Regular activities at our 2 churches

Mon–Wed       9.30am         Drop-in Café, St Ed’s — a friendly space for                    

              coffee, conversation and company.

Tuesday       9.30am         Kindness & Wellbeing Community, St Ed’s — a caring  place to pause, connect and be encouraged.

Wednesday    8.30am         Toddler Group, St A’s — a lively morning for little ones and their grown-ups.

                   11am             Community Café, St A’s — pop in for a warm welcome,                           refreshments and friendly faces, open till 2pm.

    7.00pm          Slimming World Group, St Ed’s — support, encouragement and practical help each week.

Thursday         9.30am         Morning Prayer, St Ed’s — a quiet, reflective start to the day.

                        11am            Over 60s exercise (every other week), St Ed’s — gentle               movement, friendly faces and a boost of energy.

               12 noon        Over 60s lunch, followed by bingo, St Ed’s — enjoy a good meal, friendly company and a bit of fun.

Friday              9:30am          Little Edz Toddler Group, St E’s — play and a welcoming space for little ones and their grown-ups.

           9.30am          Drop-in Café, St Ed’s — round off the week with coffee,                                                         conversation and a warm welcome.

Saturday         9:30am         Men’s Breakfast, St A’s (1^st Saturday of month) — good food and relaxed conversation to start the weekend.

                       10.00am       Knit & Natter, St A’s (1st and 3rd Saturdays) — bring your craft, enjoy a chat and share ideas.

Have you heard?

This November marks a wonderful milestone: St Edmund’s Church turns 70!

We would love everyone to help us celebrate and fill the church with colour, creativity and thanksgiving.

Our plan is to transform the building with butterflies of every size — drawn, painted, sewn, knitted, crocheted or crafted in whatever way you enjoy.

We hope this will be a joyful project for the whole community, including our local Primary schools.

To help, please collect clean used plastic bags and wrappings — clear or colourful. These can be fused together to make bright “fabric” for cutting into butterfly shapes.

Every butterfly will help tell the story of 70 years of worship, welcome and community life at

St Edmund’s.

Please do join in — make your own butterfly, encourage others to take part, and help us create something beautiful together. Small butterflies can also be joined into hanging mobiles.

exciting news

EAST DARTFORD ANNOUNCEMENT

The Bishop of Rochester, in consultation with the Patron, is pleased to announce that The Revd Rachel Claire Wilson is to be appointed Vicar of the benefice of East Dartford.

Rachel is currently Vicar of St Thomas, Southborough, a post she has held for almost 10 years.  She also serves as the Bishop's Adviser for Disability, and as a Vocations Adviser.  She relishes opportunities to help others flourish and to advise on matters of disability and inclusion.

Rachel will, of course, be well known to many of you, having served her curacy at St Edmund's from 2014 until her appointment to Southborough. She trained for ordination at St Augustine's College and has since achieved a post-graduate diploma in Mission, Ministry and Theology at St Mellitus.

Prior to ordination, Rachel worked for the Job Centre, supporting people into employment. Away from her priestly ministry, she enjoys reading and writing poetry, and going to the cinema and theatre.  She is also not afraid to test her own fears and boundaries by tandem skydiving and more recently having her first skiing experience - and you may well hear her practising her trumpet!

Rachel says: "I am so pleased and excited to be returning to the benefice as your Vicar and being part of the parish, Deanery and wider community.  I am hugely looking forward to getting to know you and sharing in the great community that thrives here.  Above all I want to listen and discern the next steps that God’s guidance will reveal for the mission and ministry which we are all called to be a part of in this part of Dartford.  I value your prayers as I prepare to join you.

Please pray for Rachel as she draws her ministry to a close at St Thomas's and prepares for her move and new role amongst us.  She hopes to move into The Vicarage with her trusty dog, Daisy, in the first half of October.  A date for her licensing is awaited from the Bishop's Office, but we expect this will be in late October/early November.  You will, of course, be kept updated.