Hillsong Conference 17 - Closer

I attended the Hillsong Conference for the first time this year.

If you don't know about Hillsong Church, here's a brief history and an idea of what they do.
Hillsong is a Pentecostal church, founded by Brian and Bobbie Houston in 1983 in Sydney, Australia. The church has branches in cities in 19 countries, spanning five continents. It has an average global attendance of about 100,000 people weekly.

It is well known for being a modern, forward-thinking church, and is hugely different from the traditional image most people hold of church.

I had long heard about Hillsong, but only started attending one of their network churches, The Junction Church (with campuses in Loughborough and Leicester. It's an incredible church if you're going to be a student at one of these universities), last year, when I began university.

What's great about Hillsong is that it has developed so well in unison with the trends of the western world, whilst upholding and standing firm with the principles of the Bible. It has even attracted many celebrity attendees such as Hailey Baldwin, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Kevin Durant, and more.

The Hillsong Conference has been held every year since 1986. It is held in Sydney, Australia, London, England, and Los Angeles, USA.

I had bought my ticket with The Junction Church early in the year, not knowing much about Conference, apart from the general idea of it - that there would be several well-known speakers, live music, and that it would be a huge event.
I had been excited about attending, but did not know what to expect. Many people who had been in the past had described it as a life-changing experience, and as much as this gave some more excitement and momentum to the event, it always sounds cliche when people use the phrase that an event "changed their life", because it's never followed by an explanation. No one ever defines how they have been 'changed'.

Finally, August 2 came around, and over 60 members of Junction journeyed down to London for the two-day conference, which was held at a packed out O2 Arena, just to give an idea of the sheer scale of this event.

The Junction Church had arranged for us to experience Conference from a suite, from which we would hear the speakers, watch the worship, and enjoy the event. This allowed us to cut down on the huge lines, which told me it was going to be good from the start.

I will only discuss the first night in this post, just to keep it short (but the whole event was just breathtaking).

The first night was kicked off by worship which was incredible beyond words. The feeling of worshipping in an Arena, with thousands of people singing in the same heart is indescribably beautiful.
The worship was followed by a word from Jentezen Franklin, whom I had never heard of. All I knew of him was that he was the senior pastor of Free Chapel in the Southern USA (so he had an amazing accent).
My lack of knowledge concerning him was clearly of no relevance because his message blew me, and anyone who heard it, away. He preached a message called 'The Seventh Hand', a message I couldn't summarise adequately. You need to listen to to feel the true power of it (you can do that here: http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/free-chapel-oc/episodes/the-seventh-hand).

The night was also ended with worship. I was blown away by the worship every time, the power of which filled the arena, and I'm sure was felt by everyone attending.
The majority of the songs performed were from the newest Album by Hillsong United, Wonder (which you can listen to on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, and many other places - I strongly advise you do this because you will be shook).
I had listened to the whole album a few times before Conference, but I wasn't overwhelmingly impressed initially, only really enjoying a few songs. However, hearing songs I hadn't truly HEARD, at Conference, performed with such power and a sense of the Holy Spirit gave them far more meaning, and just flipped the album around for me (Rain/Reign being the best. Honestly. You just have to listen to it to know - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruhfODmwfes).

This is a shot from the final worship performance on the final night, of So Will I (100 Billion X) with just a piano and strings.

Overall, my experience at the Hillsong Conference far exceeded any expectation I could have held. I was blessed, challenged and just stunned by the beauty of thousands of Christians gathering to worship God in unison, and many becoming Christians every day and night. I cannot wait for Conference 2018 (#ThereIsMore - if you know, you know), and will definitely be attending. I encourage you to do so as well.

(Pictures courtesy of several members of The Junction Church).