Taunton Youth For Christ - Update August 2026

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

An update from Kelly

40 Days of Prayer: Building for the Future

In October, we’re going to launch 40 Days of Prayer as we begin establishing the new Taunton Youth for Christ Youth Hub.

The space is already there, but there is still so much to do — and significant funds still to raise — as we turn it into a place where young people can belong, find hope and encounter Jesus. We want prayer to be at the heart of that journey, trusting God to provide all that is needed, including the finances, people and partnerships to see the vision become a reality.

Over 40 days, we’ll be inviting you to pray with us for the Hub, for the team, for God’s provision of finance and resources, for the right partnerships and opportunities, and most importantly, for the young people we’re here to serve.

This won’t be a set of scripted prayers. Instead, each day will give us a simple theme and some things to pray into, giving us space to listen to God and see what He might be saying.

We’d love you to journey with us.

If you receive a picture, Bible verse, word or encouragement during the 40 days, we’d love you to share it with us too. We’ll also keep you updated as we move forward with the Phase 1 development and funding.

The walls are there. The vision is there. Now we want to establish it in prayer — trusting God to provide everything we need.

More details will follow next month, but for now, why not put 5 October in your diary and get ready to join us?

Updates

Prayer and Fasting Day
Our next gathering will be Monday 7th September. 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.

AGM

A date for your diary:

We warmly invite you to join our Annual General Meeting, held online on the evening of Monday, 5th October. You will receive a separate invite for this with the links attached nearer the time.
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate what God has done through our ministry this year and to engage with the vision for the year ahead.

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

Youth Hub Finance

This half term, we are incredibly excited to begin Phase 1 of our new Youth Hub. This is a significant milestone for us and a real answer to prayer. We are so grateful for everyone who has given, prayed and supported the vision so far. We have already seen God provide in ways we could not have anticipated, and we are trusting Him to continue to lead the way.

However, there is still a significant amount to raise. We need to roughly double what we have currently raised to see the whole project come to completion. This is a big step of faith for us, and we really need people to pray with us for God's provision.

Please pray for favour with funders, generosity from individuals, churches and supporters, and for unexpected opportunities for finance to come in. Pray that God would open the right doors and provide exactly what is needed, at the right time.

Most importantly, please pray for the vision behind the building. We want this to become a place where young people feel they belong, where they can find support and hope, and where they have opportunities to encounter the love of Jesus. We are excited about what God is going to do through this space and are trusting Him to provide all that is needed to see it completed.

School Chaplaincy - Court Field School

As the new school term begins, please pray for Chloe as she returns to Court Field School. Pray for wisdom, energy and compassion as she reconnects with students and staff, and for opportunities to have meaningful conversations.

Please pray for students as they settle back into school, especially those who may be struggling with anxiety, pressure or difficult circumstances. Pray that they would feel safe, supported and know God's peace.

Pray that God would open doors for Chloe and prepare hearts for conversations that bring hope and encouragement.

School Chaplaincy  – The Castle School

Please pray for Barney as he begins his new role as School Chaplain at The Castle School. Pray for God's peace, wisdom and guidance as he settles in and builds relationships with students and staff.

Pray that God would go before him, preparing hearts and opening opportunities for conversations that bring hope and point young people towards Jesus.

New School Year

Please pray for all the young people we work with as they begin a new school year. For some, returning to school can bring anxiety, uncertainty and pressure, while others may be carrying challenges from home or the summer months.

Pray that they would feel safe, supported and surrounded by positive influences and caring adults. Pray that God would protect them, provide for them and help them to settle well into the new school year, bringing hope, confidence and a sense of belonging.

Outreach

Our outreach work has had a really positive summer, with lots of young people choosing to come back week after week. It has been a joy to build relationships, have fun together and create space for conversations that matter.

As the new school term begins, please pray that these relationships would continue and deepen. Pray for opportunities to keep building trust, speaking hope and reminding young people that they are loved, valued and created with purpose. Pray that God would guide every conversation and open doors for young people to encounter the hope found in Jesus.

Thank You

There is so much happening across Taunton Youth for Christ, and we wanted to take a moment to recognise the people who make this work possible.

Every time a young person is listened to, encouraged, given a safe place to be, or challenged to see something different for their future, it is because people like you have chosen to stand with us.

Your support takes many different forms. You pray, give, volunteer, open doors, introduce us to people, share our vision and encourage our team. Each of these things plays a part in helping us reach young people, particularly those who are struggling, isolated or feel they have little hope for their future.

As we look ahead, there is a real sense that we are entering an important new season. From our growing outreach work to the development of the new Youth Hub, we are building something that we believe can have a lasting impact on young people and the wider community.

We are incredibly grateful that you are part of that journey. Thank you for believing in young people, for believing in what is possible, and for choosing to invest in the future of our community.

We couldn’t do this without you.

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.