There is a well-known hymn, written by Susan Warner in 1868, with the refrain – you in your small corner, and I in mine! Each of us lives in a small space – in a locality, with family, friends, at work. In the modern world we are more and more conscious of others in their own very different small corners. We call it ‘diversity’.

From Corner to Circle

There are two things that connect the corners and put us in a single circle. One is the planet, the environment. Something we all share. On which we all depend.

The other is the mercy of our Creator God who gives each person life and breath – the seed of eternity.

The circle works through ‘harvest’. Partly our work together on earth to provide nourishment and sustenance: the harvest of fruits. But harvest also happens through our sharing together in a spirit of co-operation – the harvest of fellowship.

From Derbyshire to Delhi

Each year in our Diocese we celebrate this harvest of fruits and this harvest of fellowship.

In 2014 we expressed this connection and companionship between our small corner in Derbyshire and the life of our brothers and sisters in Delhi, in the Church of North India. I am delighted to report that your wonderful generosity raised £21,500 to enable women in the slums to establish small recycling businesses. Making the most of the harvest of the fruits of the earth. Building the capacity for a spirit of confidence and community to enrich life in these testing corners of God’s creation.

Thank you for helping us to connect the corners – and to create a spiritual circle of grace and goodness in which we can all give thanks to the Lord for His mercy, and for the new life He grows amongst His children. The fruits of our fellowship continue to grow.

Angola and Education

This year, 2015, we are working with another small corner of God’s life and love – girls and women in Angola. They are often penned into a very small corner indeed – lacking opportunities for education or work beyond the narrowly domestic. Gifts denied the opportunity to grow, flourish and contribute to the wellbeing of the wider community.

Further details will be available soon – for parishes and for schools. There will be a special launch event. We are working in partnership with Christian Aid, who have excellent local links.

The Generosity of God

Please try to be generous. Give thanks to God for the blessings of life in your small corner. Let us see if we can make our contribution to the harvest of fruits and fellowship that our Lord longs to raise up in Angola, and in Derbyshire, and in our life within the comforting circle of His grace.

Earlier this year the House of Bishops published a letter to the people of the parishes of the Church of England for the General Election 2015 entitled: “Who is my Neighbour?” 

In seeking the common good the bishops have commended to us policies which respect the natural environment, enhance human dignity and honour the image of God in our neighbour. Our own statement about our vision for the diocese speaks of acting in the service of the common good within the communities of Derbyshire and through our engagement with the wider world. Bishop Alastair in his recent publication The Word on the Street invites us to consider the missionary challenge and opportunity of taking full ownership of our democratic responsibility. When our faith and political participation work together to respond to the needs and concerns of our society we offer a vision of a world made new, a new order transformed by the indwelling spirit of Jesus Christ.

As we approach the General Election and consider all the political manifestos being offered, we might ask ourselves the critical question: What does it mean to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God and how does that impact on the way we vote and the choices we make in support of our neighbour and mutual flourishing?

As well as an individual response there is an on- going need for collective action. Our participation in political dialogue needs to continue post-election. Sunday by Sunday as we exchange The Peace with one another we affirm our identity as the Body of Christ and the priest invites us to “pursue all that makes for peace and builds up our common life”. It is through working together as the Body of Christ, with a commitment to collective action, that we seek after justice, serve our neighbour and act as advocates for the poor and the marginalised. Being sent out “to live and work to God’s praise and glory”, will include activity and a voice in the public space.

This month we will elect a new government. Once the democratic decision is made it will be important for us to continue to engage in mission as we enact the common good through service to our neighbour. We are an incarnational community about the business of making Christ known in the world through lives that seek to bring blessing, 
reconciliation, justice and peace to all. 

It will also be important to uphold our newly elected leadership in prayer.

Archdeacon Christine

We said goodbye to my last parish eight years ago on Easter Day. Having been very happy there, it felt odd to have the sadness of farewell in the context of Resurrection celebration: “Alleluia. Christ is Risen!” in floods of tears!

This time our farewells are to be made on the eve of Lent, maybe a better liturgical fit. Lent is kept in imitation of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness after his baptism. In that time he reflected on his calling, on what God was asking of him. He broke new ground, away from the comfortable and familiar, and wrestled (in those strange, dream-like stories of temptation) with who he was and how he was to be faithful. Oxfordshire and Ripon College Cuddesdon is hardly the wilderness (!) but the sense of stepping out into the unknown to discover what blessings and challenges God has for the future is strong for me just now.

And, I hope, for all of us. Famously the Hebrews were reminded them that “here we have no abiding city” (Hebrews 13. 14) and the metaphor of journey is powerful for Christian discipleship. Specifically journey through the wilderness: Moses led a rabble of runaway slaves through the Red Sea out into the desert. There, through long ramblings and hard experiences, they were forged into God’s people and prepared for the Promised Land beyond the Jordan. That is the pattern for the Christian life between the waters of the baptism (the Red Sea) and death (the Jordan). Lent is an annual rehearsal in miniature of this pattern.

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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. If you would like to know more about the Diocesan Vision and its missional aims, you can do so here.

The Toolkit is based on Mission Action Planning for the Diocese of Derby, 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.

The Toolkit consists of six core resources, which are all downloadable below. More resources will be added in the future, and all the resources of the existing full MAP process, found in these pages, are also available to use with the Mission Action Toolkit.

• Quick Start Guide - an accessible introduction to the Mission Action Toolkit, suitable for anyone in the church.
• Introduction for Church Leaders - a more detailed guide intended for use by any church leader, lay or ordained.
• Missional Aims Summary - a single-sheet overview of the different aspects of each missional aim.
• Resource Sheets - a rich set of theological reflections, discussion questions, prayers and ideas for actions for every aspect of our missional aims.
• Questionnaire - one way in which to gather information from the church as a part of the Mission Action Toolkit process.
• Action Sheet - a way of recording and tracking the actions a church decides to undertake.

The Mission Action Toolkit is designed to be adapted and used independently by any church. However, help and support is available to help churches as they use the Toolkit. To find help, please send an email to missioner@derby.anglican.org.

Missional aims videos

Please watch and enjoy these five-minute videos, each offering a light Biblical reflection by  Revd Jason Kennedy on one aspect of our missional aims, ‘Transformed Lives’, 'Growing Church' and 'Building Community'.

They form a part of the Mission Action Toolkit, which helps churches to engage with God’s mission in an approachable, practical and flexible way.

The videos can be used for individual reflection, as a light sermon or an introduction to a conversation in small groups or, for example, a Lent group.

Help and Information

For more help and information about MAP for the Diocese of Derby, please please send an email to missioner@derby.anglican.org.

Bishop Alastair writes....

November is a month for remembering the terrible challenge of war – or what we now call ‘military action’.

There are, understandably, many views about the rights and wrongs of war, the priorities for peace, and the best means of combatting evil and promoting goodness. These are important debates, and Christians have much to contribute.

But – beneath debate about options and actions, the reality of war contains a humbling stream of sacrifice for the sake of others. And in this November season of remembering with thanks all who have given or risked their lives for their neighbours, we are publishing a book in the Diocese – ‘Sacrifice Remembered’.

It brings together an amazing and moving collection of memories and reflections from the people of the county – including some of our current primary school children.