Carmarthen Showground was filled with worship and celebration on Saturday, 23rd May, as hundreds gathered for the Diocesan Big Day Out – Open to God, organised by the Bishop of St David’s, Dorrien Davies.
The event welcomed everyone from clergy, congregation members, families, young people and visitors of all ages, coming together from all corners of the Diocese of St Davids.
On the day, an extensive range of activities were available, free of charge. Activities included talks by guest speakers, live music, craft, prayer and a large Holy Communion service led by Bishop Dorrien himself. All events were centred around the main message of the day, ‘Open to God’.
The purpose of the event follows 2025 being ‘The Year of Mission’, which runs from Advent Sunday. With the event occurring on the Saturday of Pentecost, a theme which was prominently featured in children’s crafts.
In its advertisement of the event, the Church in Wales said that “Open to God has been inspired by Bishop Dorrien and mirrors an event held forty years ago by his predecessor and mentor, Bishop George Noakes”.
The event was opened to all, especially churches and its congregations throughout the St Davids Diocese which covers Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen and Ceredigion.
Bishop Dorrien envisioned the event to encourage congregations to consider the reasons why we go to church and inspire new ideas and ways to approach building and developing churches throughout the diocese. Though the major message entwined throughout the event was that of the importance of recognising and sharing faith beyond the church and taking it into the surrounding towns and communities of each church.
Children and young people were a key focus throughout this event. Alongside multiple craft opportunities and stalls providing and selling a range of resources for children, and including a hugely popular bouncy castle, the event highlighted the importance and ever-growing need for youth ministry in churches all over the diocese. While providing ideas and resources to help grow the existing groups and projects, the event inspired and encouraged new projects for younger generations to come.
All who attended the event would share a sentiment of thanks for Bishop Dorrien’s hospitality and kindness in organising such an engaging event, and would hope for such events to continue in the future.
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