BART Group of Churches

The Church Commissioners published on Tuesday the 10th May the draft Pastoral Scheme for The Benefices of Birling, Addington, Ryarsh and Trottiscliffe; Leybourne; and West Malling with Offham. This is the next step in the process to recruit a Team Rector.

Please read the document. The consultation will end on Monday 20 June.

SUMMARY OF MAIN PROVISIONS OF DRAFT SCHEME

This draft Scheme provides for the union of the benefice of Birling, Addington, Ryarsh and Trottiscliffe, the benefice of Leybourne and the benefice of West Malling with Offham (their constituent parishes to remain distinct) in the diocese of Rochester and for the establishment of a team ministry for the new benefice of Kent Downs and Malling Team. It also provides for the cure of souls in the new benefice to be shared by a team rector and one team vicar, for the appointment of the Reverend David Green as team vicar, for the housing arrangements for the team and for the future patronage arrangements for the new benefice.

To read the full document please click here

The BART Group of Parishes forms a United Benefice within the Diocese of Rochester and comprises the four churches of All Saints Birling, St. Margaret Addington, St. Martin Ryarsh and St. Peter & St. Paul Trottiscliffe.

Due to the retirement of our Rector Linda Shuker, we are currently in an interregnum (in-between incumbents). Please visit the individual parish pages for contact details and to find out what is happening in the four parishes..

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Christian communities have worshiped in these villages for a millennium and we are proud to carry the tradition. Today we are an active Christian community, broadly within the Evangelical tradition of the Anglican Church. Across the four parishes, we embrace a range of worship traditions, from the more traditional to the contemporary.

We are united in our aim to be a community that worships God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and makes known the good news about Jesus Christ as He is revealed to us in the Bible.

Baptisms

We will be very pleased to talk to you about baptism, which marks the beginning of the Christian journey that continues for the rest of our lives.

We are happy to welcome people of any age, from infants to adults, for baptism.

Most enquiries come from parents of infants and young children. We will spend time preparing with you to make very important decisions and promises on behalf of your child. As baptism is the start of the Christian journey, we encourage you to come to church with your child and experience the life and worship of the Christian community that you and your child will become a part of through baptism.

Baptisms in the BART churches will usually be of people resident in one of the parishes or with close existing links to the church. Baptisms take place within our main Sunday services, usually but not always, during a Family Service.

If you would like to enquire about baptism in any of the BART churches, for yourself or for your child, we will be very pleased to speak to you. Please visit the individual parish pages for contact details

The Church of England has a standard list of fees which can be accessed by clicking here

Weddings

We are delighted to welcome couples wishing to get married in one of the four BART churches.

To be married in BART at least one of the couple will need to have a residential or other qualifying connection with one of the four villages. To find out if you have an appropriate connection you can consult the Church of England website at www.yourchurchwedding.org. Please do not hesitate to contact us to ask for advice by visiting the individual parish pages for contact details .

The Church of England has a standard list of fees which can be accessed by clicking here

b wedding We are committed to helping all our marriage couples to prepare wisely for their new life together and to have a memorable wedding day. We invite all our marriage couples to a marriage preparation day and we will also spend time with you to plan your own special ceremony, around the music, readings and prayers that will be meaningful for you.

If you would like to enquire about marriage in any of the BART churches, we will be very pleased to talk to you. Please see the individual village's 'who is who' page for contact details

Funerals

When a loved one dies, we would like to be able to support you through prayer and being a listening ear. We will be pleased to provide a funeral service, either in one of the parish churches that you or your loved one has had an association with, by residence in the parish or some other connection, or at the crematorium.

When a loved one has died, we will normally visit you to plan a funeral service that will help you express your sadness, say farewell, remember your loved one and give thanks for his or her life and entrust them to God. The funeral service affirms God’s love for all, revealed in the death of Jesus and points us to the Christian hope, even in the face of death, revealed in the resurrection of Jesus.

Your Funeral Director will often contact the Wardens on your behalf and we will always be very pleased to talk to you. Please visit the individual parish pages for contact details

The Church of England has a standard list of fees which can be accessed by clicking here

Safeguarding

The BART Parishes have adopted the House of Bishops Promoting a Safer Church Policy, Safeguarding Policy Statement, which is displayed prominently in each church and church hall and can be viewed at

https://www.rochester.anglican.org/content/pages/documents/1517914927.pdf.

If you are concerned about something you have experienced in a church, now or in the past, or you are worried about another person - perhaps a vulnerable adult or a child – there are people you can talk to and you will be taken seriously.

You can contact the Diocese of Rochester’s Safeguarding team on 01634 560 000 or visit their Webpage at: www.rochester.anglican.org/safeguarding/

Recognising that this may not feel safe for those with a lived experience of abuse from within the church, a dedicated telephone helpline, operated independently from the church, by the NSPCC, is available. Calls can be made free on 0800 80 20 20

BART Vulnerable Adults Representative