Ministry during the pandemic has certainly looked somewhat different to the regular parish ministry we've all been used to.
Revd Bryony Taylor, Rector at St James Barlborough and St John the Baptist Clowne, writes:
Despite having worked as a social media consultant before being ordained, I still have had to learn not to play the comparison game and compare my ministry during lockdown with that of other churches.
Comparison, they say, is the thief of joy!
So before I share some lessons I’ve learnt during lockdown, be encouraged that it is your faithfulness to God that counts more than anything!
There are three areas I have been interested to see grow or be affected by this time of pandemic:
Discipleship
People’s discipleship has deepened in a lot of areas during lockdown.
Unmoored from the safety of our church buildings, people have been expected to fend for themselves spiritually.
I distributed some prayer booklets before lockdown and a number of people have told me that they have been praying far more than usual during lockdown.
People have found it helpful to create a routine that includes prayer.
I set up a ‘dial a sermon’ system so that people can ring a phone number to listen to this week’s sermon.
Several people have told me they ring the number twice a week, once on a Sunday and then they listen again later in the week.
That’s something you can’t normally do with sermons (and is a bit scary for us preachers!)
But I’ve been deeply encouraged that people have been engaging with sermons in depth and learning more about their faith.
Mission
Much has been said about online viewing figures being a lot higher than the numbers we usually have in the pews on a Sunday.
I’m not so interested in the numbers, however, but more in individuals who have engaged with our online worship, perhaps for the first time.
I joked with people that if they get bored they can always fast forward me or mute me.
But joking aside, I think that the fact that you can ‘dip your toes in’ to worship without fear of ‘getting it wrong’ and also do that in your pyjamas if you like, acts as the bait to attract new fish!
It is much easier to send someone a YouTube link than to bring them physically with you to a church service.
The online environment is the ideal place for us to be ‘fishers of men’.
Inclusivity
Disabled people have been aware for a long time of the importance of using technology to enable them to be included in worship.
This has been highlighted during lockdown and I hope that we will continue to ask the question ‘who is not here?’ when we plan our services.
How can we continue to reach people when we return to worship in our buildings?
I will be continuing to offer a midweek Eucharist on Facebook and also over the phone (using telephone conferencing) on a Thursday morning to ensure that those who are still self-isolating have a way to connect with God and each other.
I hope this pandemic will unleash far more awareness and inclusion of those who are usually unable to attend our churches in person.
If you want to learn more about some of the technology I mention in this article, please visit bryonytaylor.com for detailed guides on how to set things up.
CofE Education
- Church of England - Education
- Church School of the Future
- DBE for the Future
- Future of Rural Schools
- RE Review
- SIAMS Inspection
- The Peak Centre – Edale
Useful Websites
Disabled people and the Church - Moving from Access and Involvement to Inclusion
Disabled people’s experience of Christianity
Tweeted on 6th December 2019 by Gregory Mansfield
Stranger to me, a wheelchair user:
”If you believe in Jesus and seek forgiveness, you will walk again.”
Disability is not sinful.
Disability is not faithless.
Disability is not a punishment.
In July 2020, Tim Rourke started a one-year project to help the diocese, deaneries and churches in the Diocese of Derby to listen more closely to the voices of deaf and disabled people.
These voices include people in our churches, people who have been in our churches and left and people who have never felt that church was a safe place for them.
Tim works is involved in a pioneering community in Chesterfield called Holding Space.
They enable people affected by disability to meet with God in inclusive, accessible ways.
There is a group for disabled children (Saplings), disabled adults (Struggling Saints) and a group for carers (Solace).
This community also connects with people who don’t identify as disabled, but live lives affected by physical and mental health conditions and learning disabilities.
Tim also runs a weekly Biblical Reflection on Twitter (@Strgl_St_Bible) where, each week, readings are discussed through the lens of disability.
The reflections are always led by a disabled Christian, but anyone is welcome to join in.
Tim says: "When we studied the Trinity Sunday readings it became clear that similarity and difference are both vital to community – In the disabled community on twitter we experience a sense of togetherness and not fitting in that draws us together but the range of illness we have means we are different, but support one another."
Disability Inclusion Working Group
Tim is drawing a Disability Inclusion Working Group together to help him to listen to voices across the diocese, in our churches and beyond, to research with them models and theologies of disabilities that will help us examine how we currently engage.
The group will advocate for deaf and disabled people and provide training and encouragements for Christians in the Diocese of Derby who want to be more inclusive of people with different life experiences to their own.
It begin by finding out what is happening in churches across the diocese, who provides ministry to disabled people and how they encourage disabled people to respond to God’s call.
We also want to find out where Christians are engaged with groups that work in our local areas to support disabled people and how disabled people’s needs are integrated into local churches in their planning for mission, discipleship, worship and fellowship.
So what can you do to help…?
If you, or someone you care for, are deaf or disabled or have a life that is affected by long term physical or mental health conditions, please contact Tim to discuss how you might be able to help the Working Group.
This is especially true if you have an invisible disability as the current group is made up, largely of people who have problems with mobility and pain and wheelchair users.
If you are a member of a church community, or a deanery synod, Tim would like you to reflect on your expectations of deaf and disabled people in church.
Are they people who need to be cared for, or people who care for you? Are they disabled by their impairments, or by the expectations or limitations we as a church put on them? And how can we listen more to disabled people in our lives and have them lead us into discovering more about God.
Rachael Brooks: ordained deacon in September 2020 - ordained priest in June 2021
Do I need to wear a collar in order to be the bridge God is calling me to be?
My name is Rachael Brooks and I live in Derby with my husband, Andrew, and our son, Isaac.
I encountered God and gave my life to him at the age of 14.
Soon after, I experienced a sense of calling, although I didn’t recognise it as such until much later.
I met my husband, Andrew, at Nottingham University.
We both got jobs in Derby, me as a teacher at a junior school in Chaddesden and Andrew as a doctor on the Derby hospitals’ GP training scheme, so moved here when we married, in 1991.
We quickly found ourselves at the church which has been our home ever since - St Alkmund’s, Derby.
This is the place where my faith has deepened and matured, where I’ve found and given prayerful companionship through the ups and downs of life.
It has provided many roles in which I could serve and develop the gifts God had given me.
A few people over the years suggested I consider ordination but I always dismissed the idea that God was calling me to that.
I didn’t see myself leading a church.
In 2013, I was strongly advised by someone I looked up to to ‘have a go’ at Chaplaincy and, if I liked it, to explore ordination.
I started a voluntary role with Derby City Centre Chaplaincy in 2014, serving at a vocational training college for a few years and then at the council building.
This chaplaincy role seemed to fulfil what prayer had begun to reveal was my calling: to be a bridge - between God and the community.
A friend had a picture of me as a sparrow around this time.
The particular quality she felt God was drawing attention to was that sparrows alight gently, unobtrusively.
She was a bit apologetic, sparrows aren’t the most beautiful or rare of birds.
But I began to see that this also fitted with being a bridge: finding the people he wants to me to alight gently beside and to show his love.
The issue for me in considering ordination was ‘do I need to wear a collar in order to be the bridge God is calling me to be?’.
As I prayed and reflected I remembered those moments during chaplaincy in which I found myself thinking how I’d love to be the one to baptise the people I was walking alongside. Diocesan and national selection panels eventually ensued and I began training in 2017.
During my training at St Hild Theological College, God has stretched and challenged me further.
He’s done this through the rich community life among the students and staff and through precious times of worship: at the Sheffield site, at Mirfield and at Durham cathedral.
And through my church placement.
My calling was confirmed beyond question for me at the funeral of Rev’d Ian Mountford, in January, when in her address, Bishop Jan told us something I didn’t know - that the word ‘priest’ means ‘bridge’.
I’m so pleased to be undertaking the curacy phase of my formation adventure at St Peter’s, Littleover - the parish we happen to have lived in for most of the 29 years we’ve been in Derby - and St Andrew’s, Blagreaves.
Starting during lockdown is rather disconcerting, but it’s an opportunity to learn new skills and work creatively with God and the Church to bring the peace, love and freedom of God into a unique situation.
Alan Winfield: ordained deacon in September 2020 - ordained priest in June 2021
I was licensed (as a reader) in 2002 - but still had feelings that there was something more
Hi, I’m Alan Winfield, I am 62 years old and I was born in Derby and lived in what was a small village on its outskirts.
At the age of 16, I met God for the first time during an Easter Sunrise Service in the village and, as the sun rose above the mill rooftops, I had this strange and wonderful feeling inside and it was there and then that I knew.
Church took a bit of a back seat after that and it wasn’t until I met and married Sue that we started attending the local church; incidentally we will be celebrating our Ruby Wedding anniversary at the end of August – how has she put up with me for so long?
Our two sons, David and Ian, came along and our family was complete.
We moved to Devon with my job as a Funeral Director and spent four years living in Torbay before returning to Derby.
Shortly after our return my father in law passed away suddenly; the Sunday after the funeral we attended the local church and during the sermon a sentence struck me like an arrow and from there on I knew God had plans for me but just what, I didn’t know.
I joined the serving team and went on the rota of readers and intercessors butI felt though that there was something more.
If at first...
I enquired about becoming a licensed reader and our priest commented on the fact that, thankfully, I had realised I was being called as it had taken me long enough to realise.
I was licensed in 2002 but still had feelings that there was something more.
In 2004, I tried for ordination and was turned down and thought that was the end of it but, as the saying goes, God works in mysterious ways and three years ago Sue suggested I try again.
This time it was to be and I am delighted to be serving in the Melbourne benefice.
In our spare time Sue and I enjoy taking our Clumber Spaniel for walks in the countryside.
I also enjoy following the work of our emergency services and have the privilege of being the chaplain to Derby Mountain Rescue Team.
During my working life and reader ministry, I have had a deep interest in pastoral care and I hope my curacy will enable me to develop this further and reach out to those in need and reveal something of the love of God.
Favourite bible passage: 1 Samuel 3 1-10 - The call of the boy Samuel.
Favourite hymn: I the Lord of sea and sky.
Peter Robinson has been installed as the Dean of Derby in a service at Derby Cathedral.
In the service, Peter and his wife Sarah were formally welcomed by Bishop Libby and Peter promised to observe the constitution and statutes of the cathedral.
In his first sermon as dean, he spoke of the challenges faced by the church in the light of the coronavirus pandemic and other social issues.
He said: "I believe that the agenda for the Church's engagement with the weak and vulnerable in society has to be reset.
"Mental health matters, children who are at risk of harm, adults vulnerable to abuse, a growing consciousness of the message of the Black Lives movement, those whose jobs are at risk even in this very city - and add to this the obvious needs of many who inhabit the city centre - these are urgent concerns that coronavirus has laid bare before us and that need our attention.
"God is beckoning us to respond as a church."
The service, led by Bishop Libby, had a different feel to previous installations as social distancing measures meant that only a handful of people could be present.
It included pre-recorded welcomes from the Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, William Tucker, and the head of Derby Cathedral School, Jenny Brown.
Peter was introduced to the cathedral by Christopher Nieper, who chaired the panel to appoint the new dean.
Before his appointment, Peter was the Archdeacon of Lindisfarne in the Diocese of Newcastle, a position he had held since 2008, with responsibility as chair of the Newcastle Diocesan Board of Education, as lead for community engagement in Northumberland, and for rural delivery of the diocesan vision.
Peter worked in the oil industry before being ordained in 1995; he trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham and served his curacy in North Shields.
Following his curacy, he became priest in charge at St. Martin’s, Byker - where he was highly successful in bringing together a challenging inner-city community, designing a new church building and attracting a visit from the home secretary to showcase the community’s achievement. He had also been director of the Urban Ministry and Theology project in Newcastle.
Peter said: "Sarah and I are delighted now to be living in Derby.
"The warm welcome we’ve received has been so much appreciated and we feel at home already!
"It is quite a moment to become Dean of Derby, with so many challenges to the church, not least as we re-open the cathedral for public worship and independent prayer under the necessary restrictions due to Covid-19.
"My priorities are to re-establish cathedral life and to create a range of digital services that meet peoples needs.
"I want to make as many relationships with decision-makers in the city as possible so that the cathedral can play its part in the recovery of the city’s economic, social and cultural life, and not just in Derby but beyond in Derbyshire and in the Diocese.
"A key priority for me will be to forge relationships with all the faith communities of Derby and their leaders, and to listen to their experience of Covid-19 and see how we can work together in partnership to support better those who are vulnerable as we find ways to support a recovery."
For church schools, one of the biggest challenges they have faced, aside the logistical problems of maintaining social distancing, has been not being able to hold daily, whole-school, collective worship.
This is a part of the school day that is at the heart of their school community.
Karen Scrivens, the headteacher at Langley Mill Church of England Infant School & Nursery said, “We have had to be very creative in order to continue delivering our special collective worship times within the confines of our school ‘bubbles’ and home learning.
Before the restrictions, music would welcome the children and staff, and set the tone for the worship and there would be a real sense of togetherness.
Collective worship is a very special and distinct part of the school day and I have really missed it.
However, we have used special poems, stories, drawings, photographs and anecdotes both in school and online to help us continue daily worship and reflect on our core values: Aspire, Learn, Respect and Serve.
Throughout we have remembered our school vision to ‘Always be our best for God, each other and ourselves.”
Plenty of positives
Karen said that the school has also had to be quite innovative in finding ways to seek full engagement of all families whilst learning at home.
She said: “We have had to be creative in our approach to reaching families within the home by increasing our social media and online profile and opening up new communication channels whilst also ensuring that families have been supported with resources to complete activities.”
The good news is that there are many positives to come out of the lockdown experience.
Although having to split classes into smaller bubbles and still deliver quality education both in school and at home has been no easy task, Karen is rightly proud of the way the whole school community has united to problem-solve, adapt and change.
She said: “Staff have no doubt increased their IT skills and have planned very carefully to meet the needs of pupils during this unknown time, in age-appropriate and sensitive ways.
The children have all adapted brilliantly and my whole staff team has been amazing.
They have gone over and beyond expectations, with lots of praise from parents and governors”.
Karen’s only great disappointment is that the school will be unable to bid its traditional farewell to the Year 2 pupils who are about to move on.
“Usually,” said Karen, “the end of the infant journey is a special time for our school, marked by a very poignant celebration and church visit.
"This is not possible in these times but we will still send our year twos off with a special goodbye.”
Revd Canon Paul Morris, principal chaplain in the Diocese of Derby, writes:
Voluntary workplace chaplaincy is a growing movement in Derbyshire, with more than 150 chaplains from many denominations serving in 15 locations and in 15 sectors.
Here are stories from two social care contexts during the pandemic:
GP surgery
Chaplains have supported staff and patients at a GP surgery in Ilkeston in the Erewash Primary Care Network.
Soon, there will be chaplains in all 13 Erewash surgeries.
One GP said: "These are very stressful times for everyone, but I am excited about the GP chaplaincy opportunities.
"God is sovereign in all these things. A retired GP who has been praying for our chaplains every week since they started asked how they and we as a team are doing so I shared feedback from patients.
"It has been really encouraging, my favourite quote is, 'Thanks for asking the chaplain to phone me. I didn’t realise what a heavy burden I was carrying until it had been lifted.'”
Hospital wards
Hospitals in Ashbourne, Clay Cross, Ilkeston and Ripley created a new post of ward volunteer to liaise between patients and relatives, provide pastoral care and support staff.
Chaplains were appointed, and one wrote: "I was apprehensive, but I was given excellent training.
"The patients cannot have visitors so the opportunity to chat about their family and concerns has been a pleasure.
"I’ve met some extraordinary people, and every day has been different but I always leave the ward inspired by the patients and the hardworking staff.
"I was once explaining to a patient I couldn’t move her as, 'I am only a volunteer,' to which the nurse said, 'Never say that, you are not only a volunteer, you are very important here.'
"I was deeply touched by that comment and am so thankful I agreed to this role."
A daughter of one patient wrote to a ward volunteer: "You lifted Mum’s spirits when we were unable to see her. At times she was so low we wondered whether she would have any reserves to pull through but to know you were there caring and supporting her and liaising with us, was so appreciated by the family.
"For her to hear our messages and see the photos you printed off brought us closer to her as she knew we were there and missing her."
One matron wants ward volunteers to continue in the future because they get on with what is needed, are interactive with patients and have the experience and skills to effectively support patients and their families as well as integrate with ward staff.
These are stories of the church in action in the community, as our chaplains respond to the invitation to engage in faithful and fruitful ministry.
Time Out: suggestions and resources
We hope these ideas and resources will be helpful for reflection and self-care.
Some thoughts to help you use the time well
- Turn off your phone, unplug the doorbell – minimise technological interruption!
- Try to explain to anyone else in your house that you’re not available during this time
- If you’re doing this in your study, try not to sit at your desk
- Maybe light a candle to acknowledge ‘different’ time
- Try to gather anything you might need (ie ingredients, bits and pieces) in advance to avoid using the space in session
- This is YOUR time, to give you space and time with God.
Downloads:
Here be Dragons [PDF]
Come Home to your Hub [Word]
Wheel of Awareness diagram [Word]
Self-regulation diagram [Word]
Images of the diocese for prayer [PDF]
Journey of the last three months - ideas to express your experience [Word]
Let your God love you [Word]
Poems [Word]
Seasoned by Seasons extracts [PDF]
Chartres labyrinth [PDF]
Inhabit your body meditation: Download MP3 audio file or Listen online
Bread-making video [YouTube]
Bread - ideas and recipes [PDF]
Prayer walk during Covid [Word]
The National Health Service came into being on 5 July 1948.
This weekend, the diocese and country will celebrate and applaud those in the NHS who selflessly put their own lives at risk on a daily basis as they continue the fight against coronavirus and Covid-19, and those who died in that fight.
We will also remember and applaud those who fought so hard for us to have a National Health Service, and those whose work and dedication led to its formation.
This has a particular relevance in Derbyshire, of course, through Florence Nightingale - a true pioneer of her time.
Derbyshire's 'Lady with the Lamp' was passionate about improving conditions for the wounded during the Crimean War - and she devoted the rest of her life to reforming nursing care.
The seven critical-care Covid Hospitals have been named after Florence Nightingale, and a post-Covid rehabilitation facility named after Mary Seacole, both prominent figures in nursing history and role models in the NHS (see below).
As Bishop Rober Exon, chair of the Liturgical Commission, writes:
"During the current pandemic, there has been immense national and local support for the NHS and its front line workers.
"The emergence of the Thursday ‘Clap for Carers’ was a significant experience in the lockdown.
"Thanksgiving binds communities together, turning ‘I’ into ‘we’.
"The contribution of carers and key workers who have given of themselves sacrificially needs to be honoured.
"Sharing stories of people and events during the crisis is likely to form the kernel of any community celebration.
"Unsung heroes need to be applauded."
This document shares prayers and resources for the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.
Mary Seacole was a pioneering nurse and heroine of the Crimean War, who as a woman of mixed race is today celebrated as an inspiration for the many BAME people who sustain our NHS. Born Mary Jane Grant in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805 to a Scottish soldier and Jamaican mother, Mary learned her nursing skills from her mother who kept a boarding house for invalid soldiers.
She was an inveterate traveller, and before her marriage to Edwin Seacole in 1836 visited other parts of the Caribbean, as well as Central America and Britain. On these trips, she complemented her knowledge of traditional medicine with European medical ideas.
In 1854 Mary approached the War Office, asking to be sent as an army nurse to the Crimea.
She was refused, but undaunted, funded her own trip to the Crimea where she established the ‘British Hotel’ near Balaclava for sick and convalescent officers. She also visited the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded, and became known as ‘Mother Seacole’.
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 into a wealthy family. In the face of their opposition, she insisted that she wished to train in nursing.
In 1853, she finally achieved her wish and headed her own private nursing institute in London.
Her efforts at improving conditions for the wounded during the Crimean War won her great acclaim and she devoted the rest of her life to reforming nursing care.
Her school at St Thomas’s Hospital became significant in helping to elevate nursing into a profession.
