On 27th and 28th May 2023, the former Big Church Day Out event held it’s first event under the new branding of Big Church Festival.
The event is reaching epic proportions with numbers exceeding 35,000 people, and it’s still growing.
This year there was a marked increase in the ethnic diversity of Christians attending and although there is still a very obvious predominance of White Christians, the efforts of the organisers are beginning to pay dividends.
British Asian Christian Association, trustee Juliet Chowdhry attended this years event with her family, she said:
“This year there were scores of South Asian Christian visitors, it was a pleasant surprise.
“We have promoted the event every year since being approached by the organisers.
“It seems some of our diaspora is responding to our effort, and that’s great as we all belong to a large family of believers.
“Events like these enable us to learn about the work of Christian charities and worship with an encouragingly large congregation.
“The event also features places reserved for supported and personal prayer; free Bibles and an alter call at the end of each night.
“It’s a perfect place to introduce non-Christians to the vibrancy of our faith and give them an opportunity to give their life to God.”
At this year’s event Ryan Hylton was performing, a young man who was highlighted as one to watch by Premier Christian Radio in 2021 (click here).
Ryan is a close friend of the Chowdhry family and gave a shout out to Juliet and Hannah Chowdhry at the event, before he performed. Hannah Chowdhry, who attended the event said:
“I knew Ryan when I was a small child, when his father was the Pastor at the church my family attended.
“His performance at the event was immaculate, one day he’ll be on the main stage.
“Ryan has not sacrificed the context of his lyrics to suit rhythm; each of his songs illustrate a deep understanding of the Gospel.
“Ryan also bravely shared his testimony about the difficulties he faced when his mother died, his track ‘Holding On’ magnifies that message. (click here)
“Ryan, was singing at the Tom’s Stage which was a smaller stage at the event, but when he played it had the largest audience I saw at that smaller location.
“No doubt that was helped by the large number of visitors from Potters House Church, which for that short moment made that corner of the event the most diverse of the day.
Part of Ryan Hylton’s testimony.
Many well known Christian performers were invited to perform at the Big Church festival, including: Kings Kaleidoscope, Phillipa Hannah and Guvna B to name a few. A full list of the line up can be seen (here). On Saturday the night ended with a performance by Bethel Music, who not only performed, but called many to either strengthen their faith with God or explore a relationship with God. During the performance, two planes lit up the sky with fireworks and art, it created a beautiful moment, one only surpassed by the fact we were surrounded by so many Christians praising God.
British Asian Christian Association, is hoping to hold a stall at the event again next year. We hope that our stall will make even more Christians aware of our organisation and galvanise more support. We believe it will also encourage even more South Asian Christians will come to the biggest Christian Festival held in England every summer. We feel as a community we need to show up at this and other Christian events in bigger numbers. We need to be more united with the wider Christian family. If you would like to support us in our goal to re-hold a stall at the event like we did in 2022 then please donate to our general group administration fund (here)
