The message of Holy Week and Easter is that God’s love for us in Jesus is Good News - the best news anyone could ever get.  How are we doing at making this obvious to everyone, as it has become obvious to us? 

One way we do it is simply to be present in each and every local community across Derbyshire. The way we are with our neighbours, the way we are as a church, and the way we are with each other, are all supposed to express the love of God in Christ – and very often they do! Where there is a community full of life and love and hospitality, people will experience ‘good news’ simply by walking through the door and being made welcome. Others will simply see the church tower, and be prompted to pray. 

But how else do we share the wonders of the life in Christ we have been blessed with? 

Another way is by making sure our churches are always places where people who are coming with questions about life and faith can find help in their search. Local churches either do it alone or they can team up to ensure there’s always something going on locally geared towards helping people make a start with Jesus. This can be one of the many courses available, or simply a fun evening in church or café or pub where any question is taken seriously, and where new disciples and others can explore the scriptures honestly, making the connections with everyday life. 

I do enjoy my ministry a lot – but the best thing I get to do as a bishop is to do confirmations. Hearing the stories of people’s search for God – and sometimes of how God has  surprised them without their previously having been interested – this is an extraordinary privilege. It encourages the whole church when they tell their story.  I thank God for the many churches where an annual confirmation course has once again become routine -something we lost perhaps during Covid, but now have the opportunity to revive. 

More and more we are hearing of newcomers, especially young people, just turning up at church wanting to see what goes on and to find out more. They don’t necessarily want to be smothered – but they are glad when there is clear information about what is going on and how they can engage if they want to. 

It is worth thinking of also that most searching and enquiring today happens online. My guess is that some of those who are just randomly turning up at church have begun their search out there. There are a range of great online resources out there to help people become disciples of Jesus – for younger people #thewayuk on Instagram or Youtube or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/twuktv/ is a great place to start. 

Or there is the Christian Enquiry Agency -

 https://www.christianity.org.uk/site-map 

 And there is helpful material on the Church of England website too:

 https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/what-we-believe 

 This April we keep company with Jesus on his road to Good Friday and to Easter while the guns of war still sound, and in a world where human failure and sin are all too evident. So many lives are broken and hurting. There are many and various factors at play: with ever deepening poverty and rising inequality, with the global rise in political extremism, and with today’s preference for social media silo talk rather than open, honest conversation. Meanwhile the climate emergency only gets more urgent.  It would be easy to give in, and give up hope. We must not. 

 And yet, even in these perilous times, Sunday by Sunday, many are finding real hope in Jesus, the crucified and risen one.  Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are still good news to those who encounter him alive and present today. In Him there is a new creation – a whole new world. 

 Let’s find ways old and new to pass this on. 

On 1 March 2025, Belper Town Football Club welcomed their new Chaplain Revd Rachel Burdett. Revd Rachel was joined by Bishop Libby who presented the man of the match. 

It turns out that Bishop Libby and Revd Rachel were lucky mascots on the day as Belper Town FC won 2-0 v Garforth Town FC.

Photo L-R: Revd Rachel, Bishop Libby, Ian Woodward (BTFC Chairman) and Lee Attenborough (BTFC Manager)

Revd Rachel said: It was exciting to watch my first Nailers’ game, especially as they won! I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and adding my support to the team. It is an important part of life in Belper and it is an honour to be the new chaplain.

Ian said we welcome Revd Rachel as our new Chaplain. We look forward to working with her as she continues to build on the existing relationship with Christ Church Belper and we look forward to welcoming her to support “The Nailers!”.

Photo Credit to Tim Harrison (BTFC)

In 2023, £12,428 was raised by generous giving towards the annual Bishop of Derby’s harvest Appeal to raise money for “trees for life” in Burundi.

The Bujumbura Anglican Diocese have recently reported on the progress of the ‘Trees for Life’ project.  The project is to reduce soil erosion and its consequences on the hills of Gisovu, Nyamaboko, Buhina and Kabumba, near to Bujumbura city.

These communities have been exposed to risk of landslide for years, accentuated by steep slopes and the low level of economic development of the area's rural households.

Initially 44 people attended a workshop and received techniques for capacity-building in environmental protection techniques, with a demonstration of contour tracing and protection using agroforestry and fixation grasses.  

Beneficiaries were provided with agroforestry seeds and level curve tracing equipment.

They were also made aware of the use of degradable bags.

They received support for 64,840 degradable bags, 64,840 seedlings being produced at 4 nursery sites, eucalyptus, grevilleas and calliandra.

The plan from the outset has been to empower 16 economic clusters for climate resilience which include 240 beneficiaries, with management committees in place, under the care of 4 local supervisors.

The project will continue capacity-building activities for beneficiaries in land management, the production of seedlings up to the planting, and local supervision of beneficiaries to ensure that the knowledge acquired is put into practice in the longer term.

Bishop Malcolm said “It’s wonderful to hear the difference the Bishop of Derby’s 2023 campaign - ‘Trees for Life Burundi’ is making already.

Obviously with an environmental project the main benefit will be long term, but a recent report shows how the work is empowering women and young people raising incomes and prospects for future development.

Seeing the pictures of seedlings ready to go out reminds me how much there is to do in the garden – but this is hugely encouraging news from a country where, for most people, daily life is a struggle”.

The Revd Bernard Rwamigabo, the project manager at The Diocese of Bujumbura said “God bless the entire Derby Diocese for supporting Bujumbura Anglican Diocese”.

Whether you are new to the role or have been serving for some time, the church warden training events aim to provide you with important tools, strategies, and support for you in your role.

It will also be a wonderful chance to connect with other church wardens, discuss challenges, and learn from one another.

Training dates
Saturday, 8 March 2025, 9.30am - 1.00pm, St Alkmunds Church, 40 Kedleston Road, Darley Abbey, Derby DE22 1GU
Saturday, 5 July 2025,  9:30am – 1:00pm, St Thomas, Chesterfield
Saturday, 27 September 2025, 9:30am – 1:00pm, St Barnabas Centre, Danesmoor
Saturday, 8 November 2025,  9:00am – 10:00am on Zoom, Question and Answer session with the Archdeacons.

Please click on the link below to book your place on the next event.  
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/churchwardens-morning-tickets-1152516851929?aff=oddtdtcreator
Date: Saturday, 8 March 2025
Time: 9.30 – 1pm
Location: St Alkmunds Church, 40 Kedleston Road, Darley Abbey, Derby DE22 1GU

The plan for the day will be as follows:
0930: Arrival and refreshments 
1000: Event starts (Opening worship)
1020: Keynote
1045: Workshop 1
1130: Coffee / Tea break
1145: Workshop 2
1230: Plenary/Q&A
1300: Finish

There will be a choice of workshops and this time they will cover these topics:

• Leading worship & intercessions in an emergency
• Buildings for Mission & Environment
• Wellbeing
• ‘Help! I’m the only one!’ 

Two weeks before the event a sign-up form for the workshops will be sent out, so you can choose which workshops you would like to attend.

Please ensure you have booked in good time to make sure you receive this email.

If you have any queries, please contact:

Derby City and South Derbyshire Archdeaconry - sue.hidderley-burton@derby.anglican.org

Derbyshire Peak and Dales Archdeaconry - emily.redmond@derby.anglican.org

South Derbyshire Archdeaconry - claire.collishaw@derby.anglican.org

This Lent we are encouraged to put down deep roots of hope by connecting with God who is with us at all times.

The Church of England’s Lent theme for 2025 is Living Hope.

In Lent we journey with Jesus on the difficult and thorny road that leads all the way to the cross on Good Friday – and beyond, to the transformation of Easter Day.

God invites us to bring to him our own journey through everyday life. In the disappointment of daily setbacks and the pain of deeper hurts, we discover that God is present with us. And God promises a future where all things are healed and made new.  

Living Hope offers us the opportunity to deepen our hope in God and be part of what God is doing to bring hope in the world.

Alongside a printed reflection booklet, the everyday faith app and daily emails there are a range of new resources available for churches, schools, families and individuals available from churchofengland.org and logo and branding items for the resource hub on achurchnearyou.com

A special webinar hosted by the national team will be held on 5 February please click here to register. 

A team of volunteers has been packing and delivering special Christmas food packages to families and individuals in need in and around Derby.

The volunteers, including a team from Rolls-Royce, gathered at St Peter’s in the City, Derby, to help pack hampers for Christmas Lunch on Jesus – a project that provides low-income families and individuals with a Christmas meal.

The volunteers packed 300 hampers which will feed around 1,200 people.

The hampers contained everything needed for an enjoyable Christmas lunch, along with a candle and card from the team.

• See pictures from the event here [Flickr]

Volunteers started preparing early in the day, setting out tables containing the various elements of the meal and packing portions of fresh vegetables to go in the hampers.

Then volunteers went around the tables with bags, filling them with the ingredients for tailor-made Christmas dinners for each recipient.

Once the bags were packed, yet another stream of volunteers distributed the hampers to people in Derby and surrounding areas who were nominated by Social Services, GPs, housing associations, women’s refuges, charities and other organisations.

The project costs in the region of £15,000 each year and is financed through donations from businesses, churches, local trusts and individual giving.

We love all the creative and different ways churches are engaging with their parishes and beyond.

Our vision is The Kingdom of God, Good News for All and it's great to see how so many churches in the Diocese of Derby are sharing stories of their success in achieving transformed lives through growing church and building community.

Here are some of the Christmas social media posts that have caught our eye - and don't forget you can find your local church services and events here.

Christine McMullen, the Diocese of Derby's former chair of the House of Laity, has been awarded The Canterbury Cross in this year’s Lambeth Awards, in recognition of her exceptional service to both the Diocese of Derby and the Church of England for over 40 years. 

The Bishop of Derby, The Rt Revd Libby Lane said: “Christine has been an extraordinary servant of Christ and His church.

"I am delighted her contribution over so many decades and in so many spheres has been recognised and celebrated in this way.

"Her faith and sense of duty have sustained and equipped her to serve at a local, diocesan and national level. 

"In the Diocese of Derby, she has been an advocate and champion of lay voice and ministry especially in rural contexts. For 40 years, she has held licence and now has permission to exercise ministry as Reader, for two decades she served as Chair of the House of Laity for Diocesan Synod and is a member of the Bishop’s Council. For many years she held the roles of Deanery Lay Chair, School Governor and Business Committee member. She has also sat on the Vacancy-in-See Committee and acted as Warden of Readers.

"Christine has been Diocesan President of the Mothers' Union, National Vice Chair for the MU and member of the Central Council at Mary Sumner House, London. Christine was the manager of Salcare before, in 1994, she became lecturer and then Vice Principal at the Northern Ordination College, where she taught Pastoral Studies, Human Relationship, Ethics and New Testament Greek. Christine was subsequently on the Governing Council of Trinity Theological College Bristol. 

"Whilst a member of the General Synod Christine was a member of many committees and working parties, including at Ministry Division considering Clergy Stipends and working conditions.  She was a member of the working party on The Family which produced its report in 1995. She was the founder member of WATCH which campaigned for the ordination of women first as clergy, then the Episcopate.

"We are deeply grateful to Christine for the generous ways she has used her gifts and experience for God. We congratulate her on being awarded the Canterbury cross.”

On receiving the award Christine said: “I was not very excited when I read the email offering me the Canterbury Cross. I thought it was just a hoax! 

"I decided I had better check so I phoned Bishop Libby to ask her if it were genuine, and when the Bishop stopped laughing, she reassured me it was true and I had better send a reply!

"This was a few weeks ago and the hardest thing has been not able to share the news!

"What I have done with my life is based on the support of my friends and what my family taught me - to trust God, to be kind, to look into people’s eyes when talking  to them and to listen carefully to what they are saying ( and not saying) without making judgements.

"There was a lot of noise round our family table, my mother was a great giggler, and my father was quieter but had a canny eye for the idiosyncrasies of people in everyday life and had a great gift for doing things in his own way, and my children were unbelievably honest. I owe a lot to them.”

Congratulations to Christine on this amazing achievement!

Archdeacon Nicky preached at the Safeguarding Sunday service at Ashbourne on Sunday 18 November 2024

As we gather here today on this Safeguarding Sunday, our hearts and minds can’t help but be troubled and heavy in the light of the findings of the Makin Report.  We are shocked and disturbed by the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth. We are ashamed of the institutional failures of the Church of England and many of its senior clergy.

 As Archbishop Justin has resigned and prepares to step down, we can’t help but wonder what comes next? How will we continue to learn from the mistakes of the past?  What might the future of the Church look like?

 The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God’s plan is always to give us a future and a hope. The two Bible readings we’ve read today help us to think about what that future and that hope might look like and how we might contribute to bringing God’s plans and purposes to fruition.

God’s desire is that all people might know his love and come to live within his kingdom. The kingdom of God which is good news for all. The way into that kingdom is open for all who will enter by putting their faith and trust in Jesus, the one who died that we might have life. 

In our liturgy, we sometimes talk about Jesus’ death as opening his arms for us upon the cross – a gesture of welcome, invitation and drawing us in. When you watch a priest presiding at the eucharist, the sleeves of our vestments look very much like wings. That is imagery which the psalmist picks up in our first reading today, Psalm 91:1-4.

God offers us the opportunity to live within his kingdom, to find shelter under his protection. To lean upon his strength, and rest in the shadow of his wings, to be truly and deeply safe and secure. God’s kingdom sets us free from anything that would enslave us as God’s perfect love casts out our fear and helps us grow into wholeness and fullness of life. God’s desire for us is that we will flourish and thrive and become the people we were created to be.

Our Diocesan Vision is nothing less than a vision of the kingdom of God. In our different roles and responsibilities, we are seeking to be good news for all the people God sends our way. In all our churches across the diocese, we are creating safe spaces where people can flourish and thrive and live out their God-given calling. Knowing that we are loved beyond measure by God in Christ, we are learning to love without measure or restraint.

As we reflect on the faithfulness of God and remember with gratitude all he has done for us, our love for him grows, our relationship with him deepens and that love overflows into service of our local contexts. And when we see things around us that are not how God wants them to be we try and find a way to speak out and challenge injustice. And as we do that, other people are impacted and affected and we pray that as they encounter Christ in us and between us and through us, that they too will become disciples and their lives are transformed by Christ.

Today as we gather, it is good to remember that the work we do in safeguarding is absolutely central to all we are and do and to helping our churches reflect the life, values and vision of God’s kingdom. 

Thank you for the part that you are playing. It is good that our amazing safeguarding team are here today and we thank God for the faithful and diligent way in which they serve us. But, as we all know, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility- though without some really committed volunteers who are willing to devote their time, energy and focus their ministry around this area, our churches would be less safe and people would be at risk.  

The work that our churches are doing in safeguarding is often unseen and unnoticed. No-one knows how much time is spent updating Parish dashboards. No-one (other than our trainer Nick Harding) sees the thousands of individuals sitting on their laptops completing their training. No-one is there in the middle of the night when you can’t get to sleep because something traumatic has occurred and you’ve been part of the Case Management Meeting trying to find ways of moving forward. 

But God sees all those things. His arms of love surround and enfold you, his wings are spread over you giving you protection and shade. His strength helps you to stand and be strong. He catches your tears in a bottle and treasures it for ever. So you are never on your own – God is always with you and has promised to never leave or forsake you. His grace is sufficient, his power is perfected in weakness and his mercies are new every morning for great is his faithfulness.  And can I encourage you to allow our Safeguarding team to help and support you too for that is what they are there for. And as well as that professional help and support, can I encourage you to offer peer support to one another through the PSO network and make the most of the resources available to you.

Part of being human is accepting that no-one is perfect, we are all fallen, we all make mistakes, we all need help and we all need God’s forgiveness. As we remember with gratitude all who work within our churches supporting the work of Safeguarding, we pray for the ways in which we as individuals, and our Church as an institution, has failed in our duty to protect people.  And failed in our calling to love as we have been loved and provide a safe place for all to thrive. We need to learn from those failures and do everything in our power to move forward in the way God wants us to be.

For those who have been the cause of pain, we pray that the love of God will show them the error of their ways and grant them the grace to repent and change, and opportunities to atone and make amends, where that is appropriate and possible. And for all perpetrators we ask that God will convict them of their sin and change their hearts. 

And as we close, I invite you to hold before God all survivors and especially those who have suffered as a result of the failings of our Church. Each one is a unique individual made in God’s image, known and loved by God, infinitely precious and treasured by him. Let us commit ourselves to praying for them, for their healing and protection and that they might encounter the love of God and find safety in the shadow of his wings. 

 A statement from the Right Reverend Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, following the resignation of Archbishop Justin Welby:

The victims and survivors of abuse will have suffered unimaginable distress at the findings of the Makin Report, and I want to convey my thanks for their bravery in telling their stories.

I also commend Archbishop Justin for his honourable decision to take both personal and institutional responsibility for the failings described in the report.

The Church of England has made a commitment to safeguarding, to creating a safer Church, and to learning from the Makin Report - and the Diocese of Derby and I echo those commitments wholeheartedly.

We will continue to put victims and survivors of abuse first and to prioritise their care.

We will continue to work together with survivors to build a safer Church in which they, and anyone who has suffered as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, receive the support they need and deserve.

It must also be a church where, collectively, we promote a culture in which victims are heard and responded to well, and children and other vulnerable people can know that they are protected and safe. That is the responsibility of us all.

Please pray for all those who have been harmed, for Archbishop Justin and for the wider Church that it may truly become a place of welcome, compassion and safety.

 >> Read Justin Welby's resignation statement in full

>> A sermon for Safeguarding Sunday (Archdeacon Matthew Trick)

>> A sermon for Safeguarding Sunday (Archdeaon Nicky Fenton)