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Having received the gift of faith myself I am keen to find ways to reach out to others

Becky Reeve: ordained deacon in June 2021 - to be ordained priest in July 2022 

I am looking forward to being ordained in June and starting my curacy at St Augustine’s, Derby.

It has been a long path to this point - I came to faith on Christmas Eve 2002, having grown up in a non-religious family, and received my sense of call to ministry at the same time as my call to faith.

I didn’t really understand how churches worked though, so I thought I could just fill in a job application form to be a priest like for any other job… little did I know.

I started attending a free church in 2003, but after a couple of years felt drawn to Anglicanism, and I knew as soon as I started attending an Anglican church that I had found my home. 

My discernment has been long and varied, and has involved living in a number of communities while considering the religious life as well as 4 moves of area and 4 interregnums, all of which helped to slow things down.

Eventually though I was recommended for training and have been lucky to spend the last two years in full-time training at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield, living alongside a community of monks.

I grew up in Sutton Coldfield, on the edge of Birmingham, but went to university in London, and then stayed there for the next 19 years.

When I met my husband, Patrick, I moved down to the South Coast, where I have been for the last 10 years. Patrick has continued to live and work down there while I have been studying in Yorkshire, so we have both got to know the M1 pretty well. 

Before becoming an ordinand I worked as a primary school teacher, 6^th form college lecturer in English and Classical Civilisation, tutor for marginalised young people and school SENCO.

I have also spent time living in communities supporting young adults with learning difficulties and working with street homeless people.

Walking pilgrimages are a passion for me: I walked the St Martins in the Fields pilgrimage from London to Canterbury every year from 2008 until Covid struck, and Patrick and I organise regular reunion walks for this pilgrimage.

In fact, Patrick and I actually met on a walking pilgrimage to St David’s in Wales.

We are also part of other pilgrimage groups and we completed the Camino de Santiago just before I started training which was a fantastic experience.

My faith isn’t easy to label, and draws on a number of aspects of Christian traditions, from both ‘wings’ of the Church of England as well as from Orthodox Christianity and the Emerging Church. I am more interested in the fruits of peoples’ faith than the part of the Church they identify with, and find that for my faith life to be most alive I need to keep both prayer and working towards the Kingdom in relationship.  

Having received the gift of faith myself I am keen to find ways to reach out to others.

When I was interviewed about being a curate in Derby diocese I had to admit that I didn’t have a connection to Derby, although I am a Midlander.

It was only after I had agreed my curacy at St Augustine that I found out from my Father that my great grandfather had not only been born in Derby, but in the same parish that I will be based in!

His father was an itinerant stonemason who worked on churches, and who moved into the parish just as the church was being built, so it is highly possible that my great-great grandfather helped to build the church where I will be a curate!

Favourite Bible Passages: Mark 10: 46-52/ Isaiah 61:1-3

Favourite Hymn: I heard the voice of Jesus say

Favourite motto: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are

Favourite religious leader: Desmond Tutu

Being an ordinand during Covid-time has probably been the best and worst time

Rachel Burdett: ordained deacon in June 2021 - to be ordained priest in July 2022 

My name is Rachel Burdett. I’ve just completed two years of study at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, and I’m excited to be joining Belper Christ Church with Turnditch as the assistant curate.

My sending parish is Eckington with Ridgeway, in North East Derbyshire. I grew up in Ridgeway.

My parents were both primary school teachers and I have a younger brother, David, who lives in York with his wife Karen and their dog Archie.

I went to university in Leeds and studied Modern Chinese Studies (with a bit of Japanese thrown in).

After graduation I went back to China (having spent a year there as a student) and taught at a university there for a short while, and after that decided to take a job in Japan.

After two years there I came back to the UK, but missed Japan so much I got another job there and then spent the next 25 years teaching in Japanese secondary schools.

For most of that time I was at a private Anglican school called St. Hilda’s, in Tokyo.

There was only one English-speaking Anglican congregation in Tokyo, St. Alban’s, and I was a member there for many years.

In 2013 I became a Companion of Julian of Norwich (https://julianofnorwich.org/pages/friends-of-julian-the-companions-of-julian).

Julian’s writing has been important to me ever since I received a small book called Enfolded In Love when I was confirmed.

When we are able to travel again I am looking forward to being able to revisit Julian’s cell in Norwich.

I am particularly interested in English mysticism, and the different ways we pray, both in church and privately.

I had expected to be a teacher for the rest of my working life but about five years ago I discerned a call to ordained ministry, and started to explore that through Derby diocese.

I moved back to the UK in March 2019 and began college six months later.

Being an ordinand during Covid-time has probably been the best and worst time.

There have been fewer placements and worship has been disrupted in many ways, but it has all given me a lot to think about.

In my time off I do a lot of walking and taking photos.

I love Derbyshire and it is rather mystifying, now I’ve come home, to imagine how I lived on the other side of the world for so long.

At home I enjoy cooking and during lockdown, like apparently many other people, I learned how to make my own marmalade.

In the last two years my reading has been largely taken up with what I have needed to do for college but I do like to curl up with a good book and a pot of tea.

Favourite hymn: Alleluia, sing to Jesus, especially the lines, ‘Intercessor, Friend of sinners, earth’s Redeemer, plead for me.’ 

Favourite Bible passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: 'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ (I’ve included it on my ember card and sums up how I’m feeling about being ordained.)

Canon Carolyn Lewis has been invited by the Rt Rev Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, after consultation and agreement, to lead the work of Derby Diocesan Board of Education for an interim period, initially for a year from September 2021.

Carolyn is currently Diocesan Director of Education in Leicester, and will undertake this new role in addition to her role in the Diocese of Leicester. She will become one of the first  Executive Diocesan Directors of Education (DDE) in the Church of England, and this is a pioneering step for both Derby and Leicester’s education teams.

Through this partnership working both dioceses will be exploring how to be innovative in supporting their respective Church school families and in placing schools at the heart of the Church’s mission. This is an exciting opportunity for both dioceses and shows commitment to our values of generosity and creativity.

Bishop Libby said: “ Our Church Schools are examples of the good news of the Kingdom of God: their work and life are at the heart of the Diocese of Derby. I am delighted that Carolyn has agreed to take on leading our Board of Education through this next season, sharing her experience of leadership and passion for Christ across both the Diocese of Derby and the Diocese of Leicester.”

Having grown up in Warwickshire, Carolyn began her teaching there before moving to schools in Leicestershire. Carolyn has been the DDE in the Diocese of Leicester since 2014. Before that she was a headteacher in a Voluntary Aided primary school supporting  a rapid journey of improvement there.

During this time, her leadership extended to executive headship, working with a Teaching School and inspecting for Ofsted and SIAMS.

Carolyn is supported by her family; husband Seth, two boys and Rosie the cockapoo. Having been to university in Wales and being married to a Welshman, life is infused with a Celtic flavour – namely Welsh rugby, RS Thomas, singing and holidays in Wales!”

On hearing of her new role, Carolyn Lewis commented: “I cherish my vocation as Director of Education and feel extraordinarily privileged to be supporting the work of Church schools across both the Diocese of Derby and the Diocese of Leicester.

"When I was a headteacher at a Church school, after some years I was asked to be an executive headteacher and lead another school. As I took on that particular professional challenge, I wondered what might be lost. Yet, I was surprised by the fact that over time, both schools gained so much from this way of working. And so, I am excited at the possibilities for what this partnership may bring.

“For Church schools to be distinctively Christ-like is a challenging task for school leaders, governors and clergy. Please pray for me and the DBE teams as we work to encourage and inspire our schools – now across both Derby and Leicester Dioceses - to meet that challenge with courage and conviction.”

I felt God speak to me through song

John Ferguson: ordained deacon in June 2021 - to be ordained priest in July 2022 

My name is John, and I live in Overseal, a village at the very south of the Diocese near Swadlincote. I’m looking forward to being ordained to work in the parish of St. Barnabas’, Derby, as a Self-Supporting Minister (SSM). As a SSM I will continue to work full time as an IT Manager for a well-known discount retailer.

I grew up in a small village near Blackburn, Lancashire and started attending church at a young age with my sister. We were drawn in by the vibrant Sunday School and by the time I moved away from home to attend University, I was a leader in the Sunday School and a member of both the music group and PCC.

I moved to Derby in 2005 to study Computer Networks at Derby University. On leaving my previous Church, our curate put me in touch with St. Peter’s and this has been my home for nearly 16 years.

During my time at St. Peter’s, I have held various roles: a Youth Leader, a Home Group Leader, a member of the PCC and a member of various working groups. I have also been involved in several outreach activities such as Recharge (church in a pub) and Alpha Café (a social event around the Alpha course). But my primary role was as a Worship Leader. It is from this that my journey to ordination started.

As a child I learnt to play the Piano and was a member of the school choir. I still enjoy playing the piano and singing today.

It was during my time at St. Peter’s that I developed my ministry as a Worship Leader. Part of this development involved attending the Mission Worship Conference in Eastbourne every couple of years. In November 2017, while at this conference, I felt God speak to me through song. I came away with a deep desire to grow deeper in my faith through study, but resisted the call to ordination.

In September 2018 I started a part-time course at The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. It wasn’t long before my cohort were encouraging me to consider ordination and a few weeks later God spoke to me again. This time it was through a vision (but it still involved a song) and the rest, as they say, is history. I was fortunate to be able to remain at Queen’s to complete my training.

In my spare time, other than music, I enjoy Scuba Diving. This has taken me to some wonderful places, and I especially enjoy diving in the Red Sea. Recently, my experiences diving have led me to make small changes to minimise my impact on the environment.

I’m still working out what ordained ministry will look like for me, I’m sure it will involve music in some way. But I also feel the fact I will be staying in secular employment could be key, helping to bridge the gap between secular and sacred.

Favourite Hymn – There’s too many to choose from, but Stuart Townend’s In Christ Alone has always had a special place in my heart “for I am his, and he is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ”

Favourite Bible Verse – John 1:1-5 (if it needs to be 1 verse, then John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word”

For the first time, you can now see the inside of All Saints' Church in Mackworth, which was devatated by fire in December.

The images show the scale of the destruction caused by the heat and flames of the blaze.

Whilst the tower was largely unaffected, the nave and chancel were almost completely destroyed, including the roof.

However, a number of artefacts survived and some of these have already been sent to experts for restoration.

The work has also revealed a crypt that was not known about.

Revd Jacqueline Stober, vicar of All Saints, said: "Although the destruction is devastating, we also have to be thankful for what is left.

"The work that has been carried out to clear the debris and salvage those artefacts that survived is remarkable.

"Some of the silver, the chalices that we used to use in Holy Communion, have survived.

"The archaeologists have found the four-foot silver cross we used to have on the altar in the chancel and the wedding registers have also been found (they were in a safe) and although they are a charred mess and didn't survive very well, they have been sent to a specialist who will be able to recreate them.

"It's great to see that there is still some of this building that we can do something with - and it will still be a place of worship in another thousand years."

The images of the church's interior follow months of clearance work and the stabilisation of the site - phase one of the project.

The next phase will be to make the building watertight and the PCC will be seeing presentations from contractors in the coming weeks.

Most of the funding for the work carried out so far has been provided by the church's insurers, Ecclesiastical.

Claims Director Jeremy Trott said: "The money is there to rebuild the church, but it's obviously up to the PCC to decide what they do and don't want to do."

It is hoped all the work might be complete by Christmas 2023. 

Bishop Libby is supporting Christian Aid Week by taking part in the 300,000 steps for May challenge - and invites you to join her!

The idea is simple: take 300,000 sponsored steps across the month of May to raise vital funds for communities battling the worst of this climate crisis. 

The Diocese of Derby has welcomed two key appointments to help shape diocesan ministries as we look to the future.

The Revd Dwayne Engh joins as the new Ordained Ministries Development Officer and Jo Henderson-Merrygold is the new Lay Ministries Development Officer and Warden of Readers.

Jo writes:

I have come into this role to champion, celebrate, and enable lay ministries across the diocese.

I am a Methodist Local Preacher and lay theologian, who is just putting the finishing touches to a Biblical Studies PhD at the University of Sheffield.

These experiences have built my passion for lay ministry – and I look forward to opportunities to celebrate its diverse forms.

My own experience includes pioneer projects, mission enabling, chaplaincy, and lay pastoring. I have already been warmly welcomed by the Readers and am grateful for their understanding of a Methodist in the mix!

I am looking forward continuing to get to know those currently serving in lay ministries: to hear your joys and successes, challenges and learning points.

I plan to work with colleagues across the diocese to celebrate our achievements – big and small – and to share the wealth of our experiences with one another.

In fact, I hope to host a festival of lay ministries as soon as possible.

I trust and pray that this will increase our confidence in what we are already doing, give us opportunities to develop further, and encourage others to offer their gifts and skills too.

Then, alongside colleagues in the Discipleship, Ministries and Mission Team, I will continue to resource and enable these ministries to grow and flourish.

In the meantime, if you have any queries don’t hesitate to get in touch: jo.henderson-merrygold@derby.anglican.org.

Dwayne will be looking after IME2 (curate training) and CMD (continuing ministerial development). 

He writes: 

I was born in Vancouver but raised mostly in Calgary (Canada) – and have been blessed with a wide range of opportunities/previous careers as a composer, conductor, percussionist, and educator (both secondary and post-secondary in Calgary, Shanghai, and London).

I have been in the UK since 2009 and was ordained in 2015 in the Church of England, having trained to be a priest at Westcott House. 

My previous dwelling place was in the Diocese of Coventry, where I was vicar of St Mary Magdalen Church, Chapelfields. 

Within the wider diocese, I was on Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod. 

Additionally, I was an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands and the Ministerial Development Associate, supporting clergy training in that diocese. 

I also love being a Spiritual Director and accompanying people on their journey with God. 

My last service in Coventry was Easter Sunday and I’m already missing presiding/preaching. 

I’d love to get to know the diocese better and offer myself as cover (up to twice a month at most) if anyone needs to take time off or people are in vacancy.  Please feel free to contact me if you might be interested in that!

I appreciate the warm welcome I’ve already received since I’ve moved into Derby and look forward to serving the people of this diocese with you!

You can contact me by email: dwayne.engh@derby.anglican.org

“Things are not good at all. People are dying due to lack of oxygen and hospital beds. Corridors of hospitals are full. The poor not even getting an ambulance to take their dead to do the last rites. Many are just burning them on roadsides. Scary and terrible times. Please pray for us. Our hope and trust are in the Lord alone. Please convey my regards to all my Derby friends.” 
Message from the Church of North India in Delhi. 

The Bishop of Repton, the Rt Revd Malcolm Macnaughton, has dedicated a prayer station in Derby Cathedral which will be a focus for prayers for the people of India, who are suffering devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Churches in Derbyshire, including the Diocese of Derby, have strong links with the Church of North India, particularly with Kolkata.

Bishop Malcolm was joined by the Sub-dean of Derby, Canon Elizabeth Thomson, and Revd Anita Matthews, who chairs the partnership between Derbyshire Churches and The Church of North India.

Bishop Malcolm said: “The Diocese of Derby has, for a long time, had strong links with the Church of North India and schools there and it is heartbreaking to hear some of the stories coming from the people and regions we are connected with.

“The problems there at the moment are huge – they are sometimes institutional and structural, but they are also deeply personal. Hearing of people dying and having to be cremated at the roadside is horrific, particularly when India has done so much for other countries in helping to produce vaccines.

“This terrible situation is one that is moving people of all faiths to pray. We pray that God will bring resurrection and hope and life, and freedom from this horrific pandemic very soon.

“And we want people of Indian heritage here in Derby and Derbyshire to know that we stand in solidarity them in prayer for their friends and families in India.”

The Revd Anita Matthews has visited parts of the Diocese of Kolkata on a number of occasions.

She said: “The accounts I have been sent are truly heartbreaking – not least because, although it is affecting the whole of Indian society, it is, as ever, the poorest of the poor who are suffering the most because they can’t afford to access any kind of medical care.

“It is our colleagues in the Church of North India who are trying to reach out to those people to offer some kind of support and hope by providing vaccination programmes and food for families who have lost loved ones and have no income, or because they are in lockdown and cannot work.

“Some of the messages I have received from our long-standing friends and ecumenical partners in India have summed up the desperation there – and yet in the midst of it, they are saying ‘We pray for you in Derby and Derbyshire’ and that they place their faith in God alone. That faith is absolutely extraordinary.”

The prayer stationat Derby Cathedral features messages from people in India and some beautiful Indian cloths, fashioned by Indian artists and craftspeople, depicting the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

Canon Elizabeth Thomson, Sub-dean of Derby said: “We are aware of how important it is to have a place of prayer in the city at this time, and we are aware of how very multicultural the praying life of the people who come into the cathedral is.

"So, in a time when people can feel very cut off and unable to help, we wanted to say that there is a space where you can come to say a prayer and be connected with other people who are doing the same.

“We invite people of all faiths and none to visit and take time to pray in Derby Cathedral for the people of India – not only those who are worst affected, but those who are also helping to give comfort, hope and support.”

Developing a culture of generosity is not only crucial to encouraging giving, it’s also what we are called to do.

We believe in a generous God who calls us to share that generosity with the world around us and the impact of that generosity will been seen in many different ways.

To cultivate generosity in our church community there are four areas we should focus on, and they form the acronym IDEA.

Click on the links below to find out more about each of these areas:

• Inspire people through generous leadership and celebrating generosity within the life of the church.
• Disciple members, through resources, teaching and learning, so people can grow in an understanding of God’s generosity towards them, and how they can live generous lives.
• Embed generosity in the life of the church, in its plans, services and ministry and weave it into everything the church does.
• Activate generosity, by providing opportunities for people to grow in generosity and apply what they have discovered.

>> Get resources for your church