Emmanuel Chanda

Emmanuel grew up attending church with his family. But when he started college at 16, he decided he wanted to live on his own terms.

“I had a plan to not go to church again, and to stay away from anything to do with God.”

But Emmanuel had a friend who persistently asked him to come along to the school’s Christian Union. After several invites, Emmanuel agreed. Things started to change in Emmanuel’s heart and his view of God.

“The more I learnt about God, the more he showed me who he was. From a friend to a Father to a Saviour.”

Soon after, Emmanuel gave his life to Christ.

He started an internship at his church, serving youth ministries. He started going into local schools, sharing the gospel in assemblies and small group sessions. Eager to continue in ministry, Emmanuel joined LCM’s Pioneer programme where he received training and teaching to effectively share the gospel in London’s urban communities. After finishing the course, he felt called to go into full-time ministry and joined LCM as a Missionary in Lambeth.

“My heart is to see young lives transformed by the work of Jesus Christ, the way mine was when I heard the gospel at a young age.”

Emmanuel comes alongside local churches, training Christians to make connections in their local community, build friendships and share the gospel in a relevant way.

In recent years, Lambeth has had some of the highest rates of Serious Youth Violence nationally. Many young people suffer with mental health issues.

“The prayer is that we will be able to partner with churches that understand that we have an answer to these needs – Jesus Christ – but it’s up to us to share this answer with our community.”

Emmanuel helps lead a local youth group that provides a safe space for local young people – from different faith backgrounds – to build friendships and hear the good news of Jesus.

“My vision is to see the growth of a cross-generation church body throughout London. To see a generation of young people wanting to share the gospel with their friends and families and for them to be rooted in local churches; having a positive impact in their local communities for Christ’s name.”

Emmanuel loves learning and exploring new cultures and lives in Streatham with his wife Brii.