St Padarn's students are joining city churches this week for "Experiencing God", a series of services and events across the city.

Students from St Padarn's have arrived in Swansea this week, taking part in a series of events across the city.

The trainee clergy are joining local churches for the "Experiencing God" programme, running until Sunday, 5 July, which includes an art exhibition at St James' Church, a beach barbecue and Compline, a service of contemplative worship at St Paul's, Sketty, and an outdoor gathering at Port Eynon on the Gower coast.

Alun Evans, tutor of mission at St Padarn's Institute, said the week is designed as much for learning as for outreach. "The ordinands are going to be working with local churches, and there's lots and lots of different activities happening around Swansea," he said. "It's there for an encouragement, and it's there as a learning exercise."

He said the students would be spending time at Swansea Minster throughout the week and encouraged people in the city to come and meet them. "We would love it if people come and chat to them," he said. "They've got some fantastic stories - come and have a chat with them, hear some of their stories, and share some of your stories."

Rev'd Ian Folks, vicar of St James', said the group brought a wide range of backgrounds with them. "It's a really mixed and varied bunch of people," he said. "It just shows that people who are becoming vicars are drawn from all different kinds of walks of life and all types of backgrounds. I'm looking forward to working with them very much over the next week.

"We've got all sorts of different kinds of things happening, so I would very much encourage people to come along to things like the art exhibition, which is at St James', and all the things that are happening at Swansea Minster through the next few days."

Student Janice Vardon said she was looking forward to experiencing the churches' work first-hand. "We, as students, have come down to the Swansea ministry area to work on mission and ministry, to experience it, to join with the churches and learn and understand their work and their experiences of ministry and mission. I'm quite excited for all the experiences that I'm going to have.

"We joined with the Minster, and we worked in the breakfast club yesterday morning that I found to be incredible. I felt such joy at just the prospect of serving, of having the opportunity to spend time with these people, to engage with them, and just offer God's love to them.

"The other thing that is going to be quite interesting is the broad range of worship experiences," she said. "It's lovely to just have a variety of opportunities to come before God, offer your worship in many, many different ways."