A £3 million project which aims to make the Christian faith exciting, accessible and relevant across north Wales will go ahead.

The Llan project will focus on people who have little or no experience of the Christian faith, nurture excellence in leading pilgrimages and welcoming pilgrims, grow a new Welsh-language church community and set up four pioneering social enterprises.

The name Llan comes from the Welsh for ‘holy place’. The project will create 21st century ‘llans’ – places where people can encounter God and where lives can be transformed in today’s world.

The project, from the Diocese of Bangor, is the second to win a share of the Church in Wales’ Evangelism Fund. The £10m fund was launched last year for ambitious schemes to engage people with the Christian faith in vibrant and exciting ways.

The Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, said Llan would build on the diocese’s priorities to nurture new disciples, grow new ministries and welcome children, families and young people.

“We believe these priorities provide an excellent basis for developing Llan’s new streams of pilgrimage, Welsh-language evangelism and pioneer social enterprise projects,” he said. “Through new work and through building on our strengths, Llan will enable us to become more confident in the gospel across the whole diocese.

“I want to thank the committee members for their confidence in our plans, as well as those colleagues whose vision and courage is leading us forward in new ways.”

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