Skills and Character 

One of the key strategies for the future of work and of wellbeing is the Government’s commitment to apprenticeships. In a world of less predictability about career paths, job opportunities and regular work, there is a welcome move to equip people with both the skills and the character to find useful employment – to develop the self and to contribute to the needs of society. This is true at every level. Training for the traditional ‘professions’ involves a mix of practical and theoretical learning – as much as preparation for more traditionally ‘hands on’ occupations. This “apprenticeship model” is recognised as an especially important approach to the preparation of young people for the world of work. Apprenticeships produce a creative mix of skills and character that equip people with ‘life skills’ that are flexible and the basis for future development. What can the Gospel contribute in this kind of world? 

1. Master and Apprentice 

Jesus uses and endorses the model of master and apprentice. A student will never become greater than their master (“it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher”. Matthew 1024). Rather there is a profound mutuality. Jesus gives Himself to those He calls to apprenticeships. In turn, like those first disciples or learners, we respond by giving ourselves into the great enterprise of His kingdom – in which we are given a share. The key to the Master-Apprentice relationship is not ‘what is in it for me?’ – but what am I learning to develop myself and to contribute to the enterprise. Self called into service for the sake of society. 

2. Apprentice and Master 

The learners/disciples called Jesus ‘Master’ but between them they were called, equipped and commissioned to offer particular leadership and ministries. Apprentices are learners discerning and responding to a call, accepting the responsibilities of a commission, and always open to future development, challenge and change. The Gospel places the exploration and ownership of vocation at the centre of each human journey, and as the key to the flourishing of society. 

3. Apprentices for God 

The Gospel witness is entrusted to Christ’s church. We must model and offer this commitment to ‘formation’ for ourselves and for our communities through our relationship with our ‘Master’ and Lord. Each parish is, at its most basic, a community of vocation and formation. In our Diocese the Director of Vocations and the School of Formation offer particular wisdom and resources to enable us to fulfil this kingdom responsibility most fruitfully. 

Take Time to Reflect 

In the ‘quiet’ month of August, when meetings are less and many church activities pause, it would be good if each of us took time to prayerfully examine our own apprenticeship – our vocation and our formation. Then, we need to play that part in the calling and forming of our churches, and in the further development of our own skills and character. A small step keeps the journey alive.

+Alastair

A model for today

July provides an interesting moment to consider the place of Grandparents. On 26 th July we are invited to observe what, for many, will be a very obscure feast: Anne and Joachim: Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ‘Grandparents’ of Jesus.

We are especially conscious in our own times of the significance of grandparents. Providing support for family, and amazing energy into community life and the neighbourliness that keeps people connected in an age of increasing isolation and loneliness. Many of our churches benefit enormously from grandparental energy and commitment.

Gospel in Action

In grandparenting we see inspiring modelling of the value of family, the offering of time and skills beyond more immediate and self-centering concerns, and a huge generosity in sharing resources and offering sacrificial service.

Grandparents can be seen as a great advert for so many of the virtues that the Gospel endorses for the proper flourishing of human life. More, grandparents would be the first to acknowledge how much they receive from family, friends, social engagement.

God has no Grand Parents

And yet – there is a strange fact in the Divine Economy. God has no Grandparents! In Jesus we see God in our midst, Son of the Father. But no theology of a ‘Grand’ Father.

What might we learn from this mystery? First, the energy, commitment and contribution, not to say wisdom, of grandparents may seem to begin from an intergenerational set of relationships – but, in fact, it becomes something broader, richer, flowing beyond these merely human arrangements, to be part of an outpouring of a Spirit enabling greater wholeness. In theological terms, a ‘Holy’ Spirit. The significant factor is not one of generational sequences, but of gracious reaching out to enable a greater fullness of life, hope, faith, love. Origins and creation taken up into something new, ever broader and richer.

From human to Divine

Perhaps God has no grandparents because the point and the power of Life cannot be contained simply in human relationships or structures. Rather these necessary ‘arrangements’ are simply the vehicles God gives for His grace to be nourished, shared and tasted.

Grandparents often say that the great advantage they feel is the freedom to ‘go home’ and take a break from so much that they take on themselves. Home is the place for re-creation, reflection and reshaping our offerings into the world around us. Church provides this ‘Home’ in a special way.

The potential for alliance and connection between our contemporary phenomenon of grandparenting and the work and witness of the Church has never been greater. A key element for mission in our time. Perhaps the fact that God has no grandparents can provide an affirmation of grandparenting as service, a wider perspective of the Holy Spirit made manifest for the flourishing of all, and an agenda for each of us seeking to be Christ’s Church afresh in this generation – through the discipline of re- creation, reflection and being recharged.

+Alastair

The new Bishop of Repton, the Venerable Janet Elizabeth McFarlane, BMedSci, BA, was ‘consecrated’, or made into a bishop, today (Weds 29 June) in a stunning service held at Canterbury Cathedral, Mother Church of the 85m-strong worldwide Anglican Communion.

Bishop Jan made promises to act as a pastor to the clergy and parishes under her care, to faithfully teach the Christian faith and doctrine of the Church of England, to strive for peace and to lead with gentleness and mercy. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, led the service.

Working in the Diocese of Derby, the Bishop of Repton is a Suffragan (or ‘assistant’) Bishop, working alongside the Bishop of Derby in leading the Church of England across the whole of the county. Jan McFarlane is the first female Bishop in the Diocese of Derby, and in the East Midlands, and the ninth female Bishop in the Church of England.

As the second most senior appointment in the Diocese, she will be required to advise and consult with key people and organisations involved with the wellbeing of communities in Derbyshire.

Jan McFarlane said: “It was a wonderful service in magnificent surroundings and I’m delighted to have become the sixth Bishop of Repton. I’m passionate and energised by the Christian faith that I want to share with those who live, work and worship in the beautiful county of Derbyshire.”

The Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern said: “Jan McFarlane brings an enormous range of gifts and skills to the Diocese of Derby. As our first female bishop I believe she will bring a new and fresh perspective that will be a great asset to our community.”

The Venerable Jan McFarlane (age 51) was educated first at Sheffield University, where she trained as a Speech and Language Therapist, and then at St John’s College, Durham; and she trained for ordained ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham.

Jan served her first curacy at Stafford in Lichfield Diocese from 1993 to 1996 and was among the first women to be ordained to the priesthood in 1994. From 1996 to 1999 she was Chaplain and Minor Canon at Ely Cathedral. Since 1999 she has been Director of Communications in the Diocese of Norwich.

From 2001 to 2009 Jan served as Chaplain to the Bishop of Norwich and has been Archdeacon of Norwich since 2009. She combines her role as Archdeacon with the posts of Director of Communications and Warden of Readers. She has been a member of the General Synod since 2005.

Jan is married to Andrew Ridoutt, a television cameraman. Her interests include exploring the beautiful British countryside, beaches and country pubs with Andrew and their rather mischievous Miniature Schnauzer, Edith. Jan has contributed to several books of prayers and reflections for Church House Publishing and broadcasts regularly on local radio.

As Bishop of Repton she succeeds the Right Reverend Humphrey Ivo John Southern, MA, who became the Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, an Anglican theological college, in April 2015.

We all recognise the tensions between our crowded, contentious mass society of competing views and values, and the Christian ideal of God’s children as a harmonious or ‘whole’ (holy) community. Such tensions run rife within and between our churches, as well as providing a key context for contemporary mission.

Running at Different Speeds

Part of the challenge is to recognise that God creates a bewildering variety of opportunities and possibilities. The Easter story reports the story of John and Peter running to the tomb – towards meeting the mystery of Resurrection. They ran at different speeds. John, the poet and person of imagination, the ‘mystical’ gospel writer, arrives first. He does not enter the tomb but he sees and believes - an intuitive faith. Peter, practical leader and organiser, comes afterwards but goes straight into the empty space – to check, question, seek more reassurance. Peter, the rock, displays the characteristics of the person concerned with structures, responses, solidity - less intuitive, more experiential. These two forces have been in tension within the church ever since. The art of being church in a way that creates community is to be able to live with discipleship running at different speeds and being gifted with different insights.

A Common Foundation

But there is a common foundation. This month we recall Matthias, chosen to take the place of Judas as one of the twelve apostles. His story reminds us that some discipleship, as with Judas, can run at a speed which is disloyal and destructive: too caught up with its own agenda. But the story of Matthias has another message. Two candidates were proposed, Joseph (or Justus) and Matthias. Doubtless they brought different possibilities. The choice was made by ‘lot’, not by detailed criteria. However, one qualification was essential – to have accompanied Jesus on His journey from baptism to Ascension, and thus to be a witness to the Resurrection.

From Baptism to Ascension

In our complex and challenging times, each of us is called to run more closely towards the reality of Resurrection. We will journey at different speeds, and bring different gifts and insights. Too often such a collection of Christians can look (and feel!) like a disorderly crowd. We need to make a witness to that deeper truth that unites crowds into community. The truth that each of us is called to be joined together in accompanying Jesus from baptism to Ascension – the journey of the Christian year – and to be a witness to the Resurrection. Even if our differences seem to be as profound as those between Peter and John.

The Month of May

May is the month of Matthias. The call to be on the team of committed disciples. It is the month of the Ascension – joining us in worshipping the Risen Lord and beginning the next cycle of accompanying Him on the earthly journey. Finally, May is the month of Pentecost when the Spirit who called and blessed Matthias was poured out on a vast range of people and perspectives, baptising them all with grace. So none of us have an excuse!

Be prepared to be called and to be challenged.

+Alastair

Download pdf here

What is a vocation?

Do you feel you are being pulled in a certain direction? Do you have a strong and overwhelming urge to do a particular job, be involved with a particular group of people or to use your skills to help others in a certain way?

It may be that you feel pulled in a new direction, or it may be that what you do already is your vocation.

We all possess some God-given gifts, some skills and some talents. But often we don’t fully recognise how gifted we are because these gifts have been with us for a long time and it is easy to take them for granted.

Or they may have been hidden in the shadows for some time. But there is in all of us something that people recognise and come to us for.

And their desire to do this is acknowledgement that we have something special that they don’t see in others. Read more here.

Explore Your Calling 

This PDF will help you take time to reflect and pray on how God is calling you.

↓ Download the PDF

↓ Download the accompanying booklet

Use the booklet to record your reflections as you are prompted by the questions.

This is something that you can work through in your own time and at your own pace.

You may want to respond to the questions and record your responses and then revisit it a few months later and reflect on how you’ve changed and developed.

Are you interested in exploring ministry further?

The Diocese of Derby wants to encourage gifted people - just like you - to consider where God is calling you.

We hold Vocational Reflection Days several times a year- you can spend time with others who are exploring how God might be calling them.

Could you be a Church Leader of the future? If you feel a sense of calling, whether to ordination or lay ministry, we will help you explore that and consider what to do next.

What to do next - contact the Vocations Team

We have a wonderful team of vocations advisers who are always willing to offer you some time to talk and think about what God may be calling you to do with your life.

This is a great opportunity to have an informal conversation about how God is calling you with "no strings attached".

Please use this form to talk to us about exploring your vocation and working with one of our advisers.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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Hardwick Deanery Synods 2023

Dates and details to be added when confirmed.

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” 

The pitfalls of ministry are many and various and when the going gets tough there is almost always a personal cost both to ourselves and those amongst whom our lives are set. 

The Apostle’s frustration is rooted in an honest self-understanding, a recognition that alone we will adopt unhealthy or misconceived ways of living that take us away from the person God yearns for us to be.

Wellbeing is not an add-on. 

Wellbeing is not an optional extra for those who have the time. 

Wellbeing is not a matter for people less busy than us. 

Wellbeing is a Gospel value, for it is about choosing to be the person God intends, indeed yearns for us to be… to have life and life in all its fullness. 

Taking wellbeing seriously is a non-negotiable part of our ministerial lives if we are to flourish as God’s people and for those who have made ordination vows, live them out with integrity.

You will hopefully find resources here to help you do that. 

They are intentionally diverse, as not everything will speak to everyone and they are not the solution to anyone’s problems in themselves, but a starting point offered to help each of us in our different contexts take responsibility for our own wellbeing.

Get in touch

These pages are constantly under review, so that we may all receive assistance and appropriate advice in a quickly changing ministerial environment.

We welcome your feedback. If there is information missing from these pages that you or others may find helpful, please contact and let us know: julie.fowler@derby.anglican.org | 01332 278172.

The Clergy Wellbeing Advisory Team
January 2024

Invitations to Confession

A1       When the Lord comes,

            he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness,

            and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

            Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

cf 1 Corinthians 4.5

A2       A voice cries out in the wilderness,

           ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’

            So let us listen, and turn to the Lord in penitence and faith.

cf John 1.23

Gospel Acclamation

G1      Alleluia, alleluia.

           Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,

           and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.                                                            

           Alleluia.

cf Isaiah 40.3-5

Introductions to the Peace

J1        In the tender mercy of our God,

            the dayspring from on high shall break upon us,

            to give light to those who dwell in darkness

            and in the shadow of death,

            and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

J3        May the God of peace make you completely holy,

            ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers at the Preparation of the Table

K2       Look upon us in mercy not in judgement;

           draw us from hatred to love;

           make the frailty of our praise

           a dwelling place for your glory. Amen.

K3       As the grain once scattered in the fields

           and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside

           are now reunited on this table in bread and wine,

           so, Lord, may your whole Church soon be gathered together

           from the corners of the earth

           into your kingdom.  Amen.

Prefaces

L1        And now we give you thanks

            because you sent him to redeem us from sin and death,

            and to make us inheritors of everlasting life;

            that when he shall come again in power and great triumph

            to judge the world,

            we may with joy behold his appearing,

            and in confidence may stand before him.

L2        And now we give you thanks

            because when he humbled himself

            to come among us in human flesh,

            he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago

            and opened for us the way of salvation.

            So now we watch for the day,

            knowing that the salvation promised us will be ours

            when Christ our Lord will come again in glory.

L3        And now we give you thanks

            because you prepared the way of your Son Jesus Christ

            by the preaching of your servant John the Baptist,

            who proclaimed him as the Lamb of God, our Saviour.

L4        And now we give you thanks

            because your Son our Lord was awaited by the prophets,

            announced by an angel,

            conceived by a virgin,

            and proclaimed at last to men and women of every race.

Extended Prefaces

M1 From the First Sunday of Advent until 16 December

           It is indeed right and good to give you thanks and praise,

           almighty God and everlasting Father,

           through Jesus Christ your Son.

           For when he humbled himself to come among us in human flesh,

           he fulfilled the plan you formed before the foundation of the world

           to open for us the way of salvation.

           Confident that your promise will be fulfilled,

           we now watch for the day

           when Christ our Lord will come again in glory.

           And so we join our voices with angels and archangels

          and with all the company of heaven

          to proclaim your glory

          for ever praising you and saying:

M2 From 17 December until Christmas Eve

          It is indeed right and good to give you thanks and praise,

          almighty God and everlasting Father,

          through Jesus Christ your Son.

          He is the one foretold by all the prophets,

          whom the Virgin Mother bore with love beyond all telling.

         John the Baptist was his herald

         and made him known when at last he came.

         In his love Christ fills us with joy

         as we prepare to celebrate his birth,

         so that when he comes again he may find us watching in prayer,

         our hearts filled with wonder and praise.

         And so, with angels and archangels,

         and with all the company of heaven,

         we proclaim your glory,

         and join in their unending hymn of praise:

Blessings and Ending

P1       Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you,

            scatter the darkness from before your path,

            and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;

            and the blessing …

P2       May God himself, the God of peace,

           make you perfect and holy,

           and keep you safe and blameless, in spirit, soul and body,

           for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;

           and the blessing …

P3       May God the Father,

           who loved the world so much that he sent his only Son,

           give you grace to prepare for life eternal. Amen.

           May God the Son,

           who comes to us as redeemer and judge,

           reveal to you the path from darkness to light. Amen.

           May God the Holy Spirit,

           by whose working the Virgin Mary conceived the Christ,

           help you bear the fruits of holiness. Amen.

           And the blessing …

P4       May God the Father, judge all-merciful,

            make us worthy of a place in his kingdom.

            Amen.

             May God the Son, coming among us in power,

             reveal in our midst the promise of his glory.

             Amen.

            May God the Holy Spirit make us steadfast in faith,

            joyful in hope and constant in love.

            Amen.

           And the blessing …

Resources taken from Common Worship Times and Seasons. ©The Archbishops Council 2006.

Intercessions for Advent

H1       In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid

            we pray to Jesus.

            Come to your Church as Lord and judge.

            We pray for…

            Help us to live in the light of your coming

            and give us a longing for your kingdom.

            Maranatha:

           Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

            Come to your world as King of the nations.

            We pray for…

            Before you rulers will stand in silence.

            Maranatha:

            Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

            Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter.

            We pray for…

            Break into our lives,

            where we struggle with sickness and distress,

            and set us free to serve you for ever.

            Maranatha:

            Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

            Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls.

            We remember…

            Give us with all the faithful departed

            a share in your victory over evil and death.

            Maranatha:

           Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

           Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory.

           Lift us up to meet you,

           that with [N and] all your saints and angels

           we may live and reign with you in your new creation.

           Maranatha:

           Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Silence is kept.

           Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay;

           give new courage to your people,

           who trust in your love.

           By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom

           on earth as in heaven,

          where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit,

          one God for ever and ever.  Amen.

Intercessions for Advent

H2       Watchful at all times,

            let us pray for strength to stand with confidence

            before our Maker and Redeemer.

            That God may bring in his kingdom with justice and mercy,

            let us pray to the Lord:

            Lord, have mercy.

            That God may establish among the nations

             his sceptre of righteousness,

             let us pray to the Lord:

             Lord, have mercy.

            That we may seek Christ in the Scriptures

            and recognize him in the breaking of the bread,

            let us pray to the Lord:

            Lord, have mercy.

           That God may bind up the brokenhearted,

            restore the sick

            and raise up all who have fallen,

            let us pray to the Lord:

            Lord, have mercy.

          That the light of God’s coming may dawn

          on all who live in darkness and the shadow of death,

         let us pray to the Lord:

         Lord, have mercy.

         That, with all the saints in light,

         we may shine forth as lights for the world,

         let us pray to the Lord:

         Lord, have mercy.

        We commend ourselves and all for whom we pray

        to the mercy and protection of our heavenly Father:

Silence is kept.

         Almighty God,

        as your blessed Son Jesus Christ

        first came to seek and to save the lost;

        so may he come again to find in us

        the completion of his redeeming work;

        for he is now alive

        and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

       God for ever and ever.  Amen.

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