Taunton Youth For Christ - Update June 2026

We're about seeing young people's lives changed by Jesus.

An update from Kelly

As I sit down to write this month’s newsletter, I feel incredibly encouraged by all that God is doing. Thank you for continuing to pray so faithfully for Taunton Youth for Christ. Month after month, many of you have stood with us in prayer — for young people, schools, provision, partnerships, staffing, favour, finances, and for God to open doors that only He could open.

Over recent weeks, we have seen movement in so many of these areas. Not just amongst the young people we work with, but across the wider ministry too. Conversations we have been praying into are progressing, new opportunities are emerging, provision is coming at the right time, and doors that once felt firmly shut are beginning to open. We are being reminded again that God hears the prayers of His people.

There are still many things we continue to contend for, but this month has felt like a fresh encouragement to keep praying and not lose heart. Sometimes answers come suddenly, and sometimes they come through months of faithful prayer behind the scenes — but God is moving, and we are so grateful to be witnessing it.

Thank you for carrying this ministry with us in prayer. We truly could not do this without you.

Updates

Volunteers

This month we have welcomed 2 new volunteers to the team, who are already proving to be a wonderful addition. Their heart for young people, willingness to serve, and passion for Jesus has been such an encouragement. We are incredibly grateful for the people God is bringing alongside the ministry and are excited to see how He will use them in the lives of the young people we work with.

Welcome to the Van Fam, Milly and David

School Chaplain Vacancy – The Castle School

Exciting news!!!

We are currently recruiting for a School Chaplain to join the team at The Castle School.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of seeing young people’s lives changed by Jesus through pastoral support, mentoring, assemblies, spiritual development and Christian presence within the school community. We are looking for someone with a genuine heart for young people, strong relational skills, and a living Christian faith that naturally overflows into their work.

The closing date for applications is Monday 5th July.

Please share this within your circles and with anyone you feel would be suitable for this role.

 

Youth Hub

We are excited to share that there has been some really positive progress with the Youth Hub project at Oakwood Church over the past month. Following meetings with a generous surveyor and our builders, we are beginning to navigate some of the practical next steps needed to bring the vision to life.

After many months of praying, planning and waiting, we are hopeful that building work will begin by early autumn. It feels incredibly significant to finally be approaching the stage where this space will start physically taking shape.

At the moment, we have around half of the funding needed to complete the full project, but we continue to trust God for provision for the remaining costs. We truly believe this hub will become a vital space for young people across Taunton — somewhere safe, welcoming and full of hope, where young people can belong, be discipled, build healthy relationships and encounter the love of Jesus.

Thank you for continuing to pray and stand with us as we step forward in faith. We cannot wait to share more of the journey with you as the transformation begins.

Circuit Riders - YWAM

Last week we were joined by an incredible team of passionate Circuit Riders from Youth With A Mission who partnered with us in taking the hope of Jesus onto the streets of Taunton. Their passion for Jesus and genuine heart for young people was evident in everything they did.

To make the most of their time with us, we added an extra outreach session on the Wednesday, alongside our usual outreach evenings. Even in the middle of an intense heatwave, the team faithfully spent time engaging with young people, building relationships, praying, sharing the Gospel and speaking hope and life into this generation.

They were also such an encouragement to us as leaders — taking time to pray with us, speak life over the ministry, and stand with us believing that the Lord wants to move in power on the streets of this town. Together, we joined in praying, believing and contending for this generation and for all that God wants to do across Taunton.

We are so grateful for friends and partnerships like these and for every opportunity to remind young people that they are seen, valued and deeply loved by God.

Please pray that the seeds they planted would grow and bear fruit in the lives of the young people they encountered.

Prayer and Fasting Day
Our next gathering will be Monday 6th July. We will be meeting in our office at Oakwood Church at 10:30am to pray together. 
Please come and join us as we contend for the Youth in our town.

 Office Closed

The office will be closed from Tuesday 7th July - Monday 13th July. Only urgent emails will be responded to. Thanks for your understanding.

 

Transformed in pdf

A request has been made for a downloadable pdf of our prayer requests, making this easier to print. Please find a button to download this at the bottom of this newsletter.


Church Partnerships
Please get in contact with us if you'd like to:

  • Talk about outreach opportunities in your community

  • Invite us to share on a Sunday morning

  • Arrange some 'Safeguarding and Youth Culture' training for your church group

We’d love to support your church in engaging with young people and seeing God move in your community.

Prayer Points


Weekly Prayer Covering
Please pray for and during our various activities during the week. 
That every encounter with young people would be filled with God’s love, power and revelation. That the seeds we plant today, through conversations, activities, and support, will grow into lasting fruit. 

This is our mission field and we long to see a harvest of

transformed lives.

Tuesday – Mentoring in the community, Priorswood & Halcon Outreach 6pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday - Mentoring in the community, Pyrland School - 1pm - 4pm, Bible study – 6:30pm - 8pm
Thursday - Halcon Outreach - 6pm - 8:30pm  
Monday - Friday - Chaplaincy at Court Fields School & community mentoring

School Chaplain Vacancy – The Castle School

Please keep the School Chaplain vacancy at The Castle School in your prayers over the coming weeks. Pray that God would lead the right person into this role at the right time — someone with a genuine heart for young people and a passion to bring the hope of Jesus into the school community.

Please also pray for wisdom and discernment throughout the interview and recruitment process, and that God’s hand would be evident over every step

Youth Hub

Please continue to pray for the Youth Hub project at Oakwood Church as we move closer towards beginning building work in early autumn. We are so encouraged by the progress that has been made over recent weeks and are grateful for the people helping us navigate the practical next steps.

Please pray for continued wisdom, favour and provision as we move forward with the project. Whilst we currently have around half of the funding needed, we are continuing to trust God for the remaining finances to come in at the right time.

Above all, pray that this space would become a place of safety, belonging and discipleship for young people across Taunton — somewhere they can build healthy relationships, encounter Jesus and discover the hope and purpose found in Him.

Seeds

Please continue to pray for the young people we encountered during our outreach week with the Circuit Riders team from YWAM. Pray that the conversations had, prayers spoken and seeds planted would continue to grow and bear fruit in the lives of the young people we met.

 

Work Experience Student

We have a work experience student from Pyrland School joining us for the week of the 13th July. Please pray for him as he spends time with the team, that he would grow in confidence, feel welcomed and encouraged, and have a really positive and meaningful experience with us. Pray too that God would speak to him throughout the week and continue to guide his future and purpose.

Outreach

Our outreach work continues to go from strength to strength, with new young people joining us all the time. On average, we are now seeing between 40–50 young people each evening, and it has been incredible to watch genuine community and deeper relationships continue to form week by week.

We are also continuing to hand out Bibles through our outreach work, and last week we witnessed a moment that deeply impacted our team. We gave a Bible to a 15-year-old girl who had never owned one before. As she opened it and read the personal message written inside just for her, she was absolutely overwhelmed with joy that this Bible was hers — something personal, special and chosen for her.

What moved us even more was hearing her friends immediately begin making plans to FaceTime each other that evening so they could teach her how to highlight and use her Bible. The sheer delight on her face brought some of our team to tears.

Your prayers and financial support are quite literally putting Scripture into the hands of young people who are hungry for hope, truth and belonging. Thank you for helping us place the Word of God into the lives of this generation.

Volunteers

Please pray for our new volunteers, Milly and David. Pray that they would quickly feel part of the ministry, grow in confidence and wisdom as they work with young people, and continue to deepen in their relationship with Jesus.

We are so thankful for the people God is bringing alongside us and would value prayer for protection, encouragement and strength for them.

Court Field School

As Chloe comes to the end of another busy school year this month, please pray that the summer would be a time of real rest, refreshment and renewal for her. After pouring so much into the lives of young people throughout the year, pray that she would know God’s peace, strength and encouragement deeply over the coming weeks.

Please also pray that the Lord would prepare and equip her for all He has planned for the next academic year — giving her fresh vision, wisdom and favour as she continues to serve the young people and staff at Court Field School. Pray that God would go ahead of her, preparing hearts, opening doors and continuing to use her powerfully within the school community.

Thank You

As we reflect on this month, we are overwhelmed again by the kindness and faithfulness of God — and by the incredible people He continues to surround this ministry with.

So much of what happens each week can feel ordinary on the surface: conversations in parks, hot chocolates handed out, prayers whispered, Bibles gifted, young people showing up again and again. But behind every one of those moments is a huge network of people faithfully saying “yes” to God in different ways.

Some of you are giving financially, sacrificially making it possible for us to continue showing up week after week. Some of you are praying consistently behind the scenes, carrying this ministry before the Lord even when nobody else sees it. Others volunteer your time, encourage the team, open doors for us, or simply keep cheering us on when the work feels heavy.

Please know that every single part matters.

This month especially, we have been reminded that ministry is often built in the small, faithful moments — and that God uses all of it. Whether it’s a young person opening a Bible for the very first time, a conversation that shifts the direction of someone’s life, or simply a teenager knowing there is somewhere safe they can come each week… you are part of that story.

Thank you for believing in this generation with us. Thank you for continuing to stand with us as we seek to bring the hope of Jesus to young people across Taunton.

 

How to Give

Your support helps us bring hope, love, and the message of Jesus to young people in Taunton. There are a few ways to partner with us:

Every gift is a part of God’s work, helping us point young people to Jesus and see lives transformed. Thank you for joining us in this mission