeting at 9.30 am for a couple of hours at Holy Cross Church on Saturday 27 April.  Please bring a few tools with you, kneelers, gloves, personal water bottle and a bucket for collecting your weeds.  Appropriate shoes to cope with possible wet ground is also advised.

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Archdeaconry Ministry Day

Faith, Hope, God, Anxiety and Self-Doubt. How does our faith help us in times of anxiety or low self-esteem. How do we understand Jesus' words "Do not worry " ?  Led by ‘The Living Well Chaplaincy on Saturday 27th April 10-3.30pm at St Faith’s Centre, Maidstone, Monckton’s Lane. Worship, teaching and opportunity to receive prayer ministry with members of the ‘The Living Well’ Chaplaincy and Wider Team. Phone 01304 842847. More details here.

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Evensong 5 May 6 pm

The framework of the lovely service of Evensong is always the same – Responses, Psalm, Canticles, an Anthem and hymns. The texts are familiar and have inspired composers for hundreds of years so, from an unimaginable wealth of music, there are bound to be some pieces which are within our scope and which relate to the readings set for the day!

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In Psalm 45, the mighty King in all his fine regalia is exhorted to go and fight for truth, meekness and righteousness. The psalmist paints a picture of the King’s palace, of alluring perfumes, the finest needlework and sumptuous robes worn by the Queen and ‘the King’s daughters’. It could be a description of The Coronation of King Charles.

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The extravagant expressions of love as described in verses from the Song of Solomon are the inspiration for Walton’s anthem ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart’. By contrast, the New Testament reading, Luke 22.24-30, shows another side to Kingship and Love and our first hymn picks up on this.

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Evensong gives us space for quiet reflection and nourishment. We warmly invite you to share the time with us.

The framework of the lovely service of Evensong is always the same – Responses, Psalm, Canticles, an Anthem and hymns. The texts are familiar and have inspired composers for hundreds of years so, from an unimaginable wealth of music, there are bound to be some pieces which are within our scope and which relate to the readings set for the day!

​

In Psalm 45, the mighty King in all his fine regalia is exhorted to go and fight for truth, meekness and righteousness. The psalmist paints a picture of the King’s palace, of alluring perfumes, the finest needlework and sumptuous robes worn by the Queen and ‘the King’s daughters’. It could be a description of The Coronation of King Charles.

​

The extravagant expressions of love as described in verses from the Song of Solomon are the inspiration for Walton’s anthem ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart’ By contrast, the New Testament reading, Luke 22.24-30, shows another side to Kingship and Love and our first hymn picks up on this.

Evensong gives us space for quiet reflection and nourishment. We warmly invite you to share the time with us.

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Maidstone Bible Week Monday - 13th to Thursday 16th May 2024

"Reading Between the Lines" - To be held at Maidstone Baptist Church. For all the details see the flyer - here.

 

Maidstone Prison Alpha Course

Maidstone prison wants to run a prison Alpha course for the inmates in June and July which would run one afternoon per week for 8 weeks. Would you like to volunteer to help?  The role would mainly be asking the alpha questions, listening and facilitating the conversation. If you are interested in volunteering please Email the chaplain of Maidstone prison, to register go through security clearance. As it takes a little time to do clearance, we're asking volunteers to do this well ahead of time

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Chequer Tree Camp - week commencing 28th July of 4th August

Bookings are now open for the 2024 camp to year 4-7 school age. The Family Trust have been running this Christian camp for 35 years. Its a great opportunity for youngsters to explore faith, have fun, make new friends... and get away from their parents for a week. All the details are here.

 

Giving at Holy Cross

Most parishioners give to Holy Cross through the Planned Giving Scheme which we can reclaim the tax back on. However you can also give and make a donation to Holy Cross using your smart phone. Details on the various ways to support us can be found on our Give page  but you can also use this QR code to make a single payment. Thank you.

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Home Groups Connection Event 

Home group members and anyone who might be interested in joining a home group are invited to Holy Cross on Saturday 1st June from 4-5.30pm for tea, coffee, cake and a chance to chat, followed by a short act of worship at 5pm. More details here.

 

Prayer Visiting

A huge thank you to the 19 volunteers from across the churches in Bearsted who variously delivered letters and called on houses in the week commencing 15th April.  The collected prayers will be read out in services across the village this coming Sunday, 28th April.

 

Bible Discussion Group on Zoom

Run on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 for 7:45 pm. Anyone can join and we have people from different locations and churches. Details are sent out in advance including scriptures used and the Zoom link, and a set of post meeting notes are also sent out after the discussion. The subjects are chosen by members of the group. If interested, please contact Gordon here. 

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Support Holy Cross through your on line purchases using Easy Funding

At no extra cost to you we can earn a small percentage of the purchase price through Easy Funding. So the next time you make an on line purchase give it a try.  They have links with most major online outlets, including Amazon, John Lewis, Next and many more. Simply register your support for Holy Cross by clicking here, which will guide you to registration and then the store you select. You must however, do this through the Easy Funding portal link.  Save our page in your favourites... and, without over encouraging you - get shopping! Thank you.

 

Flowers at Holy Cross - 2024 Rota

A huge thank you to all those who have contributed so generously both in time and money towards the flowers in church during 2023.  The rota for giving flowers for 2024 into 2025 is now at the back of church.

We rely entirely on donations to the flower fund to finance all the flowers in church throughout the year, no costs come from general church funds. Please consider carefully if you would be able to donate flowers for one week of the year. This can be an ideal opportunity to remember a loved one or to celebrate a special anniversary or birthday and at the same time to allow others to enjoy your flowers.  Please contact office@holycrosschurch.co.uk. to find out more or add your name to the rota.

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