two churches,
one
community
Welcome to our website. We hope you find what you’re looking for as you navigate it. Whether you want information on baptisms, weddings or funerals, information on our special seasonal services, on our various regular activities, or if you want to join a church and are here to check us out.
The parish churches of St Matthew's, Darley Abbey, and St Edmund's, Allestree work together under the leadership of Rev Rachael Brooks to grow God's kingdom in our community. Our two congregations share links with the parishes of St Nicholas, Allestree, and St Paul's, Quarndon, which are led by Rev Sarah Watson. We are part of the Church of England and have links with other churches across the city of Derby. We enjoy our links with local schools and uniformed groups.
We’d love you to join us as we come together to grow as Christians in God’s family, young and old, as we think about what following Jesus means if we’re going to do what he says and love God and love our neighbours as ourselves. It’s not always easy! But my prayer is that we encounter God and grow closer to him day by day and week by week.
events
On Sunday 23 November at
St Matthew's and Sunday 7 December at St Edmund's we will have our All Age Worship services starting at 10am. They are informal, interactive and suitable for all ages.
The theme will be Advent. Mary & Elizabeth meet, and are excited about their babies.
diary
On 7 December we will have our All Age Worship service at St Edmund's and our Choral Holy Communion at St Matthew's, starting at 10 am.
At 6 pm we will have Evensong at St Matthew's.
You are all very welcome.
The normal pattern of Sunday services across a month is:
St Matthew’s
1st Holy Communion & Evensong
2nd Morning Prayer
3rd Holy Communion & Choral Evensong
4th All Age Worship
5th Joint
St Edmund’s
1st All Age Worship
2nd Holy Communion & Choral Evensong
3rd Morning Prayer
4th Holy Communion & Choral Evensong
5th Joint
DECEMBER
Monday 1st December
7.30 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Handbells
Tuesday 2nd December
2 pm - St Matthew's Fellowship Room – FOSM Christmas Party
7.30 pm - Chris & David Halfpenny's home - 22 Questions
Wednesday 3rd December
10.30 am - St Edmund's - Holy Communion, led by Phyllis Bainbridge
Thursday 4th December
10 am – St Edmund's Church Hall - Baby & Toddler Group
Saturday 6th December
9.30am - St Edmund's - Groundforce
Sunday 7th December
Food Bank Sunday - Please leave any donations in St Edmund's Church or in St Matthew's Fellowship Room by Tuesday 9th December. Thank you.
10 am - St Edmund's – All Age Worship, led by Rachael Brooks & the All Age Team
10 am - St Matthew's – Choral Holy Communion, led by Phyllis Bainbridge
6 pm - St Matthew's – Evensong, led by Clive Lemmon
Monday 8th December
2 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Bookworms: The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth
7.30 pm - Community Room, Catherine McAuley House - Ascension Prayer Group
7.30 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Handbells
Tuesday 9th December
12 noon - St Edmund's Church Hall - Luncheon Club
Wednesday 10th December
10.30 am - St Edmund's - Holy Communion, led by Rachael Brooks
10.45 am - Holy Communion at Stanley House
11.20 am - Holy Communion at Abbeydale
11.30 am - St Edmund's - Burial of ashes of Alison Bellamy
2 pm - St Edmund's - Burial of ashes of Marion Carnell
6 pm - St Edmund's - Carols in the Churchyard, led by Rachael Brooks
6.30 pm - The Markeaton Pub - St Matthew's Choir singing
Thursday 11th December
10 am – Allestree Park - Nature Tots
6.30-10.30 pm - St Matthew's - The Derwent Singers
Friday 12th December
8.30 am - 10.30 am - St Matthew's Fellowship Room - Community Café
Saturday 13th December
9.30-12 noon - St Matthew's carpark - Refills on the Road (last one of the year)
Sunday 14th December -
10 am - St Edmund's – Holy Communion, led by Phyllis Bainbridge
10 am - St Matthew's - Nine Lessons & Carols, led by Rachael Brooks
4 pm - St Edmund's - Christingle service
5.45-6.30 pm - St Matthew's - Darley Abbey Christmas Tree Trail and Carols outside the church
Monday 15th December
7.30 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Handbells
Tuesday 16th December
12 noon - St Edmund's Church Hall - Luncheon Club
2.30 pm - St Matthew's - Burial of Catherine Dunne
Wednesday 17th December
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – Holy Communion, led by David Anderson
Thursday 18th December
10 am - St Edmund's Church - St Edmund's Preschool & St Edmund's Baby & Toddler Group Christmas service in church followed by the normal session in the hall
Sunday 21st December -
10 am - St Edmund's - Morning Prayer, led by John Rice
10 am - St Matthew's - Choral Holy Communion, led by Rachael Brooks
After the 10am service - St Edmund's - Burial of ashes of Margaret & Edward Emmans
4 pm - St Edmund's - Nine Lessons & Carols
Monday 22nd December
7.30 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Handbells
Wednesday 24th December - Christmas Eve
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – There will be no Holy Communion service
2 pm - St Edmund's - Crib service, led by Rachael Brooks & the All Age Team
4 pm - St Edmund's - Crib service, led by Rachael Brooks & the All Age Team
5.30 pm - St Matthew's - Crib service, led by Rachael Brooks & the All Age Team
11.15 pm - St Edmund's - Midnight Mass, led by Rachael Brooks & Phyllis Bainbridge
Thursday 25th December - Christmas Day
10 am - St Edmund's - Holy Communion, led by Rachael Brooks
10 am - St Matthew's - Holy Communion, led by Phyllis Bainbridge
Saturday 27th December
9.30 am - St Matthew's - Churchyard Working Party
Sunday 28th December
10 am - St Edmund's - Joint Choral Holy Communion, led by Rachael Brooks & Adrian Thorp
Wednesday 31st December
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – There will be no Holy Communion service
JANUARY
Saturday 3rd January
9.30am - St Edmund's - Groundforce
Sunday 4th January
Food Bank Sunday - Please leave any donations in St Edmund's Church or in St Matthew's Fellowship Room by Tuesday 6th January. Thank you.
10 am - St Edmund's - All Age Epiphany service, led by Rachael & the All Age Team
10 am - St Matthew's - Holy Communion
6 pm - St Matthew's - Evensong
Monday 5th January
9.30-12 noon - St Matthew's carpark - Refills on the Road
Tuesday 6th January
12 noon - Luncheon Club
2 pm - St Matthew's Fellowship Room – FOSM - The Dark Side of Nursery Rhymes, Tracey French
Wednesday 7th January
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – Holy Communion
Thursday 8th January
10 am – St Edmund's Church Hall - Baby & Toddler Group
Sunday 11th January
10 am - St Edmund's - Holy Communion
10 am - St Matthew's - Morning Prayer
6 pm - St Edmund's - Choral Evensong
Monday 12th January
2 pm - St Edmund's Choir Vestry - Bookworms: The Island, by Victoria Hislop
7.30 pm - Community Room, Catherine McAuley House - Ascension Prayer Group
Wednesday 14th January
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – Holy Communion
Thursday 15th January
10 am – Allestree Park - Nature Tots
Friday 16th January
8.30 am - 10.30 am - St Matthew's Fellowship Room - Community Café
Sunday 18th January
10 am - St Edmund's - Morning Prayer
10 am - St Matthew's - Holy Communion
6 pm - St Matthew's - Choral Evensong
Monday 19th January
9.30-12 noon - St Matthew's carpark - Refills on the Road
Tuesday 20th January
12 noon - Luncheon Club
Wednesday 21st January
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – Holy Communion
Thursday 22nd January
10 am – St Edmund's Church Hall - Baby & Toddler Group
Sunday 25th January
10 am - St Edmund's - Holy Communion
10 am - St Matthew's - All Age service, led by Rachael & the All Age Team
6 pm - St Edmund's - Choral Evensong
Wednesday 28th January
10.30 am – St Edmund’s – Holy Communion
Thursday 29th January
10 am – St Edmund's Church Hall - Baby & Toddler Group
Saturday 31st January
9.30 am - St Matthew's - Churchyard Working Party
daily prayer
We value daily prayer as a way to develop and deepen our faith. We encourage you to join us in using a daily prayer and reflection app. We are promoting the Church of England Everyday Faith app. Other apps are also available!
safeguarding
The Church of England has developed a training programme for leaders at all levels in the national and local church. We follow the recommended safeguarding policy and take our responsibility to love, welcome, and cherish, everyone who has contact with our community.
We take safeguarding extremely seriously in our churches. Rachael Brooks (with the aid of Caroline Audley) is the Parish Safeguarding Officer for St Matthew’s and Louise Whittaker for St Edmund’s (with the aid of Madeleine Fullerton). All our PCC members and anyone who works with children and vulnerable adults will have had the required checks and will have done the appropriate training.
If you’re worried that a child or vulnerable adult in this church might be suffering from some kind of abuse:
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DO NOT try to diagnose, investigate or sort it out yourself
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THINK HARD about what it is about the appearance or behaviour of the child or vulnerable adult that is making you worried or suspicious
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DO NOT promise confidentiality if someone talks to you about what might be abuse
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DECIDE who you should talk to, and
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TALK TO THEM – within 24 hours
Diane Whittaker (St Matthew's)
07968237457
Louise Whittaker (St Edmund's)
01332 556455
Madeleine Fullerton (St Edmund's)
01332 554762
Caroline Audley (Church Administrator) 01332 552031
The Diocesan Safeguarding Team
01332 388678