Prior to attending I researched a bit about Hillsong to prepare myself. I first happened upon its mission statement: "Hillsong is a church that believes in Jesus and loves God and its people." Sounds good to me. I continued reading and discovered, to my surprise, the church is absolutely enormous and has campuses in London, Australia, Moscow/Kiev, South Africa, New York City, Stockholm, France, Germany, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Barcelona, and Los Angeles. With that kind of following, you know it's going to be awesome. By some random chance and maybe even a little luck, its main Australian campus is in the same suburb I am living in - Baulkham Hills.
I arrived at the church and noted there were several tarps set up on the front lawn selling food, almost like a carnival. Also carnival-esque were the hundreds of people roaming around, seeming to already be having a blast. (I chose to attend the 6 p.m. service, correctly assuming that was the service the majority of others in their 20s would attend. Other options were 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 5 p.m.) I spotted a sign that announced newcomers could be greeted in the foyer and wandered around a little bit, unable to spot any obvious welcome center. Resolving to venture into the church, I found about 15 young adults wearing name tags that indicated they were on a greeting committee; I approached them and inquired about the whereabouts of the foyer. I was quickly led to a booth and asked to complete a sign-in sheet with my name, nationality and email address. To my surprise, the orientation did not end there; a new volunteer led me to a reserved visitor section and even went so far as to sit next to me for the service. It was truly an above-and-beyond welcoming that eased the inevitable awkwardness of attending a new organization alone for the first time.
Entering the room hosting the service, I was awestruck. This auditorium was bigger than the arena that hosted my college graduation. People began swarming in, easily filling the entire seating offering of perhaps 500. (With five services a day filling these seats, it would seem as though the entire Hills District attends this church. And this is only one of its 52 Australian campuses!) Over 90 percent of the individuals in attendance, I would estimate, were in the 18-35 age group, and as the evening progressed it was evident the church leadership plans the service very intentionally to cater to that demographic - an effort of which I was able to reap the rewards.
The service started with a concert. No, not "The singing portion that I dread because I cringe at the thought of singing and yet feel rude if I remain silent and just feel really awkward until it's over" portion, as I used to call it. This was a bona fide, full fledged concert that I imagine people, if given the opportunity, would shell out top dollar to attend. The concert began with the lights shutting out so the entire stadium was black. After a few moments, strobe lights began swirling around the crowd and talented singers began belting out original Hillsong lyrics to praise music. Enthusiastic young adults swarmed around the bottom of the stage, jumping up and down and forming a gathering that was a few beers short of a mosh pit. Images lit up on giant screens, animating the singers' faces with features such as a blurry effect or adding swirls of color to the background. An element of smoke was released into the air. I found myself easily swaying along with the crowd. If the word "Jesus" hadn't been a lyric numerous times in each song, I would have completely forgot I was in church.
The music eventually ended, and a guest preacher took the stage. It was announced that he and his wife are opening a church in Miami, and the process is going to be followed on reality television on the E network. During his sermon, people charismatically yelled out sentiments such as "Yes!" and "Preach!" and "Amen!" sporadically as they felt inspired. The preacher, knowing his audience, made jokes that referred to Facebook and Instagram, and even opted to read Bible passages off his phone instead of opening a text.
The message referred to a passage regarding seeds being planted in the ground, noting that we have to go downward before we can make it back upward, encouraging us to not become discouraged if we are going through a tough time. He recommended a strategy to overcome difficulties is bettering oneself. I enjoyed the line he stated, "A plant can't grow unless it is healthy."
The 90 minute service ended with a few more songs and then ended with a prayer. A night full of surprises, the experience didn't end there.
The girl who graciously sat next to me provided an introduction to another volunteer, who took me to a cafe portion of the church and chatted with me for a half hour or so. She explained the numerous services Hillsong provides, and I signed up to join a Tuesday night small group along with a volunteer group. She then provided me with a tour of the church, notably pointing out multiple other stadium-esque buildings where services are held, noting that each service is different, so church-goers can attend multiple times per day if they would like. Other ammenities included cafes, lounge areas, and lastly, a large balcony where there was a large gathering of people my age. We had arrived, I learned, at an event fittingly titled "The Balcony," where individuals ages 18-25 gather after the 6 p.m. service on Sunday nights.
The girl dropped me off there and I easily made friends with a handful of people - all thanks to their welcoming nature, which seems to be a huge priority of Hillsong. I learned that a different small group throws this gathering each week, and this particular group decided to assign an Alice and Wonderland theme; members of the group dressed in full makeup and costume and walked around, in character, all night. Hip hop music was booming, and a large circle of people gathered, with particularly brave dancers spinning around in the middle. I remained on the outskirts and attempted the white-girl-sway, feeling very much out of my element but quickly assimilating. Once again, I felt like I was in some sort if a night club - sans alcohol. I was incredibly intrigued by the fact that I was in attendance at, of all things, a post-church dance party.
Eventually people started trickling home. I realized I had no clue what time it was, and discovered I had passed the 9:30 mark, which meant I had missed the last bus home. My housemate kindly picked me up, and then, after three and a half hours, my first church service at Hillsong had ended.
I am left speechless. That's what I call fun.
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