Creswell Breakfast club has helped get the new school year off to the best possible start by providing school uniforms for local schoolchildren moving up to secondary school.

The club is based at St Mary Magdalene Church in Creswell village and is now in its seventh year.

► Feeding Derbyshire's Children: Creswell Breakfast Club

Bob Glassey writes:

Creswell Breakfast club has been making a difference this summer by working with Creswell Junior School - coordinating activities in the parish, ensuring  a full range of free activities for the five days a week during school holidays.

At one of our meetings with the headteacher Alison Pymm and Head of Care Amie Wilson, they identified a number of families with school children in need of assistance buying the mandatary new uniform and PE kit for Clowne Heritage School (average cost of a uniform and PE kit is £100).

I was happy to hand over a cheque for £1000 that the breakfast club raised with help from: £250 from Bolsover Community lottery fund, £250 from County Councillor Mick Yates from the Community Leadership Fund, and £500 from Elmton Creswell Hodthorpe Big Local.

The school has also received £176 from the Revd Keith Cocking and will receive £200 from Councillor Duncan McGregor of Bolsover Distric Council.

Vulnerable families in our parish continue to face increasing financial pressure due to the rising cost of living, and disposable income seems to be an increasingly rare luxury. 

The added pressure of children moving up from the Creswell Junior to the Clowne Heritage School needing a new complete school uniform plus PE kit means families as desperate and need assistance now.

It will lift a great weight from the shoulders of parents and family members knowing their children will have a brilliant start and will be the same as any other child at this new school.

There are many things which make up a community spirit.

And when it exists, a positive sense of community spirit is a great asset.

It can act as a glue, bringing together a whole community, and what can you do to make a difference.

We have shown that we can work together across organisations, professional of otherwise.

We are proud to be working with our local councils and local groups for the past six years, enabling them to create and make such a positive impact on our local community.

St Francis Church in Mackworth is transforming lives with a new football club.

Thirty men between the ages of 18 and 30 are actively engaged with the club, despite the initial idea falling flat.

Earlier this year, a man who attends the church approached the vicar, Revd Andy Bond, with an interest to start a five-a-side football team. 

After a period where very few came forward to participate, prayers, invitations and a football WhatsApp group all helped to pique interest and help the church once again become a light on the hill as a living and vibrant centre of Mackworth.

Revd Andy said: “The response we have received has been incredible.

"Guys from my barbers are coming this Wednesday for the first time.

"There is a guy who is getting married at St Francis next month that had no previous church background, a guy who got married in May and both him and his wife have completed the Alpha course (also no church background previously), and an atheist who has moved from Hong Kong.

"We have attracted several others to join that don't yet follow Jesus.

“It is building relationships within church and connecting with others locally.

"Two men who came to church for the first time on Sunday morning have signed up immediately.”

The football team numbers vary week to week, however most weeks they are playing seven-a-side.

They are all praying for fun and for lives to be transformed.

Learn more about St Francis Mackworth at stfmackworth.org or email hello@stfmackworth.org

Let's be honest - the world is struggling.

Our county, our country and our planet are full of luscious landscape and wonderful wildlife. 

But large swathes of it are on the verge of being in tatters or even disappearing completely.

For some, it's already too late.

Climate change, pollution, a growing human population and an over-reliance on Earth's resources mean that now, more than ever, we as the custodians of the planet must act to take care of God's creation.

So this year, the Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal will support three causes all working to help protect wildlife and the natural resources it relies on:

• ► Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's rewilding projects
• ► The Anglican Communion Forest Initiative
• ► Restoring Kenya's coral reefs - an A Rocha project

► Click here to make an online donation

► Other ways to donate

Each in turn will help provide vital resources for the wildlife that depends on it - creatures in the air, creatures on the land and creatures in the sea.

Whilst these are just three of the many tens of thousands of projects around the world that help to preserve the planet of which we are custodians, each is hugely important in its own right as well as being a part of connected projects to help balance - even reverse - the damage humankind has done to this Earth.

Every donation will help make a difference to each of the three projects the Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal is supporting this year.

The generations of humans thus far have had an adverse effect on this planet - it is now incumbent on us to further the process of rectifying that damage to those precious resources so that future generations can still know the beauty, richness and diversity of God's creation.

► More useful information on how you can help fight climate change

Please help in whatever way you can.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's rewilding project

In the Diocese of Derby, we are incredibly lucky to live either in, or on the doorstep of, some of the country's most beautiful landscapes. 

But like everywhere else, we are guilty of causing many of these places to become severely depleted of wildlife because of, for example, pollution, over-population, poor management and our own human greed and selfishness.

Rewilding allows the land to ‘go back to nature’ so wildlife can thrive.

As far as possible, humans stay well back …no vehicles, no pollutants, no heavy boots on the ground.

What we then see is remarkable: nature takes charge and increases the abundance of plant and animal communities to levels that are far higher and more complex than human management could achieve.

Seeds and plants are free to germinate and grow.

Insects, birds and mammals start to explore these areas - some make them their home, others use them as wildlife "service stations" as they travel around.

The likes of bees and butterfies, birds and bats, hedgehogs and badgers, and otters and beavers then have a place to feed undisturbed and their very survival is made a little easier.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust manages 50 sites for nature as well as other work to promote rewilding and land management, and every donation really is used to it's full potential.

The re-wilding projects include Allestree Park in Derby (pictured above), Thornhill Carrs near Edale, Willington Wetlands and the Wild Peak region.

• £50 could help reserves officers support landowners in re-wilding their land
• £250 could help maintain and manage half an acre of wildlife meadow for one year
• £500 could plant trees in more than half an acre of woodland

As well as the work that directly affect wildlife in Derbyshire, DWT is building Team Wilder - a movement supporting individuals to act for nature.

Together, we can make more space for nature to become abundant once again, give our struggling wildlife the chance to recover and restore beautiful wild places - places that store carbon and help to tackle the climate crisis. 

Big and small there is a role we can all play. https://www.derbyshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/teamwilder.

The Anglican Communion Forest Initiative

The Communion Forest was first conceived in late 2019 when the Lambeth Conference Design Group asked for ideas for a lasting legacy of the forthcoming conference.

This formed the basis for the Communion Forest initiative that exists today and will significantly increase Anglican tree-growing and landscape protection around the world and deepen care for creation within the life of the Church.

Together, these real-life planting projects will form a virtual, global “forest”, and its activities will be determined locally by provinces, dioceses and individual parishes so that they are geographically, culturally and environmentally appropriate.

The first tree was planted this year as part of the Lambeth Conference - a tree that Bishop Libby helped to plant (pictured above).

The Communion Forest is a global act of hope which involves a wide range of creation care activities.

Restoring Kenya's coral reefs - an A Rocha project

Kenya’s coral reefs are impacted by global and local threats, including a warming ocean.

Reefs in Watamu, where A Rocha Kenya’s field study centre focuses on marine conservation work, are struggling to recover.

Fish, crabs, and many other sea creatures depend upon certain types of corals which provide shelter and resources.

These reefs can provide an abundance of food for local communities when healthy.

Some species of coral that were abundant in the past, particularly those that provide the most shelter for other creatures, are low in number or absent from these reefs.

A Rocha plans to restore these coral reefs by carefully selecting corals from areas nearby, that will replenish low numbers or return coral species to these reefs.

How to donate

Individual online donations

► Click here to make an online donation

There is the option to Gift Aid these donations.

Church and School donations

Where possible, participating churches and schools should send their donations (including any reclaimed Gift Aid) by BACS transfer – details for this transaction are:

Bank account name: Derby Diocesan Board of Finance
Bank account number: 85463671
Sort code number: 60-12-01
Payment Ref: HARVEST2022

When churches / schools send their donation by BACS, please notify us by email to finance@derby.anglican.org and include payment details – (i) date & (ii) amount.
This is important to us, as your email will ensure your donation is identified and a “thank you” will be sent.

Cheques should be made payable to DDBF Ltd and sent to
“The Bishop of Derby’s Harvest Appeal 2022”
c/o Derby Church House
Full Street
Derby
DE1 3DR

Useful information

Gaia

Dont forget to visit Derby Cathedral's Gaia installation from 22 September – 16 October 2022.

Gaia is a touring artwork - a giant globe measuring seven metres in diameter and created from detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. 

Great Big Green Week

Be part of Great Big green Week - the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature.

Eco Church

A Rocha UK’s award scheme for churches, designed to equip your church to express your care for God’s world in your worship and teaching; in how you look after your buildings and land; in how you engage with your local community and in global campaigns, and in the personal lifestyles of your congregation.

ARC's Living Churchyards

More than 6,000 British churchyards run their small plots of land as sacred eco-systems – without pesticides, and mowing the grass only once a year – ensuring that birds, reptiles, insects and bats can thrive. Could your churchyard become one too? Find out more.

Prayer resources

Climate Intercessors is a global network of people whose prayers are as real and urgent as the climate crisis, where you will find some useful prayers and information. Please take time to pray.

The Queen’s Green Canopy

It's not too late to "plant a tree for the jubelee" - perhaps as a tribute to Her Late Majesty.

Anglican Communion Environmental Network

The Anglican Communion Environmental Network website has liturgical material for Seasons of Creation 2022, climate vigil songs album, and webinars on prophetic indigenous voices on the planetary crisis from Amazonia, Africa, Aotearoa and Polynesia.

Climate justice

Please consider signing Christian Aid’s justice petition to the prime minister to ensure that the UK fulfils its responsibilities and its promise to "build back better".  

Please take time to look at USPG’s campaign for climate and ecological justice. You can read USPG's advocacy and church resources booklet "Faith in a Changing Climate". It includes information on climate change, stories from around the world, prayer material, Bible studies and information on how to lobby your MP.

At the Churchwarden Networking Day at St Thomas Brampton on 30 June 2022, Community Project Development Officer Gareth Greenwood gave a presentation on funding building projects.

The slides are available here:

↓ Download the slide presentation PowerPoint [.ppt] | PDF format

For more support, email gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org

At the Churchwarden Networking Day at St Thomas Brampton on 30 June 2022, the Diocesan Environment Officer gave a presentation on moving towards net-zero carbon.

The slides are available here:

↓ Download the slide presentation PowerPoint [.ppt] | PDF format

At the churchwarden networking day on 30 June 2022, a panel of experts answered a variety of questions from churchwardens regarding their buildings and being eco-friendly.

The panel was:

John Beardmore - Energy Adviser to the Diocese of Derby (John@T4sLtd.co.uk)

Stella Collishaw - Community Action Officer (stella.collishaw@derby.anglican.org)

Gareth Greenwood - Community Projects Development Officer (gareth.greenwood@derby.anglican.org)

Nigel Sherratt - DAC and DMPC Secretary (dac@derby.anglican.org)

↓ Download the information handout from the Q&A session PDF format | Word format

Jump to the individual questions (on YouTube):

1. We want to insulate our entire roof space but the cost is astronomical. Can you help?

2. We have a lot of stonework that needs repairing and a poorly organ. Is there any help available?

3. What evidence would the DAC require to justify the replacement of a very inefficient gas heating system with a modern system, as other options do not appear to be very practical?

4. Are there any grants available to help with installing solar panels?

5. We would like some advice about replacing a very old, uneconomical electric boiler. There is no gas supply available.

6. How do churches measure their carbon footprint and the impact of potential changes to determine if they are making progress toward the net zero target? And what do the panel consider to be the high-value carbon savings in old, energy-inefficient buildings?

7. Does the DAC give advice on heating options?

8. Given the move towards renewable energies, is the DAC more likely to look more favourably on visually intrusive schemes, such as solar panels or air ducts, than it may have done in the past?

9. When calculating carbon footprint, do we exclude for example the purchasing things, paper that we use for photocopying etc?

More for churchwardens

Bishop Malcolm experiences church from a wheelchair user’s perspective

Have you ever considered what it’s like to go to church when you’re a wheelchair user?

Bishop Malcolm recently met Reader Lynda Herbert from the newly formed Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG) at St Giles Church in Marston Montgomery where she is a regular worshipper.

His plan was to get an understanding of the challenges faced by wheelchair users, both leading worship and as a member of the congregation.

So, Bishop Malcolm became a wheelchair user for the duration of the meeting.

Bishop Malcolm said: “I was quite surprised by the number of challenges I faced while using a wheelchair.

“Slopes and steps are obvious barriers, but I also learned that it’s not always easy to get around inside churches due to tight corners.

“And using a wheelchair also means you only get one perspective of what’s going on – you can’t stand and sit like non-wheelchair users and sometimes the only place you can go is at the end of a pew. All this means that your view can be restricted.

"I am thankful to Lynda for inviting me to experience church in a new way.”

Lynda is a Reader in the Dove and Derwent and Carsington Deaneries, where she regularly leads services including morning prayer, evening prayer, family services and funerals. She said: “What I wanted to demonstrate was that even small (and often free!) changes that any church can make could greatly benefit disabled members of the local community and could increase service attendance.

Examples include removing a pew to allow more space for wheelchairs, utilising chairs where possible instead of pews – and even a simple change of language (e.g., saying “if you are able, please stand” rather than “please stand”) would help wheelchair users feel more included.”

The DIAG will be releasing more details in the weeks ahead to inform and support our churches and parishes.

If you would like to find out more about their work, or indeed to join the group and help to structure the pathway ahead, please contact Carl Veal at carl.v60@hotmail.com.

On the day I wrote this article, the stock markets were down 11% as the impact of what President Trump termed ‘Liberation Day’ took hold on the global economy. As of April 2, the United States has imposed global tariffs on countries exporting goods and services to America. Some countries have already responded to Trump’s move by imposing retaliatory tariffs on the cost to the United States of exporting their goods into those countries. Now, you might not follow the ups and downs of global stock markets and the twists and turns of the geo-politics, but part of the concern over these tariffs will be their effect on nearly all of us. The US President’s move affects pensions, the cost of car purchases, family savings and more. And the language applied to the advent of these significant and far-reaching tariffs is ‘Liberation Day’. 

The heavy burden imposed on countries and individuals by these tariffs starkly contrasts with Jesus’ message of salvation, liberation, and hope that we celebrate during the Easter season. Jesus took the full weight of human sin on himself on the cross and rose from the dead to offer us new life in Christ. Whereas President Trump’s tariffs lead to hopelessness and despair, the liberation Jesus offers us brings hope. However, as we take our confidence in the Good News of Jesus, we must reconcile what we believe in faith with the world as we experience it; that is the challenge of being a disciple. It might strike you as hard to cling to a message of hope amid a fractured world, but that is the work we must do if we are to point people to Jesus. 

Will Freemont-Brown’s chapter in the Archbishop’s Lent book ‘Wild Bright Hope’ suggests that for Christians, hope is not the same as optimism but inviting Jesus into the challenging and traumatic: the hopeless places of our lives and the world, we can reimagine those spaces with hope. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans (12.2) urges early followers of Jesus to ‘not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your [our] mind’. Therefore, the challenge for us as contemporary followers of Jesus is not to deny or play down the despair of tariffs and warfare but, through prayer, invite the Holy Spirit to help us reimagine our outlook on the here and now, in light of the liberation Jesus won for us on the cross and in the resurrection. 

The Ven Matthew Trick

Archdeacon of Derby City and South Derbyshire

The Right Reverend Malcolm Macnaughton, Bishop of Repton, has ordained 15 new priests and eight new deacons in two special services at Derby Cathedral.

In the presence of the Right Reverend Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, the new deacons and priests took their vows, supported by family and friends in the congregations.

Bishop Malcolm said: "It has been a joy and a privilege to ordain the new priests and deacons in the Diocese of Derby.

"They are each called to serve the communities in which they are set and these are the next steps of a lifelong journey of nurturing themselves and others in faith.

"Please keep them in your prayers as God leads each of them in their ministry."

► In pictures: Ordination of Priests 2022 [Flickr]

► In pictures: Ordination of Deacons 2022 [Flickr]

► Meet the new deacons

Those ordained priests are:

• Rebecca Allpress to serve in the Benefice of Swadlincote and Hartshorne, the Benefice of Newhall and the Benefice of Gresley;
• Onyekachi Julius Anozie to serve in the Benefice of Kirk Hallam;
• Gillian Ball to serve in the Benefice of Old Brampton and Great Barlow, and Loundsley Green LEP;
• Rachel Burdett to serve in Benefice of Belper Christ Church with Turnditch, and the Benefice of Hazelwood, Holbrook and Milford;
• Samantha Dennis to serve in the Benefice of Sawley;
• John Ferguson to serve in the Benefice of Derby St Barnabas;
• Mike Fitzsimmons to serve in the Benefice of Barlborough and Clowne;
• Jeff Golding to serve in St Werburgh’s Derby Mission Initiative;
• Melanie Hartley to serve in the Benefice of Baslow and Eyam;
• Eleanor Launders-Brown to serve in the Benefice of East Scarsdale;
• James Lee to serve in the Benefice of Stanton by Dale with Dale Abbey and Risley;
• Christine Nowak to serve in the Benefice of Whitfield;
• Nick Parish to serve in the Benefice of Derby St Peter and Christ Church with Holy Trinity;
• Becky Reeve to serve in the Benefice of Walbrook Epiphany;
• Charlotte Wallington to serve in the Benefice of Hathersage with Bamford and Derwent, and Grindleford.

The eight new deacons are:

• Fiona Barber to serve in the Benefice of Sinfin Moor;
• Elliot George to serve in the Benefice of Dronfield with Holmesfield;
• Josephine Harbidge to serve in the Benefice of Walton St John;
• Samantha Mackie to serve in the Benefice of Swadlincote and Hartshorn,  the Benefice of Newhall and the Benefice of Gresley;
• Fay Price to serve in the Benefice of Derby St Alkmund and St Werburgh;
• Rhiannon Singleton to serve in the Benefice of Holy Trinity, Dinting Vale, the Benefice of Charlesworth and Gamesley, the Benefice of Glossop, the Benefice of Hadfield and the Benefice of Whitfield;
• Lisa Taylor to serve in the Benefice of Hulland, Atlow, Kniveton, Bradley and Hognaston;
• Catherine Watson to serve in the St Werburgh’s Derby Mission Initiative.

One of the things we were asked to look at during our recent churchwarden networking events was the possibility of making available a list of readers and clergy PtOs who would be willing to be contacted to help cover services for those churches in vacancy or in emergencies.

On the face of it, this sounds a fairly straightforward request, and it is one that we have been working on – but the modern world we live in has made this something of a challenge.

The introduction of GDPR (General Data Protection Rules) has meant that we now must not only be careful of whose data we share with whom, but also how we share it – providing printed / printable lists of names and contact details from the data the diocese holds is no longer an option, particularly as lists like that can very quickly become out of date and therefore contravene the GDPR guidance.

This is also why we no longer produce a printed diocesan directory.

So we have had to come up with a long-term, digital solution – one that makes the information available but also keeps the data safe as defined by GDPR.

The only way we can do this is using the diocesan Contact Management System (CMS) and we have been testing it to ensure that we have come up with a solution that works technically.

This is how it will work:

• Each licensed churchwarden can request access to the CMS online (this can take a number of days to process so don’t leave it until the last minute!) Instructions for this are in the attached guide to using the CMS.
• Once logged in to the system, you will be able to search for readers and (soon) Clergy PtOs who are available to be contacted to cover services. You will be able to see where they are based and a small amount of information about how far they might be willing to travel, general availability (eg ‘Only available on Sundays’) etc
• To protect the integrity of the system, you will not be able to export or copy lists from the system
• At the moment, a limited number of readers are included in this search, but we anticipate this growing as the system becomes more widely used. Clergy PtOs are not yet included but we hope to be able to add them soon.

The advantage to readers and PtOs is that they can ask to be added / removed to this search facility with ease, and their information can be updated as is necessary.

The advantage to churchwardens is that you will only see those who wish to make themselves available and that you won’t be working from an out-of-date list.

The advantage to area deans and deanery administrators is that you will no longer need to ask them to help find cover.

The advantage to the diocese is that it means we keep within the law!

Using the CMS – access for churchwardens

► Download this CMS guide as a PDF

Registering for access

First, you need to register for access to the CMS.

This can take a number of days so please don’t leave it till the last minute! You must have your own access – you are NOT allowed to share login details with anyone else.

If you would like to request access to the CMS for this purpose, please:Go to: https://cofeportal.org/ and click on the ‘Register for an account’ link and enter your details, remembering to choose a password that conforms to their requirements, ie it must have eight characters including one capital letter and one number.

Once you have done this, an activation code will be sent to your email address and the email you receive will tell you how to activate your account.

Next, you will need to return to https://cofeportal.org/ and sign in using your email address and password.

Then you should see the following buttons:

Click on the button that says CMS and you will be asked to select your diocese – choose Derby.

Click on the button that says CMS and you will be asked to select your diocese – choose Derby.

The system will now alert our CMS administrator who will check that you are a bona-fide churchwarden and entitled to view the system before granting you access (this is the bit that can take a few days depending on the administrator’s availability).

You should receive an email confirmation when you have been given access.

You will only need to complete this registration process once.

How to search for cover on CMS – step-by-step guide

Once you have been granted access, go to https://cofeportal.org/login

and sign in with your email address and password.

1. Click CMS – Derby

2. On the left, click ‘Diocesan saved searches’

3.Scroll down to 'On-call Readers' (near the bottom of the list) and click the ‘Load’ button.

4. The screen will then show you a list of ALL the on-call readers.

5. If you want to refine the search by deanery, you can ‘remove’ the unwanted deaneries by clicking the ‘x’ next to the deanery/ies you want to omit from the search.

6. There may be more than one page in the list, so click the page numbers to move to other pages.

7. When you have found a reader you would like to see more about, click the ‘open contact’ button next to their details.

8. The screen will then show you that reader’s basic details – but there may be moreinformation for you. So,…

9. Click the tab that says ‘Post history’

10. Find the row that says ‘On-call reader’ and click the ‘Open post’ button associated with it.

You can now see the on-call reader’s specific details (if they have given any) in the ‘Further details’ area.

If you want to look at other on-call readers, DON’T use your browser’s ‘back’ button, but close the two tabs shown so that only the ‘Contact Search’ tab remains.