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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.

Bishop Alastair has ordained eight new deacons in Derby Cathedral.

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.

Video courtesy of BBC East Midlands Today

Drivers are being encouraged to join an unprecedented national information-gathering campaign launched by the Church of England and the Catholic Church in England and Wales aimed at eradicating modern slavery in hand car washes.

When it comes to getting married, not every bride can tie the knot in their first choice of church. One lucky bride who did is Kelly Hewitt.

What do we mean by vocations?

Vocation is a difficult word. It can sound to many of us like a long-term professional undertaking of several years’ duration. And for those who wish to pursue ordination, a long term commitment is certainly required.  But vocations can also have a different shape if we think of them as gifts or calling.

See the helpful helpful video above - from The Fund for Theological Education

Vocations, gifts and calling

We all possess some God-given gifts. 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. In other words, they recognise our gifts.    

Our unique self

The wonder of being human is our unique quality. Our unique make up comes from a combination of many factors, some that are given at birth and the rest from our life experiences, education, and the skills and gifts that we gain and develop on the spiritual journey. We are all one-offs. And therefore by the same token we all have a unique gift to offer to God.

There are a myriad of gifts and callings in the midst of all churches. We may be a practical person, good with our hands, who can get on and make and fix things. There are those with great organisational skills, whom we all turn to when an event needs arranging. There are leaders, speakers, teachers, the artistic who make the music, write, provide the artwork in the church. These are but a small sample of the commonly found gifts within most churches in addition to the more spiritually orientated gifts.   

However, it’s not always easy to recognise our individual gifts until we sit down and give this some thought.  And then we may find it acknowledging the real gifts that God has given us and then take these further, developing and applying them in our spiritual walk.

‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms’. 1 Peter 4:10

Age is no barrier

And it doesn’t matter how old you are. From young person to retired, we all have gifts to offer and can all serve. It is always good to remember that the Lord has no arms and legs in this world other than ours. 

Discernment

How can we discern these gifts? And how can we use them for God? After all, there are many ways. Some will be called to ordained ministry in one of its forms; some to lay ministry as a reader. For others, there will be lay roles within the church. Or others may be called to God’s work in their daily lives. What you do already may be your vocation. John van Sloten states, ‘There is no job so boring that it would disinterest God, because there is no person whom God does not love and see.’

There are a number of options available if you feel drawn to explore the subject of your gifts and calling.

1) The first stage is to give it in prayer. Here is a simple prayer to start the process:  

‘Lord, help me to understand more clearly my gifts and calling. Bring the right people and situations to me to guide me in discerning a way forward. Amen.’

2) Talk it over with others. Discernment is not a solitary process. Talk with a trusted friend, a prayer partner or spiritual accompanier if you have one, or talk with your priest. This will help to give you some idea of a general direction.

3) What are your strengths, passions and gifts? Ask yourself this question and gain the opinion of those you know. There are likely to be clues here.

4) Push doors. See what happens as you move forward with certain ideas.  ‘Have a go!’

5) Keep a journal of what you are noticing.

6) Recognise that discernment is a personal and individual business. There is no foolproof process and sometimes the unexpected can be a part of the discernment journey. 

The Vocations Team

The diocese has a vocations team there to assist individuals to discern their vocation and discover what that means for you.

>> Contact the Vocations Team

There are Exploration Days and other relevant courses that are held from time to time in the diocese for those wishing to proceed further.

Also, check out the Church of England website on vocations for further information: churchofengland.org/life-events/vocations

Introductory books on vocation and calling

Called or Collared – An Alternative Approach to Vocation – Francis Dewar  (SPCK, 2000) 

God of Surprises – Gerard W Hughes (Darton Longman and Todd Ltd, 2008)

How to Find Your Vocation – A Guide to Discovering the Work You Love – John Adair (Canterbury Press, 2002)

The Person Called You – Bill Hendricks (Moody Publishers, 2014)

Every Job a Parable – John van Sloten (Hodder and Stoughton, 2017)   

How, when and why you pray?

Just over half of adults in the UK pray at some time – but more and more of us are praying ‘on the go’, according to a ComRes poll* for Tearfund.  

Our busy schedules and lifestyles mean fewer of us have time to set aside specifically for prayer, preferring now to incorporate our prayers into our daily routines, eg while exercising, cooking or travelling.

When we can set time aside, our favourite times to pray are when waking up or just before going to sleep – around a third of those who pray do so at those times.

Fewer people are going to church regularly – 9% say they attend at least once a month, though more than 30% say they attend church at least once a year.

Our most popular reasons for praying are for family (71%), thanking God (42%), healing (40% and friends (40%). Only 21% said the subject of their prayers was wider issues, such as poverty and natural disasters.

Among those who say they have ever prayed, but have no religious affiliation, their top reasons for praying were: in times of personal crisis or tragedy (55%), on the off chance that something could change (32%), as a last resort (24%), or to gain comfort or feel less lonely (23%).

*Based on a survey of 2,069 adults in the UK.

Your prayers

So how do you pray?

Do you set time aside for prayer or do you pray on the go? Why do you pray – and for whom? And how important is it for you to have a prayer routine?

Share your thoughts with us here and tell us what prayer means to you:

And listen out for the Bishop of Repton, the Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, talking about our prayer habits, next Sunday (21^st Jan) on BBC Radio Derby.

The Diocesan Safeguarding Team works at Derby Church House, Full Street, Derby, DE1 3DR.

To confidentially report a safeguarding concern please complete the Safeguarding Concern Form or call 01332 388678.