Administrator
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
I trained as a teacher and have spent most of my working life within a local authority context, but am now a Vocations, Learning and Formation Officer and loving it!
I am based at Church House in Derby but am happy to travel throughout the County.
I am inspired by the report ‘Setting God’s People Free’ and excited by the vision it presents of a truly enabled church.
I see vocation as God weaving each of us into a tapestry – each of us is a unique and vibrantly coloured thread which can only create a beautiful whole by interweaving with others.
It doesn’t matter what type of thread you are, what colour, or whether you are a bit frayed around the edges - God can use you to weave a better world by sharing the message of His love.
He is calling you to something uniquely wonderful -your vocation – whatever that may be.
I’d like to leave you with a question paraphrased from Paulo Coelho: ‘What are you doing with the talents that God bestowed on you?’
Please use the form below to get in touch with me and I will contact you as soon as possible.
NB: If for some reason you don't hear back from your chosen adviser within 10 days, please accept our apologies - it means something has gone wrong. If this happens to you, please email communications@derby.anglican.org and tell us how long you have been waiting and who your chosen adviser is.
I am one of the two Diocesan Vocations, Learning & Formation Officers.
It is amazing the different ways God calls each one of us to serve - in our families, work lives, in the church, through ministry and in our communities.
I love hearing people’s stories of how God has called them and help them in their process of discernment.
I am currently based in Church House but I live near Chesterfield, and I would be happy to advise people in any part of the Diocese.
Please use the form below to send me your details and I will get in touch as soon as possible.
- 1
- 2
In a world where organisational shapes and approaches to leadership change rapidly, it is important that we evaluate the parish as our key unit of operation for mission.
Place
The enduring strength of our parish system is the importance of place. As human beings we have a deep sense of needing to be ‘placed’ – able to belong, feel secure with a setting that is familiar. The church building is often the minister of the centrality of place. The parish take this sense of place seriously.
People
Parishes are people – in an increasingly mixed and changing cocktail. There can no longer be a single offer or a simple formula. If the Gospel is to be proclaimed and witnessed to, then there will need to be variety, and a toughness regarding the choices of what might be possible with limited resources. Who are those most in need of the generous witness of God’s loving care?, and how might this offer be made?
Processes
God’s children live and grow through engaging with processes of formation. Public worship and the Occasional Offices have been one of our key contributions. Now the invitation has to be crafted more flexibly. Messy Church for young families, schools as structures for nourishing young people, breakfasts for men, festivals….. and moments to enable meeting others and sharing the love of God, made manifest most powerfully in appropriate worship and witness.
Parsons
The genius of the Church of England is the parson, our commitment to providing pastoral care that gives leadership for such formation. Rarely in our history has every parish had its own resident ‘vicar’. But always, each parish is embraced by the gospel caring and teaching organised by the Church. We all contribute to the work of being parson in our own communities. There are three classical models of parsoning:
- The priest, who uses the worship and teaching of the Church to mediate the Good News of Jesus Christ into everyday lives.
- The prophet, through whom the light of Christ proclaims a challenging critique of present failings, while proposing radical new possibilities.
- The prompter, who gathers and enables others to make creative responses to our challenges and opportunities, embracing those within the Church and those beyond our borders, in a common and connecting formation in goodness and grace. Calling all sorts and conditions of people to grow together as children of our Heavenly Father.
As the season of annual meetings is underway, we might like to consider in our own particular context how we can best be called to craft a parish for the future, and thus work seriously together on the future of the parish.
Bishop Alastair
My own vocational journey started as a teenager, has had many twists and turns along the way and continues to surprise me.
I am glad to listen to others who are also exploring where and how God is calling them to serve.
Now retired from the NHS where I spent most of my working life, I am licenced as a rural pioneer priest, based in Tideswell Parish, and Self Supporting (Non stipendiary) Ministry Officer for the Diocese.
I relax in the outdoors, walking and running round the beautiful area where we live. I am most available in the Peak Deanery and for people exploring self supporting ministry.
NB: If for some reason you don't hear back from your chosen adviser within 10 days, please accept our apologies - it means something has gone wrong. If this happens to you, please email communications@derby.anglican.org and tell us how long you have been waiting and who your chosen adviser is.
I started my Christian life when I was 24 years old on a dusty Kibbutz in Israel where I met two Hungarian Christians.
A call to ministry began, yet, it has taken another 20 years to discover a particular calling to ordination in the Church of England in 2012.
As a self-supporting minister, I currently work four days a week as the lead agricultural chaplain in Derbyshire whilst also completing a curacy.
I'm passionate about the journey to serve in the Church and how vocation helps us discover who we are in Christ as well as what we can actively do.
I very much value the opportunity to listen, reflect, and discern together, so that we can hear what and where God is calling us to serve.
Availability and geographical area: Negotiable by appointment / South Dales and South Derbyshire.
Richard Palmer, Vocations Advisor
I spent my whole career in training, development and coaching and have always been drawn to helping others to recognise, develop and discover ways to use their gifts and talents.
I do believe that we are all blessed with God-given gifts. But these don’t always come gift-wrapped with an explanatory label.
Sometimes, therefore, we need to explore them. And having a sounding board during this process is helpful
I was also privileged to become a Spiritual Accompanier 5 years ago, walking beside others in their spiritual journey.
Bringing together both our journey and our unique gifts assists us to discern the potential directions in which our calling and vocation may lead us.
That is my understanding of the Vocations Advisor’s role and why I find it so rewarding to offer my time to this.
Geographical area – Based in Ripley
Hello, for me the journey is what is important.
People sometimes think exploring vocation is about becoming somebody different and that you can get it ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ … but the vocational journey is one we are all on, it is about discerning God’s intention for us and becoming more the person God calls us each of us to be, whatever our gender or heritage, whether we are straight or gay, regardless of disability or mental health issue we are all created, held and nurtured in God’s love, which means we all have a calling.
I am a parish priest, living as Vicar of Spondon and an experienced Spiritual Director walking alongside diverse people from different contexts.
Located 2 miles east of Derby city centre in a place called Spondon.
The Spondon Flyer bus stops directly outside the church and we have ample parking.
I live on the edge of Buxton and I am a Reader at St Peter's church in Fairfield.
Until I retired I worked in theological education, latterly as Vice Principal of the Yorkshire Ministry Course where I taught Pastoral Studies, Human Relationships Ethics .and beginners Greek. I was a diocesan rep on General Synod for many years and I now review Theological Courses and Colleges for the national Ministry Division.
