Transformed - May Newsletter

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

An update from Kelly

As I sat in recent police training around knife crime in Somerset, I left feeling deeply shaken. The statistics are staggering. Behind every number is a young person, a family, a community carrying fear, pain, and brokenness. Increasingly, we are having regular conversations locally about young people carrying knives and even machetes. What once felt distant is now right on our doorstep.

But this is exactly why we cannot stop praying.

Prayer is not passive. Prayer changes atmospheres, softens hearts, protects lives, and makes a way where there seems to be none. We are believing for breakthrough in our schools, streets, families, and communities. We are believing for young people to encounter hope instead of hopelessness, purpose instead of violence, and belonging instead of fear.

The time is now. This is urgent.

Please keep standing with us in prayer. Pray for protection over young people. Pray for wisdom for schools, police, youth workers, and families. Pray for courage for those on the frontlines. Pray for hearts to turn toward peace. And pray that the Church would rise up with compassion, boldness, and faith in this critical moment.

We truly believe God can change the story for this generation!

Updates

Youth Hub

We’re excited to share another positive update about the Youth Hub at Oakwood Church. Over recent weeks, some significant barriers that had been slowing the project down have now been resolved, and we’re so thankful to God for His provision and favour in the process.

Our next stage is meeting with Oakwood to explore the practical next steps for the build and begin shaping what this space will become for young people across the town. We truly believe God is opening doors, making a way forward, and preparing something incredibly impactful for this generation.

Keep praying — the mountain is moving!

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.

Prayer and Fasting Day
Our next gathering will be Monday 1st June. 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.

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

Outreach

We’ve had a fantastic month of outreach, regularly seeing over 40 young people attend each session. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see such consistent engagement, with a large wave of new young people connecting with us that we haven’t encountered before. As we build new levels of trust and relationship with them, we are also continuing to journey faithfully with many young people we have supported for several seasons.

Please pray for wisdom as we navigate increasingly complex safeguarding situations and seek to fully support each young person with the care, consistency, and practical help they need. Above all, pray that every conversation and relationship would create opportunities to share the hope and truth of the Gospel.

Volunteers

As our outreach continues to grow rapidly, we are seeking more volunteers with the right heart to join the team—people who are compassionate, resilient, grounded in their faith, and willing to faithfully invest in the lives of young people.

Please pray with us that God would raise up the right individuals to serve alongside us, helping to build trusted relationships, support vulnerable young people well, and create space for life-changing conversations about Jesus.

Court Field School

Please continue to lift Chloe up in prayer as she steps into a new season of outreach, engaging with young people in a community space outside of school. This is an exciting opportunity to build new relationships and connect with young people in a different context.

Pray that she would be filled with wisdom, confidence, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as she navigates this new environment. Ask that she would quickly build trust with the young people she meets and that meaningful connections would be formed.

Please also pray for protection, strength, and encouragement as she pioneers this work—that she would know God’s leading in every conversation and that this space would become one where young people feel safe, seen, and open to encountering Jesus.

GCSE exams

Please continue to pray for the students who are currently sitting their GCSE exams. They are now halfway through and will return after half term for the second half of the exam season. This can be an incredibly stressful and overwhelming time for many young people, and we are continuing to support and encourage them practically wherever we can.

Please pray for peace, focus, resilience, and confidence in the weeks ahead, as well as for their emotional wellbeing during this intense season. Pray that they would know they are not alone, feel supported every step of the way, and encounter God’s peace even in the pressure.

Chaplaincy at Castle School

Please continue to pray for the Chaplaincy post at Castle School. This is such an incredible opportunity, and one we truly believe could have a lasting impact on the lives of young people within the school community. Please pray that the finances would come into place so we can move forward with recruitment and begin establishing the role.

Our heart is to see a chaplain in every secondary school across the town within the next five years. Schools are places where many young people are struggling, searching, and carrying heavy burdens, and they desperately need the hope, presence, and light of Jesus. We know this vision is bigger than us, so please pray for provision, partnerships, and the right people to help make it possible.

Thank You

This mission has always been bigger than any one person—it is something we carry together. What we are witnessing among young people in Taunton is the fruit of a community choosing to stand, give, and believe alongside us.

Each of you plays a significant part.

To those who serve so generously with your time and energy—you are on the front line, creating spaces where young people feel safe, known, and valued. Through you, they are experiencing the love of Jesus in real and lasting ways.

To those who give financially—you are enabling this work to happen. Every conversation, every act of support, every opportunity we have is made possible because of your generosity. Your giving is truly making a difference in young lives.

To those who pray—you are underpinning everything. Your prayers are powerful, sustaining this work, opening doors, and preparing hearts in ways we may never fully see.

We are deeply thankful for each and every one of you. If God puts something on your heart for us, we would love to hear it—please do share it with Kelly.

Together, let’s continue to see young lives transformed by Jesus.

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:

• Online: Visit our website to make a one-off donation or set up a regular gift.
  https://www.tauntonyfc.co.uk/

• Bank Transfer: Contact us for details if you’d like to give directly.

• Cash or cheque: If you would rather gift via cash or cheque, you can get this to Kelly directly, or via our new office address;
  Oakwood Church Centre, Obridge Road, TA2 7PU

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.