A Light for the City: Called to a Day of Prayer and Fasting

At Emmanuel, our heartbeat is to be “a light for the city”—reflecting the hope, love, and life of Jesus into our local community. Whether you have been part of our family for decades or are just looking in from the outside, you will know that a healthy community is one that constantly pauses to listen, dream, and align its heart with God's direction.

Right now, Emmanuel is entering an exciting new season filled with fresh potential, significant new horizons, and key moments of transition. To welcome everything the future holds, our leadership team is inviting the whole Emmanuel community to a special Day of Prayer and Fasting on Monday, 8th June. Looking Ahead: Key Areas of Focus

We are dedicating this day to focusing our vision on four specific areas, asking for God’s guidance and wisdom as we plan for the future:

 The Future of St Mary’s Laira: We are in a vital season of looking ahead at the long-term mission and structural direction for St Mary’s. We want to ensure our presence in Laira continues to be a vibrant, relevant light for that neighbourhood.

Navigating Transition with St Paul’s: Revd Darryl, the vicar of St Paul’s, is approaching his retirement. We are immensely grateful for his years of faithful service to our community. While the future steps for St Paul's are not yet fully known, we want to pray for their church family during this time of transition, asking for wisdom as we look at how to best support one another in the wider community moving forward.

 An Update on the Child Contact Centre: It is with a mix of sadness and deep gratitude that we share the news regarding the closure of our Child Contact Centre. As the only free supported centre in Plymouth, it has been a literal lifeline for separated families. While this specific chapter is closing, our heart as a compassionate, trauma-informed church remains completely unchanged. We are praying for the families affected, honouring the incredible volunteers who poured their lives into this work, and asking how we can best serve local families in new ways moving forward.

 Investing in the Next Generation: Our big vision is to significantly expand our work with children, youth, and young adults across Plymouth. Over the last three and a half years, our teams have worked incredibly hard to maintain our momentum during a prolonged vacancy in our Associate leadership position. With local transitions ahead, we know our resources will be stretched. We are actively praying for fresh provisions, financial support, and new team members to help us strengthen our foundation and accelerate these vital ministries.

Great Possibilities and Fresh Horizons

There is no denying that seasons of change require energy and focus. Saying goodbye to a beloved ministry, navigating local leadership transitions, and carrying gaps in our team asks a lot of our staff and amazing volunteers. Yet, as we look at the landscape of Emmanuel, the overwhelming story of this moment isn't the stretch—it is the unbelievable, God-given potential right in front of us.

We are a church sitting on the cusp of an incredible harvest. The opportunities within walking distance of our building are immense. We aren’t gathering out of scarcity; we are gathering because we are full of expectation! We believe God is using this season to prepare our canvas for something beautiful and new.

How to Join Us on Monday, 8th June

Whether you regularly practice prayer or are simply curious to see how our community discerns the future, you are incredibly welcome to participate:

1. Prayer and Fasting Throughout the Day

Many in our community will be choosing to fast during the day on Monday, skipping meals as a tangible expression of our hunger for God's presence, using that time instead to focus on reflection and prayer. (If medical reasons prevent you from fasting from food, many choose to fast from media, technology, or simply dedicate specific moments of the day to quiet reflection).

2. Gathering Together in the Evening

The culmination of our day will be a united gathering in the church building at 7:30pm. This will be a focused time of corporate worship, prayer, and listening for what the Holy Spirit is saying to us as a community as we step into these new opportunities.

Please clear your diaries for Monday, 8th June. Let’s come together with open hearts, seek His face, and watch how He leads Emmanuel to be an even brighter light for Plymouth.

"The LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit."  Psalm 34:18