News and Events
On Saturday 3 May, 12 people were admitted to the office of Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) at a special service at Derby Cathedral.
Licensed Lay Ministers are volunteers who are called and theologically trained to teach, lead, and equip the church for mission. They are people from a variety of backgrounds, occupations, and contexts who have heard God's call. They work collaboratively with clergy as fellow ministers with complementary gifts and callings.
Photos from the service are available here
We asked each of them to tell us a little about themselves and their journey to ministry.
Patience Atkinson-Gregory
To be licensed to: Benefice of Belper
When I joined the discipleship course at the beginning of 2022, I was considering taking early retirement from my work in a family business. I felt the course would help me to further develop my own relationship with God and be a good opportunity to develop my theological knowledge.
Towards the end of the course, we were asked if we would like to transfer to the LLM (Readers) course. I found myself saying yes and feeling comfortable with the decision (which I think is always a good sign).
Throughout the course I have felt a calling to serve and feel particularly drawn to pastoral roles. I have a particular passion and desire to work with older people, supporting and encouraging them on their own spiritual journey.
Rachel Bond
To be licensed to: Benefice of Mackworth St Francis
For as long as I can remember I have been a reluctant leader! I became a follower of Jesus when I was 14, having met some Christians through friends at school. As young adults my (now) husband and I led the 14-18s and then the 18-30s in our church which was so much fun and we saw many people give their lives to Christ. Alongside these leadership roles in church, I worked for 4 years at Sport England and then 7 years at a Bank in central London, places where I enjoyed the work but even more so sharing Jesus in the work place. I then gave up work to take some time out to have my 2 children.
Fast forward to now and I have completed the Licensed Lay Ministry course following some encouragement after I’d preached at church one Sunday. I was asked where I’d trained and I said I hadn’t! Training for leadership was not something I’d ever considered as I just didn’t feel capable and was rather reluctant. But I also had to recognise that God has given me gifts to use and so I should follow his calling. It is such a privilege to walk alongside people and so exciting when people choose to give their lives to Jesus, the most important decision anyone, anywhere can ever make! That is the whole reason I find myself standing where I am today.
Meri Braziel
To be licensed to: Benefice of Foremark and Repton with Newton Solney and Benefice of Willington
As a child I was raised as a Baptist in Texas and then baptised as a Presbyterian in Pittsburgh in my early twenties. Moving to London in the late nineties, I was fortunate to be introduced to the Church of England and the Alpha programme at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB).
My family and I moved from London to Repton in 2013 and began attending St. Wystan’s. I started helping with Messy Church and then felt moved to start Youth Alpha. We have been running it for almost five years and it continues to thrive.
Two years ago, I felt called to do the lay reader training as I had wonderful role models in fellow lay readers, Ruth Attwood and Stephen Longden. Some of the highlights of my ministry thus far has been my involvement with the All Age Worship Services and Bible Study at St. Michael’s-Willington in our Benefice.
Linda Clark
To be licensed to: Benefice of Belper
During the Everyday Faith module, we looked at our faith journeys and asked ourselves the question, ‘Do I have a calling and can we have more than one calling during our lives?’
I reflected that my work in the NHS, caring for and rehabilitating the sick in both physical and mental health settings was very much part of my journey and was a calling to be Jesus’ hands and feet in our local community. I also reflected on what I was being called to do with my time now, as that role had come to an end.
I had been involved in children’s work and teaching in our parish for many years and in helping the team delivering All Age Worship and Café Style worship in our Church. As I retired, I was encouraged to become involved in a new Messy Church and to help in the Parish Little Church.
As I became more involved in church services and parish work, the course was an invaluable resource to enable me to explore my own faith more and to be equipped to share it more effectively with others. I have learned a great deal not only from the study but also from the people I have studied alongside. As a result of continuous reflection on my calling and advice, I transferred from the Certificate to the Lay Readership training.
Although my experience has been with older adults in work and with children within the church setting, I increasingly feel called to support families and the local community as a whole. It is not just about the child who attends Sunday Club or Toddler group, it’s also about the Grandparent who brings them along or the whole family who attend Messy Church. They should all experience and encounter God’s welcome. I am looking forward to seeing what God’s plan is for the future of our parish and how I can be part of that service.
Ann Cooper
To be licensed to: Benefice of Chesterfield Holy Trinity and Christ Church
I have been connected to Holy Trinity Church for many years; it’s the church my parents attended, the one in which I was married and where my own children attended Sunday school and youth groups. I have played the organ there for almost 45 years, having started as a ‘temporary measure’ in 1980 (even as I write I can hardly believe it’s been that long!), and have been involved in children’s holiday clubs and family services over the years; 30 years’ experience as a primary school teacher certainly helped. Stepping out into ‘adult’ services is more daunting, however, but the vicar and congregation have given me great support and encouragement. I’m excited to be licensed as a lay minister, and look forward to serving the church and community in the parish. I’m sure that God has great things in store for us!
Karen Cowgill
To be licensed to: Benefice of Mickleover and Radbourne
God’s time is not human time, and we should always trust that He has all things in hand!
This statement probably sums up the most important thing I have learnt during the LLM training process. I first felt called to be a Lay Reader eleven years ago but events conspired against me to prevent anything coming of it. I felt I was letting myself, my family and most importantly, God, down. My faith was not strong enough at that time to realise God had everything in hand. It took a pandemic and a change of Church for me to be in the right place to begin my learning journey.
Everything has worked out well, I am worshiping in a fabulous parish with a loving and supportive congregation, without whom I could never have completed the training. At times it has been tough and I have questioned my ability to finish. God and my friends at Mickleover Anglicans have encouraged me every step of the way and turned up to support me with every task and assignment. I have also had the privilege to train with a wonderful cohort of students. This is not the end of my journey but the beginning of a new chapter.
Helen Hodgson
To be licensed to: Benefice of Belper
I have attended church for as long as I can remember. At 12 I was confirmed but, looking back, I didn’t fully understand what I was committing to. It happened because that was the ‘normal’ progression and expectation for the young people at church. Church became part of my life and weekly routine.
Fast forward to 2007. As a family we attended New Wine at Newark Showground. We all loved it! The worship, the children’s work, the atmosphere was all amazing and that is when I truly felt that the Holy Spirit was at work in me. I felt a renewing and deeper understanding of what my faith was all about.
I have been part of all-age services for a number of years and enjoy the challenge of finding different ways for people to explore scripture. It is through this ministry that I was encouraged to begin studying and training for lay ministry.
I have learnt so much during the course, especially about myself and my faith. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in His plan for my future – in my family, in my ministry, and in my work as a teaching assistant.
Annette Lowe
To be licensed to: Benefice of Matlock, Dethick, Lea and Holloway
When, three years ago, I began to ask what should I do next, I had not thought that it might be training as a Reader. However, when chatting with our rector, he suggested I think about, and after prayer, thought and talking with friends I enrolled on the course.
The training was challenging, interesting and enjoyable. It introduced me to many new ideas, experiences and people and opened my mind and heart to different approaches and ideas.
I am excited to continue learning and pray that my relationship with God, with those whose faith I share and with those whose faith is different will also develop and be fruitful.
Anna Mann
To be licensed to: St Werburgh's Derby Bishop's Mission Order
I've been exploring my call over the past few years as I've been part of helping with a church plant for the past 7 years. We moved to Derby in 2017 to plant St Werburgh's - the church had been closed for over 30 years and derelict and we reopened in September 2017.
My husband is the vicar there so we have been working out what it means for me to be involved in serving and leading within the church. As I've started to preach and lead services more regularly exploring LLM seemed a wise option.
As I've completed the training I've found that the input has helped me prepare for this different role and that the accountability the role provides will help in my setting as well as give clarity around my role and part that I can play in the church.
James Rollin
To be licensed to: Benefice of Duffield and Little Eaton
I grew up in a Christian home and as such my Christian journey doesn’t feature a dramatic “road to Damascus” moment of conversion. Rather it has been one of spiritual learning & development over the years, since I first made a personal commitment to follow Jesus at the age of 11, at a Billy Graham ‘Mission England’ crusade in Sheffield, during summer 1985.
After graduating from university, I spent almost 20 years working in various communications roles within the railway industry, before a change in career circumstances led me to initially volunteer as Churchwarden and subsequently start working full-time for St Alkmund’s church Duffield in late 2019.
Over the past five years working for my church and the past two years undertaking the Lay Reader training, I have led and preached at Sunday services and supported a range of other ministries across the life of our church and benefice, as part of my journey of ministry discernment.
What I am most excited about for my ministry is the opportunity to faithfully preach and teach God’s Word, the Bible, to others and to share the ‘good news’; the great salvation hope of the Gospel. I am also excited about helping other Christians to develop and grow in their faith and discipleship, through sharing fellowship, praying and learning together from God’s word.
Aileen Warneford
To be licensed to: Buxton with Burbage and King Sterndale
I came from an evangelical background with a strong emphasis on knowledge of the Bible. When I was twelve years old, I read the whole Bible, word for word, all the way through. I would not recommend this to any Reader in Training today, but I have always had a love of Scripture and I enjoy sharing this with others, either in discussion, guided reflection, or preaching.
I was delighted to find myself on the Ministry Course and find out how the Word of God is put into action through the ministries offered in the Diocese. It was good to find a variety of lenses and the different ways in which outreach can happen.
I am excited about becoming a part of this, developing liturgical skills and practical application so that others will be aware of the love of God and the fullness of life he wants them to have. I see this as a small offering for all I have received myself.
Margaret Wilson
To be licensed to: The Benefice of Charlesworth and Gamesley
My journey towards licencing feels as though it has taken a number of years to get going. But through the encouragement and prayers of friends I started the course, which has been amazing. I have learnt a lot about both God and myself and met some truly lovely people along the way.
Unlike a lot of people on the course, I have no particular ministry in mind at the moment, which is a little daunting, as God could take me anywhere. But also extremely excited to see where He is going to take me next as I start this new adventure with him.
After many years of faithful and fruitful ministry in our Diocese, the Venerable Karen Hamblin will retire as Archdeacon for East Derbyshire in September this year.
Karen grew up in London and Dorset, before studying for a degree at the University of Durham. She began her ministry in Derbyshire in 1983, serving as a lay leader and children’s and youth worker at St Alkmund’s Derby, alongside her career as a teacher.
She was ordained in 2007 after training at St John’s Nottingham. After her curacy at St John’s, Long Eaton, she has since served in ministry at Pilsley in the North Wingfield Team, Brampton St Mark’s in Chesterfield, and as Area Dean of North-East Derbyshire.
In 2022 she was appointed as Archdeacon for East Derbyshire, where she has encouraged and enabled churches in their missional response to the challenges and opportunities faced by post-industrial communities.
Reflecting on her ministry, Karen said:
“During the whole of my time in ordained ministry I have worked and served amongst the churches and communities of what is now the archdeaconry of East Derbyshire. It has been a privilege to do so. I have worked with some fabulous colleagues, lay and ordained, in Parishes, in the Parish Support Team and DBF and on the Senior Staff – thank you.
“The last few years have contained joy and challenge, hope and struggle for everyone but we trust in the immense faithfulness of God and continue to work and pray to see His Kingdom come in our lives, churches and communities across the Diocese.”
The Bishop of Derby, the Right Reverend Libby Lane added:
“Karen is a much loved and highly valued colleague. She has embodied in all the different ministries she has undertaken our diocesan values of generous faith, courageous hope and life-giving love. Her commitment to Christ and His church has inspired us.Her most recent ministry as Archdeacon of East Derbyshire, rooted in costly, prayerful accompaniment of people and places, has been transformational.
"I am grateful for all that Karen has offered. Please join me in praying for her and Andy over these coming months and as they prepare for retirement.”
The farewell services of celebration and thanksgiving will take place on Saturday, 13th September at 2.30 pm at St John Walton (S42 7LT) and on Sunday, 14th September, at Derby Cathedral at Evensong 5.15 pm. All welcome. Refreshments will be provided after the services.
Addendum
During the period of the vacancy following Karen’s retirement the Venerable Matthew Trick, Archdeacon for Derby City and South Derbyshire, will act as Archdeacon for East Derbyshire. Matthew will be supported by the Bishop of Repton, Rt Revd Malcolm McNaughton, the Venerable Nicky Fenton (Archdeacon for Derbyshire Peak and Dales) and the Area Deans.
The timetable and process for recruiting a new Archdeacon for East Derbyshire will include engagement with the archdeaconry on their hopes for the new archdeacon during May and June. The advertisement for initial expressions of interest will be released in July, ready for a discussion with Bishop Libby on her return from sabbatical in early August. Interviews are planned for September 2025 with the hope of appointing the successful candidate in December 2025.
The Bishop of Derby hosted the Department for Work and Pensions Minister, Baroness Sherlock OBE, to see projects and meet people involved with Derby Food4Thought Alliance and other anti-poverty work.
The visit was arranged to showcase the vital contribution of churches and other faith communities in Derby supporting children and families experiencing poverty, as part of stakeholder engagement the Government is undertaking ahead of the publication of its child poverty strategy.
The Minister visited the Osmaston/Allenton Family Hub, a partnership between Alvaston Churches Together and the Jubilee debt advice project. She met with people who use the services, volunteers and staff to discuss the resources available, including debt and benefits signposting, food support, and activities for young children.
At the Padley YMCA Centre, the Minister heard from service users about services that have particularly helped them and their children through difficult times. This was followed by a policy-focused round table meeting with representatives from local churches, schools, the council, former service users who have become volunteers, and others involved in the Derby Poverty Commission, enabling a rich discussion of the different initiatives and joined up work taking place within Derby to tackle child poverty, and some of the barriers still faced in offering provision.
Reflecting on the visit, the Bishop of Derby, Libby Lane, said: “It was good to give the Minister a flavour of the work taking place out of faith communities in Derby to support children and families. These examples of faith in action in Derby give hope that every child can know that they are loved and enjoy a happy, healthy start to life. I pray for an ambitious and effective child poverty strategy that draws on the skills and potential of our communities, not just to deal with the consequences of poverty but address the root causes.”
Baroness Sherlock said: "I am deeply moved by the dedication and impact of the faith communities in Derby, and I’m very grateful to Bishop Libby for her invitation to visit these projects.
“The projects I saw were inspiring, and demonstrate how essential partnerships between local organisations, churches, faith-based projects and government are in addressing the particular needs of the community.
“As we continue to engage with stakeholders across the country, the insights gathered during my visit will help inform our upcoming child poverty strategy. We are determined that our strategy not only addresses the immediate needs of those affected by poverty but also tackles its root causes, breaking down barriers of opportunity and ensuring every child can thrive, as part of our Plan for Change."
Paul Brookhouse, Senior Manager of Derby Food4Thought Alliance, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Baroness Sherlock and some of her team to highlight the great partnership work we have here in Derby and the collective working to tackle the high rates of child poverty. I appreciate Bishop Libby organising this so that we could specifically highlight the faith led projects and their unique offer to the residents of Derby.”
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Thy Kingdom Come - a world-wide prayer movement inviting Christians around the world to prayer. Launched by the Church of England’s archbishops it now takes place in over 170 countries and involves 85 different denominations. Bishop Malcolm has been visiting churches and schools in Carsington, Bonsall, Wirksworth, Elton and Kirk Ireton - cycling between venues!
We have also asked people around the diocese to reflect on the Lord's Prayer, you can watch the video on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DioceseofDerby
To view photographs from the service please click here
Four people were ordained as Deacon in the Church of England on Sunday 29 June. Here are their testimonies.
Rebecca Landers
"My journey towards ordination began with a couple of dreams I had nearly 20 years ago, but it wasn’t until I was preparing for baptism in 2018 that I started to take their message seriously, and so began a lengthy process of discernment followed by training for three years part-time at St Hild college in Sheffield.
"I’m really looking forward to serving my curacy at Newbold Parish Church, getting to know the people and the land of Newbold and Dunston, walking the parish, and walking alongside others. My hope for ministry is that it be both comforting and challenging, creative and fruitful, and that its roots are embedded in prayer, sacrament, scripture and tradition. I’m particularly interested in contemplative prayer, and the use of art in prayer and discipleship; perhaps it might be good, during curacy, to explore these areas as a community. My primary intention on starting, however, will be to listen, and then to listen some more, and try not to let my preconceived ideas get in the way of God’s better and more surprising plans!"
Lianne Green
"I have always been involved in church ministry, both paid and lay, since my early twenties. This includes youth work, children’s church, outreach, and family support roles. One particularly formative role involved working with extremely vulnerable women in the city centre, offering chaplaincy, support, and signposting. These experiences helped shape a vocation that has always centred around evangelism, discipleship, and mission to the margins of community life. For me, ordination felt like a natural next step, not a sudden shift, but part of a long journey of faithfulness. It’s a way to be better equipped for the mission of God and more deeply rooted in the life of the Church.
"I am also married and have three amazing children. We love exploring the great outdoors together – often with a bit of geocaching thrown in for good measure!"
Gael Browne
"It's usually during a hair appointment where the inevitable conversation around what one does for ‘work’ comes up. In my experience, it’s often followed by a slightly bemused, “What made you want to do that?” …Trying to explain to someone using non-churchy language that you didn’t really want to do the thing you’re doing, but you felt intensely ‘called’ by God and can’t imagine doing anything else with your life other than being faithful to him and living it out is a tricky task! It’s not a desire that’s self-given; it’s planted and nurtured by God, expanding and becoming increasingly exciting as you trust him. This trust-journey took me to Trinity College in Bristol, where I’ve been living and training full-time for the past three years.
"I’ve grown up knowing Jesus and long felt a call to ministry, exploring it pre-marriage and motherhood. However, when both of those life changes (joyfully) happened, I felt as if the ‘ship had sailed’. I’ve wrestled through many questions during discernment and training, but at the fore has always been, “How do I wear all my hats well?” Although this is something I’m sure no one ever perfects, I’ve been blessed with many amazing forerunners who’ve modelled being a woman in ministry. I hope I can join their company and live in a way that shows other mamas that following the call on your life and using the gifts God has given you does not need to hinder your ability to love your family fiercely. If you are reading this and you’ve had similar reservations, I am here to tell you it IS possible. More than that – it’s wonderful!
"I’m married and we have two primary-aged girls, who we’ve just begun to home-educate. My hobbies revolve around the kitchen and garden – feeding and tending (God’s work!). I’m hugely passionate about theological education and chatting doctrine, and I enjoy exploring creativity in worship, incorporating the arts in a way that helps different learning styles engage and understand. I also have a growing interest in emotions and embodied spirituality, in particular how crying and tears image God in humanity.
"It's going to be super getting to know the community in Sinfin Moor! I am a Derby girl, through and through, so it’s just lovely to be back in the Midlands where the accent is familiar again!! All four of us are looking forward to worshipping and serving the church, and I’m praying that God would open my eyes to see all the opportunities to daily love the people here and be his hands and feet in this place."
Jim Wigglesworth
"Derby is my hometown, and growing up I would never have expected to end up getting ordained in the Church. Sport was my real passion, and was I fortunate enough to have a brief rugby career before injuries put a stop to that. It was during those years that I became a Christian and my life was changed.
"It was during this time that I sensed a call to ordained ministry and started exploring. It has been an incredible journey, in which two daughters have also come along, and training has been a real blessing to me. I am excited to start my curacy in Duffield and Little Eaton, and continue to learn through this process. I still have a great love for sport, psychology and evangelism, and therefore look forward to seeing how this all interweaves along the journey."
Please pray too for our newly-ordained priests
Please pray for Benjamin Andréo-Boosey, Kara Gander, Ailsa Hunt and Sue Leather who were ordained as priests on Saturday, as they continue with their curacies, serving their communites and extending the kingdom of God in their local contexts.
Is God stirring something in you?
All of us are invited to follow Jesus and to serve God faithfully in our everyday lives. To discover more about what this might mean for you, please see our Everyday Faith page. Alongside our everyday faith, some people are called to serve God in a specific ministry. You can find out more about that on our vocations page.
The Diocese of Derby has announced the launch of its new accessibility project, designed to improve access and inclusion for all churches.
The project includes a range of downloadable icons, designed to easily identify church assessable features allowing people with disabilities to easily find a church that will suit their needs.
The project comes from two years of work by the Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG), who have researched the need and designed the icons with the help of a local design agency.
Churches are encouraged to download the icons relevant to their church and display them on their websites. All the icons and more information is available www.accessiblechurch.net.
Carl Veal, Chair of DIAG said “The accessibility symbols, two years in the making, represent a wonderful opportunity for the churches of the Diocese of Derby to be open and accessible to all and allow us all to worship Christ together as a cohesive community. I look forward to this initiative from the Diocese leading the way for these icons to be rolled out nationally, to the whole of the Church of England later this year."
As the Diocesan lead on the project, Bishop Malcolm Macnaughton said ‘ These symbols will help local churches be welcoming to disabled people, by giving them accurate information about what we can offer in our churches. Disabled people bring new gifts to the table, and important perspective to our life as a community. We need one another – and this project will help change attitudes, improve access to our activities, and release agency, empowering disabled people to get involved and take a lead. We are one body in Christ – we need each other.’
As a result of this project, Helen James, Disability Project Manager for the Church of England stated that, from the summer, the symbols will be made available for all parishes throughout all dioceses to use and implement on their own pages.The Disability Inclusion Action Group comprises clergy and lay people with a range of disabilities, from across the Diocese of Derby. Their aim is to see disability inclusion taken seriously in our churches and across the Diocese. Their work is focused around three key themes - Attitude, Access, and Agency.
The Bishop's Badge service for schools took place on Monday 23 June at Derby Cathedral.
Headteachers were invited to nominate pupils who had demonstrated the values of Generous Faith, Courageous Hope and/or Life Giving Love.
Bishop Malcolm joyfully presented 36 badges to pupils from 17 schools across the diocese.
The uplifting singing was led by the children from William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School who have been involved with the Music in Schools programme from Derby Cathedral.
Families, governors, incumbents came to support the children and they heard from the heads the reasons for their nominations.
The event is supported by the DBE staff, Bishop's Office, Dean and the volunteers from the cathedral.
As one headteacher said "Thank you - this was an emotional day and the stand out memory of the year.'
St Giles’ Normanton by Derby were thrilled and honoured to welcome the Most Rev Dr Samy Fawzy Shehata, Archbishop of Alexandria, for the weekend 21-22 July. Archbishop Samy and his wife Madlaine came to express their partnership with St Giles’. Both the morning congregations received them warmly. Archbishop Samy preached at those two services and then joined the whole church community for a fellowship lunch. Archbishop Samy and Madlaine were interviewed during the lunch where they shared something of their life in Egypt. They joined the congregation of the evening service as guests.
In his morning sermon, Archbishop Samy challenged the people of St Giles’ to consider the cost of following Christ. He reminded them of Jesus’ own command to all disciples to “deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me”. He spoke soberingly of the 21 martyrs (20 Egyptians) who were executed by the terrorist ‘Islamic State’ on a beach in Libya in 2015. Just the previous Sunday the General Synod of the Church of England had agreed to add commemoration of these martyrs to the Common Worship calendar each 15 February
Rev Neil Barber, Vicar of St Giles and General Synod member, said “It was an enormous joy to welcome the Archbishop and Madlaine to St Giles’ and to be encouraged by them to keep loving all people as we hold out the good news of Jesus in this locality where there are many people of no faith and other faiths. We are thankful to God for our unity in Christ across the miles and partnership in the gospel.”
Archbishop Samy is the Provincial Archbishop over ten countries in North Africa: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia with a total population of 400 million people, as well as Bishop of Egypt. He is also Deputy Chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA).
St. Mary’s Church in Wirksworth has received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Faith Folk Foundation project, it was announced today. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the project aims to carry out repairs and improvement work to the church building and investigate the literal and historic foundations of the church and the town.
St Mary's is a Grade 1 listed building, and a member of the Major Churches Network, listed on English Heritage’s “Heritage at Risk” register and a much loved community building for the people of Wirksworth. Without this support from the Heritage Fund it would continue to deteriorate and the stories of local residents would remain un-investigated and unheard.
Development funding of £313,770 has been awarded by the Heritage Fund to help the PCC progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £1.73million at a later date.
The project will enable extensive repair and restoration work to take place, including to the transept roofs, nave walls, windows and churchyard paths. It will also enable work to improve the lighting and heating systems and to provide a route to reduce the carbon footprint of the church community.
As a watertight, more easily accessible, better lit, better heated and lower carbon footprint building, the regular congregation will feel more comfortable, as will regular visitors, tourists and the many hundreds who join for our seasonal services and our many concerts and events throughout the year.
The project will also offer plenty of opportunities for local people in searching out the foundations of the church building, the origins of the town and the links through the ages between locals and the church community.
Rev Neil Griffiths, Team Rector at Wirksworth Team Ministry said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to repair our church and make it fit for the 21st century and future generations.”
At some time, every member of clergy or at least one officer at a church will receive a call from a journalist.
This could be about something positive happening within the church or (more likely) after a tragedy, an allegation or negative news story.
The tips below are aimed to help you through what can be a stressful situation.
- Call the diocesan Communications Office (01332 388671) – we are here to help and can offer advice or be the point of contact for the media to take the pressure off you.
- If the enquiry is about a negative story or allegation direct the journalist to the Communications Office. It is not always appropriate to comment on every media request.
- If a journalist calls you for a comment on a story, positive or negative, remember that you do not have to make a comment if you don't want to!
They may tell you that they must have a comment or that they are going to print in an hour or something similar to get you to comment straight away, but you are perfectly entitled to say 'no', or to say that you need some time to prepare a correct and accurate reponse.
If they persist, ask them to speak to the Communications Office at Derby Church House (01332 388671) or email communications@derby.anglican.org
- Remember that “the media” isn’t the enemy! Being interviewed can be an invaluable opportunity to share your message with the wider public.
- Avoid speaking “off the cuff”, be polite and offer to phone them back once you have thought about a comment.
- Use this time to prepare and make sure you have all the information you need.
- Only agree to talk about a subject you are confident about. If you can’t help, offer to get someone who can or forward them to the Communications Office.
- Remember that there is no such thing as “Off the record”. Don’t say anything you wouldn’t be happy reading on the front page of The Times.
- Use simple, positive, everyday language. Avoid church jargon!
- Deliver with enthusiasm and energy!
- Enjoy yourself and let the Communications Office know when you are being interviewed and when the item will be published or broadcast.
Communications Office
communications@derby.anglican.org
01332 388671 | 07540 120899
Throughout Lent and Holy Week, one million people will visit A Church Near You.
Many of these visitors will be looking for a service or event to attend during this season.
Will they be able to find yours?
The Communications Office is based at Derby Church House and is open 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday.
You can contact us during office hours on 01332 388671 or by email: communications@derby.anglican.org
In an emergency out of hours, call 07540 120899 but please note this number is not monitored 24/7.
Communications team
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What we do
The Communications team provides communications support for parishes and churches in the Diocese of Derby, the bishops, Derby Church House and Derby Cathedral.
We do this in a number of ways, including:
- Helping parishes and churches to tell their good news stories
- Providing parishes and churches with support for press and media enquiries
- Our regular publications
- Our Facebook and Instagram profiles make it easy to stay in touch with the latest news from our parishes and bishops
- Regular communications training for parishes and churches
- Supporting churches with A Church Near You
- This website provides some of the latest news as well as details of diocesan meetings and job vacancies.
Communications toolkit for parishes
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A Church Near You is a fantastic resource provided by the Church Of England.
It lists every church in the Diocese of Derby and should be one of your first ports of call when getting information about your church and its activities out to a wider audience.
If you're not already using A Church Near You, you should be!
Working from home may be a new experience to many of us so we have prepared this guide to be an aid to all of us during the coronavirus pandemic.
The current global situation is unprecedented and we appreciate that this, combined with a new way of working, may cause a level of anxiety.
If you need support, please don’t hesitate to outreach to your line manager or Mandy Roberts, HR Manager – mandy.roberts@derby.anglican.org
It is important to note that, by default, the incumbent is automatically the administrator (and an editor) of your church's page(s).
As the administrator, the incumbent can then grant editor access to up to five other people.
If your church is in vacancy or if the incumbent does not have access for some reason, you can follow the procedures below.
If you want to become an editor of your A Church Near You Page, you must have an account.
First, go to achurchnearyou.com and find your church by entering the postcode or town in the search box.
As you type, look for the suggestions offered to you under the search box and use the most appropriate, then click the orange arrow - it's more accurate!
We'll use St Alkmund's Duffield as an example:
Next, choose your church from the list on the left...
This will take you to an overview page for the church. Once you get to that, click 'Visit Page' on the left. This will take you to the next level for that church.
Once you're on the church's main page, again look at the left-hand side and, at the bottom, click 'Edit this church'.
If you don't have an account, this page will allow you to register - it's a simple process.
An email will be sent to you containing a link which you'll need to click to prove you own the email address.
Once you've verified your email address by clicking the link which will have arrived in your inbox, head back to www.achurchnearyou.com and make sure you're logged in to your new account.
Search for the same church again then select “Edit this church” from the list of tabs on the left-hand side.
This time, instead of the form you had to fill in before, there are three scenarios:
1 - If you're the vicar who leads the church
If you are the vicar who leads a church, your application to edit that church on AChurchNearYou is automatically approved so long as:
1) You have listed an email address on your Crockford’s entry and you have not requested to have your contact details restricted
2)The email address you've used for your AChurchNearYou account matches the email address on your Crockford's entry.
3) You are included on the Crockford's entry for the church(es) you're requesting to edit (if you don't have a Crockford's subscription you can check if you're listed on a church's entry by going to the church's AChurchNearYou page and clicking More Information, if you're listed under the Crockford's Contact Details section you're listed on the entry)
If you are the vicar who leads the church, and you meet the criteria above, then your request to edit the church will be automatically approved and you will also be automatically assigned administrator status for the church.
An editor with administrator status can approve or decline requests from other people to edit that church, and can remove existing editors from that church.
Only the vicar who leads the church can be the administrator.
If you need to update either your contact details on AChurchNearYou or your Crockford's entry please follow the instructions at: https://achurchnearyou.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002336113
Please note: You do not need a Crockford's subscription to find out what is listed on your own entry or to update your own entry. You can update your Crockford's entry at any time.
2 - If you are not the vicar who leads the church:
If you're not the vicar who leads this church, then you'll see a box into which you'll need to enter a short message to your vicar and a button which you'll need to click which says REQUEST ACCESS.
Unless your church is in vacancy, the vicar who leads your church needs to approve your application.
If the vicar doesn't have an account they’ll need to create one, and request to edit their church as described in the steps above.
Once they're able to edit the church they'll be able to click Manage Editors and then click Pending Requests. From there they can approve your request, even if they haven’t received an approval request email for you to edit the church.
This article explains how the vicar who leads a church can approve requests to edit their church: https://achurchnearyou.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003569093
3 - If your church is in vacancy
If your church is in vacancy, you’ll need to ask for manual verification; once you have created an account on AChurchNearYou.com and have requested to edit a church make sure you’re logged in and click the purple Help button on the right hand side of any page of AChurchNearYou, or the 'Submit a request' button at the top of the Help Centre...
Say that you're requesting manual verification because your church is in vacancy.
In your message please include the following:
- The reason you're requesting Manual Approval (eg you're an interim minster covering a group of churches. Please provide as much information as possible so that the support team can understand the situation fully and provide approval as quickly as possible)
- Your role within the church (office administrator, curate, PCC member, etc)
- Your email address (the one with which you registered for your AChurchNearYou account)
- Your permission to disclose your name, contact details, and request to your Area/Rural Dean, Archdeacon, and/or Diocesan staff in order to gain approval.
- The AChurchNearYou ID of the church(es) you have requested to edit and for which you require Manual Approval.
You'll find this ID by going to the AChurchNearYou church page in question and looking in the browser address bar where you'll see: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/ followed some numbers, please provide us with those numbers.
For instance, the URL for St Alkmund's in Duffield is: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/13370/ so their AChurchNearYou ID is 13370.
Forgotten password or unable to log in?
If you are unable to login to AChurchNearYou please visit: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/accounts/login and click FORGOT PASSWORD? and follow the process from there.
A message on screen will say that a password reset email is on its way. However, for security reasons, this message will display whether or not an account exists for that email address.
If you do not receive a password reset email: please try other email addresses you use just to make sure you're using the correct email address.
If you continue not to receive a password reset email it's most likely you do not have an account. We therefore recommend that you register for a new account, and request to edit your churches.
USERNAMES/CODES/DORMANT ACCOUNT DELETION:
The AChurchNearYou login method and procedure was updated, from usernames/codes to email addresses, in November 2017. At the same time, accounts which had not been used for 12 months prior were removed.
Download the Diocese of Derby Zoom Guide for Attendees [PDF]
Information provided by EMSOU, the East Midlands Special Operations Unit of the five police forces in the East Midlands region.
When it comes to Video Conferencing, for many, the sudden adoption of remote working, social
distancing and self-isolation has created a demand for simple easy ways to stay in touch with
family, friends and co-workers.
The demand has popularised many apps and one of the most talked about in Cyber Security
circles is Zoom, a video chat platform, available in both free and paid for versions.
Unfortunately, Zoom has received quite a lot of adverse publicity because of a number of
important security flaws. Criticism has ranged from uninvited people joining your conversation
to deliver racist messages or pornographic images, to poor encryption methods that mean
private conversations are not always private.
The guidance below has been written for home and business users that may have adopted
zoom, for its ease of use, availability and in the absence of a paid for service.
WHAT CAN I DO?
For those of you using Zoom, make sure you have the latest version of their software. Click
your user icon and select 'Check for Updates'. Usually, updates fix known security flaws.
Running anti-virus software or a firewall on your computer and keeping software up-to-date
will improve your security.
If you are holding public meetings, where anyone can join the conversation, be sure to
configure screen-sharing settings.
Go to 'In Meeting (Basic)' and select 'host alone can share' or turn off screen sharing
entirely. This can also be controlled by the host during a meeting.
Finally, turn of 'Annotation', if you are worried about how people might annotate your shared
slide show.
Stop Uninvited Guests
Setting up a Zoom meeting creates a 9 digit ID. Anyone who has this ID can join the
conversation. Don’t advertise it publicly by posting it on your Social media.
If you use the 'Options Panel' when setting up a meeting, you can add an access password
too. Would-be trolls now need an ID and a password to gate crash your meeting.
Use the 'Advanced Options' to enable a 'Waiting Room'. This puts people in a holding area before you grant or deny them access to your conversation.
Organisers can lock the meeting once everyone who needs to has joined. Click Manage Participants >> More >> Lock Meeting.
Stay Private
The organiser of a meeting can record audio and video from the meeting. Also, anyone involved in a ‘private chat’ can save this as a log file.
Turn off video and mute yourself unless needed. This prevents video recording conversations in your home or exposing information inadvertently.
It is possible to encrypt your video calls in the settings panel, which will improve the confidentiality of your conversations. Be aware, however that there is no certainty as to whether this is end-to-end encryption.
Accessing Zoom through the browser is more secure than downloading the app. The feature is available on the log in screen when invited to a meeting, although hard to spot.
Always Be Aware
Your conversations may not be as private as you would like. Is Siri, Alexa or Google assistant in range? They will ALWAYS be listening and passing info back to their servers to maintain the connection and sampling purposes.
Final Thoughts
Whatever platform is chosen it is vital that all the security settings are reviewed and implemented as appropriate.
In circumstances where sensitive or confidential discussions are being held other providers, such as Google Duo, Skype, Face Time, WhatsApp and Webex might be alternatives.
