On Thursday, 30 April, the Parish of Swindon New Town hosted the latest evening in its ‘Grace on the Ground Level’ series, exploring the stories behind what has become known as the ‘Quiet Revival’. The event featured a panel of six young people sharing their experiences of faith and church life, offering a hopeful picture of how younger generations are engaging with Christianity today.
The evening brought together people with a wide range of experiences of faith, giving those present the opportunity to listen to personal stories of coming to faith and belonging in church as a young person.
The gathering began with a drinks reception before everyone was invited into the church for the panel discussion. The conversation was hosted by Cameron Stannard, Pastoral Assistant in the Parish, who opened the evening with an overview of the Quiet Revival research. He referenced the Bible Society’s recent response to new information regarding the unreliability of the data, highlighting that while church attendance may be declining in some areas, there are strong indicators that the depth of faith among many young people is increasing.
Early in the discussion, individuals shared their personal experiences of coming to faith. First, Aofie Hall spoke about how she had explored spiritual practices she had seen on social media during lockdown. When she later started attending church, the beauty and truth of the Christian faith truly stuck out to her. Reflecting on her relationship with God now, she shared that God has become her “rock and comforter”, the source of a “true, strong faith”.
Kai McWhirter described how an intellectual search for meaning in life led him towards faith. He spoke about realising that either life is ultimately “meaningless”, or that true meaning is found in God. He reflected that many young people are searching for clear claims to truth, and that a “watered‑down faith does not satisfy”.
Later on in the evening, the panel discussed how the increase in the number of young people coming to church is seen by many as a move of the Holy Spirit. Alex Brain spoke about his own experience of this and how, despite not being from a Christian family and having no background of faith, he had felt led to explore faith and go to church. Caleb Howard also described feeling led to try church, sharing how encountering God’s love through church life brought him a sense of “calm and peace [he] had never felt before”.
During the final part of the evening, audience members were invited to ask questions. One question focused on how older members of congregations can help young people feel welcome in church today. Alfie encouraged those present to remember that everyone is welcome, emphasising the importance of receiving new people openly and warmly when they first attend.
As the evening drew to a close, each panellist was invited to offer final reflections. Bethany Tunley, who joined via Zoom as she was away, spoke about the transformative impact that faith has had on her life. She reflected particularly on the role of the parish’s liturgical and traditional worship, describing the “privilege of being able to go to church” and saying she “can’t imagine life without God”.
This was the first of three Grace at the Ground Level talks taking place this year. On Sunday 3, May, Kai McWhirter will speak about the Church and people with autism, sharing his personal experience of finding belonging within church life. You can find details of the next talks at the link below.