Big church day out

I have just come back from Big Church Festival in West Sussex.  I didn’t see anyone from Ocean Church, so I am assuming I was the only one there from our community.  I thought it would be good to give you an insight into what happens at this amazing event.  

Imagine if you can 35,000 Christians all in one place.   It does your spirit good just to be surrounded by so many like-minded people.  The event started back in 2009, and I was there at that first gathering; it was inspiring, but it was much smaller.  This year saw the most amount of people camping, and the event sold out for the first time.

For 2025, it was moved from the May Bank Holiday to the August Bank Holiday.  We were told about a major shift in the demographic of people attending.  Of the 35,000 people present 50% of them were under 30.  In the past, it had been dominated by older people.  This says something about Gen Z and the uprising of hunger in young people, searching for something more in life.  Each year, there is an altar call, and each year, lots of people give their lives to Jesus.  This year, they had one each evening, and literally hundreds of people gave their lives to Jesus each night.  Something felt different this year.  Many of the International artists playing said they felt revival was coming to Britain.  How many of us have been praying for revival for years and years?  And now suddenly it feels like we are on the cusp.  It was evident that the format was the same, but the atmosphere was different.  

I can only convey that worshipping with thousands of other Christians, with the focus being purely on Jesus, was a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Do you know there wasn’t one policeman on site?  I didn’t see any arguments or aggression.  Just harmony and people getting along beautifully.  At the campsite site people often broke out in singing worship songs; it felt perfectly natural even though we don’t see it every day.

As with many large events, there are multiple stages.  This year, the worship tent seemed more popular than the main stage.  There was a hunger in people to draw near to God.  We may have felt it for years, but to actually see it in reality made the hairs on the back of your neck go up.  People queueing up and packing in like sardines to worship Jesus.  It’s what this country needs.

This might sound a bit random, but trust me, there is a point to this.  I remember sitting next to my driving instructor when he told me I had passed my driving test.  What he said was, “today you passed your test, but today is also the day when you start to learn to drive.”  My point is this year was a great event, but it is so much more than the experience itself.  It is about being inspired, being open to change, being ready to be radical, and being ready for revival when it comes.  So, get ready!

For many of us, life is a challenge.  We are living with things that are difficult to deal with.  They can get us down.  Our joy tanks can run empty.  Going to an event like this can give us hope.  We remember to look up rather than look down.  We realise we are not on our own. Our circumstances haven’t changed, but somehow with God’s help, we can keep going.  He gives us hope for the future.  

So, I don’t know what you are planning for next August bank holiday, but I can’t recommend enough the opportunity to go and experience Big Church Festival for yourself.  Maybe a group of us can camp together and worship together.   Bring it on!