Items filtered by date: December 2015

A series of Lenton Addresses at St Werburgh's church Spondon by Bishop Alastair. To download a copy of the booklet please click here

We are grateful to Ali Campbell, DYO for Chichester Diocese who has given permission to share this document. Please click here to get the finished PDF for the “Lent Bible Reflections for Young People”. 

"My hope with the resource is that young people themselves will use it, with so many now having their own tablets and phones that can be used as readers – this seemed the simplest way. Use it however you like as youth and children’s leaders – if it also personally helpful – that is great!  Please pass it on as you see fit."

Ali Campbell

Report a Safeguarding Concern

Protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of us all, whether they are in the communities in which we live or part of our Christian family. If you have a concern about a child, young person or adult who may be at risk of harm please speak to one of the parish safeguarding coordinators or the priest within the parish. If you have concerns about a member of the clergy or an employee of the Diocese please contact the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Julian Hodgson (07540 719447) or one of the Archdeacons. You can also report any concerns to the Police or Social Care. The important thing is that your concerns are shared with someone in a position to help.

For more information on safeguarding 

click here 

To confidentially report a safeguarding concern to the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Julian Hodgson, please complete the form below:

Safeguarding Concern Form

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A funeral marks the close of a human life on earth. It is the opportunity for friends and family to express their grief, to give thanks for the life which has now completed its journey in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping.

As far back into history as we can penetrate, human beings seem to have felt the need for a ceremonial leave-taking of those who have died.

A funeral service in the Church of England - whether in a parish church or a crematorium chapel - may be very short and quiet with only a few members of the family present, or an occasion of great solemnity with music, hymns and a packed church. A funeral may also be set within a celebration of Holy Communion. Whatever the pattern of service, the words and actions all speak of a loving God and the preciousness to him of every human being.

Questions of life and death

The funeral service will reflect the personality of the one who has died and the circumstances of their death. Feelings of grief, gratitude, joy and sadness often intermingle. Sometimes, a sense of tragedy is uppermost, especially when it is a young person who has died. When it is the end of a long and fruitful life, the feelings of thanksgiving can be strongest.

There are times when the death of a faithful Christian seems to be the consummation of all they have lived for and the funeral service is a triumphal departure for their true home. As for Christian in The Pilgrim's Progress, 'all the trumpets sound for them on the other side'.

Funeral services always raise profound questions about the meaning of life and death. Jesus himself believed in a life-giving God: 'the God of the living, not of the dead.' Christians believe that Christ's resurrection is the triumph of good over evil and of life over death and has made eternal life available to us.

The funeral service

The Church of England has three authorized funeral services:

• The service from the Book of Common Prayer (1662), in 17th century English
• The ‘Series One’ Alternative Service (1966), also in traditional language
• The service from Common Worship (2000), in contemporary language

The service usually begins with the priest or minister reading aloud some reassuring sentences from the Bible, such as:

'I am the resurrection and the life,' saith the Lord; 'he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,' John 1.25-26

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ Matthew 5.4

Near the start of the service there is an opportunity for someone who has known well the person who has died to say a few words about them – a tribute.

A Psalm - often The Lord is my shepherd – may follow. This, together with readings from the Bible tell of God's care and of the hope of eternal life.

This is followed by an address or a sermon by the minister in which he or she speaks about the great Christian beliefs about life beyond death. Such words can be a source of great comfort and strength to the mourners.

Prayers then recall the promise of the resurrection, and ask for comfort and strength for those who mourn.

There then follows a Commendation, in which the person who has died is entrusted to God’s love

The funeral service ends with the Committal - a particularly solemn moment. This takes place either at the graveside or, in the case of a cremation, in the crematorium chapel or in church before the hearse leaves for the crematorium.

In the cemetery or churchyard, the family will gather round the open grave into which the coffin is lowered and they will hear the words:

We therefore commit his / her body to the ground;

earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust;

in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life.

Handfuls of earth are then scattered on the coffin.

At a crematorium, the words of committal are normally accompanied by the closing of a curtain to hide the coffin from.view.

The committal can be a very emotional moment. Many who are suffering grief find that, even in their sadness, the words of prayer can lift them towards the experience of Christian rejoicing in the knowledge of life beyond death.

The offering of prayer and the trust that the person is in God's safe hands can begin the process of healing the grief of loss.

Arranging a funeral

The person who has died might have left a paragraph in their Will describing the sort of funeral arrangements they hoped for. Naturally, the family will want to keep to such arrangements as far as possible.

Not everyone knows that they have the right to a funeral in their parish church even if they have not been church-goers. Nor do practising Christians always realise that they can have a Communion service as part of the funeral.

Parish clergy regard the taking of funerals as an important part of their work. They give a lot of time to visiting families, comforting those who are facing loss, finding out what service they want to use and helping them to arrange it.

If a local minister is to be asked to take the service, this should be done before any other funeral arrangements are made to make sure one is free and available. If the minister did not know the person who has died, then it would help to provide some details.

The funeral director plays a very important part in all these arrangements and will want to know if the funeral is to be in the parish church or if the minister is to take the service in the crematorium. Funeral directors know the local ministers, the local cemeteries and the crematoria. As part of a national network of funeral directors, they can, if necessary, give advice on funerals in other parts of the country, as well as on costs and fees.

Burials and cremations

In many country parishes, the churchyard is still open for burials and the parish clergy are able to advise on suitable memorials. In most towns, burials now take place in the local cemetery and the funeral director can advise. If the churchyard is still open for burials, the person who has died may be buried there if they lived or died in the parish, whether or not they regularly attended church.

These days, six out of ten funerals make use of the crematorium. This leaves the question of what is to be done with the ashes. Crematoria have gardens of rest where they can be buried and many churchyards have a special place set aside for burying ashes even when there is no space left for graves.

When this burial takes place, usually a few days after the funeral, a further very brief service can be held if the family wish it and some suitable commemorative mark or record may be made.

After the funeral

People who have lost someone close to them are often so busy with practical details and arrangements between the death and the funeral that they do not experience the full sense of their loss until later.

Grieving is a natural and important part of coming to terms with and healing this loss and it may continue for several months. The local church is there to help with support after a funeral. Please speak to your minister. Sometimes it is those who have suffered a close bereavement themselves, clergy or lay people, who can most easily offer comfort and support to those who mourn.

Comfort is also to be found in the promises of Jesus Christ, in the hope of the Resurrection and in the belief that the beloved person is safe in the hands of God.

The Discipleship, Mission and Ministry team exists to serve the Diocese of Derby as it seeks to share in God’s mission and further the Kingdom. Our primary focus is the churches of the diocese, and the individuals within them, but we will work with all who share in God’s kingdom values

Our Purpose

As a team we seek to serve, enable and encourage individuals and churches to become more faithful and effective in fulfilling God’s call to be a missionary people. This will lead to transformation in the diocese and our vision is to see . . .

• A deepening love for God, expressed in prayer, worship and discipleship
• A growing openness to change and transformation, and a willingness to embrace the implications
• The formation of leaders, lay and ordained, as they respond to God’s call on their lives
• A more meaningful engagement by churches with their communities
• Numerical growth in worshipping communities

Our Values

We shall seek to fulfil these purposes by . . .

• Faith in God, who brings transformation and builds the Kingdom
• Being rooted in present realities and having a vision for God’s future
• Being open to new possibilities and responding with flexibility and creativity
• Valuing each individual, believing that they are responsible for their own growth and development
• Balancing ‘being’ and faithfulness with ‘doing’ and effectiveness
• Listening well – to others, to contexts and to God
• Working collaboratively
• Speaking with respect and honesty

Mission, Evangelism and Parish Revitalisation Team

Derby Deaf Church meets in St Nicholas' Church (chapel), Allestree on the second Sunday of the month (3.00-5.00pm). 

The community leader is Sarah Tupling. First language at this service is BSL.

Signed Services in Derby

Regular Services in British Sign Language take place in St. Alkmunds Church, Kedleston Road, Derby.

Hospital chaplains

• Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  The Spirituality and Wellbeing Service, Ashbourne Centre, Kingsway Hospital, Kingsway, Derby, DE22 3LZ.
  >> Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust website
  
  
• Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  Royal Derby Hospital, including the Children’s Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, Derby, DE22 3NE.
  01332 789500, Voicemail service. Fax: (01332) 789497, email: dhft.ChaplaincyRDH@nhs.net
  >> Derby Hospitals NHS website
  
  
• Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 
  Royal Hospital, Calow, Chesterfield S44 5BL.
  >> Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS website

Prison Chaplains

HMP Sudbury (01283) 584000; chaplaincy (01283) 584088

HMP Foston Hall, (01283) 584300; chaplaincy (01283) 584325

University of Derby Chaplain

Ecumenical Christian Chaplaincy, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB. 

01332 591878 or 594170, chaplaincy@derby.ac.uk 

Major Incident Plan

Bishop Libby introduces the Major Incident Plan as follows:

The nature of disasters and emergencies is unpredictable. We don’t know what the nature of the next emergency will be, or where and when they are going to occur. We do know it is important that appropriately trained people can be relied on to respond quickly with the necessary help.

I have seen the difference chaplaincy support can make in such circumstances, and am pleased our local plans include that contribution. Major Incident Plan Chaplains are recognised by the statutory agencies as having a significant role to play in a major incident or emergency within Derbyshire and Derby City. 

We also have chaplains who are trained counsellors, and others who are specialists in supporting people with addictions, disabilities and mental health issues, and families experiencing bereavement or affected by learning difficulties.

>> You can download the plan here

University of Derby Chaplain

Ecumenical Christian Chaplaincy, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB. 

01332 591878 or 594170, chaplaincy@derby.ac.uk 

The General Synod of the Church of England meets in London in February for a three day meeting from 2.00 pm on Monday 10^thFebruary until 5.30 pm on Wednesday 12^th February. 

The agenda for the meeting is published today.  The main item of business will be the Revision Stage for the draft legislation to enable women to become bishops.  In an unusual move, this will be taken on the floor of the Synod without there having been a prior Revision Committee.   There will also be three other debates as part of the women bishops process: on the Declaration and Disputes Resolution Procedure agreed by the House of Bishops in December; to initiate the process to rescind the 1993 Act of Synod; and to suspend part of the Standing Orders in order to accelerate the process for referring the legislation to the dioceses. These debates will take up much of Tuesday 11^th February.

There will also be debates on Gender-Based Violence, the Girl Guides’ Promise, the environment and fossil fuels and the use of vesture in Church services.  The Group of Sessions will conclude with a presentation on the report from the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality.  A Diocesan Synod Motion from the Guildford Diocesan Synod on the Magna Carta is listed as Contingency Business.

On the Monday afternoon there will be a presentation on Ethical Investment by the Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG). The EIAG will give an overview of the Church of England’s approach to ethical investment, in particular the work it has done on reflecting the Church’s position on alcohol more faithfully and supporting purposeful investment in business.  It will summarise the issues that the EIAG is currently working on, including the use of pooled funds in ethical investment and an ethical investment approach to climate change. 

This will be followed by a further policy-focused debate, this time on Gender-Based Violence. The debate will be preceded by a short presentation by Mandy Marshall and Peter Grant who are co-directors of Restored Relationships, an international Christian alliance working to transform relationships and end violence against women. 

Each session will be followed by a Question and Answer session with Synod members.  The debate on Gender-Based Violence will be followed by a brief period of worship.

The sequence of business of Tuesday 19^th November in relation  Women in the Episcopate will be as follows. First, the Synod will debate a motion from the House of Bishops inviting the Synod to welcome the draft House of Bishops’ draft Declaration and Disputes Resolution Regulations.  Secondly, there will be the Revision Stage on the floor of the Synod of the draft Measure and Amending Canon.  Thirdly, Synod will give initial consideration to a draft Act of Synod to rescind the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993.  Finally, there will be a motion to suspend part of Standing Order 90 to reduce the normal minimum length of time for an Article 8 Reference to the dioceses from six months to three months to allow a faster passage of the final stages of the Women in the Episcopate legislation.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will give a Presidential Address on the morning of Wednesday 12^th February.

This will be followed by a debate on a package of proposals for legislative change in relation to safeguarding and related disciplinary matters, which has been developed in response to the reports of the Chichester commissaries.  This includes making it easier to suspend clergy, or bring complaints against them, where abuse is alleged, enabling bishops to compel clergy to undergo risk assessments and imposing a duty on relevant persons to have regard to the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies.  The intention is to introduce legislation in July 2014 but given the importance and range of the proposals this report gives Synod the opportunity to consider the package in February before the legislation is prepared.

Later that morning, there will be a debate on a motion from the Southwark Diocesan Synod on Environmental Issues.  This will build further on the work being carried out by the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG).  The Diocesan Synod Motion calls for the establishment of a General Synod Working Group on the Environment to look into this further.

Two Private Members’ Motions will be debated on Wednesday afternoon.  The first, tabled by Mrs Alison Ruoff (London Diocese), references the recent changes to the Girl Guides’ Promise.  The second, to be moved by the Reverend Christopher Hobbs, calls on the General Synod to amend Canon B 8 so that the wearing of the forms of vesture referred to in that Canon ‘becomes optional rather than mandatory’.

Finally, there will be a presentation from Sir Joseph Pilling on the recent Report of the House of Bishops’ Working Group on Human Sexuality which was published on 28 November.  There will be an opportunity for questions on the process and next steps on the Pilling Report.