dave & jude May

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Dave and Jude May have been based in Oxford for over 10 years, where both have been involved in helping lead Emmanuel Church Oxford.

After getting married in the summer of 2009, they moved to Oxford after hearing God speaking to them clearly about how moving to Oxford would be a training ground for them and a springboard onto something new.
Soon after joining Emmanuel Church Oxford, and while studying and working full time, Dave and Jude led the student work, and saw God bless and grow that. It was a fun season of seeing people come to know Jesus for the first time, and also seeing many students changed as they encountered God’s presence and His love for them.
In 2012 Dave started working full time for Emmanuel Church Oxford as the Student Pastor, before becoming an Elder and joining the senior leadership team in 2014.
In 2013 Dave and Jude bought their first house in Oxford and had the joy of having their first son born (slightly earlier than expected!) in 2015. In the Spring of 2017 Jude started her own business freelancing as a graphic designer, working from home. 
While pregnant with their second son in 2017, Dave and Jude pioneered and successfully established a new site in the centre of the city. They have been leading this central site for the past 2 and a half years, and have had the joy of baptising people, and see the church grow.

In March 2018 God spoke to Dave and Jude separately about it being the time to move. While praying, Jude saw an image of a removal van outside their house in Oxford, and during a time of worship Dave also felt God had spoken to him clearly about it being the right time to explore moving. Later that year in November the call to go start new churches in the North was impressed on Dave during a Catalyst leaders conference. This led Dave and Jude to start exploring cities in the North in the Spring of 2019. During that time, and before visiting Sheffield, a friend shared that they felt God was speaking to Dave and Jude about moving to Yorkshire, and to a place filled with palm trees. It was while they were exploring Sheffield, that Dave and Jude encountered a number of locations filled with palm trees, like the Winter Gardens – a massive urban greenhouse right in the heart of Sheffield’s city centre. It was then they realised God was asking them to plant a new church in Sheffield.

 If you know Dave and Jude, you will know they love people. They spend their days filling their home and feeding people. They love a good party, BBQ, dinner party, or any excuse to celebrate. Exploring the outdoors is a passion that has only increased now they have two energy-filled young boys. Woodland walks and time at the beach has to be two favourite family outdoor locations. They can’t wait to start exploring and discovering new places in Sheffield!