Bruce Johnson: ordained priest, 29 June 2019

Bruce Johnson, a former IT project consultant, joined the Diocese of Derby as an assistant curate following his Petertide ordination on 1 July 2018. He is currently serving the parishes of Heanor, Langley Mill, Aldercar and Marlpool.

He trained part time for ordination, firstly with Lancashire and Cumbria Theological Partnership and then with All Saints Centre for Mission and Ministry, whilst undertaking roles in the Netherlands and the UK. 

Bruce said: "Working and studying part time is not an easy option but, like many, we are proof that it can be done!"

He would be the first to admit that his journey to ordination wasn't entirely easy, but was definitely rewarding: "It has led me to many interesting places and through a great deal of varied and different experiences that I certainly wouldn’t have expected to ever go through.

"Reflecting upon these, both at the time and in retrospect, I can clearly see God’s hand guiding me throughout and, as a result, my vocation has developed. 

"As I continue on my vocational journey I am very much looking forward to this next challenging but very exciting new phase of ministry and life.

"I am enjoying meeting my new communities and having the opportunity to share God’s love and sacraments with everyone I meet."

Hearing God's call

Like many, Bruce can't put his finger on 'the moment' he felt the call to ordination, but rembers clearly two significant incidents that left him in no doubt it was the right way to go: "The first was my first week at university when, aged around 18, I began to see with increasing clarity that the gifts God had given me were able to help others around me grow in faith and knowledge. 

"The second was perhaps the most poignant; whilst working in Romania I had the opportunity to be involved in helping various communities grow both through physical action and also the support of the sacraments.  

"For me the centrality of the sacraments, whether it be the Mass/Holy Communion/Eucharist/Lords Supper/ Breaking of the Bread or the other sacred sacraments, is principle to my calling and therefore very important to my spiritual life. 

"Being able to partake in these, leading and walking with others is a central element in my life.

"Time and time again it has been confirmed to me that I am following God’s pathway and I am really looking forward to getting to know more about Derbyshire, the diversity of the districts and the people who make this county their own. 

"I am sure I will soon get to know more of this vibrant county, the fabulous Christians who are active in their communities and the wonderful explorations and expressions of faith which I know are being constantly blessed here."

So would he recommend others to follow their calling? Of that he has no doubt: "God calls each of us to be ourselves firstly but to also allow those in the vocational exploration process to help and support us in determining what that call may be.

"It may take some time but if you feel called, trust in God and, with the help of the vocations team, allow yourself to explore what he is calling you to be."

Bruce is married to Sarah and has three grown-up children and one grandchild; some of whom live locally.

Bruce said: "Prior to moving house in June, we lived near Lancaster in a very rural setting. We now live in Ripley; a very different community setting - but everyone has made us feel extremely welcome."

See also: Explore your calling with us

Favourite hymns: 

‘Will your anchor hold?’ and ‘Longing for light, Christ be our light’, both having very specific lyrics which mean a lot for Bruce in his ministry today

Favourite Bible passage: 

Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 11 - ‘For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope’ 

Favourite prayers include: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life. Amen

St. Francis of Assisi

Using Social Media

Here is our guide to how you should - and shouldn't - use social media in the Diocese of Derby

Lots of our priests and church officers use social media every day – and this is fine.

Some use it to spread the word, to highlight events and stories or even to have a chuckle.

>> Download our Social Media Guidelines (pdf - 208 kb)

But please remember that if you use social media, it should represent YOU, YOUR views, YOUR beliefs etc.

Please don’t write in such a way that implies that any view given is a diocesan opinion.

So, be authentic:

• · If you are going to use social media as YOU – the be you and be upfront. Don’t hide behind an anonymous avatar, include your name and if appropriate your position or title.
• · Make it clear that any views are your own. Like it or not, if you are ordained, lead in or are employed by the Church, others will see you in your public role as a representative of the Church. 

Before posting always think: 

• · Is this my story to share?
• · Could this be 'Fake News'?
• · Would I want my mum to read this?
• · Would I want God to read this?
• · Would I want this on the front page of a newspaper? 

Be Responsible

• · Use of social media does not change the Church’s understanding of confidentiality. Within the life of the Church there are private meetings and conversations, particularly in terms of pastoral work. 
• · Breaking confidentiality is as wrong as it would be in any other context.
• · Remember: Is this story mine to share? If in doubt, don’t. 
• · Comments you make online are permanently available and open to being shared by others. Stay within the law and be aware that safeguarding, defamation, copyright and data protection laws apply
• · Defamation law in England and Wales currently states that each time a web page is viewed it becomes a published entity. Anyone defamed by a webpage has 12 months from that point to bring an action. Web pages are essentially permanently open to action until twelve months after they are taken offline
• · Always give people proper credit for their work. Make sure you have the right to use something with attribution before you publish.

 Be aware of privacy settings

• · The use of social media blurs the boundary between public and private. The safest assumption is that the use of social media is always public
• · The information we share with friends and family maybe different to those we wish to share with colleagues or parishioners. Be careful when accepting friend requests and consider setting up a separate page for your church to allow parishioners to contact you and each other. (Our Communications Team at Derby Church House can advise you further on this.)
• · Check your settings to ensure people can only see what you want them to see
• · Don’t be offended if a colleague or contact rejects your friend request - they may wish to keep their home life private.

Consider your audience

• · Remember that when you publish anything on the internet – via a blog, comments section or social media - your readers include current parishioners, potential parishioners as well as current / past / future employers and employees. Treat the internet as you would any face to face meeting, party or public forum
• · Engaging in social media may attract the media
• · Make it clear if you are joking. Humour doesn’t always translate into the written word and it is easy for it to be misinterpreted.

 A picture is worth 1,000 words

• · Tweets and status updates with an image are shared more frequently and receive more ‘likes’.
• · There's nothing wrong with sharing photos online and it is often the best way to show off your church and what you do. You just need to make sure you have permission from anybody who features in the image before sharing, especially parental permission for children (ideally written permission). Be ready to remove an image quickly if requested.
• · Remember: Just because a photo or video is already on the internet or social media, this does not automatically give you the right to use it. Photographers and artists whose work is used online have a right to be paid for its use.

Safety

“The vast majority of people who use social media are like society. The vast majority are decent, intelligent, inspiring people. The problem comes with a small minority, as in society, who spoil it for everyone else.”– John Cooper QC

• · Some posts may be distasteful, upsetting or express unpopular views but may not be ‘criminal’ in these cases:

o    Think carefully before you respond, will this calm the situation or simply ‘feed the troll’ provoking more of a reaction?

o    Keep a record of any offensive tweets or posts by taking a screenshot

o    Report the behaviour to the site administrator

o    Use the ‘block’ settings on the sites to stop people contacting you.

• · Others maybe grossly offensive or be part of a campaign of abuse or threats of violence against a group or individual offensive and could meet the threshold for prosecution

o    Keep screenshots of the offending post

o    Report to the network administrator

o    Report to the police using the 101 number.

Be mindful of your own security. Don’t overshare personal information. Never publish detailed personal information such as your address or telephone number, unless in a private message to someone you know and trust.

If you are posting for your PCC, church or Diocesan organisation or committee

• · Be extra careful! Anything you post WILL be seen as a view held by the Church of England generally – even if this is not the case. If it is an activity, it will be seen as something organised or endorsed by the C of E or the Diocese – even if it is a locally organised event.
• · Ensure your message is clear and upholds the values of your church, the Diocese and the Church of England.
• · Don’t get into debates and arguments that could be seen as personal (healthy discussion is encouraged; personal gripes are not).

Remember:

Anything you publish on line is there for all to see. Even if you remove it, it may be that someone else has already shared it. So, treat each post as a printed publication – once published, it cannot be undone!

Time is irrelevant. You might think that a post is officially published when you press the button or upload it. That’s not the case. In law, a post or article is considered to be published each time someone sees it.

Safeguarding, libel, privacy, data protection and copyright laws all apply. Just because it is ‘social media’ does not mean it is outside the law.

For more information or advice, please contact:

The Communications office at Derby Church House

communications@derby.anglican.org

01332 388680

Children and groups across the Diocese have received their Bishop's Badge awards from Bishop Alastair and Bishop Jan.

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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The Diocese of Derby paid tribute to Bishop Alastair and wished him and his wife, Caroline, a fond farewell at a service at Derby Cathedral on Saturday.

Enjoy some of the pictures from the service - and see lots more on Flickr!

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has paid tribute to The Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby, who retires at the end of August after 13 years in the Diocese.

The Revd Dan Leathers, Assistant Curate of Whitfield, Diocese of Derby, has been appointed Vicar of Haydock St Mark, Diocese of Liverpool. Mr Leathers hopes to take up his new appointment in the Autumn. 

Bishop Alastair has ordained eight new deacons in Derby Cathedral.

For further information about Confirmation services, or to enquire about Confirmation, please contact the parish directly.

Around 5,000 clay figures, depicting players and spectators of Ashbourne’s Shrovetide football game, have gone on display in St Oswald’s church in the town.