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A very warm welcome to friends, members and visitors to the website of Emmanuel Church

If you are visiting Ilfracombe, please do come along and join us for Sunday worship (10:30am) or to any of our special events or concerts during the week.  We will be very pleased to see you.

Emmanuel Church is a united congregation made up of members of the Methodist and United Reformed Churches.  Our present membership is 53 although the total community number is closer to 90.

Our Minister is the Reverend Barbara Bennett who can be contacted directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Emmanuel Church is part of the Ilfracombe and Barnstaple Methodist Circuit which as a pastorate includes the Methodists Church at Combe Martin and the Methodists at Lynton, who worship at the United Reformed Church there.  Until 28th June, the Methodist Church at Woolacombe was also part of the pastorate but this church has now sadly been closed.  The circuit is part of the Plymouth and Exeter district.

We are also part of the South Western Synod of the United Reformed Church.  This is a group of local churches which includes the United Reformed Churches at Barnstaple, Bickington, Bideford, Braunton, Bude, and Lynton.  Since 7th November 2009, Muddiford URC has also become a member of the pastorate and Barbara became it's minister.  It will however not be part of the Methodist circuit.

There are two retired ministers living in Ilfracombe, Reverend Jim Bates (Methodist) and Reverend Margaret Howard (United Reformed).  Mr Martin Readon is now the only local preacher within the pastorate since Mrs Cecily Challacombe and Miss Una Parsons have now retired.

The Church itself stands at the corner of Wilder Road and Avenue Road, opposite the very distinctive Landmark Theatre and ad
jacent to the Bay/Shearings Dilkhusa Grand Hotel.  The entrance to the church is on Avenue road with access for the disabled.  We also have a new flat panel sound system together with an induction loop for the hard of hearing.

Church Exterior