Transformed - July Newsletter

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

An update from Kelly

One of the greatest answers to prayer this month has been the appointment of our new School Chaplain, Barney. After much prayer throughout the recruitment process, we are so thankful that God has provided exactly the right person for this role.

Barney has a real heart for young people and is looking forward to serving the students at The Castle School. We are excited to see how God will work through him as he begins building relationships and supporting the school community.

Starting any new role brings a mixture of excitement and challenge, so we'd love you to continue praying for Barney as he settles into the team, both here and at The Castle School. Please also pray that God would prepare the hearts of the young people he will meet, opening opportunities for meaningful conversations and lasting impact.

We are so grateful for your faithful prayers. Time and again, we see God answering them in ways that remind us He is always at work, often long before we can see it ourselves. Thank you for partnering with us as we seek to see young people's lives changed by Jesus.

Updates

Safeguarding and Trauma

We would really value your prayers for our team at the moment. Over the past few weeks, we've been supporting several young people with very complex and high-level safeguarding needs and trauma, all of which have escalated at the same time. It has been an incredibly demanding season, both practically and emotionally.

Please pray for wisdom as we navigate these situations, for strength and resilience for the team, and above all, for the young people involved. Pray that they would experience safety, hope and healing, and that the right support would be put in place at the right time.

Prayer and Fasting Day
Our next gathering will be Monday 10th August. 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.

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 Chaplaincy - Court Field School

Although the school holidays are here, we'd love you to continue praying for Chloe. Pray that this summer would be a time of rest, refreshment and encouragement after another busy school year.

Please also pray for the students and families of Court Field School over the holidays. For many young people, the summer break can be a difficult time. Pray that those who are struggling would know God's peace, be kept safe, and receive the support they need. As a new school year approaches, pray that God would be preparing hearts and opening doors for meaningful conversations when Chloe returns in September.

School Chaplaincy  – The Castle School

Please pray for Barney as he prepares to join us in September as our new School Chaplain. Pray that he would know God's peace and guidance as he steps into this new role, and that he would quickly build strong relationships with students and staff at The Castle School.

Please also pray that God would go before him, preparing hearts and creating opportunities for conversations that point young people towards the hope found in Jesus. We are excited to see all that God has in store through Barney's ministry.

School Holidays

Please pray for all the young people we work with over the summer holidays. While this can be a time of fun and rest for many, for others it can bring loneliness, uncertainty, and increased challenges at home. During the holidays, the structure and routine of school disappears, and many of the professionals and support services they normally rely on are also working reduced hours or taking annual leave. This can leave some of our most vulnerable young people feeling particularly isolated.

Please pray that they would be kept safe over the coming weeks, surrounded by positive influences and supportive adults. Pray that God would protect them, provide for them, and continue to work in their lives during the summer, preparing their hearts for the new school year ahead.

Work Experience Student

Thank you for praying for our work experience student from Pyrland School. He had a fantastic week with us and was a real asset to the team. It was a privilege to spend time with him, and we hope the experience has encouraged him as he considers his future.

Please continue to pray for him as he returns to school. Pray that God would guide his next steps, grow his confidence, and continue to reveal His plans and purpose for his life.

Outreach

Our detached outreach has continued to be incredibly busy throughout the summer, with young people choosing to come back week after week. It is a privilege to be a consistent presence in their lives, building trust and creating space for conversations that matter.

Every day we hear statistics about rising mental health challenges, violence, exploitation and hopelessness affecting this generation. Our vision is to be a light in that darkness. We want to speak life where others speak despair, bring hope where there seems to be none, and remind every young person we meet that they are deeply loved, valued and created with purpose.

Please pray that God would continue to give us boldness, compassion and wisdom as we reach young people, and that through every conversation and relationship, they would encounter the hope that can only be found in Jesus.

Youth Hub Finance

We have some exciting news to share! Thanks to God's incredible provision, we now have enough finance to complete the first fix of our new Youth Hub. This is a huge milestone and a real answer to prayer.

However, we still need to raise a further £30-£40K to complete the project. Please join us in praying for God's miraculous provision. We know that this is His vision, and we are trusting Him to provide everything needed at exactly the right time. Please pray for favour with funders, generosity from supporters, and open doors that only God can open.

We are believing that this Hub will become a place where countless young people encounter hope, lasting change, and the love of Jesus, for years to come.

Thank You

As another month comes to a close, we simply want to say thank you. We never take for granted the incredible community of people who stand alongside Taunton Youth for Christ.

Whether you support us through prayer, giving, volunteering or encouragement, you are helping to make a lasting difference in the lives of young people. Every conversation, every relationship built, and every opportunity to share the hope of Jesus is possible because of your partnership.

This month has brought both moments of great joy and significant challenges, yet through it all we have seen God's faithfulness. We are continually reminded that this ministry is never carried by one person or one team, but by a family of believers united by a shared vision to see young people's lives changed by Jesus.

Thank you for believing in this generation, for standing with us, and for continuing to invest in the work God is doing across Taunton. We are excited to see what He has in store in the months ahead.

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.