Mission
16/11/23: This page is currently being updated, please forward any enquiries to matt.barnes@derby.anglican.org
This page is under development
Growing Faith: resource pack for churches and schools - Diocese of Derby 2022
This resource pack was created following the Churches and Schools Survey of 2021.
It is designed to support and encourage all churches as they aim to put Growing Faith at the heart of their parish priorities.
The first document listed is the contents of the pack.
Please read this first. It shows how the resource is divided into eight parts.
The contents document lists the areas covered by each of these eight documents. For example, if you were looking for information around collective worship, you will see that this heading is no.1 on document C).
If you open document C), you will find that the first section lists resources and ideas around the area of collective worship.
Please contact Sarah.brown@derby.anglican.org if you need any assistance or if there is an area which doesn't seem to be covered.
Churches and schools: contents
A) Churches and schools: an introduction
B) Churches and schools: prayer and prepararion
C) Churches and schools: involvement in the spiritual lives of schools
D) Churches and schools: school visits
E) Churches and schools: links and welcomes
F) Churches and schools: survey results and conclusions
H) Churches and schools: growing faith - a flow chart to offer ideas for churches
This page is under development
The wording around the national aim to grow young disciples is important.
As a church we are aiming to encourage discipleship and a growing spirituality in children and young people. For the faith that is grown to be lasting we are striving to develop youth ministry across the diocese.
As strategic lead for youth ministry, Revd Aidan Watson is here to support youth workers, both paid and volunteer, across the diocese.
Please get in touch by emailing aidan.watson@derby.anglican.org
Below is a series of links for starting, developing and growing youth ministry in your church.
Confirmation Resources
Our colleagues at the Dioceses of Bath & Wells and Bristol have produced some excellent downloadable confirmation resources.
If you have a young person or a group of young people you are preparing for confirmation and would like to use this resource, then click here to have a look and download your own version.
Youthscape Podcast
A fantastic resource for any Christian working with young people, the youthscape podcast has several years-worth of episodes covering a range of areas so there will be plenty for your context to learn. Find on any major podcast platform or here https://www.youthscape.co.uk/podcast
Youthwork Resources
Various fantastic organisations exist to support churches in running activities for young people with varying levels of faith involvement. Some of our recommendations include:-
Youthscape – originally working Luton, YS now has a national focus and is leading the way in research and innovation for Christian youthwork - https://www.youthscape.co.uk/
Scripture Union – in addition to their decades of church based youth and children’s resources, they are focussing most of their work resourcing churches to reach the 95% of children and young people nationally who have no connection with church - https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/resources-activities
The RSCM – for more traditional contexts church choirs can provide a way of engaging with young people, including developing them as young leaders. https://www.rscm.org.uk/learn-with-us/
Urban Saints Energize - Thousands of engaging and adaptable biblical sessions, training articles and support resources - https://www.urbansaints.org/what-we-do/online-resources
Living Out Love – a youth group resource
Our colleagues in Birmingham diocese have created a series of short films to help young people think through issues of sexuality, gender, relationships, and justice based on the six pastoral principles which are:
- Acknowledging Prejudice
- Speaking into silence
- Addressing ignorance
- Casting out fear
- Admitting hypocrisy
- Paying attention to power
They come in two versions a 30 min and 60 min versions, they can be used all together or as stand-alone sessions. To download your free copy click here.
Bishop’s Youth Council
The Bishop’s Youth Council exists to hear the voices of young people in the decision-making processes of the diocese. It is made up of 16-25 year olds across the diocese and is invited to feed recommendations into Bishop’s council and Diocesan Synod. The council is overseen by Ben Martin (Lay Pioneer and Bishop’s Council Member) and Rev. Aidan Watson (Strategic Youth Lead). As well as having their voices heard, members are invested in as young leaders in the church.
If you or a young person you know are interested in hearing more about youth council then email aidan.watson@derby.anglican.org
Local partners
Valley Cids - an independent Christian charity based in Derbyshire, committed to serving children, young people and families through out-reach work in schools and the wider community. https://www.valleycids.co.uk/
The Peak Centre – A Christian-run activity centre in the Peak district that gives preference to young people - https://www.peakcentre.org.uk/
Training
As a diocese we seek to facilitate training of youth leaders, both paid and volunteer. We are keen to invest in potential youth leaders, and anticipate that more will be announced on this shortly.
Alternatively, members of the diocesan staff are ordained/licensed lay readers and can come preach/speak to churches about the place of youth ministry in the church. If you would like to do a training day with your volunteer team(s) or to discuss options, then contact aidan.watson@derby.anglican.org
Youthworker networks
Across the diocese we are setting up or supporting regional networks of paid/volunteer youth workers. If this would interest you then email aidan.watson@derby.anglican.org
We also work with Missional Church Youth Network – an organisation seeking to enable local schools, churches and community projects to work together to reimagine church with young people. We facilitate a Learning Community in order that youth leaders and volunteers can come together for training, encouragement, prayer and support as they build for the future. https://www.mycn.org.uk/
Introducing the Diocese of Derby’s Disability Inclusion Action Group (DIAG)
Disability inclusion and access is taken very seriously by the Diocese of Derby.
Volunteers, with a range of disabilities and challenges, who all share the passion of making positive change across the diocese launched the DIAG to support the diocese and parishes to become as inclusive to disabled people as they possibly can be.
Our work is focused around three key themes - Attitude, Access, and Agency.
These themes arise from the paper ‘Disabling Church’ researched and written by Cptn Tim Rourke, which was received and endorsed by Diocesan Synod in October 2021.
The report focused on changing attitudes towards disabled people, improving access to all the church’s activities, and ensuring disabled people are enabled to exercise agency by participating at all levels in church life and governance.
The group meet regularly and is chaired by Carl Veal. The group always welcomes interest and/or enquiries from congregation and churches across the diocese.
What can we do for you?
We view our purpose as serving the needs of the disabled within the Diocese of Derby.
All of our activities and tools are designed by the group towards making the lives of those with challenges easier within the churches across our diocese.
Our information is intended for all the people of the diocese; clergy, church leaders and parishoners alike and currently includes:
- The provision of accessibility advice and you may contact us directly at diag@derby.anglican.org. We would love to hear from you.
- As we progress, we will be offering seminars both online and in groups – keep a look out for announcements.
- We can offer advice based on the very personal experiences of living with a range of disabilities. The members of the diag group are comprised of volunteers mostly with disability or multiple disabilities of some form.
We are currently working on making available a Braille print toolkit; and a BSL toolkit which willl include how to engage British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. We are also liiking into access to completing a successful accessibility audit through an audit toolkit.
NB: All contact is treated in confidence and information will only be shared with express consent.
Getting Involved
We’d love to hear from you as your thoughts and experiences of church life and disability are important in developing best practice.
So whether you’re an individual with ‘lived’ or ‘caring' experience of disability, or a church, or community organisation, do get in contact with us.
We love to hear of new projects and events, and if you want to get more involved then we're always welcoming to new members joining our steering group.
DIAG related stories on the Diocese of Derby website
>> Bishop Malcolm experiences church from a wheelchair user’s perspective
>> Special service raises awareness of disability inclusion in churches
Events
Please note - unless otherwise stated, events listed here are external and not endorsed by the Diocese of Derby but we are happy to share the information on them.
No events to show
Resources
Ramps - improving wheelchair access
Disability Awareness Sunday [webpage]
Supporting Autistic individuals in our churches [YouTube]
DIAG Chairman's report 2021-2022 [PDF]
All Stand brochure [PDF]
Disabling Church - report by Cptn Tim Rourke C.A. [PDF]
'Support Reimagined' - CofE and Livability [webpage]
Christian BSL
Songs, hymns, and carols in British Sign Language (BSL) signed by Deaf Christians.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Thursday, 18 May 2023. Purpose of the day is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than One Billion people with disabilities/impairments.
Through the Roof
A registered charity that exists to transform lives through Jesus with disabled people.
Christian Aid is asking people to join the global day of action on Saturday, 6 November, as people around the world take to the streets to march together for climate justice.
Many walks and marches are planned throughout the country, and for those who are unable or prefer not to join an organised event, there is the opportunity to join a virtual march, for which thousands have already registered.
The COP26 climate talks provide a unique opportunity for the nation to call on the UK Prime Minister and world leaders to take action that will end climate injustice.
Christian says our leaders must:
- increase financial support to the world’s poorest countries to confront the climate crisis take action
- limit global temperature rises to 1.5C
- take action to stop the expansion of fossil fuel energy and to support clean energy
Find out more on the Christian Aid website.
There could hardly be a more practical programme of support for the most deprived in the world than that chosen by Bishop Libby this year. Supporting destitute and abandoned girls from the streets of Kolkata will acheive so much. Not only to rescue these vulnerable children and young adults from the risk of exploitation, sickness and malnutrition but also to educate and equip them for a future where they can contribute to the development of their communities and nurture the next generation. I have seen at first hand and know the abject circumstances from which they are being assisted. Please give generously.
That we are living through an unprecedented world situation has sadly already become a cliché. But that need not distract us from the truth that people are suffering in our own communities additionally to their usual experience and in new ways, hence the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal.
Nevertheless we remain privileged both medically by NHS provision for all and socially through the welfare state, whatever their shortcomings and regardless of politics; nothing is perfect! However from a Christian perspective we must recognise that this is a global medical, social and economic pandemic and these cascading events affect many societies in far greater ways than has been or will be felt within our experience in the UK. Very many will have their lives profoundly threatened and be forced to endure much more than their usual deprivation. Others are threatened by those who would take advantage of this time to increase exploitation thus intensifying misery. These are not mere theoretical possibilities but, sadly, are already present realities.
If we in our democratic and advanced economy were not prepared for this emergency imagine what has happened in communities whose traditional way of life has already been hit by economic globalisation compounded by climate changes. Anti-Slavery.org describes how already vulnerable people are put in jeopardy. For example over a million garment workers have been laid off in Bangladesh with little or no government safety net and similar crises are unfolding in Cambodia, India and Myanmar. Such situations present huge risks, in addition to Covid-19 itself, in terms of debt bondage and people trafficking.
A further obvious example, highlighted in the latest edition of ‘Tear Times’, is the 1.5 million Syrian refugees sheltering in Lebanon, facing the pandemic and now severely affected by the crisis caused by the massive explosion disrupting life in its capital, Beirut, on the 4th of August and fire on the 10th.
This is indeed a global crisis which could be overwhelming but for Christians it should not, because we love one another and care about all who suffer, not only ‘our own’. So what should we do? A practical way to express that love might be to pray and contribute to Archbishop Welby’s recently launched ‘Together in Unity’ Covid-19 appeal for vulnerable communities across the Anglican Communion under the Anglican Alliance relief and development agency. This will support the work that Provinces are facilitating amongst some of the most deprived and vulnerable within their nations in conjunction with UNICEF, Red Cross and Mothers’ Union and many of the agencies whose logos appear below.
Investigate, pray and be generous; that will also boost your mental health and accrue many other beneficial outcomes as well!
