Festival celebrates church life

The Archbishop of Wales is inviting parishioners from South Wales to join him at a festival to celebrate the best of church life.

Dr Barry Morgan is leading the Llandaff Diocesan Festival – Celebrate! - at Merthyr Tydfil’s new leisure centre on Saturday, September 26.

Hundreds of churchgoers across the Diocese – which stretches from Cardiff north to Merthyr and west to Neath – are expected to join in the day which will be packed with ideas and activities to entertain and inspire parishes.

From “messy church” and gigabyte cafes to “eco congregations”– lots of exciting new church initiatives will be on display, offering advice and ideas. As well as a service of worship, there will be an interactive prayer walk, a double-decker “mission bus”, musical buskers, a prayer wall, and a story zone for children with a puppet workshop and plenty of fun with Roly Bain, the famous clown and priest. Visitors will also have the chance to go to 20 minute taster sessions on a range of church related subjects such as working with schools, counselling services and the Welsh Government.

The Archbishop says he hopes the day will inspire the whole diocese:

"Whether you’re in the Sunday School or a churchwarden, attend church every week or once a year, or are someone just interested in exploring Christian faith - I'm inviting everyone to come and see and celebrate all the good work going on in churches across the Llandaff Diocese.

“It will be a great family day out and a chance to learn about exciting things going on in our churches.. As I travel around the diocese week by week and Sunday by Sunday, I become aware that parishes sometimes seem only to know about their own local patch and not about anyone else's. I believe an openness to the wider church can engender hope, a willingness to have a go, take risks and do new things. So come along and be inspired."

The Festival takes place at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre between 10.30am – 3.30pm and reporters are welcome to attend and see what is going on in churches today.