‘Wales is not finished with faith’: message to Welsh Senedd

‘Wales is not finished with faith and God is not finished with Wales.’ That was the message from Bible Society’s Sian Rees, as she addressed parliamentarians at the Senedd. 

Sian was the first woman to speak at the Welsh Parliament’s Prayer Breakfast. She reflected on recent census figures that show that the number of people in Wales identifying as a Christian had shifted from 57.6 per cent in 2011 to 43.6 per cent in 2021. 

‘Some took this to mean that Wales was turning away from Christianity,’ said Sian, but she added that, ‘To be a follower of Jesus Christ holds deep meaning and significance and, in an age where a person can identify as many different things, why would anyone choose to identify as something which doesn’t accurately describe them? 

‘The religious profile of a nation is far more complex than simply a tick in a box.’  

Reflecting on St David’s Day, celebrated on 1 March, Sian spoke about the importance of pilgrimage. 

‘Wales is known across the earth as being a nation who have encountered God through incredible revivals, for thousands of people coming to know the Lord Jesus in amazing moves of God,’ she told Welsh parliamentarians.

‘Pilgrimages are often undertaken with a sense of expectation of a deepening connection with God, where the pilgrim allows themselves space to experience those thin places where the gap between heaven and earth becomes tiny or even non-existent.  

‘What if a pilgrimage was less about visiting a shrine or sacred place, but instead a journey towards a personal relationship with God?  

‘Each one of us must decide for ourselves whether or not we are going to journey towards a relationship with Jesus,’ she said.