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23 September 2021

Dear <<First Name>> <<Last Name>>,

Welcome to your eNews from the Diocese of Derby published by the Communications Team - communications@derby.anglican.org.

Our next eNews will be sent on Thursday, 7 October 2021

Forward

Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal 2021

With desperate poverty and homelessness severely damaging the life chances of girls in one of the world’s biggest and poorest slum areas, Bishop Libby has launched this year’s Harvest Appeal to raise money towards their housing and basic education.

St Elizabeth’s Hostel in Kolkata, India, is the focus of this year's Harvest Appeal, which will run from September to the end of December.

Drawn from some of the poorest slums in the city, St Elizabeth’s is a refuge for up to 86 girls at any one time.

Sometimes homeless and always underprivileged, the girls at the hostel are provided with accommodation, food, clothing and other basic necessities as well as an education up to Higher Secondary level.

As a result of the pandemic, financial support has either been cut or is at severe risk in what are sometimes considered as low-priority areas, such as girls’ education.

Bishop Libby is determined that the long-term development of girls at St Elizabeth’s should continue.

>> Learn more about the Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal 2021

>> Make an online donation to the Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal

More Learning in Faith Bitesize courses added

Learning in Faith Bitesize is a new, fun, and interactive way for you to learn at home.

These bitesize courses and videos can typically be done in 30 minutes or less using your computer, tablet or phone, allowing you to fit learning around work, family and social commitments.

Courses are available on a range of topics including:

Becoming an Eco-church
Planning a prayer walk
Running a children's group at church
A pioneer is...
Leading worship at short notice

To find out more and explore the courses available click here

Learning in Faith Bitesize

General Synod Elections

Ten clergy and seven lay people have put their names forward for election to the six places available (three House of Clergy and three House of Laity).

The names of the candidates and their election addresses are available on the diocesan website

Voting opened on Friday, 17 September and will close at 11.59 pm on Friday, 8 October. Eligible electors should now have been contacted with details of how to vote. The results will be published on the Diocesan website no later than week commencing 18 October 2021.

Real Advent Calendar 2021

To mark the launch of the 2021 Real Advent Calendar, the Meaningful Chocolate Company is offering free delivery to parishes in the Diocese of Derby if they buy a case of 18 calendars.

The Real Advent Calendar is designed to support parish outreach work, mission and a great way to share the Christmas story. Each calendar includes a 24 page Christmas story activity book, the chocolate is Fairtrade, and it supports charitable causes including a baby clinic in Kenya and Fairtrade farmer community schemes.

Real Advent Calendars cost £4.50 each.

>> Order online for a case discount and free delivery.

News and stories from the Church of England

One million downloads for Daily Prayer podcast

Bishops join calls for emergency G7 meeting to tackle vaccine ‘hoarding’

‘Talk about topics on which there is silence’ – Living in Love and Faith as relevant in rural parishes

Bishops join leaders of other major faiths to demand climate action at COP26 in Glasgow

New Bishop to the Armed Forces announced

Recommendations made for Church of England Governance Reform

Events

Farmers' Harvest Festival

Agricultural Business Centre, Bakewell, DE45 1AH
17 October 2021
2.30pm

All are welcome to this year's Farmers' Harvest Thanksgiving. We welcome Bishop Libby as our guest speaker as well as Bel Canto and St Anne's Choir from Baslow to lift our worship, and Derbyshire poet Philip Holland will creatively capture the farming year as we continue to thank God for his provision and care in these challenging times. There is free parking. For more information contact Revd Alan Griggs on 07710 088972.

Cathedrals at Night

Friday, 24 September
extended opening until 9.30pm

Lose yourself in the beauty of the Cathedral as it moves from daylight to dusk during this evening of choral music, heritage and culture.

Visitors will be able to listen to a live rehearsal of the Voluntary Choir between 7.30 pm and 9 pm.

Tower Tours will be available on the evening, priced at £7 per person, available to book now.

This special evening coincides with the amazing Derby Festé.

Entry to the Cathedral is free, donations are very welcome.

Safeguarding Sunday

Sunday, 10 October 2021

Protecting vulnerable people is at the heart of the Christian message. Safeguarding Sunday is all about creating an opportunity for churches to show their communities that they take this responsibility seriously.

It’s your chance, as a church, to use your regular Sunday service to explore together what safer places look like, and to thank all those working behind the scenes to make our churches safer for all.

Free resources are available on thirtyoneeight.org and a short sermon by Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, is available.

Hannah Hogg, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, said: “Safeguarding Sunday is a great opportunity to think about what a safer church looks like and to thank those in our church communities who help make our churches safer for all. We hope you will find the opportunity to mark it in some way.”

Diocesan Confirmation service

A Diocesan Confirmation service will be held in the Cathedral with Bishop Malcolm on Saturday, 20 November at 4 pm.

The Confirmation service will be without Communion to enable candidates to receive their first Communion in their own church.
Candidates from any parish, chaplaincy or fresh expression are very welcome.

If you may have candidates to present at the service, please contact Jessica Kilmurray, PA to the Dean and Canons, jessica@derbycathedral.org

Learning and Development Opportunities

Get the most from your A Church Near You site

Last year, A Church Near You received 77 million page views, and 80% of visitors were on the site for the first time. Users of digital audio devices (eg Alexa) were able to get accurate information on their nearest church thanks to the details provided on A Church Near You.

Dave King from the Diocesan Communications team will deliver a joint webinar with Liz Morgan from CofE Digital on Getting the most from your ACNY site.
The webinar will be held on Tuesday, 5 October 2021 at 2pm.

>> Register now for your free place

Vocational Reflection Day
Saturday November 6, 10am - 3pm
Online event

Would you like to explore how God is calling you?

Spend a day reflecting on your calling and exploring your vocation with others who are discerning God's call in their lives. You will spend time individually and in small groups reflecting on and sharing your own spiritual journey, examining how God calls people in the Bible and in the present day and looking at aspects of pursuing your own calling.

Learn more and register

Resources

Our Diocese Together
October 2021

In our October issue:

Bishop of Derby's Harvest Appeal 2021
Revd Canon Peter Walley writes...
Juliet "swoops in" with the wedding rings
Greetings from down under
Training available when you are

>> Read online

>> Download as PDF

Deanery Newsletters

>> Derby City Deanery - September 2021 newsletter

>> North East Deanery - Inbetween newsletter

Rural Parishes Focus webinar

Monday, 27 September
1.00pm – 2.00pm

An interactive panel session discussing the emerging vision for the next decade and what it means and might look like in a rural context. With practical examples of churches working out what it means to be missionary disciples, a younger and more diverse church, and a church where mixed ecology is the norm in their rural setting.

This is one of a series of webinars, exploring what it means to be a church that is centred on and shaped by Jesus Christ – a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.

>> Register for this webinar

>> View recordings of previous webinars in the series