Discovering the power of coaching - Saturday 13 February 2027 What if one of the most powerful things we could do as a church was simply to help one another grow? Imagine a church where the older generation intentionally invests in the younger; where home group leaders help people discover their gifts; where we become better at walking alongside one another through life's challenges; and where people are equipped not simply to do things, but to flourish in all that God has ca

Have you heard us singing ‘Give Me Joy’ by Elle Limebear yet? If not, we'd love to encourage you to give it a listen! There is something rather special about this song. It brings together something old and something new, taking a familiar childhood hymn and giving it a fresh lease of life for a new generation. In Matthew 13:52, Jesus speaks about bringing out of our treasures things both new and old. I wonder whether there is something of that in this song. It takes the much-

In a culture that often promises quick fixes and hassle-free living, long-term illness and chronic pain present a deep and uncomfortable challenge. The world often tells us that if we are suffering, life has somehow gone wrong—or that God must be distant. Even within the church, it can be tempting to put on a fake smile and pretend that everything is fine. As we continued our sermon series, "In the Darkness We Were Waiting," we stepped directly into this space. We discovered

At Emmanuel, we love to celebrate life-changing steps of faith by baptism by full immersion. This widespread practice throughout the CofE has recently caught the attention of secular media. You may have seen reports that a judge of a church court refused a request for a baptism pool because it would be a ‘needless waste of water’. Actually, this headline was misleading. The judge’s reason was that there is no theological basis for baptism by immersion, and that there is never

Recently, with my mother-in-law visiting, I finally had to admit that summer was over and put the heating on at home! As the colder weather arrives, you will also have noticed that the heating has been switched on at Emmanuel. It is a timely reminder that keeping our church warm is about to become a much bigger conversation. Our boiler has served Emmanuel for many years; the boiler itself dates from 1997. That makes it 30 years old, and by the time we could realistically comp

The Well is re-opening! Our prayer space for encounter and transformation. From Monday 16 to Friday 20 November, 70 hourly slots are available to book, either on our own with God, or taking a guest with us. This time we will explore our four Emmanuel values, humble, hungry, holy and hopeful. How do you relate to them? How are you engaging with them? In the Bible, many encounters with God happened at a well. To invite you to set aside an hour. Here are some Emmanuel stories fr

On a fish and chip shop on Mutley Plain is a large seasonal painting of a character called Pinhead. Pinhead is the main villain from an 18 rated, 1980s horror film, called Hellraiser, a dark and cautionary story, where in a nutshell - a man opens a mysterious puzzle box and unwittingly unleashes the Hellraiser realm, drawing his family into a terrifying struggle involving resurrection, obsession and supernatural horror. It isn’t a cheery little tale to warm your hearts at an

When Rev’d Alex Randle-Bissell was welcomed as Plymouth's new City Dean, he spoke of being excited by "the expanse of water in front of us all" and the opportunity of "having a new vision for Plymouth and enacting that and following Christ wherever he is leading us." That sense of anticipation and possibility continues to shape the emerging vision of Plymouth 2035. While Plymouth 2035 includes ambitious goals around making disciples, engaging with children and young people, a

Our Parish Partnership with St Monica’s, Thika St Monica’s is bursting at the seams. Over recent years the city-centre church of St Monica’s has grown and grown, and now ministers to over 650 people, including 300 children, teens and young adults. This phenomenal growth has encouraged the church leaders to construct a new purpose-built Centre for ministry to the all the young people who are joining and participating in the church. The new Centre is now in the final stag

On Saturday 10th October, a group of women from Emmanuel travelled to Birmingham for the Orchard conference. Rachel Hughes and Amy Hughes independently had visions in 2020, and were drawn again and again to Jeremiah 17:7, a picture of a tree that “sends out its roots by the stream,” that “has no worries in a year of drought” and “never fails to bear fruit.” That image shaped everything. They then had the vision of an orchard. A vast company of women, deeply rooted and abunda

A new sermon series at Emmanuel: discovering the presence of God in the places where life feels darkest. There are seasons in life when faith does not feel like clarity or certainty. Sometimes, faith looks more like waiting in the dark. We wait for grief to ease. We wait for healing that does not come. We wait for justice, struggle with anxiety about the future, or find ourselves wondering where God is in the midst of loneliness and uncertainty. The Bible is wonderfully hones

Since starting as Operations Manager with Emmanuel Church in July, I’ve been discovering what it means to work somewhere where God is right at the centre of everything. I do like to begin the day with a plan. Ideally, a neat one. Possibly colour-coded. A tidy to-do list, a sensible order of events, and the quiet confidence that I know roughly what is going to happen next. And then God, with perfect timing and a wonderful sense of humour, very often says, “That’s lovely, Jane,

You can now attend a Kintsugi Hope session online. Dr Stephen Warren a retired GP & Kintsugi Hope ambassador is running 3 online sessions with opportunities for conversation. Kintsugi means “joining with gold”. It is a centuries-old Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold- hence the theme of restoration. Kintsugi Hope is a Christian charity promoting wellbeing. Participants are OK not to be OK and find hope through sharing together over relevant material.

Last Sunday, I shared a figure with our congregation that felt both sobering and clarifying: across the entire city of Plymouth, the best available estimate suggests that around 4,000 people gather to worship on any given Sunday. In a city of over 260,000, that means those actively walking in the way of Jesus on a Sunday morning represent roughly 1.5% of our population. A few days later, I gathered with fellow Anglican clergy to discuss our regional vision. Across the Church

A Book Recommendation: 'From Genesis to Junia' by Preston Sprinkle In a world that so quickly divides and dismisses, this book offers a refreshing model for how Christians can seek wisdom, disagree well, and keep Jesus at the center. This summer I spent some time reading Preston Sprinkle’s book, From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says About Women in Leadership. In it, Preston takes an honest, grace-filled walk through the whole biblical narrativ

A New Sermon Series Exploring the Psalms at Emmanuel Church We all live inside a story. The real question is: do we remember which one? It is so easy for the busyness of life to crowd out what is most true. We drift, we get distracted, and we forget who we are and whose we are. That is why I am so deeply expectant as we step into our new sermon series, "Remember: The Story We Live In." The Psalms are far more than ancient poetry or individual prayers. They are the worship boo

Isn’t it amazing how God answers prayer? But sometimes the answer isn’t what was wanted or expected. This summer I was lucky enough to have a holiday in Austria. Over the last 20 years, I have been to the Kitzbuhel Alps many times and walked up most of the mountains in this area. The highest mountain is the Groser Rettenstein and over the years, I have summitted this mountain several times. As I have ‘advanced in years’, I have realised that climbing mountains isn’t as easy a

I've always believed that everyone deserves the opportunity to hear about Jesus. Growing up alongside my younger brother, who has complex additional needs, and through supporting children at churches and events, I've increasingly found myself thinking about what that looks like in practice. Because sometimes joining in isn't quite as simple as walking through the door. Joining In Looks Different It's very easy to look around a church service, children's group or event and

A testimony from a member of our church community I’ve always had a relationship with God, but it was at best distant and I would typically try to talk to him when I was asking for something or needed an answer. Walking past Emmanuel Church on Christmas Eve in 2025 I felt compelled to just go in and try to re-connect with God, and that evening became so much more than that. Over previous years I had visited other Churches for friends’ weddings and baptisms, but this Church

Held, Upheld, and Loved: Reflections on New Life and Church Family ✨ They say it takes a village to raise a baby, but for us, we have found that it takes a church family. Emmanuel Church is a place where community comes together to reflect God’s unconditional love, holding and caring for one another through every season of change, difficulty, and need. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that "in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to al