I felt God speak to me through song

John Ferguson: ordained deacon in June 2021 - to be ordained priest in July 2022 

My name is John, and I live in Overseal, a village at the very south of the Diocese near Swadlincote. I’m looking forward to being ordained to work in the parish of St. Barnabas’, Derby, as a Self-Supporting Minister (SSM). As a SSM I will continue to work full time as an IT Manager for a well-known discount retailer.

I grew up in a small village near Blackburn, Lancashire and started attending church at a young age with my sister. We were drawn in by the vibrant Sunday School and by the time I moved away from home to attend University, I was a leader in the Sunday School and a member of both the music group and PCC.

I moved to Derby in 2005 to study Computer Networks at Derby University. On leaving my previous Church, our curate put me in touch with St. Peter’s and this has been my home for nearly 16 years.

During my time at St. Peter’s, I have held various roles: a Youth Leader, a Home Group Leader, a member of the PCC and a member of various working groups. I have also been involved in several outreach activities such as Recharge (church in a pub) and Alpha Café (a social event around the Alpha course). But my primary role was as a Worship Leader. It is from this that my journey to ordination started.

As a child I learnt to play the Piano and was a member of the school choir. I still enjoy playing the piano and singing today.

It was during my time at St. Peter’s that I developed my ministry as a Worship Leader. Part of this development involved attending the Mission Worship Conference in Eastbourne every couple of years. In November 2017, while at this conference, I felt God speak to me through song. I came away with a deep desire to grow deeper in my faith through study, but resisted the call to ordination.

In September 2018 I started a part-time course at The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. It wasn’t long before my cohort were encouraging me to consider ordination and a few weeks later God spoke to me again. This time it was through a vision (but it still involved a song) and the rest, as they say, is history. I was fortunate to be able to remain at Queen’s to complete my training.

In my spare time, other than music, I enjoy Scuba Diving. This has taken me to some wonderful places, and I especially enjoy diving in the Red Sea. Recently, my experiences diving have led me to make small changes to minimise my impact on the environment.

I’m still working out what ordained ministry will look like for me, I’m sure it will involve music in some way. But I also feel the fact I will be staying in secular employment could be key, helping to bridge the gap between secular and sacred.

Favourite Hymn – There’s too many to choose from, but Stuart Townend’s In Christ Alone has always had a special place in my heart “for I am his, and he is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ”

Favourite Bible Verse – John 1:1-5 (if it needs to be 1 verse, then John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word”

For the first time, you can now see the inside of All Saints' Church in Mackworth, which was devatated by fire in December.

The images show the scale of the destruction caused by the heat and flames of the blaze.

Whilst the tower was largely unaffected, the nave and chancel were almost completely destroyed, including the roof.

However, a number of artefacts survived and some of these have already been sent to experts for restoration.

The work has also revealed a crypt that was not known about.

Revd Jacqueline Stober, vicar of All Saints, said: "Although the destruction is devastating, we also have to be thankful for what is left.

"The work that has been carried out to clear the debris and salvage those artefacts that survived is remarkable.

"Some of the silver, the chalices that we used to use in Holy Communion, have survived.

"The archaeologists have found the four-foot silver cross we used to have on the altar in the chancel and the wedding registers have also been found (they were in a safe) and although they are a charred mess and didn't survive very well, they have been sent to a specialist who will be able to recreate them.

"It's great to see that there is still some of this building that we can do something with - and it will still be a place of worship in another thousand years."

The images of the church's interior follow months of clearance work and the stabilisation of the site - phase one of the project.

The next phase will be to make the building watertight and the PCC will be seeing presentations from contractors in the coming weeks.

Most of the funding for the work carried out so far has been provided by the church's insurers, Ecclesiastical.

Claims Director Jeremy Trott said: "The money is there to rebuild the church, but it's obviously up to the PCC to decide what they do and don't want to do."

It is hoped all the work might be complete by Christmas 2023. 

Bishop Libby is supporting Christian Aid Week by taking part in the 300,000 steps for May challenge - and invites you to join her!

The idea is simple: take 300,000 sponsored steps across the month of May to raise vital funds for communities battling the worst of this climate crisis. 

The Diocese of Derby has welcomed two key appointments to help shape diocesan ministries as we look to the future.

The Revd Dwayne Engh joins as the new Ordained Ministries Development Officer and Jo Henderson-Merrygold is the new Lay Ministries Development Officer and Warden of Readers.

Jo writes:

I have come into this role to champion, celebrate, and enable lay ministries across the diocese.

I am a Methodist Local Preacher and lay theologian, who is just putting the finishing touches to a Biblical Studies PhD at the University of Sheffield.

These experiences have built my passion for lay ministry – and I look forward to opportunities to celebrate its diverse forms.

My own experience includes pioneer projects, mission enabling, chaplaincy, and lay pastoring. I have already been warmly welcomed by the Readers and am grateful for their understanding of a Methodist in the mix!

I am looking forward continuing to get to know those currently serving in lay ministries: to hear your joys and successes, challenges and learning points.

I plan to work with colleagues across the diocese to celebrate our achievements – big and small – and to share the wealth of our experiences with one another.

In fact, I hope to host a festival of lay ministries as soon as possible.

I trust and pray that this will increase our confidence in what we are already doing, give us opportunities to develop further, and encourage others to offer their gifts and skills too.

Then, alongside colleagues in the Discipleship, Ministries and Mission Team, I will continue to resource and enable these ministries to grow and flourish.

In the meantime, if you have any queries don’t hesitate to get in touch: jo.henderson-merrygold@derby.anglican.org.

Dwayne will be looking after IME2 (curate training) and CMD (continuing ministerial development). 

He writes: 

I was born in Vancouver but raised mostly in Calgary (Canada) – and have been blessed with a wide range of opportunities/previous careers as a composer, conductor, percussionist, and educator (both secondary and post-secondary in Calgary, Shanghai, and London).

I have been in the UK since 2009 and was ordained in 2015 in the Church of England, having trained to be a priest at Westcott House. 

My previous dwelling place was in the Diocese of Coventry, where I was vicar of St Mary Magdalen Church, Chapelfields. 

Within the wider diocese, I was on Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod. 

Additionally, I was an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands and the Ministerial Development Associate, supporting clergy training in that diocese. 

I also love being a Spiritual Director and accompanying people on their journey with God. 

My last service in Coventry was Easter Sunday and I’m already missing presiding/preaching. 

I’d love to get to know the diocese better and offer myself as cover (up to twice a month at most) if anyone needs to take time off or people are in vacancy.  Please feel free to contact me if you might be interested in that!

I appreciate the warm welcome I’ve already received since I’ve moved into Derby and look forward to serving the people of this diocese with you!

You can contact me by email: dwayne.engh@derby.anglican.org

“Things are not good at all. People are dying due to lack of oxygen and hospital beds. Corridors of hospitals are full. The poor not even getting an ambulance to take their dead to do the last rites. Many are just burning them on roadsides. Scary and terrible times. Please pray for us. Our hope and trust are in the Lord alone. Please convey my regards to all my Derby friends.” 
Message from the Church of North India in Delhi. 

The Bishop of Repton, the Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, has dedicated a prayer station in Derby Cathedral which will be a focus for prayers for the people of India, who are suffering devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Churches in Derbyshire, including the Diocese of Derby, have strong links with the Church of North India, particularly with Kolkata.

Bishop Malcolm was joined by the Sub-dean of Derby, Canon Elizabeth Thomson, and Revd Anita Matthews, who chairs the partnership between Derbyshire Churches and The Church of North India.

Bishop Malcolm said: “The Diocese of Derby has, for a long time, had strong links with the Church of North India and schools there and it is heartbreaking to hear some of the stories coming from the people and regions we are connected with.

“The problems there at the moment are huge – they are sometimes institutional and structural, but they are also deeply personal. Hearing of people dying and having to be cremated at the roadside is horrific, particularly when India has done so much for other countries in helping to produce vaccines.

“This terrible situation is one that is moving people of all faiths to pray. We pray that God will bring resurrection and hope and life, and freedom from this horrific pandemic very soon.

“And we want people of Indian heritage here in Derby and Derbyshire to know that we stand in solidarity them in prayer for their friends and families in India.”

The Revd Anita Matthews has visited parts of the Diocese of Kolkata on a number of occasions.

She said: “The accounts I have been sent are truly heartbreaking – not least because, although it is affecting the whole of Indian society, it is, as ever, the poorest of the poor who are suffering the most because they can’t afford to access any kind of medical care.

“It is our colleagues in the Church of North India who are trying to reach out to those people to offer some kind of support and hope by providing vaccination programmes and food for families who have lost loved ones and have no income, or because they are in lockdown and cannot work.

“Some of the messages I have received from our long-standing friends and ecumenical partners in India have summed up the desperation there – and yet in the midst of it, they are saying ‘We pray for you in Derby and Derbyshire’ and that they place their faith in God alone. That faith is absolutely extraordinary.”

The prayer stationat Derby Cathedral features messages from people in India and some beautiful Indian cloths, fashioned by Indian artists and craftspeople, depicting the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

Canon Elizabeth Thomson, Sub-dean of Derby said: “We are aware of how important it is to have a place of prayer in the city at this time, and we are aware of how very multicultural the praying life of the people who come into the cathedral is.

"So, in a time when people can feel very cut off and unable to help, we wanted to say that there is a space where you can come to say a prayer and be connected with other people who are doing the same.

“We invite people of all faiths and none to visit and take time to pray in Derby Cathedral for the people of India – not only those who are worst affected, but those who are also helping to give comfort, hope and support.”

Developing a culture of generosity is not only crucial to encouraging giving, it’s also what we are called to do.

We believe in a generous God who calls us to share that generosity with the world around us and the impact of that generosity will been seen in many different ways.

To cultivate generosity in our church community there are four areas we should focus on, and they form the acronym IDEA.

Click on the links below to find out more about each of these areas:

• Inspire people through generous leadership and celebrating generosity within the life of the church.
• Disciple members, through resources, teaching and learning, so people can grow in an understanding of God’s generosity towards them, and how they can live generous lives.
• Embed generosity in the life of the church, in its plans, services and ministry and weave it into everything the church does.
• Activate generosity, by providing opportunities for people to grow in generosity and apply what they have discovered.

>> Get resources for your church

To grow giving in your church, you need to ensure you have the correct foundations in place.

There are four areas to focus on, and they form the acronym MINT.

Use the links below to access information about each of these areas:

• Have the right mechanisms for giving. The primary mechanism we promote is the Parish Giving Scheme *link to internal PGS page*, but there are others such as contactless, online, legacies, gift aid and so on. Too often people have to jump through too many hoops to give to our churches. We need to make it as simple as possible.
• Show the impact of people’s giving, how it enables the church’s ministry and mission and what changes their money is going to make on the world around them. Often we talk about the costs of ministry rather than the difference it makes.
• Explain the need for people to give, so they see how important it is that they give. People have many opportunities to give to lots of worthwhile charities and causes, but why should they give to your church?
• Build trust, so that people have confidence that the church will spend their gifts wisely and well. This area is often forgotten about or left at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list, however if we don’t cultivate trust then it doesn’t matter how good we are at describing the three other areas we will always limit the potential income.

The information on this page is aimed specifically at those who are recognised as Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSO).

It includes links to resources and information which are directly relevant to the roles and responsibilities of a PSO, and to training courses which are specifically for PSOs or DBS Administrators within a parish and are not applicable to other members of a church.

The Diocese of Derby Safeguarding Team is based at the Parish Support Office, Derby Church House. The team work both from the office and from home (or other locations) through the week. You can meet the team at; Derby Diocesan Safeguarding Team.

Policies and Practice Guidance

The Diocese of Derby has elected to follow the National Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance since 2018.  All associated documents, including the current Parish Safeguarding handbook, Key Roles and responsibilities of church office Holders and bodies practice guidance, Responding Well, Safer Recruitment, Training Guidance documents and Policy Statements can be found here.

Safeguarding for Bellringers in the Diocese of Derby

The Diocese of Derby Safeguarding team in partnership with the Derby Association of Church Bellringers (the Assiociation) has developed guidance which applies to all Bellringers in Church of England towers in the Diocese of Derby, whether or not they belong to the Association.

The Guidance can be downloaded here

Resources and Templates

This link will take you to The Church of England National Safeguarding Resources Page which shows resources published by Church House Publishing, and a list of wider reading published independently and contain the authors own views; these are mostly recommended in the different safeguarding training modules as it is important everyone understands the challenges and criticisms facing the Church, and learns from them.

National Templates and Resources can be downloaded from this link - Templates and Resources

The Diocese of Derby has created this template policy for the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders download here and then completed for Benefice and Parish use.

The Safeguarding department has created a number of example role definitions which must be adapated for local use.  These are to assist Parish Safeguarding Officers in the creation of role defintiions within parishes and include indications on when DBS checks may be required.  Note that these must always be reviewed against the specific circumstances of any paid employee or volunteer.  These can be downloaded for use here:

Caretaker              Childrens Leader,        Childrens Worker,          Creche Helper,         Creche Leader,            Driver for At Risk Adults,          Elders Lunch Club Helper,

Flower Arranger,  Food Bank Helper,       Food Bank Leader,        Hospitality (Tea, Coffee, Refreshments),    Messy Church Helper,               Messy Church Leader, 

Open the Book Volunteer,                         Parent and Toddler Helper,       Parent and Toddler Leader,              Parish DBS Administrator,       Parish Safeguarding Officer, 

Verger,                   Welcomer,                    Youth Club Helper,        Youth Club Leader,                                        Youth Club Minibus Driver.

Code of Conduct template for volunteers

The Code of Conduct template has been written by PSO Jacqueline Haywood from St Alkmunds, Derby (thank you so much for this Jacqueline) the safeguarding team have viewed it and agreed it is a great tool, it can be download here for editing for local use.

Training

For details of Core Safeguarding Training and who in the Diocese requires what training please see our page Who needs to have Safeguarding training? / Book a course  All Parish Safeguarding Officers are also required to attend the Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction Course and the DBS Streamlining Education Session

Diocese of Derby Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction Course
Parish life is the heart of the Diocese and is the most important context to get our safeguarding right. The Parish Safeguarding Officer role is a vital one – the ‘champion’ of safeguarding in the parish. This induction/refresher course aims to help PSOs understand the role, responsibilities, and key working relationships of the Parish Safeguarding Officer, identify a variety of approaches to raising awareness and improving safeguarding practice, and evaluate safeguarding information reported by members of the church or community and determining an appropriate response.

PSOs are also required to follow the Core Pathway of Safeguarding training – Basic Awareness, Foundation, Leadership, Domestic Abuse Awareness and Safer Recruitment training.  Please book on to Parish Safeguarding Officer course using Eventbrite following the links below.

2025

Thursday 12 June - 7-9pm - Zoom - Book Here

Tuesday 8th July 9.30-11.30am - Zoom - Book Here

Thursday 18th September - 7-9pm - Zoom - Book Here

Saturday 15 November - 9.30-11.30am - Zoom - Book Here

If you are not able to join any of the courses above please email amanda.sandland@derby.anglican.org to be placed on a waiting list to be contacted about future courses.

Support For Churches in Vacancy

If your Parish is in Vacancy, or soon will be, the document Support for Parishes in Vacancy download here outlines how the Safeguarding team can help during the period of the vacancy.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Checks)
From January 2021 it became the responsibility of each Parish to apply for and administer the process of verification for DBS checks for Volunteers and paid staff working within a parish other than Ordained Clergy, Licenseed Lay Ministers and Readers and those seeking ordination, following the process as defined by the Diocese of Derby and working with our agreed supplier thirtyone:eight (31:8).  

If you are a member of Laity who needs to make a new DBS check, other than a Lay Minister, Lay Reader, or someone seeking Ordination or Ordination Training, please speak to your Parish Safeguarding Officer .  For all others please follow the guidance for as published for Licensed Clergy / Lay Minsters and Readers, including those seeking Ordination / Ordination Training which can be found here.

Parishes who complete Laity DBS

You must amend the following documents to make them appropriate for your parish:

• Privacy Notice this is a word document and you must edit this prior to it be given out.  A privacy notice with comments and a completed example (PDF documents) are also available to assist you.

• There are also minor amendments to be made to the Confidential Declaration form to make that local to your parish – these are highlighted in the document.

The parish CDF and privacy notice must be issued when providing information to DBS applicants. They may also be provided with the laity ID verification form (amended May2023), to prepopulate prior to meeting with you so you can verify thier identity documents and sign the form for your use at the stage of completing the online verification / position check.  To assist with this please see the notes on completing the ID Verification form and Documentary Evidence Details documents.

Any Confidential Declaration Forms which have a declaration on should be sent us on dbs@derby.anglican.org before you process the DBS application. These can be sent by the individual rather than the PSO.

The Vision Prayer

Gracious God, 

in your mercy, and for your glory,

renew us, reshape us, revive us - 

with generous faith, courageous hope, and life-giving love -

that, in transformed lives, 

through growing church and building community, 

we may see your Kingdom come 

and be good news for all.

Amen.

Our Vision is ‘the Kingdom of God: good news for all’.

So, what does the Kingdom of God mean to you and for you – in your everyday life, and in the life of your worshipping community?

The short resource materials on this page have been developed to help you explore what the outworking of the Diocesan Vision might mean in more detail, and in all our diverse and varied contexts.

They do not give the answer but offer a worked example of how you might engage with the Vision summary headings.

The worked examples for ‘Transformed lives’, ‘Growing church’, and ‘Building community’ are as from a local context. ‘Diocesan interventions’ and ‘Aspiration for the future’ offer a reflection on current (April 2021) diocesan engagement and action.

We offer these materials so that you can individually, or as a group, explore what our vision might mean for you and your local context.

You might use all or some of the pages at the same time or over a longer period.

There are no deadlines for discovering and working through these documents – they are for you to use at your pace.

Download the Vision Outline Resources (April 2021) [PDF]

Download the Vision Outline Resources Blank Framework [Word doc]

Mission Action Toolkit 

The Mission Action Toolkit is a set of resources that can help any church, of whatever tradition, size, context or type, to join in with responding to the missional aims of the Diocesan Vision. 

The Toolkit is based on Mission Action Planning for Derby Diocese, which we have been using since 2010 to help churches grow as healthy, worshipping communities that engage in God's mission in the world. However, it is a more focused, streamlined toolkit that is flexible and light-tough enough for any church to use. Churches can use the Toolkit in many different ways and adapt it to suit their own context and style.

The Toolkit isn't another thing to do or an extra initiative. It is a process to help with that which has always been central to the identity, calling and purpose of every single expression of church - to engage in God's mission in the world. It can help churches to acknowledge and celebrate what God is already doing in and through them in mission, and to hear God's call to grow and develop in their mission further.

To download the Toolkit, and find out more about how it could help your church, go to our MAP for Derby Diocese page.

The Revd Dr Elizabeth Thomson has been appointed as Rector and Provost of St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee, in the Diocese of Brechin in the Scottish Episcopal Church.