Items filtered by date: June 2025
I live on the edge of Buxton and I am a Reader at St Peter's church in Fairfield.
Until I retired I worked in theological education, latterly as Vice Principal of the Yorkshire Ministry Course where I taught Pastoral Studies, Human Relationships Ethics .and beginners Greek. I was a diocesan rep on General Synod for many years and I now review Theological Courses and Colleges for the national Ministry Division.
Why I am a Vocation Adviser
It has been a joy to work as Diocesan Youth Adviser in Derby Diocese for almost 20 years. In that time, it has been a real privilege to accompany many young people in their journey through the teenage years and become established in a whole range of jobs and professions or contemplate how God works through them as a parent and homemaker as well as in being a volunteer in the local church or community. I also enjoy working with adults, many youth leaders have cut their teeth in leadership in the church and I’ve been delighted to see them move on with this experience in the bank.
It is the relationship role that I particularly enjoy, listening to stories and encouraging folk to reflect on their gifts and talents, on what God and others might be saying to them and then providing space and opportunities for them to try new things and take that next step on the road that God is taking them.
Derby Diocese takes vocation seriously, it values lay people and believes that every person, young or old, lay or ordained has an important role to play in building God’s Kingdom in every community in Derbyshire and beyond.
Alistair lives near to the south-east corner of the diocese but is happy to chat anywhere in Derbyshire as I cover the whole diocese in my role.
As well as training as a Lay Reader he is an ardent Nottingham Forest Fan and enjoys swimming, theatre or performing on stage with Long Eaton Operatic Society.
Visit the Mothers' Union Diocese of Derby webpage
Midday Prayer
Held at Derby Cathedral each Friday
Contact
Emily Brailsford
In addition to the support within the diocese (see below), there are a huge number of resources to help you get started on the national Thy Kingdom Come website, including prayers and liturgy for worship services, creative prayer ideas, booklets, materials for groups, individuals, families and small groups – and much more.
Why not try the Digital Family Prayer Adventure Map?
It's the map with an augmented reality app! It's great fun and a fab way to engage children in praying.
You can watch Archbishop Justin having a go himself below!
As well as the national resources available (see https://www.thykingdomcome.global), the Prayer and Spirituality Group within the diocese have developed a wide selection of different resources to help the church engage in prayer. These resources could be used for Thy Kingdom Come, or at any other time in the church's life.
Click on the links below to download:
- Bringing Your Concerns into Prayer - how to talk to God about your concerns
- Centering Prayer - a method of silent prayer, suitable for the present day
- God in My Day - pause and take time to prayerfully reflect on the day
- Listening in Silence and Stillness
- Multisensory Prayer: Images and Symbols
- Multisensory Prayer: Using Your Own Creativity
- Prayer from Ascension to Pentecost (designed for Thy Kingdom Come)
- Praying with Music
- Praying with the Bible: Using Your Imagination
- Praying with the Bible: Lectio Divina
- Praying with the Five Senses
- Stations Around the Lord's Prayer
The Clewer Initiative’s Lent challenge introduces one industry a week that is touched by slavery- with challenges, each based around a different aspect of modern slavery. For example one week asks you to see whether your favourite tea is ethically sourced, and another prompts you to investigate where the minerals in your phone come from. The aims of the campaign are to raise awareness of modern slavery, and encourage people to think more deeply about the purchasing decisions they make.
https://www.theclewerinitiative.org/news/2018/1/23/this-lent-we-are-asking-you-to-give-up-slavery
Hungry for Change
Church Urban Fund’s Lent course focuses on food poverty, one of the most obvious signs of disparity in our society in recent years. It looks at the injustice, failure of generosity and distribution behind food poverty and asks whether the situation is a product of wrong human choices or a lack of God’s provision- these sorts of questions will foster healthy debate over the five-week course.
https://www.cuf.org.uk/lent-course-2018?bblinkid=79356344&bbemailid=6907773&bbejrid=524503866
Broken. A six week study course for Lent, Canon Dr Paula Gooder, Director of Mission Learning & Development Birmingham Diocese
The TV series, Broken, written by Jimmy McGovern and starring Sean Bean is set in an estate parish somewhere in the UK. The church used at the centre of the series is in Liverpool but the series never explicitly states that this is where the narrative is set. The series focuses on the life and ministry Father Michael Kerrigan, a Roman Catholic, priest who, despite past trauma and anxiety about his own inadequacies, attempts to bring the light of Christ into the lives of the people amongst whom he ministers. The series portrays real life at its most gritty and unvarnished, and in doing so raises many questions along the way about how to live faithfully when life is very hard.
This course arose out of numerous conversations I had with people after the series aired. So many people commented that they thought it would make an excellent Lent or study course that I thought it would be interesting to have a go. I have shaped the course around the principles of the series itself – which raises far more questions than it ever answers. The idea of the course is to provide the space for people to pick up the questions raised in the series and to explore how they might want to answer them.
Please click on the link below to download the sessions, leaders' notes and a list of helplines as the series contains disturbing story lines.
http://www.cofebirmingham.com/news/2018/01/23/broken-six-week-study-course-lent/
Nothing More and Nothing Less: A Lent Course based on the film I, Daniel Blake
The film I, Daniel Blake covers themes of oppression, compassion and radical response by telling the story of two people's struggles with an oppressive and dehumanising benefits system. This is a five-week Lent study, suitable for groups or individuals, that encourages readers to consider the stories of the film and how Christians may be called to respond. Chapters cover such topics as Compassion in the Darkness and the Suffering Servant. The book includes scene timings for key scenes, discussion points, meditations and suggested prayers.
Not A Tame Lion
This is a Lent course based on the Bible and related scenes and characters from the Narnia films The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian and the C S Lewis bio-pic Shadowlands. There are five group discussion sessions exploring themes of suffering, God’s absence and the gift of the present in Christ. Personal meditations and further studies exploring the deeper meaning of the films with reference to heaven, judgement, and the force of evil are also included.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780232527001/not-a-tame-lion
A Beautiful Friendship This course is based on the film classic Casablanca, which provides a great basis for discussion of themes of sacrifice, repentance, suffering, loss and hope at Lent. Its wartime setting provides additional poignancy for study at a time of continued armed conflict around the world as well as the centenary remembrance of the first world war. Miranda and Not Going Out writer Paul Kerensa makes an intriguing departure from his comedy writing, preparing this moving book with his wife, Zoe Young. It is designed to be studied by groups or individuals alongside the DVD of Casablanca. The book includes leaders' notes, timings for film clips, discussion-starters, reflections and prayers.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780232531404/beautiful-friendship
Finding a Voice This is a new and original Lent course by Hilary Brand which takes the film, The King's Speech, as a starting point, and explores the ways in which fear holds us back and examines how we, like Bertie, can face and overcome our fears and begin to find our authentic voice. The course is based around five weekly group sessions which each include extracts from the film, group discussion questions, exercises and meditations. There are also short introductory and follow up chapters, with related Bible passages, for individual reading each week. Also included is a suggested follow up session, along with full notes for leaders.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780232528930/finding-a-voice
Another Story Must Begin This Lent course based on the film, the novel and the stage adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. Through discussion of some of the themes and principal characters of this epic narrative, the course explores the grace of God and our own fallen state and opportunity for redemption, and helps us to reassess what we can do with our lives and for those around us. The course is based around five weekly group sessions: Fantine and Cosette, the Bishop of Digne, Jean Valjean, Javert and Redemption and Salvation. Each session includes watching scenes from the Oscar-winning movie (with timing references for the DVD), and questions and reflections for group discussion. Each session also includes introductory reading, notes for leaders, related Bible passages and suggested closing prayers.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780232530278/another-story-must-begin
The Mystery of Everything This Lent course by Hilary Brand takes the award-winning film about Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything, as its starting point. The course explores ways in which the mysteries of the universe and of everyday life - and the acceptance that we have more questions than answers - can reinvigorate our faith and spiritual journey. The course is based around five weekly group sessions entitled: the experience of wonder, the enigma of weakness, the complexity of relationships, the encounter with frailty and the hope beyond brokenness. Each session includes an extract from the film, group discussion questions and a meditation. There are also short introductory and follow up chapters for individual reading each week, and a chapter of Bible passages for further daily reading. The book supplies full notes for group course leaders.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780232532081/mystery-of-everything
This book provides encouragement to all those who feel the need to refresh how they pray. It looks at prayer as having the trust and belief that God is truly interested in everything that happens to us and wants to hear about it. The book leads the reader into the theological aspects of prayer and how it relates to Christ, to the Holy Spirit and to the Church. This is done without using complex theological concepts but simply through scriptural quotations. Chapters are kept brief intentionally to make the book suitable for daily reading over the Lenten period. With a foreword by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Say it to God demonstrates that the everyday, even the most mundane of tasks and situations, can be applied in deepening our practice of prayer.
The Children’s Society provide The Story of Lent, prayers and reflections
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-you-can-do/your-church/pray-worship-reflect/worship/lent
Christian Aid have daily Count Your Blessings reflections for both adults and children.
https://www.christianaid.org.uk/lent-easter/lent-calendar
Life Balance
21st century living is hectic. Getting the right 'life balance' between rest, work and play seems almost impossible. In five interactive sessions, Life Balance aims to help groups explores: How to build Sabbath time into the crazy pressures of everyday life. How 'Sabbath attitudes' can transform the way we spend our time. Each session contains enough material for a 90-minute session and includes guidelines for group study, with full background notes for leaders, interactive activities, questions for discussion and multimedia ideas, and ideas for practical action.
https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780715142776/life-balance
Several people have asked ‘How do I reduce the file size of my picture to upload it on to the Strategic Buildings Review Database?’
One very simple way is to us on-line software such as www.picresize.com
If you haven’t used this type of program before, I have prepared an instructional video for you, which you can watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF_PZvrwXqQ
I have chosen this software as it is very straight forward to use. There are, however, other resizing apps and programs available.
All the best, and get uploading!
This stage is designed to help the church journey toward making the changes God requires of it.
The questions in this stage are different to the questions in the other stages, in that the church needs to constantly ask them throughout the work. It may be helpful for the church’s leadership team to frame their reflection on the MAP process around these four questions as they review each time they meet.
