Items filtered by date: June 2025
For some time now, cathedrals have been struggling with getting Facebook to recognise that they are charities in the absence of a registered charity number.
Rochester Cathedral has finally managed to get the donation button to work without having to resort to using the details of a related registered charity.
‘This is the process Rochester Cathedral used to get its Facebook donation button working.
In order to complete a Facebook Donation application:
- Assign “non-profit” in the category section of the organisation’s Facebook Page
- Apply to Facebook via their donate/sign-up page
- Submit documents:
- tax ID to verify charitable tax exemption status
- proof of identity of CEO/executive director, address and personal details
- proof of address (utility statement)
- bank details and proof of account (recent statement)
- Additionally, Facebook requested proof of applicant’s identity.
- Update About Page on Facebook to include:
- mission statement
- what the cathedral supports
- goals and how the cathedral plans to achieve them
- complete address and contact details
- link to website
- link to cathedral's policies.
It’s also been pointed out by Jonathan de Bernhardt Wood, the CofE’s National Giving Adviser, that there are gift aid issues with Facebook Donate (on which the Charity Tax Group is working) so it is recommended that a link to the cathedral’s online giving provider is a pinned comment on services streamed through Facebook.
See https://www.churchofengland.org/more/church-resources/digital-labs/labs-learning-webinars for various webinars on navigating the digital world, including one on receiving online donations.
The last session of General Synod was the penultimate before elections that were due to take place later this year.
General Synod member, Revd Julian Hollywell shares his thoughts (written before the Covid-19 lockdown).
Download this report as a PDF.
The last session of General Synod was the penultimate before elections take place later this year reminder for your APCM deanery synod reps are the electing constituency.
It was Synod at its best, it s very worst, its most effective and its least effective. Congratulations to Sian, Rhodri and Alicia who replaced Rachel Bell, Hannah Grivell and Simon Taylor and did so most successfully. I thought it was a good Synod for although the hallowed halls of Westminster can seem a long way indeed from Derby and Chesterfield and Ashbourne we focused on matters that spoke into our nations life and made a practical difference to the
life of our church.
So what was best?
Well the draft Cathedrals Measure may not be exciting, but it was an example of what a good legislative process looks like.
A complex series of recommendations came before Synod last year, since then the Revision Committee brought proposals back for this Synod.
The work done in committee between sittings, meant good proposals were brought forward and the legal framework passed will help our cathedrals to flourish and serve us in the years ahead. The Safeguarding debate too showed the progress being made against the five specific recommendations made so far by IICSA, and Synod pre-sented a unanimously supported amendment that commits us to a deeper engagement with survivors of abuse, and to backing up words with action.
What was perhaps less successful?
Well, we Derby lay and clergy were of one mind that the relatively short update on the Living in Love and Faith process didn t work well.
The questions from the most extreme ends of either spectrum dominating. As it was an interim report, material was not available for scrutiny, but it inevitably meant that there was fear among Synod members as to what will ultimately be produced and to what end The House of Bishops will see the next draft in March, the aim of which is to enable process that will lead to each person flourishing, alongside those with whom we disagree deeply, as one body.
I encourage members of this synod to remain open to the Living in Love and Faith process as it becomes part of diocesan life over the next twelve months and particularly as no material is yet available do not use social media to undermine it before you ve even read it. Pray for the LLF drafting group, pray for our bishops and pray for those of us on Synod who will come together with the material before us at York in July.
I cannot help but think it would have been better not to have given time to as yet unpublished material.
It was an example of how General Synod is less successful when, with good intent, the methodology of doing careful and inclusive work before then presenting matters in fullness to Synod does not take place.
Likewise, the Environment debate was not effective and highlighted how Synod can get to perhaps the right decision, but in the wrong way. The debate was looking at the timescale for the Church to eliminate its carbon footprint.
A vital amendment from the chair of the Finance Committee of Archbishops Council was passed that will ensure structures are in place to make a hypothetical target achievable, a target that a further amendment moved
from 2045 to 2030.
The process felt unsatisfactory, decided after less than ten minutes debate, by a majority of just 15, with a low turnout (many, following the harrowing Safeguarding debate were recovering in the tearoom).
Given the level of climate crisis the case was made that 2030 is the right year, but the process felt flawed and did not enable a resounding prophetic call from the Synod to the nation.
But Synod was at its most effective in two divergent debates… the first a short debate asking the Business Committee to introduce an amendment to the draft Church Representation Rules legislation at York in July to remove the legislation bringing in fixed terms for deanery synod membership.
It was well presented, well researched and didn’t overstep a line trying to make the U-turn happen too quickly. It means after the revision committee has done its bit, such legislation will pass smoothly through Synod in July.
Synod was at its most impressive and most effective in the Windrush debate. Not least as whilst Synod was sitting, the news reported that Windrush deportations were taking place.
The debate spoke of a story that remains untold, Archbishop Justin spoke movingly, and honestly about the continued institutional racism within our church.
Finally a word about Question Time.
It is where those who wield genuine power are held to factual account and it can be remarkably informative.
Yet the aim of some questioners is to inflict maximum damage on those with whom they disagree.
In the words of the Bishop of Manchester - we need mechanisms of accountability, but synod must hold itself accountable for the way in which it exercises accountability.
A massive clean-up operation is continuing as millions of people across northern India try to rebuild their lives following the devastation left by Cyclone Amphan.
Two weeks ago, many of our partner dioceses in North India, including the Diocese of Kolkata, were badly hit, with streets flooded and blocked by trees, church buildings and community projects devastated, and many people left homeless and without food and water.
The cyclone came on top of the challenges already being faced due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
Many people in Kolkata earn their living as daily labourers, and have lost their livelihood because of the lockdown.
Children receiving education through diocesan and CRS schools are now at risk of being trafficked into child labour and child marriage.
The Diocese of Kolkata, in partnership with the Cathedral Relief Service has enabled a relief programme to reach out to the neediest people – 4,500 families have already been helped, but more help is needed in this desperate situation.
The ongoing lockdown, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, has affected the lives of some of the most vulnerable communities across the country, such as the dalits, migrant labourers, waste pickers, widows, elderly etc… both in rural and urban areas.
To cushion the impact of the crisis and to ensure access to essentials, the Church of North India’s Synodical Board of Social Services has been active in providing relief materials like cooked food and rations to the people in need, in the areas of Ajnala, Khemkaran, Kolkata, Barrackpore, Choitanagpur, Chimubeda, Ukanli Panchayat and Bano block as the first emergency response.
Face masks are being produced by the diocese of Kolhapur who are also running a community kitchen for migrant sugarcane workers stranded by lockdown.
The relief work will be followed by various rehabilitation initiatives to sustain the livelihood of the people in the near future.
Please pray for our sisters and brothers in the Church of North India.
For more information, about the general Covid-19 response within the Church of North India please visit http://cnisbss.org/ and for specific information about the situation in Kolkata and the impact upon our joint schools project please contact Anita Matthews (anita@stpetersderby.org.uk) or Alison Brown (Alison.Brown@derby.anglican.org).
How you can help
If you are able to make a financial gift to support this emergency relief work in our link dioceses, then the details you need are:
- If your church already has a financial link with an affected diocese in India and you wish to donate, please do so using your existing means
-
Alternatively, you can donate via the Calcutta Cathedral Relief Fund (CRS):
CAF Bank Ltd
Sort Code 40-52-40
Account No: 00096998
Account Name: Friends of Calcutta Cathedral Relief Service
Please identify the purpose of your donation as “Covid-19 Appeal”.
Please keep our sisters and brothers in Kolkata in your thoughts and prayers.
A message from Bishop Paritosh, Bishop of Calcutta:
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
I thank you immensely for your prayers, care and concern for the people of Kolkata.
Your support so far has helped us in giving hope and smiles to 4500 families in the villages and slums where we work under the Diocese of Kolkata, CNI, in partnership with Cathedral Relief Service Calcutta (CRS).
At this moment we join you in prayers for strengthening our hands to do the work and mission of Christ. With many challenges facing us besides COVID-19 and now the cyclone affected people, we look forward to your prayerful support.
Our priorities in the light of Covid19 and the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Amphan
- Second phase of food supplies to poorest of the poor families.
- Rehabilitation for women and children to avoid a rise in child labour, trafficking and child abuse as result of this pandemic.
- Preventing youth being trapped into antisocial and criminal activities.
- Rehabilitation of homeless families.
- Providing livelihood programmes as a means of income generation for the families.
Please continue to pray for us.
+Paritosh
Revd Beth Honey, Pioneer Minister of Derwent Oak Fresh Expressions Church, lights candles in her garden to unite the local community.
She writes:
Our garden has always been an important place of gathering and encounter for Derwent Oak (Derby City).
It is a place we learned to ask for help more than offer it, in the early days of living in Derby as we asked our neighbours to a gardening party.
It is the place we first realised people would help us host a party, and come to one, when we had a bonfire.
But when we realised that we wouldn’t be able to meet again in homes, which is the heart of Derwent Oak, for many months, the garden began to speak again.
Could we open it, even in lock down?
So, we simply shared a thought on Facebook in our group and on the pages we host and are connected to.
Did anyone want us to light a candle on a Thursday evening, for someone or something that mattered to them that they had lost, whether or not due to Covid-19.
People have steadily asked us to do that, people we know, friends of friends online, connections through volunteering through the local Covid-19 response hub, and strangers connecting through social media.
We dream that slowly people may come to light candles as individuals and small groups, and have begun to commission some local artists to create pieces to enhance the garden as a place of encounter.
We hope to blend community on and offline.
Part of the story of this season is lament and grief that has been suppressed by circumstance, and part of the motivation of these candles is to find expression in a place where people often lack confidence to connect to church, even when the doors are open.
A simple invitation closer to home is perhaps what is needed, and outdoors may be a safe space for more reasons than we realise.
2022 Launch Video
Watch a recording of the 2022 Thy Kingdom Come launch
National Resources
Thykingdomcome.global has a fantastic range of resources available for all ages, churches, families and individuals.
For adults, the main resources are the Prayer Journal and Novena - both written by Archbishop Justin Welby, with the Novena based on 1 Peter, the foundation scripture for the Lambeth Conference.
150,000 free copies will be given away as part of this year’s campaign.
Thy Kingdom Come has teamed up with 24-7 Prayer providing daily audio reflections for their Lectio 365 app.
For children & families, there are brand-new Cheeky Pandas animations based on the Fruit of the Spirit (including a platinum Jubilee related episode) packed with fun, music, and biblical truths.
Each episode will have an accompanying activity pack and assembly plan, which can be used at church, at home, or school.
For youth, there will be a brand-new video series produced by a leading Christian Youth Ministry.
Free Resources giveaway for Churches
Free copies of the 2022 resources are available, you will only need to pay for postage & packaging.
>> Visit Church House Publishing site
‘We Seek Your Kingdom’
‘We Seek Your Kingdom’, a whole-life worship song to the tune of much-loved hymn ‘Abide withme’, written by Noel Robinson, Andy Flannagan, and Graham Hunter, inspires us to see our daily tasks through God’s eyes – and live out the prayer ‘your kingdom come’ in every part of life.
Commissioned by LICC and Thy Kingdom Come, it’s an encouragement and a call to action – a declaration that each of us can join in God’s kingdom work right where we are.And a prayer that through ordinary Christians like you and me, God would transform, revive, and heal our society.
>> Watch the video and download ‘We Seek Your Kingdom’ hymn resources.
Starting a new job as the headteacher of a prominent city school midway through a pandemic is not what most would choose – but that’s exactly how things have worked out for Jenny Brown, the new head at Derby Cathedral School.
Jenny, who has worked in education for 22 years, was appointed to the post just before the country went into lockdown, so her first weeks and months in post will be particularly challenging.
Jenny said: “Yes – I have certainly picked my moment, haven’t I! Navigating through Covid will clearly be one of my main challenges as I continue to get to know everyone, but I am determined the pandemic will not stop the school in its aspiration to put quality at the heart of everything we do.
"And that’s not just in terms of academic achievement, but also in life education to set students up for whatever they choose to do next.
“My ambition is for every member of the school community to be the best that they can be and to fully embrace our FAITH values (fellowship, aspiration, integrity, tenacity, humility).
“The challenge is to remain focused on that ambition as the school grows, for everyone to have a clear understanding of the vision of the school and for this to be ‘felt’ and visible to all.
Jenny grew up in Bedfordshire before doing a maths degree at the University of Nottingham and making the city her home.
And she brings with her plenty of experience: “I have worked in Nottingham schools for over twenty years and have had various roles with increasing leadership responsibility.
“I have always taught maths, which is a subject that I dearly love, but have also taught a great deal of PSHCE and led both subjects for a number of years.
“Once I moved into senior leadership, I was asked to move to a school in Special Measures to help support its improvement.
"This was a seminal time in my career and gave me a real thirst for school improvement and development. I truly saw the impact that a school has on its whole community.
“I then moved to take up the headship of a new free school in Nottingham.
“Starting a new school is such a privilege, challenge and a responsibility. Having thoroughly enjoyed this process, I am delighted to bring my experience to Derby Cathedral School.
"The school is a fantastic community that is centered on providing the best possible education for young people.
“My balance of high expectations with focused support will enable the school to continue to grow in this vein.
“As it continues to develop and looks forward to moving to a new, state-of-the-art building, it is an incredibly exciting time for the school, and I am so pleased to be part of it.”
St Werburgh’s Church in Derby is launching an online course to help couples through this difficult lockdown period.
The free, seven-week course is designed to help couples strengthen their relationship.
We are all having to spend a lot more time with each other than we might normally do.
Couples are having to navigate the pressure of being with their partner day in day out, possibly home schooling, working from home or struggling financially through this season and this brings about obvious challenges.
Phil Mann, lead minister at St Werburgh’s said: “When the lockdown in Wuhan started to lift, the numbers of couples applying for divorce skyrocketed and St Werburgh’s hopes that this course will go some way to avoiding similar problems in Derby by helping couples across the city to invest in their relationships during this time.
“My wife and I have been married for 17 years and have done the marriage course twice now.
"It has really helped us; we have learnt so much and grown through it so we are offering this free of charge to anyone who feels like it might help them.”
The original Marriage Course was founded by the Revd Nicky and Sila Lee at Holy Trinity Brompton over 20 years ago and has helped more than 1 million people.
It is for anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship seeking practical support to strengthen their relationship, keep the spark alive and stay connected.
It has now been adapted for use online.
Over seven sessions, the course covers: Strengthening Connection, The Art of Communication, Resolving Conflict, The Power of Forgiveness, The Impact of Family, Good Sex and Love in Action.
A new episode is released each Monday evening.
The course is designed so that couples only have to talk to each other, so no one is going to ask them any personal questions. It is designed for everybody - it is not just for people who go to church, or for people whose relationships are in difficulties.
To sign up go to https://stwderby.org/marriagecourse
This week (10-16 May) is Christian Aid Week and this year it will be somewhat different.
Churches across the diocese are being invited to stand in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable people in new and innovative ways.
The coronavirus outbreak threatens the health of our neighbours near and far.
Together we must respond quickly to help the most vulnerable.
Coronavirus has shown us that our futures are bound more tightly together than ever before.
And now it is spreading across the world’s poorest countries, putting people living in poverty at great risk.
These people are already facing a lack of water, food and healthcare.
Some are homeless. Some are living with underlying health issues such as HIV.
As coronavirus infection rates speed up, they will feel the impacts of the virus deeply. We must respond now.
Coronavirus impacts all of us. But love unites us all.
Giving
Donations can be made via the website christianaid.org.uk or by telephone on 020 7523 2269.
Virtual prayer and reflections
Daily until Saturday 16 May at 11am
Live daily reflections from Christian Aid staff and partners overseas.
Christian Aid Community online
Daily until Saturday 16 May at 7.30pm
Daily fun quizzes for the whole family.
Quiztian Aid!
Hosted by Revd Kate Bottley, Dr Rowan Williams and Giles Fraser.
Put your thinking caps on for a pre-recorded quiz.
The Christian Aid Week website has a wealth of resources including:
- Order of service for virtual Christian Aid Week services
- Prayers in the time of coronavirus
- TV quiz
- Donation forms
- Children's activity sheet
Visit the Christian Aid Week website for more information, resources and to get involved.
The Rt Revd Libby Lane, the Bishop of Derby, has made her maiden speech in the House of Lords - and in doing so has become the first bishop to make their maiden speech virtually.
Bishop Libby spoke as part of a debate brought by the Most Revd John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, on the case for increasing income equality in the light of the recent health emergency (Covid-19).
In her allotted two minutes, Bishop Libby drew particular attention to the disproportionate and detrimental impact income inequality and lack of sustainability has on children and their households.
Bishop Libby said: "In this national time of emergency, we know there is much to be done to respond to every child, to keep all our children and young people safe, to support the mental health and well-being of our children, and to protect children and their families facing increased financial insecurity as a result of this crisis.
"The inequalities that affect the more than 4 million children in poverty in our country run deep and are systemic, so solutions need to be long-term and sustainable.
"When asked about the Kindom of God, Jesus brought among them and said 'Of such is the Kindom of Heaven'.
"I thank your Noble Lords for your patience in hearing my plea that we put children at the heart of our work for a more just and equitable, sustainable society."
Yesterday, the Church of England and the Child Poverty Action Group released a joint report ‘No one knows what the future can hold’, calling for the suspension of the two child limit in Universal credit.
In her speech, Bishop Libby also made reference to the work of The Children's Society and praised diocesan staff, clergy and congregations for their work during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Receiving donations online
To set up a provider to receive and process online donations for you, and receive a significant discount in some cases:
>> Parish Buying website
>> Parish Resources website
>> Add a donation button to your ACNY page
>> Add a donation button to your website
Copyright and licence information
>> What copyright is and how it will affect you
>> Read the latest copyright guidance from the Church of England, including advice on live streaming licences
>> Live streaming worship music and staying legal
>> CCLI licence
>> ONE licence
>> Performing Rights Society (PRS)
Zoom
>> How to use Zoom for a church meeting, Bible study, prayer session or small group
>> Zoom plans and pricing
>> Zoom security
Video
>> A beginner’s guide to live streaming
>> Going live FAQ
>> How to set up to film a video on a smartphone
>> How to premiere a video on Facebook and YouTube
>> How to improve the quality of audio in video recordings
>> How to upload a video with Facebook Creator Studio
>> How to create subtitles
Social Media
>> Diocese of Derby's Social Media Guidelines
>> Online social media courses from the CofE
>> Facebook: Pages vs groups vs profiles
>> Facebook pages for churches
>> How to set up a YouTube channel
>> How to create an Instagram profile and business profile
>> How to use Instagram stories
>> How to schedule a post on Facebook and Instagram with Creator Studio
>> Paid advertising: How to boost a Facebook post
Other useful platforms
>> How to create and invite to a WhatsApp group
>> WhatsApp group calls
>> Skype group calls
A Church Near You
Please note: the diocesan communications team cannot grant you access to your A Church Near You Page - but we can help you get access if you are struggling. Please follow the instructions under 'Become an editor' first.
Become an editor
Editor help centre - Please contact the help centre if your request to edit has not been approved
Create a page
Embed a video
Add a livestream tag to your page to appear on the livestream map
The Resource Hub (for editors)
Photography and design tools
The Diocese of Derby photography guidelines
www.canva.com Free design tool
www.spark.adobe.com
www.unsplash.com
www.pixabay.com
www.pexels.com
www.freepik.com
Safeguarding
Contact the diocesan safeguarding team
Read the Safer Environments Guide for sharing images and video online [PDF]
Advice for using digital conferencing with youth from the Safeguarding team
