Items filtered by date: August 2025
Justin Thacker was ordained at a special ordination service at Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Chesterfield, in July. He writes:
"I’ve done quite a lot of different things in my life. My first career was as a medical doctor. I trained in paediatrics and worked in East Africa for a time. While in Kenya, I sensed God calling me to leave medicine and become an academic theologian. Apart from some stints working for global justice charities, that is what I have mainly done since then.
"Most recently, I’ve been working in an Anglican theological college training, amongst others, Church of England ordinands. It was somewhat of a surprise then when I sensed another call in my life – this time to ordination myself. I had always felt that my strengths were in academic theology and teaching, especially around issues of ethics and justice. But God, as he so often does, had other plans. I’m now incredibly excited about what the future holds.
"Following ordination, I will be working half-time as a curate in Holy Trinity and Christ Church, Chesterfield, and half-time continuing in my academic role for St Hild College. Fundamentally, what made me make this leap was God’s call. It was just a niggle that wouldn’t go away. Through various gentle prompts, I just sensed that God had one more big adventure for me and parish ministry was it. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what my ministry will look like. I’ve learnt that there is little point in second-guessing God and I suspect he often laughs at the plans we construct.
"I hope that my ministry will involve some work with those who are marginalised, especially the homeless and those with addiction issues (as that is where my recent experience and passion lies), but the truth is I just want to serve God in whatever way God wants. He, after all, know how best I can serve the kingdom, and I’d be a fool to do anything else.
Justin's ordination follows the ordination of four other deacons earlier this month. You can see photos of both ordination services on our Flickr pages.
Is God stirring something in you?
All of us are invited to follow Jesus and to serve God faithfully in our everyday lives. To discover more about what this might mean for you, please see our Everyday Faith page. Alongside our everyday faith, some people are called to serve God in a specific ministry. You can find out more about that on our vocations page.
‘And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations’ Revelation 22: 2
We are launching our Harvest appeal for this year in time for harvest season between September and October, and invite you to join us as we return to Bujumbura in Burundi to help fund Trees for Peace, supporting integrated environmental restoration and community peacebuilding.
New resources will appear here during August and early September, so please do check back soon!
The story so far
In 2023 the dioceses Derby and Bujumbura worked together in a ‘Trees for Life’ programme helping local people in the hills round Bujumbura city plant trees to protect their local homesteads from mudslide damage caused by climate change related flooding.
The work was transformative – 240 people were trained in agroforestry, nearly 65000 seedlings were planted along the hills’ contour lines, 16 self help groups were set up, which provided training in group governance, financial literacy, and savings mechanisms. And the hillsides are already more stable than they were. But important lessons have been learned, and there is more to do.
What now?
Whilst tree planting was primarily to prevent floodwaters from washing away huge ravines in the farmland, this shared enterprise also saw former enemies begin to make friends.
Burundi is a country where ethnic and political differences have often spilled over into violence. There is particular concern at the present time. The church, gifted in Christ with the ministry of reconciliation, now seeks to emphasise standing with local communities in sowing seeds of peace and reconciliation through practical, local community service – known as Ibikorwa Rusangi.
The value of working together for climate resilience is all the greater as strong bonds are built locally between people who never previously spoke to each other. Memories of trauma and violence are recent – there are those who would exploit this to turn people against one another again, especially at times of elections. But there is much that can be done.
Young people who have learned to make a living by setting up small businesses selling and planting trees are less likely to be recruited into gangs or be exploited for political violence. Older people have seen enough poverty, violence, and environmental damage in their time to make them eager to support the church’s work in bringing people together to improve life chances for families living in Bujumbura Rural. Mothers with children to bring up are motivated to organise in self help groups to set up small businesses geared both towards creating incomes and improving agriculture. They don’t want to see their children fall prey to those seeking to manipulate the young.
Planting trees together is planting for the future, and for peace. This focus on environmental restoration, economic empowerment, and peacebuilding is good news for the people of these communities of Gisovu, Nyamaboko, Buhina, and Kabumba
What do we hope to fund?
Actions to be funded by the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal 2025:
Environmental Restoration:
- Climate and land degradation awareness training
- Eight nurseries for producing native agroforestry tree saplings
- 4,000m of contour lines dug prepared for planting
Economic Empowerment:
- More self-help groups – to engage 400 members
- Training in financial literacy, savings, and leadership
- Microloan systems set up to support income generating
Peacebuilding:
- Intergenerational dialogue groups
- Memory and Hope trauma-sharing workshops
- Tree planting and soil restoration as tools for reconciliation
- A Community Peace Committee established for each hill
- Training for community leaders in conflict mediation, de-escalation, and early warning systems
- Disseminate peace messaging in run up to electoral period
- Train and deploy two ‘Youth Peace Brigades’ -
- To host debates, art competitions promoting peaceful coexistence
- To Develop radio programs on youth and peace
- Facilitate dialogue circles for women in self-help groups
- Ensure women are to the fore in Community Peace Committees
- Offer workshops on inclusive governance and women’s civic engagement.
Why us?
Since the Lambeth Conference, Bishop’s Libby and Malcolm have met with Bishop Eraste of Bujumbura to share and pray about each other’s ministry. As followers of Jesus, we seek to promote peace with God and with one another. As children of a creator, we seek to care for God’s beautiful and precious world. This project connects so closely with what we are trying to do in our diocese, our desired outcomes and priorities – especially around service, justice, and ‘going greener’. Centred on Jesus, who offered his life on a tree for the salvation of us all, this project demonstrates the love of God in practical action.
What can I do?
- First – please speak to others about the programme, and decide what your church or community can do to get involved.
- Check out the creative resources that will be appearing for schools and churches.
- Plan symbolically to plant a tree somewhere locally to symbolise our support for this initiative, showing that trees both here and there address climate change. Think how supporting this tree planting initiative reduces your own carbon footprint.
- Join in local initiatives where you live that integrate building community with protecting the environment.
- Give via our Give a Little site or directly to the Diocese of Derby
- Pray for the churches on the hills around Bujumbura – as well as in the hills, valleys, and plains of Derbyshire, that in what we do the good news of the Kingdom of God will transform lives, grow church, and build community.
St Alkmund's Derby are hiring a Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leader
Your chance to inspire and be inspired by the young people of our church and parish!
20 hours per week, salary £27,000 to £30,000 pro rata
For an application pack or to have an informal conversation about the role contact Rev Mina Munns at mina@stalkmunds.org.uk or on 07960 250497
Deadline for applications is 17 August 2025
St. Mary’s Church in Wirksworth has received initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Faith Folk Foundation project, it was announced today. Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the project aims to carry out repairs and improvement work to the church building and investigate the literal and historic foundations of the church and the town.
St Mary's is a Grade 1 listed building, and a member of the Major Churches Network, listed on English Heritage’s “Heritage at Risk” register and a much loved community building for the people of Wirksworth. Without this support from the Heritage Fund it would continue to deteriorate and the stories of local residents would remain un-investigated and unheard.
Development funding of £313,770 has been awarded by the Heritage Fund to help the PCC progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £1.73million at a later date.
The project will enable extensive repair and restoration work to take place, including to the transept roofs, nave walls, windows and churchyard paths. It will also enable work to improve the lighting and heating systems and to provide a route to reduce the carbon footprint of the church community.
As a watertight, more easily accessible, better lit, better heated and lower carbon footprint building, the regular congregation will feel more comfortable, as will regular visitors, tourists and the many hundreds who join for our seasonal services and our many concerts and events throughout the year.
The project will also offer plenty of opportunities for local people in searching out the foundations of the church building, the origins of the town and the links through the ages between locals and the church community.
Rev Neil Griffiths, Team Rector at Wirksworth Team Ministry said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to repair our church and make it fit for the 21st century and future generations.”
St Giles’ Normanton by Derby were thrilled and honoured to welcome the Most Rev Dr Samy Fawzy Shehata, Archbishop of Alexandria, for the weekend 21-22 July. Archbishop Samy and his wife Madlaine came to express their partnership with St Giles’. Both the morning congregations received them warmly. Archbishop Samy preached at those two services and then joined the whole church community for a fellowship lunch. Archbishop Samy and Madlaine were interviewed during the lunch where they shared something of their life in Egypt. They joined the congregation of the evening service as guests.
In his morning sermon, Archbishop Samy challenged the people of St Giles’ to consider the cost of following Christ. He reminded them of Jesus’ own command to all disciples to “deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me”. He spoke soberingly of the 21 martyrs (20 Egyptians) who were executed by the terrorist ‘Islamic State’ on a beach in Libya in 2015. Just the previous Sunday the General Synod of the Church of England had agreed to add commemoration of these martyrs to the Common Worship calendar each 15 February
Rev Neil Barber, Vicar of St Giles and General Synod member, said “It was an enormous joy to welcome the Archbishop and Madlaine to St Giles’ and to be encouraged by them to keep loving all people as we hold out the good news of Jesus in this locality where there are many people of no faith and other faiths. We are thankful to God for our unity in Christ across the miles and partnership in the gospel.”
Archbishop Samy is the Provincial Archbishop over ten countries in North Africa: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia with a total population of 400 million people, as well as Bishop of Egypt. He is also Deputy Chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA).
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Diocese of Derby Safeguarding Team; we are seeking an Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (ADSO) to support safeguarding provision in the Diocese. We are a friendly welcoming team compromising of a Diocesan Safeguarding Officer/Head of Safeguarding, Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Safeguarding Administrator, and a Safeguarding Trainer. We are looking for a suitably experienced professional with extensive safeguarding experience in Probation, social work (children or adult services), police, education or health care to join us. You will bring a deep commitment to safeguarding, compassion, and integrity to the role, with up to date knowledge of safeguarding practice and policy. Extensive experience in risk assessment skills is desirable. We are inviting people who are confident in managing complex cases, are resilience in challenging environments and have effective communication skills to apply.
The main responsibilities of the Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Officer are:
- To respond and manage safeguarding concerns and allegations against church officers
- Provide specialist guidance and support to parishes on safeguarding matters such as domestic abuse, child and adult at risk concerns
- To support victims and survivors of abuse
- Work with individuals who have convictions and/or who may present a safeguarding risk, to worship safely
- To assist in the development and implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures
- To work collaboratively with parish safeguarding officers, church leaders, senior leaders and partner agencies
The successful candidate will be provided with training and a full induction.
The Diocese of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, all applicants are expected to share this commitment. We follow the Church of England’s Safeguarding Policies and the relevant statutory legislation and guidance. We believe that safeguarding is everybody’s business.
Our offer to you:
Salary: £38,000 to £41,654 depending on experience
Working Hours: 35 hrs per week
Contract type: Permanent
Annual leave: 30 days (including 5 Discretionary days)
Pension: 9.5% employers’ contribution
Life Assurance: 0.5% Death in service equivalent to 2 x annual salary
Health Cash Plan: Included
For an informal conversation about the post please contact Lisa Marriott, lisa.marriott@derby.anglican.org
Closing date: Sunday 24 August 2025.
Interviews: week commencing 8 September 2025
Applications should be returned to: hr@derby.anglican.org
Notification of pending faculty petition for Hartington St Giles, dated 20th July 2025
If you wish to object to any of the works or proposals, you should write giving reasons for your objection to:
The Diocesan Registrar at 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3JT
Derby.registry@1thesanctuary.com
so that it reaches the Registry no later than 21 days after the day of this notice (ie by 11 August 2025), stating your name and postal address, and whether you live in the parish and/or your name is entered on the electoral roll of the parish or any other capacity in which you write.
The Bishop's Badge service for schools took place on Monday 23 June at Derby Cathedral.
Headteachers were invited to nominate pupils who had demonstrated the values of Generous Faith, Courageous Hope and/or Life Giving Love.
Bishop Malcolm joyfully presented 36 badges to pupils from 17 schools across the diocese.
The uplifting singing was led by the children from William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary School who have been involved with the Music in Schools programme from Derby Cathedral.
Families, governors, incumbents came to support the children and they heard from the heads the reasons for their nominations.
The event is supported by the DBE staff, Bishop's Office, Dean and the volunteers from the cathedral.
As one headteacher said "Thank you - this was an emotional day and the stand out memory of the year.'
The Diocese of Derby seeks applications for the post of Archdeacon of East Derbyshire to share in leading the diocese towards our vision of the Kingdom of God as good news for all.
