On Saturday 6 January 2024, Dan James had an encouraging answer to the prayer he’d been praying for 11 years: a church was planted on his council estate in South Leicester.
In 2013, primary school teacher Dan and his wife Jamie moved into Eyres Monsell council estate and their hearts were gripped by both its physical and spiritual needs – there was no gospel church there. ‘Convinced that God’s primary mission strategy is a healthy local church, we started praying for one to begin,’ Dan shared with en. Just over a decade on from those first prayers, after plans, bold initiatives and setbacks, 100 people gathered on the estate this January to commission Eyres Monsell Community Church and Dan as its pastor.
‘I’ve wanted and hoped and prayed for this day,’ Dan exclaimed on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘It was a good day. All glory to Him!’
The church moved from being an idea to a possible reality in 2018, when nearby Avenue Community Church – where Dan and Jamie were members – asked Dan to become their Assistant Pastor. At his urging, they committed to planting a church on Eyres Monsell estate. Dan began training with the support of organisations 20Schemes and Medhurst Ministries, and they prayed for people to join the venture.
‘A few people felt God calling them to join and commit to move into the estate, and we started planning! Then the Covid pandemic threw our plans into chaos,’ Dan said, ‘But thankfully not God’s.’
As Leicester opened up from prolonged lockdowns, people bought houses in the area and began meeting to pray. Their goal was to live ‘such good lives among the pagans’ (1 Peter 2:12) that their neighbours would want to know what was different. They began a community Bible study in 2022 with a few women from the estate, and in 2023 felt God leading them to launch a weekly congregation.
‘There have been lots of highs and lows over the years – people leaving the team, hurts within the team – but the gospel has started to make inroads here,’ Dan reflected. ‘We’re so excited that the church has launched, but we’re also aware that the real task begins now.’
Eyres Monsell is home to 12,000 people and is also in the top 10% of the most deprived areas in the UK. The new church is seeking more workers to commit to join them.
‘The harvest feels plentiful, but the workers few. We’re convinced God has “many people in this city” (Acts 18:10) and look forward to seeing who they are and pointing them to Jesus. Please pray for people to come and hear the gospel, and for God to save!’
