Administrator
What are you noticing at the moment I wonder? Take a moment and think.
Take a moment? I’m not sure how easy we find that. The culture, the habits and practices that surround us, the newsfeed, the pace and challenge of life can mean we get to the end of the day without ‘taking a moment’.
Maybe as we ‘March’ out of winter however, we can resolve to do that, to pause, to notice and to be still.
How? The created order can encourage us to do that I think as we notice signs of returning and new life, as the days lengthen and we (hopefully) see some blue sky. It can be a time to metaphorically lift our heads, to leave winter behind, to look up, and yes, to be still.
For most of this month we travel through Lent, which starts on March 5th, Ash Wednesday.
‘What are you giving up for Lent?’ is a question that is often asked amongst church communities (and wider) as we spend time in penitence and self-denial, both a reflection of Jesus’ time in the wilderness and a preparation for Holy Week and Easter.
I want to suggest, in addition, that we consider taking something on for Lent, that we resolve to ‘Take a Moment’, that we choose to deliberately press the pause button, lift our heads to the light and be still.
Why? Because in that place of stillness, God can draw close, we can become aware of His presence and we can breathe deeply of His light, love and hope. As we look up and breathe, the ‘things of earth can grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’ (to quote an old chorus) and we can know the transforming work of God’s Spirit, helping us to turn away from the sin and mess that we’re all caught up in and changing us to be more like Jesus.
What are you taking on for Lent?
Take a moment, press pause and be still …
Karen
The Ven Karen Hamblin
Archdeacon of East Derbyshire
Safeguarding is everyone's business
Ensuring the Diocese of Derby provides a safe and caring environment for everyone - but especially children, and adults who may be at risk of abuse and neglect. Victims and Survivors are at the heart of our safeguarding work.
Safeguarding News
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Congratulations to all those who were awarded Bishop's Badges in two special services. See the photos here.
When I was a teenager my ambition was to be a missionary, taking the gospel to the indigenous people of the Amazon on a jet ski! While it’s not been quite that exciting, my faith journey has taken me through some interesting experiences, both here and abroad.
Since those early days I have remained interested in how God calls people to service; following their journey as they discern the voice of God calling them to service in the church, both lay and ordained.
I am committed to helping the church to be more inclusive in its selection of clergy. Being one of very few Black priests I think I may be particularly helpful to those from ethnic minority backgrounds, but I would be privileged to work with anyone who came to me.
Shemil was born and brought up in Kerala, South India.
He first studied for a Bachelor's and Master's degree in English language and literature, before achieving both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Theology from the University of Gloucestershire, and then an MTh from Oxford University.
He was ordained in the Diocese of Peterborough and has experience of working in Sri Lanka as a CMS mission partner.
Shemil is the Anglican chaplain at Oxford Brookes University and Vocations Adviser for the Diocese of Oxford. He is a founding member of AMEN (Anglican Minority Ethnic Network).
He is a trainer in Unconscious Bias awareness and a tutor in Contextual theology. His first language is Malayalam and has a working knowledge of Tamil and Hindi.
Shemil is married to Becky, who is the vicar of Allestree and Quandon in Derby. He holds Permission to Officiate from the Bishop of Derby.
The IICSA report was published in October 2020. A briefing setting out the key findings of the report can be found here:
Initial IICSA briefing 07.10.20
The Diocese of Derby is conscious that the work of the public inquiry may trigger memories and be traumatic for some individuals.
Bishop Libby would like to reassure anyone who is affected by the content of the IICSA report that the Diocese will take seriously any concerns or information relating to safeguarding within the Church.
Should you wish to talk to someone about this, the safeguarding team is available to work with you directly, or to signpost you to the most appropriate resource, and can be contacted on 01332 388678 or via this link: https://derby.anglican.org/en/safeguarding.html
The team is available if you want to talk about any new or non-recent concern relating to any church officer or person working within the Church.
More information about IICSA can be found at https://www.iicsa.org.uk/.
Bell ringers of all ages will be ringing bells across Derbyshire on Thursday, 6th June to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Places where you can hear bell ringing in the evening include: Church Broughton, Cubley, Derby Cathedral, Eckington, Hayfield, Ilkeston, Kirk Hallam, Old Brampton, Old Glossop and Shirland. Long Eaton's bells will be ringing in the morning.
To find out more about bell ringing please visit the Bell Ringing Derbyshire Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellRingingDerbyshire/
Image by Don Jones
Towards the end of last year I was fortunate to have some study leave, which I spent in Oxford as a visiting fellow at Harris Manchester College. For much of its history, the college had a particular affiliation with Unitarianism and there are still some reminders of that heritage. In the college chapel there is a set of windows depicting the six days of creation. Each of the six lights shows an angel holding a globe representing what happened on that particular day. Above each of the angels is a caption – Enlargissez Dieu – a quotation from the French Enlightenment philosopher, Diderot. It means something like, ‘Broaden your concept of God.’ The point is an obvious one. How do we find out about God through the workings of the created order? And how often do we choose to ignore that?
One of the leading figures in the college a hundred years was a man called L P Jacks. I came across a passage in one of Jacks’s books, about the place of religion in schools, which I think, despite its somewhat dated language and style, is a good example of what Enlargissez Dieu might be about:
Not long ago I met one of our great schoolteachers – a veteran in that high service. “Where in your time-table do you teach religion?” I asked him. “We teach it all day long,” he answered. “We teach it in arithmetic, by accuracy. We teach it in language, by learning to say what we mean – ‘yea, yea and nay, nay!’ We teach it in history, by humanity. We teach it in geography, by breadth of mind. We teach it in handicraft by thoroughness. We teach it in astronomy, by reverence. We teach it in the playground, by fair play. We teach it by kindness to animals, by courtesy to staff, by good manners to one another, and by truthfulness in all things. We teach it by showing the children that we, their elders, are their friends and not their enemies.”
“But what,” I said, “about the different denominations? Have you no trouble with the parents?” “None at all,” he replied; “we have half a dozen denominations. But we treat the children, not as members of this church or that, but as members of the school, and we show them that, as members of the school, in work and in play, they are members of one another. We teach them to build the Church of Christ out of the actual relations in which they stand to their teachers and their schoolfriends, because we believe that unless they learn to build it where they are, they will not learn to build it afterwards anywhere else.”
“Do you talk much to them about religion”? I then asked. “Not much,” he said, “just enough to bring the whole thing to a point now and then.”
Finally, he added a remark that struck me – “I do not want religion brought into this school from outside. What we have of it we grow ourselves.”
From A Living Universe (1924)
I see in the words of Jacks’s schoolteacher the articulation of a profound theology of mission. It has been said that the starting point of a conversation or process is likely to be the finishing point, too. If we start with a narrow, diminished concept of God, we are likely to see everything within that restrictive framework. Perhaps Enlargissez Dieu would be a better watchword for our thinking about apologetic and mission.
Archdeacon Christopher
