The Advent Season is a time to prepare our hearts, minds and homes for Christ's birth in the world as it is today.

It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, music, and good deeds, the true meaning of Jesus' birth.

Our reflection for this First Sunday of Advent comes from the Archdeacon of East Derbyshire.

How quick can you build a chick?

Not the first question you might expect to be asked in church!

If you happened into St Bartholomew’s Church, Old Whittington over the last weekend of September, you might!

It was the weekend of the annual Lego (oh sorry, no, it has to be called) 'Brick' Festival.

Our Brick Festival is like a flower festival but instead of flower arrangements we have tables of Lego models.

Now if you are thinking that Lego is just for the children, then you are a good few years out of date.

It’s come a long way from the red and white blocks of the ‘60s, which seemed to build houses and little more.

Now there are Star Wars and Harry Potter sets; Marvel, Ninjango, Transformers, and at least a dozen other different series.

During a ‘festival’ weekend we expect periods when the church is not so busy.

I think this year the only time we had a bit of a lull was during the school day on the Friday.

Wows all around

Once school finished, families came straight up to church for a first look.

"Oh wow!" They exclaimed as they spotted the rollercoaster and ferris wheel on the fun fair.

More wows were heard at the detail of the Harry Potter models.

Landmarks from around the world left some puzzled as to where they were.

London was the most obvious.

Many folk returned on Saturday, and some even made it again on Sunday afternoon.

The ladies in the kitchen, running the tombola and managing the raffle, all declared it a great success.

On the Monday, our local primary school walked from school to church, one class at a time, for a look round.

Several children had donated models to display and had their photo taken with them.

Where's Jo?

In addition to looking at the Lego models, people were challenged to ‘Find Rev Jo’ - well her Lego figure at least.

But when you do, sshhh don’t tell anyone else!

She moved around the different displays.

It didn’t matter where she hid, she was found.

She started by operating the roller coaster, she rode in the train, a boat, and the big wheel, she took a wedding, went fishing, watched from the rooftop and finished doing an impression of Rose on the Titanic!

Oh and the chick in question…. this is Rev Jo’s time challenge. Each year we set a simple challenge to see who is ‘the champion builder of the year’.

The youngest to complete it was Jack, who is only five and a half years old.

The top three quickest were: third, Freddy, in a time of 3 minutes 5 seconds; second, Cody, in a time of 2 minutes and 55 seconds; and in first place Alfie in a time of 2 minutes and 50 seconds.  

There is a small prize for Alfie, but the real reward is in setting the challenge for next year.

Next Year? I hear you ask.

Oh yes, by popular demand, there’ll be another Brick Festival next year.

For those who already have a DBS in place through the Diocese of Derby, or from elsewhere which was registered on the update service when first issued and has remained registered, then it may be possible to use it if it is has the required workforces and regulatory barring checks.

Note, all Clergy will be asked to make a full new DBS application even though they may have a certificate subscribed to the update service.

Note anyone who works from home will have to make a new application, even though they may have a certificate subscribed to the update service.

To use a certificate subscribed to the update service for roles in the Diocese of Derby:

1. The Parish Safeguarding Officer must have a recent, completed Confidential Declaration Form.

1. If any answers are yes / positive then a copy of this must be sent to dbs@derby.anglican.org with the completed DBS Update Service Check Form, and will be reviewed by the Diocesan safeguarding team.
2. If all answers are No, it should be retained by the Parish as part of standard policy.

2. Complete the top half of the DBS Update Service Check Form as you would for a standard DBS application and if the person is new to the Parish, also satisfy yourself that they are who they say they are by asking for identity documents other than the DBS Certificate, as you would usually when going through the recruitment steps checking:

1. Full Name
2. Date Of Birth
3. Role in Parish required now
4. If they will work from home now (often this will require a full new application)
5. Which Regulatory Barring Checks may be required
6. The Parish and Church the applicant will be working for
7. If this is for a Voluntary or Paid role

3. For the lower half of the form - From the certificate being checked on the update service – you must see the original certificate and then complete the following:

1. The disclosure (certificate) number which is subscribed to the update service (not the update service registration number) – this must include any leading zeros.
2. Date of Issue
3. Surname, Forenames and Date of Birth as they appear on the certificate if different from those already noted
4. Position applied for
5. The words in each of the 5 boxes e.g. e.g. Non Record, Not Requested, Certificate Contains no Information etc.

4. Send all the information obtained from 2, and 3 as documented on the form to us at dbs@derby.anglican.org. Do not send copies of the DBS certificate.

5. We will make the update service check and will then send you a notification of a successful DBS check, or advise that a new DBS application is required.

For any questions please contact dbs@derby.anglican.org 

Today, I join with the whole United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and friends across the world, in expressing my sorrow at the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. 

I know you will join me in sending our sincere condolences to His Majesty the King, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and to the entire Royal Family and Royal households, with the assurance of our heartfelt prayers as they grieve. We pray they may know the peace and comfort of Christ in the loss of their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

And through our own grieving, individually and collectively, we give thanks to God for her long life and her dedicated service to this nation and the Commonwealth.

After so many decades in public service, I expect we will each have a memory or image of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, engaged in such a wide range of contexts as she travelled the nation and the globe, and as she supported causes close to her heart. Her commitment to those seeking to help others was enormous – she was patron of hundreds charitable organisations.

Her Late Majesty’s personal faith was deep rooted and steadfast. In her Christmas message of 2014, she said: “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.” 

Her Late Majesty’s strength of faith and her constant seeking to follow Christ through good times and bad in her own life, serves as a wonderful example to all of us at this difficult time.

I have a number of fond, personal memories of Her Late Majesty, from occasions public and personal. I recall her charming, welcoming and gracious manner and the complete attention she afforded me during our times together. I admired her lively engagement with issues facing the world, appreciated the interest she showed in me and my family, and valued the opportunity to reflect on our faith. 

As we mourn and mark her passing, let us remember her always putting the interests of others ahead of her own and, in so doing, providing an outstanding example of Christian discipleship. As we look to the future, I pray we can take inspiration from her long life, well lived in the service of God and neighbour.

May Her Late Majesty rest in peace and rise in glory.

God save the King.

Bishop Libby

The Rt Reverend Libby Lane
Bishop of Derby

Printable prayer cards (A4 sheet - print double sided)

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?

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